The True Cost of Things

The True Cost of Things

When we acquire things, mostly by buying or when someone gives it to us, we associate this object by its cost. “This costs half my monthly salary“, or “This looks cheap!”. While this may seem obvious from our perspective, in reality, this is only a part of its true cost.

There is an excellent article from Raptitude about this, titled Everything Must Be Paid for Twice. The author said that the first price is what we pay to gain possession of something. Once we obtain it, we must also then pay a second price, which is the effort needed to utilize and reap the benefits of that thing. Continue Reading

Don’t just consume, create!

Don’t just consume, create!

How do you usually spend your day?

You wake up on a weekday, annoyed at the alarm clock for reminding you once again to go to work. Phone in hand, you take a quick glance at social media to get the freshest news. After a quick breakfast, you prepare your things and head to work. To maximize your time commuting, you listen to your favorite podcast while in your car. Continue Reading

Rage against the dying of the light

Rage against the dying of the light

If there is one recognizable aphorism on how we should live our days to the fullest, it would be carpe diem. This is famously known to mean “seize the day”, but it is actually mistranslated. Its true meaning is closer to “gather while the day is ripe”.

This year has been hard for many of us. The pandemic brought widespread disruption in people’s lives by losing loved ones, layoffs, closed businesses, and isolation. Our family was not spared as well. This year I lost my sister to cancer. Several uncles and relatives passed away. This led me to think about the shortness of this life. Was gathering while the day is ripe enough? How can I even know if the day is ripe or not? Continue Reading

Buying Time

Buying Time

I wanted to do that but I didn’t have time!“. Have you heard yourself say this before? I am certain everyone did at some point. We all wish we have the time to do the things we want. 24 hours is not enough for a day!

But think about other people whom you admire. Perhaps its someone who leads a successful business, or someone who produces amazing works of art. These are people who spent a lot of time practicing and honing their skills. How did they find time to do these things? Why am I not as skilled as them even though all of us had the same number of hours in a day? Continue Reading