Anecdotes

For this episode, Tim and Vance discussed the topic of reflecting on what we want to do with our lives, why it's important, and some suggestions for where to start. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing soundtracks are by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 1:00 - One of the most common problems we've been struggling with: What should we do with our lives? 3:15 - Cited an article on depression by Johann Hari on Guardian 4:40 - Vance's recount of a meeting with his mentor, and a review of recent career decisions 7:40 - Sometimes we need to go through regrets to know what we really want in life 10:40 - Many of us are paralysed by our fear of "wasting time", wanting to achieve certain things by a certain age 12:35 - If you keep looking at past undesirable decisions as "mistakes", you won't get past yourself to achieve what you want 14:50 - Could it be how so many young and "successful" people shape how we think about ourselves? 16:30 - Taki

For this episode, Tim and Vance talked about setting routines for better physical and mental health, such as sleeping and waking up early and sticking to an exercise regime. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing soundtracks are by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 1:00 - Tim confessed his recent struggles of not exercising and posed the question: How do we build mental toughness? 3:30 - Vance thinks that physical fitness will strengthen our mental toughness because both mind and body are interconnected 4:10 - Mentioned the state of flow 5:50 - Even Vance, who has been exercising regularly and religiously, struggles and often think about just skipping a session 7:20 - How to sleep early and wake up early? 8:50 - Start with simple routines; think about the 5BX we have to do in army every morning that forces our bodies to get out of the comfort zone 10;30 - Tim has been trying intermittent fasting to increase productivity in the morning 12

For this episode, Tim and Vance discussed new year resolutions and why they don't usually work. We also share some lessons we learned from setting goals and failing. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing soundtracks are by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 1:00 - Tim and Vance share some thoughts about new year resolutions 4:25 - New year resolutions tend to be too big and we seldom sit down and work out the steps to achieve them 6:10 - Try to integrate an execution plan into our daily schedule so we won't have the chance to contemplate 11:30 - Vance thinks having an accountability partner can be quite effective in achieving something 12:45 - We're human after all, we can't be 100% every day, so any external help can make a huge difference 14:25 - Reiterate the two points: integrate the execution plan of your goal in your daily schedule, and try to get an accountability partner 16:50 - Discussion about Victor Frankl's Man's Search For

For this episode, Tim and Vance discussed kinship and how making our loved ones feel valued is very important. Tim also shared some heartwarming anecdotes about his elder brothers. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing soundtracks are by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 1:00 - Tim sharing his reflections about his relationships with his two elder brothers 3:40 - Tim and Vance confess that they're not very close to their siblings 5:30 - Feeling valued as the youngest in the family can mean a lot 6:00 - Tim dared to try many new things over the past few years and somehow influenced his eldest brother to do so 8:15 - Most of Tim's decisions are heavily influenced by his eldest brother but not in a bad way; Tim also learned a lot about himself and is grateful 10:55 - Tim is not sure if he loves his current job but he's gaining a lot and growing 16:00 - All kinds of relationships, especially kinships, it's our duty to make the people around

For this episode, Vance shared his reflections on work experience and discussed whether the years we spend in our jobs are indicative of professional excellence. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing soundtracks are by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 1:00 - Vance's reflection on his past years of working and ask whether years of experience are always indicative of professional excellence 4:00 - The quality of the experience is a lot more important than the duration 8:10 - Vance's worry about falling into the same trap - just accumulating "years of experience" and not making good use of the time 9:10 - It doesn't matter how much time you spend in the office or job, it's about the value you create 10:10 - "Comfort is the enemy of growth." 12:00 - When we feel discomfort, just push a little more because that's the point of improvement 13:45 - Tim looking back at how he got his current sales role - mentioning the value he created and not

For this episode, Tim shared his thoughts on genuine people versus hypocrites, and we discussed how everyone is hypocritical and genuine depending on the situation. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music are by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 1:00 - Tim's random thought: What are the common characteristics do people look for in friends? 5:00 - Hypocrites are drawn to genuine people 8:35 - Hypocrites usually know they are hypocrites but they still do it; mentioned Charles Chu's article on lies 10:35 - What Vance thinks could be the reason why we don't tell others our troubles 13:20 - Mentioned Zat Rana's article on friendship 15;45 - Mid-twenties to late-twenties are the years we start to contemplate our friendships and relationships 18:00 - Fallen out with old friends because of differences and did things become better after that? 19:55 - Do females fall out with other females more often than males fall out with males? 24:15 -

For this episode, Vance shared his reflections on being right versus being kind to others, and why treating others well doesn't always put us at a disadvantage. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 1:00 - Happy 2018 and Vance's reflections on being right; mentioned his film review of Wonder (2017), a film about a young boy with a face deformity 3:15 - "When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind." - Dr Wayne Dyer 4:00 - It feels good to be right but sometimes, it feels better to be kind; being right might only make one person happy while being kind makes two people happy 7:15 - Businesses are increasingly operating on the value of being right instead of being kind to people 8:35 - Tim playing the devil's advocate: You can't keep being kind to others if you're not kind to yourself or don't have the ability to be kind 10:00 - When we're in a position of privilege, bei

For this episode, Tim shared his experience at a pseudo-matchmaking session and we discuss our perspectives about searching for love interests. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 1:00 - Merry Christmas and some of our thoughts about Christmas 4:00 - Tim's anecdote: a reflection on a pseudo-matchmaking session; he can't explain what kind of girl he's interested in 6:30 - Vance's perspective: a lot of our decisions in relationships are based on gut feelings 9:00 - Looking for specific characteristics versus looking for chemistry in a love interest 12:00 - Our perspectives on matchmaking and speed dating sessions 15:30 - Matchmaking sessions tend to have the pressure element, which might have an adverse effect on the whole experience 18:15 - Episode wrap-up   Important links mentioned --- Audio file size: 19.64MB

For this episode, I shared my perspective about side gigs and why I think we shouldn't just work for more money but also prioritise experience. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 1:00 - Why Vance doesn't want to work freelance just for money and lose time he can't gain back 3:00 - Mentioned Dr Meg Jay's The Defining Decade 5:00 - As long as you're not sleeping on the streets, trade your time for experience first, then money 5:55 - Tim thinks he's trading his time for just money; Vance begs to differ because Tim is taking on a sales role, which gives him a lot of valuable experience 7:10 - Tim's short reflection and update on his current situation at the workplace 10:45 - Sales isn't just about the ability to sell, there are more to it 11:50 - The context: If you're working a side gig that doesn't teach you much other than giving you cash for your time, you might be wasting opportunities.

For this episode, Tim shared his perspective of company culture and why it's important to give back to build an enjoyable and conducive work environment. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 1:00 - Quick update: Vance is working in a new company now 2:35 - Tim realised that when his boss was on a short break, he and his colleagues are stepping up as leaders to help run things smoothly 5:55 - Tim is helping his newer colleagues and seeing his old self in them; he's doing his part to build the culture of helping in the office 8:10 - The employees are the ones building and determining the company culture 10:20 - It's through experiencing ups and downs together that the parties involved will grow closer to one another 11:30 - Tim sees importance in giving back because the receiver and giver will feel better 15:25 - Tim's relationship arc with one of his senior colleagues and lessons learned - a

For this episode, Vance talked about my thoughts about bragging and intentionally leaving out details that make people look vulnerable. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 0:55 - Why do we like to talk about the good things and leave out the bad things? 4:10 - Vulnerability tends to draw people in because of the relatability; but Tim asked, could it be that we don't want to spoil someone else's day by talking about our problems? 7:30 - Tim thinks that men tend to fall prey to these problems more often; mentioned Lewis Howes's newest book The Mask Of Masculinity 9:30 - Being vulnerable allows the relationship to deepen, we need to show our flaws so others can learn how to accept us 13:10 - Think about going on a date: The other person will only be interested if you're not bragging all the time but showing your true self 14:35 - Tim points out that it takes time for people to let their guard

For this episode, Tim talked about behaving differently in specific situations and how he sometimes question himself whether he's being authentic or faking it. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 0:55 - Tim's reflection on his behaviour: Am I still me if I behave differently in front of specific people and 4:50 - What does it mean if my behaviour depends on their responses too? 6:00 - Vance thinks it's about adapting to social situations - we bring out the parts of us that are necessary for the specific situation 7:40 - Vance thinks our personalities are a mixture of personality traits that overlap with one another 8:25 - Tim's reason for asking and reflecting is his worry about offending others when he gets too comfortable and straightforward 9:30 - Random motorbike revving engine and Tim's iPhone's notification tone 10:35 - If someone really wants to deepen the friendship or relationship

For this episode, I shared my preparations for a series of job interviews, how I decided to go one step further than most people would and some reflections. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 0:55 - Vance never prepared so much for job interviews before but he went the extra mile to impress 2:10 - Girl sent a direct message to Airbnb founder with a deck (article on Huffington Post) 4:25 - Mentioned Noah Kagan's podcast episode 43 (Sales Tips for Your Business and Daily Life) 5:30 - Tim's professional "disaster" that turned out better than expected 10:05 - How Tim could have done better; research and pitch something that could benefit them 13:00 - How Vance changed his perspective about tackling problems - putting more thought instead of "just going with the flow" 15:15 - Mentioned movie Stronger - we need to cultivate the habit of going against our selfish instincts 17:10 - Gary Vaynerchu

For this episode, Tim shared his reflections about his career choices and future ahead after a chat with his brother, and how he's focusing on relationships for the long haul. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 0:55 - Tim's brother mapped out Tim's possible career progression based on his emphasis on building relationships 3:40 - Tim used to give up easily but now he's more determined than ever to press on 5:20 - We talked about the weapons of influence: likeness and reciprocity (Robert Cialdini's Influence) 7:45 - Do you want need to be poor to appreciate what it feels like to be rich? 9:40 - Does Tim has a mind of his own if most of his career choices are based on other people's advice? 11:35 - We all don't know what we want as young adults with limited working experience so we can only tweak our choices over the course of our lives 13:45 - We need to find out what our "ideal day" looks

For this episode, I shared my interaction with a group of friends, how certain people tend to dominate the conversation and some of my thoughts. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 0:55 - Vance's anecdote - An outing with a group of friends and one friend dominates the group conversation, talking only about her life 3:30 - People who only talk about their lives don't seem to care about our feelings; Tim also had a similar interaction with someone he met at work 5:50 - Could social media be one of the causes of us constantly wanting to talk about our lives? 7:45 - Rambling on versus talking about something that can add value to people's lives 9:30 - Tim mentioned a video by School Of Life - How Not to be Boring 11:05 - There's another way to look at it - it could be that the person wants to liven up the atmosphere 14:05 - We shouldn't be too quick to jump to conclusions, anyway 16:05 - All

For this episode, Tim shared his experience with journaling and meditation and how reflecting on his actions and inactions helped his work performance and life. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 0:55 - Tim asked Vance about his journaling habit, reflections on the week's decisions and plans ahead 2:35 - Review and assess what went wrong instead of giving up - a mistake Tim made up until now and realised after a chat with a friend 5:00 - Vance's analogy about solving a rubik's cube being similar to how most of us live our lives - no proper strategy and just trying blindly 9:00 - Tim's plan to pursue purposeful actions and not just overcoming inaction 11:50 - We wouldn't grasp 100% of any books we read but discussions with others can improve our understanding 16:00 - Tim's takeaway: overcome inaction, assess what can be done better and last but not least, try again with purpose action guid

For this episode, I shared my discussion with a friend about how working harder than expected for your employer might actually be more beneficial than doing as little as possible for a fixed paycheque. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 0:55 - Vance's anecdote - A conversation with a friend about the amount of work we should put in as an employee 3:00 - We need to constantly learn new things whether or not there's anyone to teach us 6:00 - There are 2 kinds of jobs - performance-independent (fixed salary) and performance-dependent (commission/incentive-based salary) 9;15 - Although you get a fixed salary, if you don't perform better than expected, your pay can't increase 11:35 - Tim and Vance's boat theory to describe the situation 14:30 - Tim playing the devil's advocate to explain the other side of the coin; it's still a utopian ideal that is hard to fight for in the real world 16:00 -

For this episode, Tim shared his interaction with a stranger he met and how he learned about the importance of mentoring and always learning. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 0:55 - Tim's anecdote - A conversation with a property agent who started as a salesman who sold automobile as a middleman 4:40 - Sales is more about making the buyer like you rather than knowing the products inside out 6:20 - If you're new, you try to go above and beyond to offer solutions to other people's problems; provide value 8:30 - Old Chinese saying: The master will always teach you only 9 out of 10 skills to always have leverage over the disciple 10:55 - But the stranger shared all 10 skills to others so he has to acquire more skills and improve 12:40 - Be more confident but don't become another person; always be genuine 15:35 - There are lessons to be learned from anyone but learning how to learn is a skil

For this episode, I shared my experience of job hunting and how I came to terms with pivoting to another area of writing where there's more demand. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 0:55 - Vance's anecdote - reflections on job search over the past few weeks 3:35 - Tim's inputs: The writing industry is a sunset industry; it's ok to change and adapt to situations 6:00 - Writing is not so much of a job now but a requirement in most jobs 7:10 - The difference between content marketing and copywriting; got it from Sean McCabe's book - Overlap 9:30 - Vance can write in his free time instead of strictly finding a writing job; it's all about showing up 13:25 - Writing copy at an agency and for clients might help Vance expand his network 14:15 - We'll have many interests in life but we can't be good at everything and make a living out of them 15:00 - Overlapping is important - work a job to pay t

For this episode, Tim shared more of his working experience and how a friend's compliment gave him more motivation to go on. Listen on for more. Our opening and closing music is by Joakim Kharud. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or anywhere podcasts are found.   SHOW NOTES 0:55 - Tim's anecdote - He shared the podcast with a friend and her compliments made his day 3:00 - Tim's friend inspires him with her determination and perseverance 8:50 - Knowing you inspired or helped someone is quite unbelievable 10:00 - Mentioned the film Mother! (2017) and Vance wrote a film review on F*** Movie Mag 11:45 - Why Jennifer Lawrence is so popular and relatable; how we're attracted to relatable 14:30 - Tim wants to try meditation to get a better grip on his life and be more awareness; can try Headspace 16:00 - Another experience while meeting new property agents 20:00 - Tim likes the networking part of the job but it's very draining 22:15 - Episode wrap-up   Important links mentioned Vance's Mother! (2017) fi