10 Sep 2026 #misc
I was looking to know how the mind and emotions work.
But I found the best lesson for marriages and relationships.
It’s the XYZ approach from Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman:
When sharing about an uncomfortable or annoying situation, instead of attacking the spouse, point out the situation.
And say something like, When you did X, it made me feel Y. I would have preferred Z.
Always make it about the situation, not the person.
And if it works for marriages, it works at the workplace too.
09 Sep 2026 #books
Read broadly or read about certain subjects or reread the same books?
I’ve struggled choosing a reading strategy.
Probably, for years, I read about anything that crossed my path.
But I realized I was only reading to chase quantity.
Then I switched to read books as needed.
These days, I started Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman.
It teaches about empathic listening: not just hearing or repeating the last words you hear, but to listen and paraphrase showing the underlying emotion.
While reading about it, I remember that’s precisely one of the habits from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
That made me go back and read that chapter again.
Habit #5, if I remember correctly.
Which led me to remember about Anthony Metivier’s idea of building a fortress of books.
In of his YouTube videos, he recommends reading books that build on, expand, or contradict each other.
You’ll find the same concepts in different perspectives.
That’s a better reading strategy.
In case you’re curious, here are my books. Feel free to pick any strategy to read them.
08 Sep 2026 #wellness #selfgrowth
When I shared about my unmet expectations and my career plans, my sister told me,
“You will have a perfect life. But it won’t be perfect all the time.”
A gentle reminder to find contentment where I am at now.
Yes, she’s younger but way wiser.
07 Sep 2026 #misc
It was a joke, but it made me update the sales page of my books.
Yesterday I found this sarcastic LinkedIn post, listing the laws for a new world order.
One of them was to ban the word “Discover” from any piece of copy. It made me list my 10 words or phrases to ban too—as a creative constraint:
- Level up
- Discover
- Skyrocket
- Delve into
- Here’s the thing…
- Are you ready to…?
- In this day and age…
- Let me tell you something…
- Take $something to the next level…
- In the fast-paced/fast-moving world of…
Which one would you ban too?
06 Sep 2026 #misc
No WiFi. No Bluetooth. No speedometer. No heart sensors. No notifications.
It only has an alarm, a countdown timer, and a stopwatch. But it beats any smartwatch. It’s water resistant and only needs a charge every 10 years. And like crock roaches, I bet I’ll survive a nuclear catastrophe. I bought a Casio AE1600H.
Because sometimes you don’t need faster or brighter, but reliable. Sometimes you don’t need more beeps and noise, but to walk alone with your thoughts. And because corporations already know a lot about us to hand them our vitals via a a smart watch.
Walking is how I take care of my body, mind, and spirit. That’s one habit included in burnout in 10 Surprisingly Simple Ideas That Changed My Life