PODCAST · education
Daily Spark
by William Liao
1 idea daily about doing our best work and living a meaningful life. Website: https://willsblog.medium.com/ williamliao.substack.com
Episodes
-
Control the controllable
On any given day there’s at least 10-20 things I’m tempted to worry about. But then I play out the worrying in my head: Does worrying influence the outcome of the things I’m worried about? Most of the time, the answer is no. This moment of rationality helps me drop most worries and instead focus…
more -
What if it works?
After working on an an app the last couple of weeks, I almost quit this morning. I was repeatedly running into issues building a piece of the software and it started to feel like there wasn’t going to be a clear path forward. But then I asked myself: “What if I can make this work? Would the…
more -
The bigger picture
In general, I think we make better choices when we think in longer time horizons. It is helpful to ask yourself on a regular basis: where do I want to be in 10 years? Be very specific: where are you, what are you doing, who are you with, what relationships do you have, what does your day look…
more -
Becoming
You are becoming someone every moment of every day. Who you become is determined by the actions you take—large and small. Do you say hi back? Do you keep your promise? Do you lash out or take a deep breath? Every action is like laying a brick of an unmistakable shape on top of an assembly called...
-
Make space for nothing
Here’s an increasingly counterintuitive concept: Make space and fill it with nothing. Sit in silence for a few minutes. Do not scroll on your phone; do not read a book. Just sit. Constantly trying to stuff the mind without pause is like constantly stuffing ourselves with food without pause. It...
-
Who cares what they think?
The older and more experienced I become, the less I find myself caring about what other people think of me. I see this as mostly positive and freeing. The less concerned you are about other people’s opinions of you, the more free you are to say what’s on your mind and to do what you feel called…
more -
Is this what you really want?
It’s easy to conflate engrossment with alignment. Just because you’re deeply engaged in something doesn’t mean that thing is good for you or that it is aligned to your values. The image of a materially successful but miserable person comes to mind. They slave over the the thing that made them...
-
Explore
The world is a big place. Spend enough time doing something and you forget that—you’re convinced that the people you know, the places you visit, and the job you perform are it. To the extent that all these things feel like a good fit for you, that’s not an issue. It’s when you feel stuck that…
more -
How you interact
When a bad cup of coffee is made, a junior barista might instinctively think it’s the bean. Conversely, a more experienced barista might first question what could make sense to do differently: maybe the coffee needs to be coarser or the water temp needs to be lowered or the coffee bed needs to be...
-
Advocate for yourself
Today I checked in at the Apple store to pick up an an online order. “I’m here to pick up an Apple Watch,” I told the attendant. They walked me to the back of a long line. This was not the most organized queue, and frenetic chatter amongst the store manager and staff didn’t exactly instill much...
-
Have you asked?
We are implicitly shielded by the questions we choose to not ask. A person who does not ask for feedback is protected from harsh input, but they’re also deprived of useful information that could make them better. Conversely a person who makes a point to ask for feedback makes themselves more...
-
Pencils down (returning 9/23)
It’s been a wild two weeks. Most work days were 11 - 12 hours. The work itself was challenging and fulfilling but man am I tired. I’m going to be taking a break for the next several days and my work computer will be far away from me. Did I complete all the work that I wanted to? No. Far from it....
-
A few or many
You can do a few things exceptionally well or many things passably. Immutable constraints related to time and energy dictate that you only get to choose one. I don’t think there’s an obvious right choice. Maybe getting to do a lot of things feels like a fair trade for being able to only do them...
-
#393 be willing to look like a fool
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#392 bearing the how
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#391 who are you building for?
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#390 context, for better or worse
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#389 no thanks
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#388 pay attention to what you pay attention to
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#387 a solution better than willpower
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#386 posture
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#385 What's a good day?
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#384 say thank you
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#383 the courage to be disliked
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#382 Big Deals versus Small Deals
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#381 thought acceptance
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#380 two sides to every challenge
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#379 One Big Thing
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#378 you can't tip-toe across a chasm
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#377 The First Step
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#376 be not coy, but use your time
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#375 not today, rabbit hole!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#374 self-contracting
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#373 recognizing failure
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#372 dancing queen
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#371 progress is in the details
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#370 productivity per unit of time
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#369 setting intention
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#368 a few thoughts on weakness
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#367 Accountability ≠ beating yourself up
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#366 progressive overload & growth
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#365 compete with yesterday
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#364 Toto Wolff
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#363 you don't need a reason
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#362 reinventing
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#361 failure dynamics
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#360 human first
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#359 your future self
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#358 your strongest excuse
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
-
#357 today with fervor
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit williamliao.substack.com
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
1 idea daily about doing our best work and living a meaningful life. Website: https://willsblog.medium.com/
williamliao.substack.com
HOSTED BY
William Liao
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Daily Spark have?
Daily Spark currently has 389 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Daily Spark about?
1 idea daily about doing our best work and living a meaningful life. Website: https://willsblog.medium.com/ williamliao.substack.com
How often does Daily Spark release new episodes?
Daily Spark publishes regularly with 389 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Daily Spark?
You can listen to Daily Spark on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Daily Spark?
Daily Spark is created and hosted by William Liao.
URL copied to clipboard!