Mindset
For the steady of nerveorthe 3am overthinker
2026
2025
Balance Takes Practice
Live in the moment or plan for the future? Both are right and both are wrong at the extremes. You don't need to pick a side. Learn to move between them.
The Toilet Roll Illusion
A toilet roll looks full until it's nearly gone. Our energy and savings work the same way. Rest early and reach out before what looks like half is nearly empty.
The Good Stuff
We save the good wine, the good pen and the fresh notebook for someday. Then the tape dries out and the wine turns. The good stuff is meant to be used.
The Upgrade Trap
More money, status and responsibility sound like progress. Every upgrade has a price in time and freedom. Make sure the next one is worth paying for.
2024
The Fragility of School Grades
Report cards show results and effort. Results are tidy but fickle. Effort compounds over time. This report card season, celebrate the effort.
What Do You Do?
"So, what do you do?" Most of us answer with a job title. It's safe and dull. Share what you care about instead and small talk becomes real talk.
If I Just Had That
Jill has money, Jack has time, John has neither job nor peace. Each wants what the other has. Happiness comes from valuing what you already have.
Forgetting First
Chasing "the best" is a game you can't win for long. Stop measuring yourself against others and try to be your best instead. That's a game you can keep winning.
Subject to Change
Mobile phones turned plans into suggestions. In a world of keeping options open, making a real commitment shows you're serious and ready to follow through.
The Mental Mile
The four-minute mile was impossible until Roger Bannister ran it. Then others followed within weeks. What changed was belief. Know that it can be done.
Sickness and Health
My third bout of COVID narrowed my wants to one thing, to be well. A reminder to check in with yourself. Good health is the ultimate wealth.
When Ego Meets A Critic
Criticism shows the difference between ego-driven and humble leaders. Not all feedback is right, but none of it is a verdict on your worth.
One Piece of Advice
Experts can see everything a beginner does wrong. Great teachers pick the one piece of advice that matters most. The real skill is knowing what to ignore.
"Everyone Agrees With Me"
Truth isn't democratic. One person can be right and everyone else wrong. Stay open to reason and logic, but don't be swayed by the sheer weight of numbers.
2023
Birthday Reflections
Ten lessons from 48 trips around the sun, from "always be kind" to never making career decisions on a Monday morning.
A Formula For Breaking Formulas
School teaches us to follow formulas. Business rewards the people who break them. Why rigid thinking blinds you to better solutions.
Inspired by Paracetamol
Paracetamol doesn't remove pain, it blocks the signal. We can do the same with critics and setbacks by choosing how we respond to them.
How It's Always Been Done
Challenging the status quo is exciting, but some practices endure for good reason. Not all foundations are meant to be dismantled. Find the reason first.
No Offence, But…
"No offence, but" doesn't give you immunity from your words. Say it sincerely and with empathy, or keep it to yourself.
The Banana Lessons
Buying bananas is a balance of green and ripe. Three lessons on timing, patience and making the best of a rotten situation.
The Pure Luck Myth
Harrison Ford's big break looked like luck. Luck is rarely random. Do more, be consistent and expand the surface area for good fortune to find you.
Chasing Blue Ticks
A blue tick once cost $15,000 on the black market. Now it's $8. Status symbols only hold the value we give them, unlike the things that really matter.
Conflicting Words Of Wisdom
"Look before you leap" or "he who hesitates is lost"? Proverbs contradict each other because the right call depends on the situation. Then make it right.
2022
Neil Armstrong Got It Wrong
Neil Armstrong fluffed the most famous line in history and hardly anyone noticed. Remember that next time you publish a typo or stumble in a presentation.
I Win, You Win
Life isn't a 100m sprint or a poker game. Someone else winning doesn't mean you're losing. We're not fighting for one ribbon. We can all win together.