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Welcome to the third in a series which reveals the intricacies of dating different nationalities. In this post, we'll uncover Mexican dating culture...

Ever wonder how motivation works and what drives our behaviour? The motivation matrix reveals just that. It demonstrates the forces behind our...

An antifragility mindset then is not only having the mental resilience to bounce back from adversity but to strengthen and evolve...

This is the third and final post in a three part series on managing emotions. This post uncovers the role of social skills emotions and how we can harness...

This is the second in a three part series on managing emotions. This post outlines specific tips about emotions to harness or alleviate different types of...

This is the first in a three part series on managing emotions. This series will look at how we can manage our emotions instead of letting them manage us, how to harness or alleviate different types of emotions depending on what we want...

Opposites attract or Birds of a feather flock together, which is it and what is behind those sayings? These old...

This is the second in a series on international dating, a series that examines the intricacies of dating people from different nationalities with specific advice and recommendations. This post looks at dating Hungarians...

This post will elaborate more on embodying a non-idealogical approach to life by avoiding othering and offer some food for thought about habits and thinking patterns we adopt without...

This will be the first in a series on international dating, a series that will unpack the intricacies of dating abroad and dating people from different nationalities. First, dating in Japan...

I have to write a post that deals with how we think and what mindsets we carry as we navigate our way throughout the world and life. Welcome to the concept of malleable beliefs...

Did you know there are two types of freedom? These are positive freedom and negative freedom. Understanding and embodying both will...

As travellers, wanderers, nomads or expats, it’s not often we think about how to give value to others when overseas. Much of our focus is placed on ourselves as solo beings looking to navigate our way around less familiar terrain...

If it were easy everyone would do it. A male friend once griped about the difficulty of meeting and dating quality women he was attracted to. Much like Tom Hank’s character in that infamous...

Want to make a good first impression? Infiltrate new social circles with aplomb? Create irresistible camaraderie? Focus on getting the best out of people around you...

The differences between a high vs low context culture. In his 1959 book...

What do I mean by lose the right to complain? The truth is we’re a big bunch of moaners. No really, think about it: when was the last time you...

Whatever your situation, if in doubt about how to go about cultivating an awesome social life, there’s one heuristic you can always fall back upon: do something social every day...

We hear a lot about core values. But why are core values important and crucially, how do we discover our own ones and infuse our lives with them?

Social currencies are what make the world go round. No really, they are the fuel that underpins the engines of societies. How we share, barter and...

Trust is a precious commodity. Some of us give it easily, others rarely. For many it’s the most crucial aspect of any relationship. Yet few of us think about the nature of trust and our relationship...

Externalizing thoughts is power. Any impactful creation that has ever existed has been the result of putting thoughts out into the world. Yet surprisingly, most people aren’t externalizing thoughts...

I don’t usually write about diet-related topics but here I make an exception. Practicing intermittent fasting 101...

“Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try”. Even though the words are said by a fictional character, they contain an important life lesson: Don’t try just do...

“Don’t settle for mediocrity” is a useful phrase to help prevent us from regressing to a life where we never...

We’ve all used Google Maps to help us find public transport routes, avoid walking past our destinations or even as a sat nav in a car. What you probably don’t know is how useful Google Maps can be as a tool for lifestyle design. Use…

Many people are reluctant to think about setbacks or failures. It isn’t emotionally easy to revisit low moments. But there’s a way of turning vice to virtue, a way of taking weaknesses and actually turning them to strengths...

Social media is one of the most groundbreaking innovations of the 21st century. But social media has also come under fire in recent years for certain negative effects. We need to know how to use social media in a healthy way...

Marathon not a sprint: As the most successful investor in history, Warren Buffett is, unsurprisingly, a highly sought after individual when it comes to business and financial expertise. But as a master in longevity...

Modern culture has made developing a meaningful social and dating life a conundrum for many. Loneliness is widespread. Studies show dating is...

Here are some key lessons learned this year that have helped me in my life and I hope will help you in yours...

It’s not optimal to ‘close your mind off’ from meeting new people just because you have a social circle. There’s a logic to continue meeting people with an open mind no matter the size of your...

How fast can you learn a new language? Some say reaching a good level via rapid language learning takes at least a year. Another guy claims it...

Texting and dating someone you’re attracted to remains perplexing for many. In an era where calling has...

Let’s face it, rejection sucks. No-one enjoys someone telling them “no”. Being rejected stings, bruises our ego and makes us feel inadequate. Except it doesn’t have to. We can learn how to get over rejection...

There’s a dating crisis in the West. Alternative dating...

In Ancient Greece, the word metis (mētis) meant a quality that combined wisdom and cunning. It is also variably called know-how, common sense...

You’ve heard of the 30 Day Challenge, now get ready for the 90 Day Challenge. The 90 Day Challenge is like the 30 day one on steroids...

What is the power of being process-oriented and outcome independent? When you focus on the process of what needs to be done, you’re controlling...

This post will show you how to overcome language barriers so that you can better enjoy interactions with whoever you meet...

Ever met someone whose magnetic energy pulled you in to a great conversation? Or someone whose vibe was so off you wanted to run? Behind both is the Law of State Transference...

A 30 day challenge uses the power of gamification to push you towards your lifestyle design goals. Over a period of a month or so, you set yourself aims to...

Traipse the productivity and personal development spheres of the internet long enough and you'll undoubtedly come across sources advocating how you need a morning routine. You've likely come across...

Ever wonder how to find and enjoy the local food culture when overseas? If the food you’re eating in a country is authentic? Whether you’re a foodie or not, in whatever capacity we find...

This is the fifth post in part of a series on language learning. It covers the language and culture relationship...

It’s important to have active intent in lifestyle design. Active intent refers to placing your focus on the goals you want to achieve and not deviating from those aims. A story that best demonstrates the necessity of focus is one featuring...

We all know some acronyms off by heart. Maybe it’s a catchy phrase you learned in school. Or maybe it’s a set of letters you learned to associate with something else. Business...

'Peking Express' is a travel adventure reality show where teams in two compete against others to race from one checkpoint to another usually (but not limited to) hitchhiking. As a travel...

Actor Daniel Day-Lewis once referred to the voice as “the fingerprint of the soul”. An underlying commonality with the components of vocal communication...

Living abroad is one of the most life-changing decisions that can be done. We all know people who’ve ventured to another country for a new life or met...

We all have different thinking tools that we operate with desiring to get the most out of life. The Barbell Strategy...

Chances are you’ve thought about how to meet people during the day at some point in your life but...

Asking for what you want seems like the simplest thing in the world. But for many, it’s the hardest. The power of asking runs deeper than posing questions. It’s an...

We’ll be looking at some of the lesser known but no less valuable types of visas that many countries offer giving you an alternative route to living overseas...

Going out to meet people at night remains one of the most popular ways to find dates. ‘Night encounters’ is one of the five categories of meeting people for dating. Meeting people at night is more complex than ever. There are shifting...

You’ve thoroughly planned your event, carefully overseeing each detail in preparation for the big day. Now the day arrives and you want to pull off the event without a hitch. You wonder how to run a successful event that leaves...

As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. We search online for tidbits that we hope help us to explore like a local in specific places but...

“Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last.” wrote Samuel Johnson. We have things we’re curious in. But we don’t always know why is curiosity important...

Social circle dating is as old as our species. Since the dawn of time, people have dated others from existing friendship and social groups. Many...

Let’s face it—we all learn a foreign language with the hope of using it in a native-speaking country. When done well, learning a language abroad...

We’ve all been to events—good and bad. The good ones make us feel alive, integrated and remarkable. The bad ones leave a sour taste in our mouth and make us want those hours of our lives back. This leaves many wondering how to plan a…

There’s a saying that we only appreciate something when we no longer have it. For all the benefits that time abroad can bring, an underestimated one is an appreciation for your home country...

First principles thinking is a way of reasoning by breaking down the subject matter into its fundamental elements and building from there. Thinking from first principles involves stripping away...

We can never be certain of how a trip or move abroad will pan out, only that we'll have stories to tell. We live in the Information Age with greater access to the knowledge of the world than ever before...

Events are planned social occasions where most of the people don’t know each other beforehand. They can be a great way to meet potential dates whether they’re formal dating events...

This is the third and final part of a series on knowing how to choose which city or cities to travel to and live in for lifestyle design. The first part details...

In part 1 of this series, we learned that for cities, geographical proclivity is often the biggest determinant in whether they're successful or not...

Cities are mesmeric human creations. “[A] city is more than a place in space, it is a drama in time.” noted the biologist Patrick Geddes. A city is an audacious...

Meditation is synonymous with mindfulness, the state of being aware of the present moment without judgement or evaluation. Yet meditation remains misunderstood. People pose questions such as: Do I have to practice...

You’ve likely heard before that listening is the most important communication skill. “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as...

This post intends to provide an outline on the state of dating and the ways in which people can improve their dating lives...

We all face a dilemma. We know trying new things is beneficial. But using what we already know works is also beneficial. This is the explore/exploit...

In many ways, listening is the most challenging skill when it comes to foreign languages. For one, it can create the most overwhelming situation for learners. Having to instantly interpret...

Let’s face it, we all have too much to do. Swamped with a barrage of tasks, we meander through hoping to come out on top at the end of the day. On the few occasions we find ourselves freer, a new batch of...

If you’ve ever gone abroad before, you’ll have almost certainly thought at some point that you’ve spent more than you wanted. Maybe it was a holiday where you spent too much on gifts and souvenirs. Or maybe it was...

Goals are inexorable—we all have intentions and desires of wanting to get from A to B. Intentions and desires are distinct from goals but they form the basis of them. Even a minimalist ascetic who seeks to strip their life of all desires cannot do…

One of the best methods for language learning is to start speaking it straight away.  Yes, that means from day one. How on earth do I speak from day one if I don't know the language I hear you...

Are you experienced? This is a question that famed artist Jimmy Hendrix asked many years ago. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t referring experiences...

For most of us, flights underpin our access to other countries. The air corridors planes fly through are our bridges to the rest of the world. Unless you’re travelling to a neighbouring...

Want to know a secret about communication, something that can transform your interactions across cultures and is unknown by most yet lying in plain sight? This is the concept...

Eager to travel but don’t know where to start? Swamped with information from people online and in-person making you doubt where to go? Or ready to relocate to a new life by going abroad...

Most people who spend extended time overseas will know the feeling of being homesick. It’s a natural response to an unfamiliar environment which differs in fundamental ways from the place you grew up in. Yet as with many illnesses, homesickness is curable. There are...

Language teaching. A pathway to living abroad. A means of conveying your culture to others. A gateway of transformative communication. A channel for leadership and inter...

I’ll level with you—odds are you’ve come across productivity advice before. We live in a productivity-obsessed era. There are plenty of productivity...

What do Paris in the 1920s, Naples in the Renaissance and Bali in the 21st century have in common? The answer is they’re all sites for ‘Golden Ages’. Special places and times where...

Many people dream of moving abroad. For some, it’s the desire to hit the reset button and make a fresh start...

Considering the art and science of a skill is a powerful tool for achieving mastery. Too often we categorise disciplines ...

If you’re reading this, you understand the most dominant lingua franca there has ever been and likely ever will be: English. In the last century, English reached a point at which it’s spread to...

Chances are when you think of the term ‘exotic’, what comes to mind are things that are unique and different from the area you grew up in. Things that are unusual yet captivating. Things that...