Daniel Wong

Do You Want To Lead A Meaningful Or Memorable Life?

Updated on June 3, 2021 By

motivational poster

Who could disagree with this saying?

Those crazy nights that often involve alcohol, friends, loud music and irresponsible behavior—those are the ones that remain permanently etched in your mind.

You’re probably not going to say something like, “For the past month, I’ve slept at least eight hours every single night. It’s been AMAZING!”

Everyone enjoys talking about the wonderful things that have happened in the past and reminiscing about the good old days.

It’s also undeniable that shared memories bond people together. That’s why leaders intentionally create shared experiences in an attempt to foster unity and camaraderie.

Why good memories can be bad

But, at the same time, I think that memories are overrated.

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What the Education System Can Teach Us About Doing Things Right

Updated on August 10, 2021 By

factory

Given that many of us go through 12 years or 16 years—or even longer than that—of formal education, it’s no surprise that most of us have strong feelings about the education system.

I’m no exception. It’s these strong feelings that compelled me to write a book entitled The Happy Student: 5 Steps to Academic Fulfillment and Success, which aims to help students find new meaning and motivation in the pursuit of academic success.

The public education system as a factory

The public education system today, as it exists all over the world, is a relic of the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th century.

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A Simple Way to Make Faster and Better Decisions

Updated on December 22, 2023 By

motivational quote

Recently, I was looking for something to help me stay motivated, so I decided to put up this quote at my work desk. It’s been more effective than I expected!

Of course, the fact that I put up this quote at all means that I occasionally stop when I’m tired, discouraged or bored.

I sometimes lack the willpower to do what I know I ought to. I don’t always make the best possible decision—and I’m guessing I’m not the only one who struggles in this area.

(As an aside, one of my colleagues commented: “Daniel, that quote isn’t completely true. At least once a day, I see you taking a break to have a snack. Obviously, you also stop when you’re hungry!)

What you desire now vs. what you desire most

It’s human nature to focus on the short-term rather than the long-term, to be attracted to pleasure and to avoid pain. When we make choices based on how we feel, we tend to give in to what we desire now, at the expense of what we desire most.

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How to Make the World a Better Place by Sleeping More

Updated on June 2, 2021 By

sleeping babies

The magic phrase that helps you make friends

My good friend once shared with me his secret formula for building rapport with people he’s just met: He tells them that he’s sleepy.

“I’m so sleepy. I could really use a nap right now…”

He said that, in almost every situation, the reply goes something like this: “Yeah, I’m really sleepy too…”

Ta-dah! Just like that, he’s magically established common ground with the other person.

The funny thing is, my friend confessed that he sometimes uses this relationship-building technique even when he’s not feeling sleepy!

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What Campfire-Building Can Teach Us About Achieving Greatness

Updated on June 2, 2021 By

campfire

You’re pretty ambitious. You have goals and dreams, and you’re hardworking. You want to be successful, and you have the drive to make it happen.

You won’t ever be satisfied with average, or even good. You want to be great.

But as you pursue greatness—whether it’s in your academics, your career, your business, your relationships or your life—you sometimes wonder if it’s worth it.

The sacrifices, the disappointments, the frustrations… what’s it all for?

In an attempt to do more and be more, maybe you feel like you’ve lost sight of what’s truly valuable.

I’ve by no means achieved greatness—far, far, far from it. But in thinking about what it means to live a great life, I’ve realized that it’s a lot like building a campfire on a cold night.

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Why You Should Place Your Phone on the Table Screen Facing Down

Updated on August 10, 2021 By

smartphone

When you put your phone on the table, say, when you’re having lunch with your friends, do you place it screen facing up or down?

Your choice says a lot about you.

The two types of phone users

In this article about whether technology is really making us happier, the author suggests that there are two main categories of people: screen-facing-up people and screen-facing-down people.

Screen-facing-up people allow themselves—more than screen-facing-down people—to be interrupted by a call, text or sudden need to check the weather or stock market.

Screen-facing-up people are open to being distracted by anything that promises to be more interesting than the friends they’re physically with at the moment. [Read more…]

How to Stop Caring About What Other People Think Without Being a Self-Righteous Jerk

Updated on March 14, 2025 By

how to not care what people thinkI still remember when I received my first “hate” mail.

After I wrote a guest post on how to take charge of your unhealthy eating habits at PickTheBrain, the first comment on the article — by someone called LAR — was very negative (the comment has somehow disappeared though):

“I usually like this website but this article is rubbish. Are you promoting for a weight loss company? Dieting, which, don’t kid yourself, that’s what you’re promoting here, is not in any way helpful to actual health. In fact, studies show the biggest indicator of weight GAIN is a diet within the last six months.

Food is just food. There is no good food or bad food except for what you believe and seriously, tying foods, any sort of foods, as acceptable or unacceptable is unhelpful. Further, suggesting that thinking ‘do you want to lose body fat?’ isn’t helpful. Why don’t you just come straight out and say ‘nothing tastes as good as thin feels.’

It’s insensitive, badly researched rubbish.”

I almost couldn’t believe that I could upset someone so much by writing an article on healthy eating!

At the time, my older brother Jonathan was already an experienced writer. He was used to getting plenty of hateful comments from readers. I half-jokingly said that I now understood how he feels.

His response: “Haha. Man up, Daniel. Deal with it.”

In my family, that’s the unique way we sometimes handle our frustrations and disappointments. No pity, no sympathy, no compassion.

How to not care about what other people think? That’s what this article is about.

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