I used to believe there wasn’t anything I could do to get rid of the nervousness I felt in some social interactions. Well, I was wrong. Today, I know of three ways to feel and act more relaxed: 1) General confidence, feeling comfortable with who you are. 2) Make yourself…

Last weekend, I spent my days brainstorming and writing a speech for my school’s public speaking contest. On Tuesday afternoon, I walked into the assembly hall and performed my speech at the semi finals. It went well. One participant even told me: “I’ve never seen someone giving a speech as…

People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. That was the core message of Simon Sinek’s TED Talk called “How great leaders inspire action” he held in 2009. According to Sinek, great leaders and businesses have a common denominator: They’re able to communicate their WHY (as…

Be consistent. Likely, that’s the most common advice I’ve come across the last year on Twitter. While it may sound straightforward, I see value in explaining why it really matters. Why is being consistent so important? Being consistent is important for increasing our odds of success. We drastically underestimate how much of a role luck plays for success due to…

I realize this essay’s title sounds exaggerated. It isn’t. Two days ago, I wrote an essay in 8 minutes. Some of my early essays took 3+ hours to write. In other words, I achieved the same outcome with only 1/20 of the time investment. At first thought, it would be…

Contrary to what many believe, being a good public speaker isn’t a skill you are born with, but a skill you can acquire. At least according to David JP Phillips, a Swedish public speaking coach, known for his TED Talks. In one of them, The 110 techniques of communication and…

I didn’t have time to write today. Today, I spent my entire day writing and practicing my upcoming speech, which I’m writing for a public speaking contest held by my school. …

What’s the most important task of a teacher? To teach, you say? No, it isn’t. I’ve had many teachers over the last 12 years trying to “teach” me something. Out of the thousands and thousands of lectures I’ve taken, I’d argue 90% of them were a waste of time. Why? …