Creativity & The Creator Economy

What I learned in Ali Abdaal’s YouTube Course

In the last 12 months I had a channel on YouTube go from about 500 subscribers to almost 9,000 subscribers. In that time I became eligible to monetize my channel and made about $2,000 from YouTube ads in 2020. This captured my attention and I became a bit more fascinated with what was happening over ... Read more

150+ Things Worth Reading & Listening To From 2020

This is a compilation of all of the links, essays and podcasts mentioned on the Boundless newsletter. If you’re interested in subscribing you can join here. Favorites From The Year From Nuclear Families to Forged Families (link) Redefining what “prosperity” means for capitalism (link) The Inner Ring by C.S. Lewis (link) Solitude and Leadership – ... Read more

Don’t Follow Your Passion, Work In The Corporate World First

I want to make an argument for spending some time in the corporate world.  I am not arguing that one should devote their life to a corporation or full-time work but I believe that many young people are not taking seriously some of the benefits of pursuing at least some time as a full-time employee ... Read more

The Magic of Non-Doing

I rolled out of my twin bed and stumbled into the common room. As I started the coffee maker I started thinking about my day and had a feeling of emptiness.  I had nothing to do. It was sometime in early September in 2018. I had just moved across the globe to Taipei. I was ... Read more

Why Did People Stop Caring About Developing a Meaningful Philosophy of Life in the 1970s?

Since 1966 UCLA has been conducting a survey called “The American Freshman” which has surveyed incoming college students on a range of factors. A review of the first 30 years of the data in 1996 highlighted a fascinating shift in values. Especially notable are changes in two contrasting value statements: The importance of “developing a ... Read more

An Ode To Travel and What It Means (Video)

What follows is a transcript of a video I created reflecting on the last two and a half years of travel at the end of 2020. I’ve been living and working as a digital nomad living in several different countries since 2018. Three years ago my friend said I was heading out on a walkabout.  ... Read more

The Knowledge Worker Mind & The Birth Of Careerism

Modern work critics blame Frederick Taylor for the hyper-optimization of the modern workplace. The accepted narrative is that Taylor kicked off a movement that looked at work as something that could be optimized and managed and that his efforts kick-started a 100+ year movement of steadily increasing optimization. Sounds good but its not true. Today’s ... Read more

The ultimate guide to becoming a digital nomad or remote worker

Over the past 3+ years, I’ve gotten rid of most of my stuff and have been living around the world.  I’ve lived in six different countries:  Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Spain, Mexico and the US.  I’ve lived out of AirBnBs, sublet apartments, signed a lease in Taiwan, lived with my parents and crashed with friends who ... Read more

Maslow’s Imaginary Pyramid: Who really invented the pyramid?

The biggest losers, we suggest, have been management students This was the takeaway of three researchers who dug into the history of the invention of Maslow’s pyramid. We’ll get to that story but first let’s take a look at what has become one of the most sacred ideas in the management world, Maslow’s pyramid: The ... Read more

Essential Digital Nomad Electronic, Sleep, Fitness & Travel Gear (October 2020)

I’ve been living abroad for more than two years out of a 32L backpack and a carry on suitcase. Many people have asked me what they should think about buying when embarking on long-term travel so I’ve consolidated my favorite items for living and traveling as a digital nomad. Many of the recommendation lists online ... Read more