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Kintsugi: The Art of Mending

Kintsugi is an ancient Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or other precious metal.   As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.   In the West, we often try to hide our imperfections. We are afraid of being seen as broken or damaged. But in Japan, kintsugi is an art form that celebrates the cracks and imperfections in an object. It is a way of seeing beauty in something that has been broken.   Kintsugi can be seen as a metaphor for the human condition. It’s not the brokenness, but it is how we deal with our brokenness that defines us.    The Japanese believe that in order to truly appreciate the beauty of something, you must first appreciate its flaws.    The art of kintsugi dates back centuries, and it is said to have originated with a Japanese shogun who ordered his broken teacup to be repaired with gold. The result was a stunningly beautiful cup that was more valuable than it had been

How to Think Like a Strategist

Strategy is the process for making decisions. It is more than just a way to take action - it's an approach for thinking about what might happen and how you can be the best in that situation.  Strategists are people who set the vision for a company and think about what challenges they will face so they can come up with solutions. Strategy is a subset of the creative process. It is a mode of thinking that enables you to see the big picture and think about things in advance and out of the box.  If you want to think like a strategist, here are some strategies to help you win the game. Strategy #1: Define your customer Every business has a customer - whether they know it or not. You should be able to answer the following questions about your customer: Who are they? What do they want? How much are they willing to pay for it? How much can you afford to sell them? Strategy #2: Think big and act accordingly The first strategy is to always think big and act accordingly. A lot of companies to

How to be Unshakable: Lessons From Stoic Principles of Resilience

Stoicism teaches us that the best way to live is to accept fate and make the most of what happens. Stoics believe that we should live in accordance with nature and reason instead of emotion and impulse, which is considered a source of suffering. Stoics believe that psychological tranquility and serenity are achievable through knowledge of one's own thoughts and beliefs, understanding that life is primarily affected by our judgments—not external events. Stoicism is based on the idea that virtue, knowledge, and wisdom are the only things that matter in life. The Stoics believe that emotions like fear, anger, and anxiety are undesirable because they are often at odds with what humans really want - contentment and peace. When faced with challenges, stoics maintain their composure, trust in themselves and the natural order, and avoid emotionality as much as possible. According to Stoics, we have to look at the world from an objective perspective without getting too caught up in the mome