Random Observation/Comment #520: When you’re up there, imagine everyone’s on your side and waiting to be inspired and learn something new. A long speech may be daunting to you, but at one point in your life, you’ll need to stand up there and present your ideas. Whether it’s a technical presentation of your work pr the vows to your significant...
Random Observation/Comment #497: Get better at being a communicator. It’ll help with almost everything. Everyone wants a shortcut solution to everything, but real mastery and improvement takes time. I always suggest taking the smaller steps towards becoming a better communicator and gaining confidence in public speaking by following these key ideas: Know your material. Speak about things you know and...
Random Observation/Comment #494: Inspired leaders think, act, and communicate from “why”. What is your purpose, cause, and belief? Why do you wake up? Why should anyone care? These questions aren’t meant to make you depressed (even though they often do), but instead to make you evaluate your speciality, skills, and objectives. This is your life long mission statement that you hope to...
Random Observation/Comment #492: Don’t set low expectations to not get disappointed – set realistic ones and stick to a plan. Based on no facts and research: the top new years resolutions usually involve getting more healthy, spending more time with family, meeting true love, or taking more awesome vacations. It’s what we all put as the top generic things we need...
Random Observation/Comment #467: Blogposts taught me more about lifehacking, confidence, and interviewing more than any professor. Why This List? Those graduating from college often bump into a wall that I like to call “Now What?” You did what they were told, but now that you’re in the real world, you get to tell yourself what to do and choose whether or not you can have breakfast...
Random Observation/Comment #446: A step forward could sometimes be a step backwards, but at least you took a step. What is the cost of doing nothing? This was probably the most profound thing I’ve heard after 2 days of training for writing business cases, so I figure I’d address all the random tangents I thought about from this one line:...
Random Observation/Comment #429: I feel old when interns tell me they want to be like me when they grow up. I still haven’t grown up yet. Right? … Maybe? #usinghashtagstostayyoung Let’s say you’re like me and you love making task lists in the morning to know what to expect to get done by the end of the day. Now what?...
Random Observation/Comment #407: The best way to prepare is to know yourself. Take some time and put it on paper. Continuing my interview series of blog posts (Common skills for all careers, Interviewing: being on the other side), I’d like to highlight one of the most important parts: What do I ask the interviewer? Common questions: What are the top...
Random Observation/Comment #324: South Africa really needs a radio station devoted to Lion King songs. It would get all the tourist listeners. Is South Africa, as a travel destination, right for you? Things you must like: Adventures Roughing it in the wild Impromptu decisions Driving long distances (~7 hours per day) Animals far away Photography (because someone will be stopping...
Random Observation/Comment #278: Greed is such a terrible thing – especially greed for money. It causes so much pain and suffering around the world for no reason. Money is such a terrible thing, except when you have a lot of it. When I refer to the “perfect career”, I mean the path you take through your life giving back to...
Random Observation/Comment #269: Toastmasters is about being an effective communicator and a better leader. Name a profession that these skills do not come in handy. Never stop learning; Smarter every day. Happy New Year and best wishes to continuous health and happiness! With the new year starting, I have a call to action to all those wanting to become a...
Random Observation/Comment #267: Russian is very difficult to learn. I think I’m just going to nod, smile, and drink vodka when I get there. I am a fairly happy person. If you think about it, there’s really nothing to be overly sad about. Maybe there are a lot of #firstworldproblems (e.g. waiting too long for a Galaxy Nexus to be...
Random Observation/Comment #266: If you think of speeches as a series of personal stories to support an inspirational idea, the organization and the delivery becomes much more fluent. In fact, the best way to practice being a good public speaker is to talk more within your groups of friends. Use the Toastmasters techniques of voice inflection, hand gestures, and eye...
Random Observation/Comment #264: There are so many consumers in this world. I would rather be a producer. Not the literal producer, but actually a literal one. I thought my first impression of this 30 day challenge thing was profound, but I had only scratched the surface of many little nuances that taught me a lot about life. My first impression...
Random Observation/Comment #260: After being a mentee all of my life, I find it’s rather eye-opening being a mentor. I never realized how much advice is made up on the spot, but still sounds really profound and cool like you have it all figured out. Sorry, interns. I’m just making it up as I go along like the rest of...
Random Observation/Comment #257: “Life does flash before your eyes when you die. It’s called living.” Health and happiness. Let’s be honest – I’ll always be an engineer and a geek. Nothing can undo what Cooper, A.I., robotics, and Anime has done to me. But there’s something that I felt was missing from my bottle cap collection and food photography obsession...
Random Observation/Comment #254: “Oh, how time seems to sneak by… Babies you once held in your arms can now teach you how to use facebook. “ –Clemens Wan 1/12/11 Dad, I sometimes forget that you and Mom are not super heroes with the power of knowing everything. I sometimes forget that your current phase of life is the first time...
Random Observation/Comment #249: I’m surprised at how much career advice is out there for people, but how few people actually take it seriously. Seriously, this advice is helpful… After speaking to my personal board of directors (a.k.a. family, friends, and mentors) about career advice, I had gathered more very useful information about career development that I feel should be shared. ...
Random Observation/Comment #247: When a hobby becomes stale, the best way to handle it is to find take small steps to reinvigorate your passion towards it. Take it one step at a time and it will come back. There are four main things that I learned from the past 9 months of working. I feel like not sharing it would...
Random Observation/Comment #242: The month-long gap of writing was a test to see how much I could get done when I didn’t write. The answer, surprisingly, is that I didn’t do anything – well, that’s not true, but I didn’t get as much as I wanted done. I didn’t know this before, but writing in a blog about what I’m...
Random Observation/Comment #241: Panel speakers at leadership forums have the most badass introductions. These leaders have led a fruitful life with a never-ending path towards greatness, family, and – generally – more ridiculously cool stuff. I am in full admiration, and my mouth’s “wow” expression is hurting my jaw. New Goal: In 3 years, my introduction will make others’ jaws...
Random Observation/Comment #240: Every event is a networking event. I’m not the typical engineer with pocket protectors, protractors, and graphing calculators available in my utility belt (although my phone, can do all of those). I rather wear a smile and chit-chat about random things to work on a closer relationship (Relater on StrengthFinder!). Some people say it’s a waste of...
Random Observation/Comment #239: I am finding that more and more conversations with my peers have been focused on careers and happiness philosophies. Why is everyone so lost at this age? Where am I? At this particular stage of my life, my philosophy is the same as many of my peers – go with the flow and be happy along the...
Random Observation/Comment #236: I can write a whole article about how facebook status updates are a competition of being witty or clever while telling people what you’re doing. I won’t, but I definitely can. The daily grind has already somewhat settled. From the job perspective, I am strategically making myself more and more useful and indispensable in my group by...
Random Observation/Comment #233: As a part of Project-Wean-Back-Into-Working, I needed a small side project to help me multitask with my larger project. This happened to be writing a blog entry. Unfortunately, this entry got out of control and became the focus of my attention, since it was fresh with my erect passion and fire. It took a full day, but...
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