I’ve been working on my startup for the last few months, while holding a full time job. I am reminded again and again why I have so much appreciation of founders that do this over years, until they finally take the plunge. It’s. So. Hard!
I have been working for the Liberian government for over 1.5 years now. I had worked in partnership with governments of other countries before, but this was the first time I truly worked for one. Last week, we had a series of meetings with a development partner to plan the next four years. It was part an envisioning exercise and part a “realistically, what can we implement” brain teaser. I found my colleagues and myself trying to explain, again and […]
For some reason, I have not been able to blog/journal consistently over these years. Whenever I read back to my old entries, I always find them interesting and useful, so I really want to be more consistent at this! Here’s to another attempt at being more consistent. Life is all about trying again and again, right? I’m starting to learn this lesson slowly over the last few years. I recently read about setting “micro-goals” as a way to encourage us […]
I saw a sign during a long bus ride from Sagada to Manila the other day: Life is Short. Don’t Rush. I’m sure it was to remind drivers to be careful with all the mountainous twists and turns, but it’s very appropriate for life in general. Too bad I couldn’t catch a photo of the sign. By the way, I’ve started an instagram account called Development Musings. It’s a combination of my photos and short thoughts about working in this […]
I decided three days ago I wanted to go on a trip. So I’m visiting some friends in the Philippines and Indonesia for the next month or so. I’d be mostly traveling on my own during the week and meeting up with friends during the weekend. The perfect balance. Trips don’t always need a purpose, but for this one: I was getting restless staying at home for too long. This will be an adventure to spend my newly regained energy. […]
Today, I soft launched my new venture: an online video course called “Jump Start Your Career in International Development” hosted at Udemy. The course is aimed at 1) fresh university graduates and 2) professionals looking for a mid career change who are curious about how it is like to work in the profession of international development and humanitarian aid. For more information and free preview videos, please visit: InternationalDevelopmentCareer.com or www.udemy.com/international-development-career . Further questions and comments are very appreciated and can be directed […]
I spent quite a few hours helping a good friend prepare for an important interview today. My take aways: Helping other people really clarifies my own thinking about topics and techniques Using tone of voice, speed of talking, and gestures to emphasize are all really important. I need to practice more. Take a moment to collect your thoughts before answering. Decide on your three main advantages that make you the best candidate. Drive that home through each question, in a […]
Just booked a two month long trip visiting some friends in SE Asia. Going to try out being a digital nomad and have some quiet time to develop the new idea. Very excited. Energy level: Higher than normal. This is an achievement: a personal high in the last half year. The old me is back. P.S. videos still exporting…
I’m now finished editing my 30+ videos, each 2-6 minutes. But, little did I know that exporting videos to mp4 format takes so much time… Nervous as I’m so close to publishing. I’m hoping to catch the just graduating wave starting in May… And new goal: apply to Start Up Chile!
I wrote a few posts ago that “being at the desk when inspiration hasn’t struck is just as important as being at the desk when inspiration has struck,” or, in short, “Be There.” “There” can be any number of goals. For exercise, it can mean going for a walk instead of a run if you’re not feeling as energetic that day. For blogging, it could mean quoting an interesting article instead of writing an original post. For learning to be vulnerable, it […]
