An empathy gap is a cognitive bias where we underestimate the impact a visceral state has on our attitude or behaviours. If we are dealing with someone who is angry, it is really hard for us to accurately gauge how much this “anger” is influencing what they say they want or need. Basically, we can...

Ideas are cheap, if we have a lot. As with most things, as supply goes up, demand drops. As idea generation increases, our perception of value of the idea decreases. As idea importance decreases, we get to look further down the chain. We quickly see that with ideas being cheap, importance now lies in the...

Study groups, peer to peer circles, Slack channels and Facebook groups can all be powerful ways to learn and grow. In groups, we benefit from the network effect, open source pools of information and even positive peer pressure – all of these can help us level up. However, groups can also easily deteriorate. With little...

Unexpected comes in different flavours. The flight was delayed, the payment was late, the restaurant was closed when we got there… Challenges that pop up along the path. Then there’s another type – the surprisingly friendly assistant at the post shop, the ridiculously efficient-yet-fun guy running the check-out counter at the supermarket and the courtesy...

From 2009-2011, I was pretty deep into the long course triathlons. My mentor at the time (and training partner) was a good friend Pete Jacobs. Every Monday morning at 7am, we would head out on our weekly long run. This was 24-30km, either done at base pace (maybe 4:45-5:15min/km pace), or what’s called a “progression...

In materials science, a “change” in length for an object is called strain. Say we grab your pen, pop one end in a vice and pull on the other end, we can see a “delta” – a change in length of the object. This is “strain.” So, strain then (or “change”) is relative to the...

Typically, I brew my coffee at home, with an Aeropress. But every once in a while, if I’m near a café where they are proud of their work, I’ll drop in for an espresso. I’ll pay for the coffee, and in that 15 minute period, I’ll get a specific, relatively “known” outcome. This is a...

It’s a natural thing to shift towards complexity. More complex movement, more complex coffee names, more complex ways of writing, more complex spiritual concepts… Somehow it can feel as though as the complexity ratchets upwards, things improve. Well, sometimes, this is true. Many times though, it’s just a trap. A way to hide. If you...