freedom
What Burning Man Taught Me About Following My Joy
"Choose intimacy," my new friend Mark said to me, as we stood outside a geodesic dome at Anahasana Village at Burning Man. "There are a thousand things you could be doing at any moment at the Burn," he continued. "Pick the one thing that'
![What Burning Man Taught Me About Following My Joy](https://cdn.getmidnight.com/5538aa8fdcb1ab7d32e95b774cc72db5/2022/09/playa.jpg)
Heading to My First Burn — and Finding Joy in the Ephemeral
In a few days, I'll be heading out to my first Burning Man and joining 80,000 people in a temporary metropolis in the middle of the Nevada desert. I'm feeling super excited. My wife and I decided just a week ago that we'd
![Heading to My First Burn — and Finding Joy in the Ephemeral](https://cdn.getmidnight.com/5538aa8fdcb1ab7d32e95b774cc72db5/2022/08/burning-man-love.jpg)
Chasing Freedom
I spent much of my life chasing freedom. Growing up, I chased the freedom of escaping my family’s roots in San Francisco Chinatown and living a richer life. I felt so proud when I graduated from MIT and landed my first engineering job at Google — they were my golden
![Chasing Freedom](https://cdn.getmidnight.com/5538aa8fdcb1ab7d32e95b774cc72db5/2022/07/chasing-freedom.jpg)
How Your Feelings, Not Your Thoughts, Create the Freedom You Want
“What's the cage that you're breaking people free from?” Jonny asked. I closed my eyes. The question had unexpectedly touched a chord in my heart. Before I could open my mouth to even respond, I already found tears streaming down my face. It was my turn
![How Your Feelings, Not Your Thoughts, Create the Freedom You Want](https://cdn.getmidnight.com/5538aa8fdcb1ab7d32e95b774cc72db5/2022/06/heart-feelings.jpg)
Build Your Tension Muscle and Create the Success You Want in Life
Several years ago, I committed to a daily Uncomfortable Conversation challenge. At the time, I was working with an amazing coach on taking up more space in conversations. I'd been struggling with telling engaging stories, with interrupting when I had something to add, and with being more vulnerable
![Build Your Tension Muscle and Create the Success You Want in Life](https://cdn.getmidnight.com/5538aa8fdcb1ab7d32e95b774cc72db5/2022/06/workout.jpg)
I'm Quitting Engineering and Taking My Next Big Leap
The conversation that would change the trajectory of my life's work happened just before the pandemic hit. My dear friend Elenna and I were celebrating at E&O Kitchen and Bar in downtown San Francisco — we had just finished running a workshop for leaders in tech on
How Kilimanjaro Dared Me to Dream Bigger
At 18,000 feet, the nausea and loss of appetite starting kicking in, compounding the dreaded headache that I was already feeling. My body felt perennially out of breath with every small step. At that altitude, the oxygen levels had dropped to 50% of what was available at sea level,
![How Kilimanjaro Dared Me to Dream Bigger](https://cdn.getmidnight.com/5538aa8fdcb1ab7d32e95b774cc72db5/2022/03/kili-unsplash.jpg)
Following the Call
Tomorrow, I'll be flying to Tanzania to scale Kilimanjaro. It'll be the most epic and physically challenging feat that I've ever attempted. When I decided to do this trip a few weeks ago, I didn't know why I was doing it. I&
![Following the Call](https://cdn.getmidnight.com/5538aa8fdcb1ab7d32e95b774cc72db5/2022/01/kilimanjaro-1.jpg)
Choose Aliveness and Create the Life You Truly Desire
This is a message to my past self and to those of you who may be living in a dark moment.
![Choose Aliveness and Create the Life You Truly Desire](https://cdn.getmidnight.com/5538aa8fdcb1ab7d32e95b774cc72db5/2021/03/life.jpeg)