Have you ever caught yourself saying “excuse me” when walking past someone who clearly didn’t notice you? Maybe they had headphones in. Maybe they were staring at their phone. Maybe they were an empty chair or a shopping cart in the aisle. And yet, the words still slipped out. If you’ve ...Read More
Most people assume being memorable in conversation means being entertaining. Quick wit. Great stories. Perfect timing. That’s part of it, sometimes. But it’s not the main thing. If you think back to the people who’ve stuck with you over the years, the ones who pop into your mind randomly months later, ...Read More
I remember being a teenager and saying, with complete confidence, “I’ll never turn into my parents.” I thought that was something that only happened to other people. People who gave up. People who stopped questioning things. People who somehow lost their edge. Fast forward a few years, and I catch ...Read More
Ever catch yourself doom-scrolling through Instagram, watching friends post about their new cars or exotic vacations, while you're sitting there calculating if you can afford both groceries AND that Netflix subscription this month? I've been there. In my mid-twenties, I was shifting TVs in a Melbourne warehouse, feeling like ...Read More
We all like compliments. They are social currency. A little hit of validation. A reminder that people notice us. But not every compliment is actually a compliment. Sometimes it is a disguised jab. Sometimes it is a way to keep you in your place. And sometimes it reveals something else: the ...Read More
You meet someone new. You smile, do the quick intro, exchange names, and then your brain does something annoying. Two minutes later you realize you have no idea what their name is. It happens to everyone. Our attention is scattered, we are thinking about what to say next, and we are juggling ...Read More