Is Your Phone Hurting Your Relationship?
A philosophy towards more meaningful relationships. In a world filled with technological distractions, and shiny new toys that demand our ongoing attention, it’s a wonder we’re able to communicate with our partners at all.
Read full story3 Simple Habits to Help You Solve Problems Quickly
We live in an information-rich era. Technology has allowed us to streamline processes, work with higher efficiency and solve problems of grand scales. But you and I are only human, and we still have very human problems to deal with in our lives that complicated technology alone can’t solve.
Read full storyWhy Spiritual Happiness and Sustainability Should Be Mutually Inclusive
A look at how material happiness is sabotaging our sustainability efforts. Just a quick disclaimer: this week I attended a Hare Krishna talk titled ‘Finding Happiness’ which forms the spiritual basis of this story, but with an added perspective from my personal experiences having studied Social and Sustainability Marketing during my Master’s degree.
Read full storyHow To Be A Better Listener
“You’ve got two ears and one mouth, that means you gotta listen twice as much as you speak”. At least that’s the way I’ve heard it, you might have heard variations of it at some point in your life, but it still rings true. Listening to other people is a skill like any other, to some, it comes naturally, and to others, it takes a bit of practice. You might think that it’s easy, that you’ve just got to not speak when someone else is talking. I felt that way until someone close to me rightly pointed out that I wasn’t listening to them, I was only hearing them.
Read full storyThe Biggest Financial Mistake You Can Make in Your 20's
Asa young graduate, there’s a fair chance of making some financial mistakes right after graduation and getting into your industry. Heck, everyone makes financial mistakes now and then, though some are more significant than others.
Read full storyPractical Self Development Advice From A Monk
Back before the Coronavirus pandemic hit the world, I attended a workshop called ‘Living For You’ that was held by my local Hare Krishna group as part of their ‘Mindful Mondays’ weekly event. It involved some mantra meditation, storytelling, and crucially some takeaway advice that could apply to pretty much anyone.
Read full storyHow Bullet Journaling Helped Me During Unemployment
Do you ever get in a bit of a slump? You feel like everything seems to be going downhill and all you can do is watch as the world rolls on by. When I lost my last job, I didn’t have it for very long but it was one that I tried insanely hard to get. I’m talking about applying multiple times over three years, engaging with the company community, and even adopting their language. I was ecstatic when I finally got the job.
Read full story5 Quotes by Socrates to Help You Live a More Meaningful Life
Advice from ancient Greece that still applies today. Socrates was a prominent philosopher in ancient Greece circa 470–399 BCE. In all honesty, I hadn’t really thought about him much until I played the game Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, in which he is a leading character. However, the more I played the game, the more interested I was learning about his real-life counterpart.
Read full storyHow to Find Out What Really Motivates You
Ask yourself these 3 big questions. Many of us spend our time wandering through life without much direction, not really knowing why we do the things we do — we just do them because everyone else is. After we’re born, we go to school, get a job, get married, buy a house, have kids, get old and die. At least, that’s what the mainstream ‘ideal’ life is like.
Read full storySustainability Marketing: A Paradox?
It’s funny that when I tell people that I have a master's degree in marketing, they seem to suddenly picture me as “the man” — a corporate sellout, a suited, slick salesman. Spoiler alert: I absolutely suck at sales. I couldn’t even give away free money in a casino (well, vouchers for commission-free gaming sessions anyway).
Read full storyDo You Have Subscription Fatigue?
What it is and what you can do about it. Sometimes, you get a notification from your bank in the middle of the month about your balance. Damn, overspent again; I don’t even know where the money goes. It just disappears. You check your statement, and it’s full of $4.99’s here and $9.99’s there. It doesn’t seem like much, right?
Read full storyHow People Respond to Me When They Realize I’m Transgender
“Alex, I overheard some customers earlier talking about you, and for some reason, they were calling you a ‘she’, did you realize that?”. My new co-worker’s face expresses confusion but also some concern. Here it goes…
Read full storyI Quit Facebook for 6 Months, Here's What I Learned
Plus, a few other social network apps sucking my soul. For context, in 2018, after my Bachelor’s degree, I decided to shift my academic focus away from music, something I had been dedicated to for pretty much my whole life. To the surprise of many, I took a complete left turn and signed up for a Master’s degree in marketing. Unlike any other challenge I set myself in life, the degree was far more academic and research-based than I imagined, which is why I fell in love with it all. However, I quickly realized that I was spending a ridiculous amount of time glued to my phone due to the lack of time to dedicate to writing my assignments.
Read full storyHow to Be More Assertive in 5 Steps
Some techniques to help you communicate effectively. Throughout my life, I’ve displayed submissiveness about myself. I cared a little too much about what other people thought of me and perhaps pandered to their perspectives on their world. I wouldn’t raise my opinions because I feared people would judge them unworthy, and I was reluctant to stand up for myself or others. Being a victim of bullying can have that effect on people.
Read full storyWant to Be More Productive? Here's What Can Help
A useful trick to get into the flow state. I come from a musical family, and though I was the only one to pursue it at university, most of us can play the piano to some degree and have basic knowledge of music theory. It was this background in music that taught me to appreciate it both emotionally as well as practically. One of the best lessons I learned while studying music was its ability to command emotion and states of mind (and how to manipulate them).
Read full story3 Steps You Can Take Towards A Sustainable Future
Before last year, I struggled with coming to terms with the fact that my behaviour towards our planet, my health and those around me were less than ideal. Before, I genuinely didn’t care about how much plastic and other stuff I was using and throwing away. I didn’t care about the impact of my diet nor about fostering positive communities around me. Believe it or not, all those things have a common link — an attitude towards a sustainable future.
Read full storyHow to Reduce These Common Symptoms of Depression
I don’t write about this kind of stuff very often. Even though I wrote a piece recently about the #1 thing people don't mention about depression, I typically prefer to stay on the lighter, more positive aspects of life. And while I don’t have thousands upon thousands of readers (I appreciate all of you), I do still feel responsible for the impact my writing can have on the lives of others.
Read full storyHere’s What Tracking My Whole Day Taught Me About Time Management
Disclaimer: This article does not contain affiliate links. For the longest time, I’ve thought of myself as being super organised. I use a multitude of organisational tools as both a freelance writer and a PhD student. To top it off, people were telling me how organised I was compared to them!
Read full storyMy Top 10 Songs of 2020 Went Global When I Couldn’t Travel
2020 sure was a super crazy year. Every time someone mentions an event that happened way earlier on in the year my mind is blown; those massive wildfires, #metoo and the Kim Jong Un death rumors anyone? Yeah, those happened this year. Feel old yet?
Read full storyThe #1 Thing About Depression No-One Talks About
It’s not about the struggle, but what comes after. Depression sucks, I don’t think anyone can dispute that. Thankfully, mental health and wellness have had a bit of a makeover in recent years.
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