Let’s get nerdy — At the age of 10, I had a seemingly glorious business idea. I envisioned a voice recorder that turns audio automatically into computer text. Although I was clueless about how to build this product, I had the urge to share this idea with my father. Then the shock — my…

Skip the innovation and become a customer whisperer — Entrepreneurs have become the rockstars of the 21st century. Steve Jobs made innovation look easy. Mark Zuckerberg got his own Hollywood movie. And Elon Musk has lived up to his nickname “real-life Iron Man”. At the same time, these tech-moguls have been misleading us — they made us believe that…

Why are American kids so angry? — Joe Biden is a powerless man. And everybody knows it. Mr. President is condemning the 27th American school shooting this year, which happened in Uvalde, Texas. 19 children and 2 teachers have died tragically. And what’s Joe Biden’s solution? He demands stricter gun laws. That’s it. This solution is a…

Do what you love (without sacrificing your lifestyle). — Don’t ask successful people for career advice. On one hand, they would be stupid to tell you their real success secrets. On the other hand, their answers often turn into romanticized hero stories about themselves. Steve Jobs for example. In his famous Stanford speech from 2005, he urged teenagers around…

The only way to succeed as a quiet person. — “You are really introverted, aren’t you?”, my geography teacher asked me. Now, to make it clear, I didn’t have a problem with her question (I’ve heard this question quite a lot, actually). Her pitiful look on her face wasn’t the problem either (I’ve gotten this look quite often, actually). I…

#3: You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do — World-famous psychologist, genius, alchemist, polymath, modern shaman — Carl Gustav Jung was certainly ahead of his time. He also invented analytical psychology, laid the groundwork for the famous MBTI personality test, and is regarded as one of the most influential psychologists in human history. Jung’s ideas were radically different. His…

Most entrepreneurs are trapped in the hedonic treadmill. — As an 18-year-old, my formula for happiness was simple: Study computer science Invent a social network. Become a billionaire. Be happy for the rest of my life. Sure, I knew my plan sucked. Deep down, I knew that I was lying to myself. I was running away from my problems…

In defense of routines and repetition. — “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”. Well, not mine. I’m at my absolute peak when I’m in my cushy comfort bubble: I write my most successful articles in pajamas. I produce my best software code after daily meditation. I feel invincible when I follow my boring workout…

Our parents lived the old dream — and failed. Now we’re questioning everything. — Modern society loves addicted people. Shopaholics are great, information junkies even better. Addicted people are disoriented consumers. And consumers are great for the economy. It’s surprisingly easy to make consumers happy — give them a “safe” 9–5 job, a Netflix account, and keep releasing a new iPhone every year.