Here’s a great video from Seth Godin about the importance of failing, not being afraid to take risks, and taking initiative. Worth watching.
The Importance of Being Results-Oriented
(Don’t Just) Follow Your Passion
I love this video. Cal Newport, a professor at Georgetown, suggests people shouldn’t just “follow their passion,” as mainstream media would suggest. This is too abstract, he says, as it suggests that people should first discover their passion without any real experience. In this video, he presents a much more concrete solution to obtaining a life you’re passionate about –
And that’s it, folks. Trade your skills upwards for a life you want.
Audiobooks: A Revelation

Fig. 1: Before audiobooks vs. After audiobooks (source: culturalcat.com + funnyshare.org)
Sources of Revenue
Found this little gem while researching business models. It provides a quick overview of how some top tech companies make money –
Keep Your Head Up
Amy Cuddy gave a TEDtalk a while back about body language, and I noticed recently I was guilty of holding what she calls a “low-power position.” My resting head position is down – when I’m not talking, when I’m walking, and sometimes when I drift off. I don’t intentionally do this, it’s just a natural resting position for me. There are, however, a few problems with this – 1) it’s not good for your posture, 2) it’s not perceived well, and most importantly, 3) it affects your confidence.
I wanted to change this. As a result, I embarked on a week-long experiment to make an improvement. Whenever I was walking, talking, or idle, I kept my head firmly up, no matter what. I of course expected to inherit better posture, however, I encountered an unexpected result – I was forced to engage. This wasn’t the case before – when I used to put my head down, I would unknowingly remove myself from the situation. In retrospect, some of these situations I may have subconsciously avoided – silence, heated arguments, or even boredom. This past week, however, I was forced to be present through each moment. Keeping my head up forced me to walk through those situations, as opposed to walking around them.
While this was a small experiment, I’ve gained a lot from a little. I’ve learned to partake in life more by simply not removing myself from situations. Discomfort sometimes arose, however, this passed and I was left with a moment I was actually a part of.