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I found my father’s journal recently. I don’t understand his handwriting at times but I noticed that we have a very familiar style of writing – short sentences, mostly meditations and abstract musings on life. We’re like the same person across two different eras. I could have written the very same things, had I formed…

I realized recently how many everyday things I haven’t tried in my life. I had forgotten what it feels like to drink a whole beer by myself at home just to see how it affects me. Did it tonight. Not my thing. I had never talked to a model. I did yesterday. Not as incredible…

I spent a whole night talking to people this week. I love doing talking to strangers but this time I overdosed. As a result, I don’t feel like talking to anybody today. Not even to interesting people. I feel like just saying things. Talking to myself. And like making things. But not discussing them. I’ve…

I’ve always been hardworking but self-control has just never been my thing. All my life thus far, I’ve been easily distracted by things big and small. Until I found out what really working out can do for my self-control, that is. Now I want more. And taking this simple idea one step further, in what…

Most people are interesting to me. I know I’d learn a great deal, if I just stopped and had a short chat with them. But some people I found irresistible. I want to know everything about them and the way the see the world. I want to ask them so many questions that I leave…

I got up at 6:20 today with a new question on my mind. One of the biggest I’ve asked myself, I think… Can I really have anything I want?! Can I really learn Spanish, German & Japanese while I’m running in the talking to my closest friends?! Can I really talk to every stranger I…

I was thinking today… Most people are afraid to promise big things. If they promise big things, they don’t know how to make them happen. Or even if they do, they often fail because they try to do it alone. And if they somehow keep their promise, they forget who they did it for and…

I hate measuring things in money. We met two great friends yesterday and just to visit them, we spent a lot. And even though I hate measuring intangible things, at the end of the day I still asked myself “Was it worth it?”. It totally was. It was worth a lot more than 40 lv,…

I’ve always thought of this saying in the negative sense. When you divide something, you make it weaker. But lately, I’ve been doing just that. Only, in a good way. I met this gorgeous new person for coffee, one on one. It’s so much easier to bond with someone face-to-face . Then I forgot about…

Now that’s a new thought. I’m not gonna work on Fridays anymore. Instead, I’ll spend the day thinking. But I don’t think well when I sit down to think. I think well when I do mechanical tasks – running, washing dishes, cleaning, buying groceries. Anything that helps me zone off helps me think. Let me…

I’ve done so little today of what I should have been working on. Yet, I made GIANT steps on thoughts that have been important to me forever. I don’t know how it happened. I just remember specifically praying a few months ago I could someday make such giants steps. I guess I should pray more…

Today. Such a great day, with two of the best conversations of the year, comfortably. Wonder what I did differently? I prayed about someone else rather than myself in the morning. I really opened up to friend about my business, instead of holding back some details out of fear that he might use it against…

To me, Barcelona is color and light. Just being there fills you with joy and gratitude. Who knew you could sum up a city in two words… But perhaps, two are not enough. Because Barcelona is also freedom. Your spirit can fly there, as long as you don’t bring your boxes. Color and light, unfiltered….

I met two wonderful new people this week. They reminded me giving feels better than getting stuff. Which in turn reminded me that I haven’t gotten much stuff lately. Just a few books here and there. I found my father’s journal even. I wouldn’t trade it for a million dollars. And I found it by…

Today, I connected deeply with 3 separate people. I’ve had worse years. As one of them said, I seem to be on the right track. But what surprised me more is that those conversations didn’t feel like a means to an end. They were so meaningful on their own that they were enough. Now that…

I had two dear friends over this week. We talked about so much that I went to bed at 4:00 am. But what I remember most vividly is one of their simple observations about life: “A-players play with A-players”. I took it to heart without realizing why. Now I realize, however… It’s a rule of…

Yesterday, I talked to my students about Jim Loehr’s idea that every type of growth happens by alternating between stress and recovery. It’s a simple idea I already believed in. Yet, I ran into another dimension of its yesterday. Into a question I hadn’t asked myself… If recovery happens in your comfort zone, then stress…

Am I an original thinker? And do I need to be? Not quite sure how to answer both. All of my ideas are built upon the ideas of wiser men and women. Yet, I feel I have my strikes of lightning sometimes ⚡️ Like the thought that Flow is actually thinking (and feeling) in light…

When I grab the guitar, it’s all chaos and improvisation. Nothing like drawing. I’m actually better at playing guitar than at drawing but my playing has no structure. I don’t seem to get music on a structural level. Meanwhile, it’s pretty obvious when I draw. Every time I draw, I make a series of quick…

I watched “Tenet” by Christopher Nolan recently. It’s just a movie, most people would say. It’s got like a 7.9 at IMDB. Not the best movie ever, most people would say. And yet, I’ve been thinking about it for a week. I woke up at 3:00 am last night, thinking about the principle. The tenet….

There are few people that bring the insecurities out of me. So few that I sometimes forget I have them. But of course, I do. Everyone does. And each of those insecurities has a trigger that puts you into reaction mode before you know what’s happening. I reacted this week. Then I got upset I…

My writing made 2 big breakthroughs in a single day yesterday. First, some lyrics I wrote really struck a chord with a dear friend. It was such a rewarding feeling. For the first time in a while, I didn’t want any credit for it. I just wanted the song to come to life. Then, one…

Those last few months I got used to a new idea – starting my own family. But when I think about it, I have a big one already. Family extends beyond one’s bloodline. That is, if you treat people like such. My girl’s family is my family too. And she’s got a bunch. Also, my…

Kevin Kelly says friends are better than money. That a friend with a boat beats owning a boat in so many ways, for example. Same goes for traveling, I guess.  Yesterday I called a dear friend in Athens and he said “Come to Kalamata, I’ll give you the keys to the house”. Beats having the…

I didn’t stop working at 4:00 today. In fact, I worked for 13 hours straight. But this time, it was a conscious decision. I wanted to finish that video and I felt in the zone while I was doing it. From the outside it looks like a failure. But it feels quite like a victory….

I remember Dale Carnegie saying “To make friends and influence people, never criticize them”. Sure enough, I’ve been doing in anyway. Especially with the person I love most. I did it in very subtle ways but the fact remains that I did. The last few months have been amazing between us. We became better friends….

Today, I am taking a brave step I choose to be read and forgotten I may not be there to remember But I hope my hopes will live longer

A good limitation and some persistence is all you need to progress. Even when you don’t know where to begin, picking a little bet will show you the way. I had forgotten this but life reminded me. I heard a big producer mention how he made 25 beats per week. It was genius. The number…

I never finished reading Antifragile by Nassim Taleb. I probably should. But I vividly remember one idea – that measuring your progress on a daily basis is self-sabotage. A single day can be both a complete failure or a an amazing step forward. You need to allow for the natural swings in your luck, mood,…

They say it’s hard to break a habit. Well, it really ain’t. Not a good habit, at least. I had been working out for over a year. Then the apocalypse happened, gyms closed I needed two weeks to go back to not exercising. I used to wake up at 5:30 in the morning, so I…

I consider myself very open-minded. Yet, I have to be in a certain, higher state of mind, to be really open to new people and unknown experiences. I often regret not being able to stay in that headspace. But I did yesterday and it backfired. I had a great time but it was complete chaos….

Kevin Kelly turned 68 this week and he used the occasion to share 68 pieces of advice. I love most of them but one stood out: “Don’t be better. Be first.” I’ve been reminded many times recently that, for better or for worse, I think differently from other people. I might as well use it…

I saw Jerry Seinfeld talk to Jim Carey yesterday. And in Jim’s studio there was a painting that said “…and in that moment he was free from the prison of becoming.” Free from becoming… What a chord it strikes. I’m so mad about becoming a better musician that I forget to be a beginner musician….

I realized right now that I’m always stuck looking for the extraordinary. I probably miss all those moments that are just plain wonderful but are nothing outstanding and fancy. It may be have been easier to enjoy my life if I had never experienced moments of deep Flow and connection. Yet, we need something to…

Yesterday I got frustrated once again with my growth as a musician. That’s just my thing. But this time I let it go faster. I spent the evening thinking about music and watching video about music, as usual. Minus the need to learn anything. I already know it – I only learn when I don’t…

I don’t feel the need to think about or comment on life today. I can but my time feels better spent just noticing it. Normally, I’m trying to screenshot the moment by writing or thinking. But even if I manage to capture it, it’s still gone. I’m left with just a reminder it was nice…

A friend of mine once asked me: “When you felt the best in your life, what were you doing?” It was years ago and I couldn’t answer then. But the question stayed with me and has popped up out of nowhere many times. Yesterday, I started using the Pomodoro technique again. A few short 25-minute…

This week I was surprised again by a quote in Dune. Fictions doesn’t seem so bad, after all. The quote felt like it was put there for me specifically: “He learned quickly because he first learned how to learn”. This reminded me I never finished my study on the subject of learning. I base my…

Nothing I try to do works when I’m tired and frustrated. And I get both when I’m learning something new, especially music. I love learning and I love music but sometimes I just hate the chaos it brings in my soul. Maybe it’s just the way I do it. But either way, I’m taking a…

My Mom reminded me recently that love is something you give, not seek. We spend our lives seeking love and attention. They both feel so good. Yet, we’re confused about the way we get them. It’s giving love and attention that makes you feel free, grateful and generous. It’s like a boomerang. And it works…

I started reading Dune this week, my first fiction book in ages. I rarely do anything that’s not directly useful and educating. That’s exactly why I need to read more fiction. To no one’s surprise, I’ve been underlining sentences as usual. Yet, it doesn’t feel like thinking – just noticing how characters think. There was…

As I’ve been trying to go straight for my goals those last few days, I had a realization: The word “direction” comes from “direct”, meaning “straight to the point”. If you wanna go anywhere, move directly towards it. We were wise enough to code it in our language. And if you think about it, directness…

I had a lesson in geometry today. A useless Instagram ad reminded me that the fastest way from A to B is a straight line. I guess it wasn’t that useless after all. I’ve been zigzagging in my work over the last weeks, despite knowing perfectly where I want to get. No more zigzagging. From…

I heard Alan Watts say that thinking is just talking to yourself. This would mean I’m talking to myself all the time. But what am I saying? Am I even conscious of it? Because that narrative dictates the way I see myself and the world. Our thoughts are statements about what we think is true…

Last night, I went to sleep with an interesting thought on my mind. For a brief moment, I could feel that I had too many goals and dreams – learning how to draw, learning to play the guitar and the piano, learning to speak Spanish and Japanese, shaping my abs. That was holding me back….

Our understanding of a subject, as huge as it may be, has limits. This is as obvious as it gets. Yet, I often forget what that means – that there is no way to understand something better than you currently do, unless you stretch the limits of your understanding. Today, I spent time thinking what…

I’ve never been a competitive guy. In my 34 years, I’ve had just a few instances where I’ve felt that I’d rather die than give up. Yet, those moments are probably some of the highlights of my life. That feeling is indescribable. The thing is, being competitive feels unstable to me. Even harmful. How do…

I had a funny thought last night. I’ve had it before but it always seems funny. What if I could be OK with everything that’s part of my life right now? What if I don’t want and need anything else, just for a moment? What if I liked everything that was going on, both “good”…

I did a wonderful thing this week – I stopped working after 4 p.m. I can’t believe it’s the first time I try that. It has done magic both for my productivity and for my overall sense of freedom. But I noticed it has a flip side. First, things and people started flooding my free…

Today I worked too much. Again. I finished the Essential English course in March. But instead of slowing down, I’ve almost kept the pace. And, even more painfully, little of what I do really matters. I just seem to love being busy. Well, not anymore. I feel an urgent need to do deeper work. And…

My relationship is an endless lesson on unselfishness. It’s been 15 years already and I still forget the simple truth it’s based on: as soon as I focus on what I need and want, things go south. But the moment I concentrate on making her happy, we both get happier. It seems to me that…

Over the last week, I’ve allowed myself to be random and inconsistent. I watched cooking classes, illustration workshops and filmmaking tutorials. I worked in the garden. I met new people. All of that just to get a glimpse of how others approach life and their work. Not following an agenda made me freer. Which made…

I cannot not learn. I don’t think I could even if I tried to. It sounds like something to brag about but it’s really hard to switch it off and simply relax, as a normal homo sapiens would. Yet, over the last two days, I’ve been in the countryside, away from my usual learning patterns….

Until a few years ago, new possibilities were my biggest distractions. As soon as I got excited about something new, my motivation for all my current projects and hobbies would go to zero. I’m an easy to fascinate guy, I find magic in everything. Which meant I would doubt my life and career choices on…

I often forget how valuable a good listener is. A good listener doesn’t need you to be a great speaker to pay attention. In fact, by being patient and curious, they make you a better speaker. I happen to be raised by a good listener. If listening were basketball, my mom would beat LeBron James…

Immunity has a mental and a physical side. I can do a TED-talk on what happens when you neglect the mental one. I’ve been trying to put that experience into words for years. But today, I saw it in a different light. I watched a video describing health as a generator with physical and mental…

I don’t like to repeat myself or others in my writing. Plus, I’m looking for new ways to approach our challenges. I imagine old thoughts won’t bring new worldviews. So I consider it my job as a non-fiction writer to find new things to say. Or new ways of saying things, at least. I’m not…

Normally, I don’t pay much attention to my doubts and insecurities. That only makes them last longer. Last night I woke up worried that my progress with music is highly suspicious. I wasn’t getting any better with singing, playing guitar or writing songs. But this time, those doubts felt different. They didn’t feel like statements…

Like most people, I avoid tension. I’m not even aware I’m doing it, most of the time. Unless I’m paying close attention to my thoughts, I’d duck it like two months of home office. I think our instinct is to gravitate toward the stuff that brings order and clarity into our lives. Well, tension surely…

As an artist, I’ve always been looking for that perfect balance between trying too hard and letting things happen naturally. Needless to say, every time I’d swing one way or the other. Either my ambition would make my work feel too forced, or my caution would leave it a bit on the sloppy side. I…

In 2015, I wrote a small booklet which summarized my recovery from a major depressive episode. It was а personal epiphany on what made me depressed in the first place, what got me back on my feet and how it could help me and others stay away from depression. The booklet was 40 pages long…

Starting something new is such a mess. I’ve started so many things in my life and I still struggle to make a simple first step. I knew I wanted to write non-fiction in English somewhere in 2018. Then I waited, hesitated and postponed. Writing this post took me 2 years. “Struggling” doesn’t do the feeling…