Latest

Before you tap 'Turn on Interest' in Wise, read this

Wise is marketing an investment product to millions of users with the aesthetics of a bank feature and no visible risk warnings. Their own data shows it lost money twice in five years. We've seen this before. It didn't end well.

Do you ever heal from a breakup?

In May 2024, my life split in two. What followed was not just heartbreak, but illness, grief, and the slow realization that some losses do not disappear. They simply change shape, becoming scars you learn to carry.

AI Will Destroy Our Jobs, Our Children, and Apparently the Planet Too

This post is about something I’ve watched happen repeatedly in Spain: how governmental institutions and major mainstream media outlets, including El País, end up positioning themselves on the wrong side of technological progress.

When Wise Makes It… Not So Wise: A Story About Broken APIs, Frustrating UX Changes and the Pitfalls of OpenBanking

Wise broke their OpenBanking flow and API again. Missing transactions, reused IDs, broken UX. We’re forced to invent ghost transactions just to keep ledgers coherent. OpenBanking promised standards. It delivered chaos.

When the Customer Is Wrong — And Still Has Something to Teach You

“Una puta mierda de servicio” (A fucking shitty service). That’s what a customer called us. But instead of firing him, we listened, fixed the issue, and improved. At Companio, Honest Disruption means learning from every moment — even the ugly ones — to serve you better.

The Silent Budget Killer: Why Pay-Per-User Services Are Draining Your Startup

At Companio, we recently made the decision to drop Google Workspace and switch to Zoho Workplace. Not because Zoho is better — it’s not — but because it’s five times cheaper.

How to Make Your UI/UX Not Suck for a Very Busy User (Like me)

I was reviewing a proposal that suggested showing a popup when the Annual Report is due… on dashboard load. Here’s why that’s a terrible idea — and how one tiny popup can derail an entire CEO’s morning faster than you can say “Remind me later.” 😵‍💫💥

The Embarrassing Ordeal of Getting a Criminal Record in Spain

Need your Spanish criminal record? Good luck. Broken links, ancient forms, no online access unless you bank in Spain… Meanwhile in Estonia, it takes 2 clicks. Welcome to 2025, Spanish administration edition.

When Employees Become Cogs: The Real Cost of ‘Not My Job’ Culture

At Companio, we reject the “Not My Job” culture. In a fast-moving startup, flexibility isn’t optional—it’s survival. The best teams thrive because they step beyond their job descriptions, adapt to new challenges, and embrace the unknown.

You Are Not Alone

In this post, I share how the amazing support I received after writing about the difficult journey I'm going through helped me realize we all face tough times. A friend's comment also made me reflect on the importance of self-compassion. Remember, it’s okay to ask for help—we’re never truly alone.

Stoicism, Patience, and the Journey Through Rock Bottom

My journey through rock bottom during these last years, and how I am learning to develop my patience in the most stoic way to move forward. Because, in the end, there's nothing else we can do.

Back In Madrid

After almost ten years of traveling, I find myself getting back to Madrid again. So many things have been happening lately, life has smacked me in the face, and I feel like I'm in a life cycle change.

Setting KPIs That Matter (A.K.A A Guide To Bullshit-Free KPIs) For Your Employees

Setting the KPIs for the members of your organization or startup can be a challenging task. In this post, I share my experience setting KPIs that matter, KPIs that will ensure your team gets things done.

Sternberg’s Triangle Of Love

Does love really exist? Or is it just a spike of chemicals running through our body. If you love someone, and this person loves you, can you affirm this love exists as a univocal entity, or it is just a point of view, a feeling, that can disappear in an instant?

New Beginnings

I am writing this lines from Bulgaria, in my new apartment. After 13 years, my marriage ended a month ago. It has been a bumpy ride...

How Governments Battle the Borderless Revolution with Taxation Swords

This article discusses the challenges governments face in adapting to remote work and location independent professionals, advocating for flexible legislation that aligns with the modern, borderless nature of work.

Drowning By Numbers

A Daily Haiku inspired by the soundtrack of "Drowning by numbers".

The Experience Of Silence

A Daily Haiku about silence and noise. Inspired by John Cage.

Imagine There's No Heaven

The Daily Haiku for May 5, inspired by one of the most famous songs ever written by John Lennon.

Two Rights Make One Wrong

A Daily Haiku about trying to do the right thing and ending up doing something wrong.

All You Need Is Love

A Daily Haiku inspired in the power of simple sentences such as "All you need is love".

One Note Is Enough

A Daily Haiku inspired by a famous quote by my favorite composer, Arvo Pärt.

... And No Surprises

The first Daily Haiku devoted to music, in this case inspired by the lyrics of "No Surprises", by Radiohead.

I Still Choose Freedom

The last Daily Haiku devoted to freedom, a statement about choosing freedom over security, and why there's no good or bad choice.

We All Made Choices

A Daily Haiku on the costs of freedom and separating from the things we love.

Letting Go Takes Strength

The closing Daily Haiku of a trilogy devoted to people who live in the future, past, and (today's haiku) the present.

Yearning Forever

Today's Daily Haiku follows the theme of yesterday's one: people living in the past, present or future. This time, the haiku is devoted to people living in the future... Am I one of them? Perhaps many entrepreneurs are...

I Used To Be Free

Living in the past, present, or future? Today's Daily Haiku is devoted to the first group.

Freedom Means You Get To Choose

The Daily Haiku for April 25. Freedom means you get to choose. Stop autoplay. Take control.

It's Impossible

A cautionary tale about the power of words and why we banned the word "impossible" in our company.

Be Bold, Be Wild. Live.

A Daily Haiku experimenting with chaining sentences together, and based on the concept of enjoying your freedom, and living your days as if they were the last ones.

Birds Sing Without Knowing It

The Daily Haiku for April 22. Birds sing without knowing it. We have forgotten.

Let Yourself Be Free

Sometimes it is ok to not have all the answer, to fail, to feel tired or simple not great.

Ignorance Is Bliss

A Daily Haiku inspired in the concept of ignorance as a positive way of reaching freedom from all those things that take so much time and energy from us.

Society's Chains Bind You Tight

Some reflections about individual freedom and the control of our societies for today's Daily Haiku.

Never Say Sorry

A Daily Haiku about taking ownership of our own decisions, learning, changing, and not being sorry for the mistakes we make.

There Are No Mornings

A Daily Haiku inspired by the concept of time and freedom, and how sometimes we wait for too long.

The Seventh Door

The last installment of the Daily Haiku mini-series devoted to freedom through entrepreneurship and inspired by the Moody Blues song "House of Four Doors".

The Sixth Door

The sixth installment of the mini-series of Daily Haikus devoted to freedom through entrepreneurship. The sixth door.

The Fifth Door

The fifth Daily Haiku based on the concept of entrepreneurship as a journey to freedom, and inspired by "House of Four Doors" by the Moody Blues. The fifth door.

The Fourth Door

The fourth Daily Haiku devoted to the journey to freedom of entrepreneurship, inspired by "House of Four Doors" of The Moody Blues.

The Third Door

The third Daily Haiku inspired by the song House Of Four Doors by the Moody Blues. The Third Door.

The Second Door.

The Second Door, a second Daily Haiku inspired by the song "House of four doors" to make an allegory of our journey toward freedom.

The First Door.

The First Door. The first Daily Haiku inspired by the Moody Blues song House of Four Doors. A journey toward freedom.

It's All Up To Us

A Daily Haiku discussing individualism and state reliance in different cultures.

Is It Still Worth It?

Today's Daily Haiku is a reflection on how content-generation AI algorithms may mean the beginning of the end of human creativity.

The Languages Of Freedom

A Daily Haiku inspired by how Latvians kept their traditions, language, and history alive througout the Russian occupation thanks to their songs.

You Have To Work Hard

A reflection on how freedom requires hard work.

Walking On The Street

A Daily Haiku that discusses freedom as a subtle feeling as opposed to a grand, unlimited concept.

All Is Not Darkness

Today's Daily Haiku conveys a message of hope. We can always choose and change, even when everything falls apart and we only see darkness.

A Bird Soars Above

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by birds being free without any special effort. They are just free.

What Is Freedom?

A Daily Haiku discussing the meaning of the word freedom.

Living Life On Your Own Terms

The first Daily Haiku of April, month devoted to freedom, sets the tone for the whole month.

Insignificant

Wrapping up the Daily Haiku month devoted to the future. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new month.

Never To Come Back

A Daily Haiku based on the concept that once we take the decision to change our life, once we fly... We will never come back, not at least the same way.

Machines Learn And Grow

Today's Daily Haiku reflects on the impact of AI algorithms and tools such as ChatGPT in our future.

Hopeful Hearts Take Flight

Today's Daily Haiku proposes an optimist approach to the future. Excitement about the possibilities instead of fear about the uknown.

Paths Yet To Be Tread

A daily haiku about the destiny, and the paths yet to be tread...

Oaks Can Live A Thousand Years

Today's Daily Haiku is a self-reminder to don't wait for too long for the things that need to be said, or done.

There Is Always Time

Today's Daily Haiku is a call to action for those who want to change something but think they are too old to do it now.

When I Get Older

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired on how getting older affects you when you still think of yourself as a young person.

Buy Me Some Glasses...

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by a beautiful concept, a pair of magical glasses to see the world under a different light.

When will it be time?

Today's Daily Haiku. A cautionary tale about waiting for too long to do what we dream about.

Take The Steering Wheel

The Daily Haiku for Feb 21. Take the steering wheel.

Be A Steady Ship

The Daily Haiku. My points of view on how to be an steady ship in a stormy sea as an analogy of the financial and tech markets today. Perhaps even grow or improve your business, your product or even your results.

All Relationships Matter

A Daily Haiku about how relationships matter regardless of who we are these people.

Leave the house behind

Life has shown me that we have to take every opportunity to go out there and enjoy every day. Even if you don't feel like it or it does not seem it's going to be the perfectly sunny day... You have to make it happen.

What The Future Has In Store

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by the deceptive illusion of the future, thinking that there is something that's going to happen, either good or bad, that is somehow predestined.

Keep Going On

A Daily Haiku to encourage all the hustlers out there. Keep on fighting. Keep going on!

We are the 99%

The Daily Haiku of March 15 is inspired by the "Occupy Wall Street" movement and what we could achieve if we all came together to change things in a different way.

Out Of The System

My thoughts on what being out of the system means for today's Daily Haiku.

Imagine

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by John Lennon's Imagine. A song asking us to imagine a world without religion, heaven, hell, countries, or even possessions.

Scared Of The Future?

A question nomads and entrepreneurs get asked often... Are you scared of the future?

Writer's Block

Dealing with writer's block inspired today's Daily Haiku. Ironic, isn't it? :)

In A Global World

The world is becoming more global, and I want to believe, more equal, and I strongly believe that's the right direction.

Colliding Forces

Is history a pendulum? Are we doomed to stay always in a precarious equilibrium between two clashing groups? Today's Daily Haiku tries to answer this question.

Everything Will Be Better.

We all yearn for a better future, and many of us work hard to get there. But how much longing is a tad too much?

Mountains Of Garbage.

A call to action for all of us, but especially entrepreneurs in developed countries, to do something to fight against climate change. Today.

Change Is Scary

Change is scary, but most of the times, it is something positive and, I would dare to say, sometimes, it is a necessity.

The Price We Have To Pay

Sometimes we spend too much time thinking about the consequences of our actions. I think we do that because we are scared of impermanence, of change, of starting anew, and of the unknown.

A Clear Sky

If you've ever spent a summer night looking at a starred sky, you know the most beautiful moments are also the simplest ones.

A Daily Breakfast

One of the small but super important details that makes my life better after I quit my corporate job is being able to prepare a proper breakfast every day. Why is this so important?

Cities Built For People, Not Cars

After enjoying life without a car for years, I was shocked to find out there are actually people out there, fed by conspiracy theories, protesting against a concept I find fascinating, 15-minute cities.

Time

The first Daily Haiku of March, devoted to wish and hopes for the future, starts with the subject of time.

The End Of Childhood

The last Daily Haiku of February, the last one devoted to childhood, aptly narrates the end of infancy and the beginning of adulthood.

Grandma's Ball Broth

Gone are the days when my whole family gathered together around a table full of delicious Christmas dishes. I'm now the aunt, not a kid anymore, but that's not only OK, it is probably even more joyful.

Fishing Rod In Hand.

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by another memory: fishing with my mom at the concrete blocks of the pier when I was little.

We'll Never Grow Old

The inspiration behind today's Daily Haiku is the different perceptions of time we have as children and as adults.

Let Them Go

Nina Simone sang... "What good is the past, once upon a time?". I've always tried to keep the scarce memories I've got from my childhood... But are those really so important for the person I am today?

He was never good at sports

Even though I train 4-5 times per week now at the gym, I was never good at sports when I was a kid. Today's Daily Haiku reflects on that.

Sun On Your Bedside Table

The Daily Haiku of the day is based on an old memory of a night lamp (shaped like a sun) I would use as a little child to dispel the darkness of the night.

Numaios floating

Today's Daily Haiku tells a story of my favorite cartoon series when I was a kid, and how revealing it was for me when I understood I had a crush on one of the characters I wasn't supposed to have a crush on.

Down The Old Church Slide

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by a memory of a safe place, a garden by the church where I used to spend the afternoons playing up and down an old stone slide and laying below a carob tree.

Hasty ships

The Daily Haiku for Feb 19 is inspired by the rush of the fishermen market at Mazarrón's port.

When Everything Was Alright.

A Daily Haiku about the decisions we take in life, and how we must live the present moment and take action instead of simply yearning for the return of those happier moments.

The Freelancing Fee And The Welfare System In Spain

Last Friday, I was interviewed live on a national television program. I talked about the e-Residency Program and running a business online in Estonia, and had to put up with the closed-minded comments typical of the most reactionary part of the Spanish society.

La Cuota De Autónomo Y El Sistema De Bienestar Social En España

Mis reflexiones sobre la cuota de autónomo y como falsamente se equipara con el estado de bienestar en España, tras una entrevista en la 1 de RTVE.

That Dusty Car

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by our daily trips to school and back home, usually taking up to two hours a day. Sometimes dull, sometimes quite enjoyable, listening to our mom's old tapes.

Six Friends

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by my first band, and the friends I made while we explored a new world together.

Pyramid sketches

A Daily Haiku based on a memory from my childhood. Drawing eyed-pyramids when I got bored at school.

Always A Stranger

Today's Daily Haiku discusses the process of trying to fit in we all go through during our childhood, and poses a question about what's the desirable outcome: to fit in, or to end up being yourself? Are both things compatible?

Dad

Today's Daily Haiku is devoted to my father, Pencho.

The End Of The Iron Curtain

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by one of my few childhood memories, the fall of Berlin's Wall.

Mother

Corny as it may seems, it wouldn't be fair to spend February writing haikus inspired by my childhood without devoting one to my mother.

More TVs Than Rooms

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by a visit to my father's mother when I was a kid. Her death later in my life had also a big influence in me.

Flashlight in hand

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by one of my earliest memories, reading horror stories with a flashlight in hand under the bed sheets at night.

Always in motion

All of us walk different paths during our childhood, and the one we go through has an undeniable influence on the person we become when we grow older, but they don't define us completely or forever.

Tron

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by a very special dog we had when I was little. Tron.

Mazarrón

A Daily Haiku inspired by one of the most beautiful memories I have from my childhood, Mazarrón in winter, the clouds piled up like mountains and the grey ocean.

Sister

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by my sister, and the special friendship we had when we were little.

A new way to talk

Today's Daily Haiku poses an interesting question. Are we predestined to discover the stuff we are naturally connected to, or is it a matter of luck and we may never find them?

A Day At The Beach

The Daily Haiku of Feb 3 is inspired by a happy memory of a day at the beach with my family. Sometimes we just need to bring back one of these beautiful, positive moments and remind ourselves of our ability to build new memories like those.

Words I Never Said

Today's Daily Haiku is devoted to my grandpa. He died of cancer when he was still quite young, and his death had a devastating effect on me and my family.

When We Were Little

The Daily Haiku of Feb 1 starts a month of haikus devoted to nostalgia, our childhood days. Hope you'll enjoy it.

A day with no words

The last Daily Haiku of January explores raw emotion. Tomorrow I will start a month with haikus devoted to childhood. Hope you will enjoy it.

I won't open them

Today's Daily Haiku reflects on how business and startup owners find it hard sometimes to stop and let go things, but how important it is to try.

This ain't no forest

Today's Daily Haiku. A depiction of a city as a forest of asfalt, concrete, and cement.

Small decisions

Today's Daily Haiku is devoted to the small decisions we take every day which, I argue, make us who we are.

Beautiful morning

This morning I was greeted by this beautiful view that inspired the Daily Haiku of the day.

It's Alright Today

Today's Daily Haiku started as a lullaby for cloudy days and ended up being a manifesto against the mainstream culture :).

In the ears of children

The Daily Haiku of today is inspired by that beauty we used to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch all around us when we were children.

Restless

The Daily Haiku of Jan 24. Restless. Restless, down below, stars shining, waters glowing, the moon, always sad. I was not sure I would be able to finish today's Daily Haiku, but I was finally able to do it, even though technically it's Jan 25 already.

I'm So Tired

After a not-so-nice weekend, working non-stop, exhausted and fed up, the Daily Haiku of today is a way of catharsis for my current feelings.

A Warm Gentle Breeze

Sometimes all it takes is a little walk, a warm, gentle breeze, or the last rays of the sunset, to cheer you up.

Feelings come and go

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by the disctinction between temporary emotions and how we "feel", as commonly mentioned in Stoicism or Bhuddism.

Everyone's screaming

The Daily Haiku for Jan 20 is inspired by complete opposites. Though they shouldn't, they sometimes coexist in our daily lives.

I don't own a house

The Daily Haiku of today is inspired by dogmas, and how people expect you to fit into their social stereotypes.

Sunlight on the bridge

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired by the sunlight touching the Lisbon 25 de April bridge at dawn.

Senseless, Meaningless

Today's Daily Haiku is an exploration of how the flow and rhythm of emotions can vary in something as minimalist as a haiku poem.

It's hard sometimes

In today's Daily Haiku, I wanted to experiment with breaking sentences and breathing between the sentences.

Lost in thoughts

Today I went on a hike with a local LGBTQ hiking group here in Lisbon, and being unable to focus in the conversation or the nature in front of me inspired this haiku.

Hues of Grey

Today is a grey day in Lisbon. The clouds cover the sky and seem to move fast, clashing, fighting, kissing each other. An inspiring view for the Daily Haiku of the day.

A Moment Of Calm

This Friday was unusually quiet, and I went to the library and it was a beautiful, warm and sunny day. That inspired the Daily Haiku of today.

Beautiful Tension

Today's Daily Haiku is inspired again by music, in this case, by the music of Kronos Quartet performing Philip Glass string quartets.

Impermanence

Today's Haiku is inspired by the concept of impermanence in Bhuddism and the changes out of our area of control of Stoicism.

Different Trains

Today's Haiku of the day is inspired by Steve Reich's piece "Different Trains" (played by the Kronos Quartet).

Rijeka, Fiume

The Daily Haiku for Jan 9 is devoted to Rijeka. Rijeka is a beautiful, relaxing Mediterranean city with amazing sunsets.

Growing Old

The Daily Haiku for Jan 8. Growing Old. A reflection about time, age, and not agreeing what I suppose I should be doing, thinking, or doing.

Sofia

I spent most of the pandemic in Sofia. It was one of the most precious, beautiful periods of my life. And I miss it so much.

Stars

Today's my birthday, and reflecting on the insignificance of my life in the scheme of things brought some inspiration for the daily Haiku.

Escaping from thoughts

Sometimes meditation or mindfulness is not enough to free your mind from thoughts that clatter it, so you have no choice but physically escaping the oppressive room in the hopes of finding solace outside.

Lilacs & Roses

The inspiration from this Haiku comes from the death of a loved one. The graveyard where his remains lie was full of roses and lilacs when I was a kid. But I can't almost remember anything else now.

The night is still

This is a simpler, more relaxed, and less ambitious Haiku. A simple celebration of a peaceful, dark, and cozy night.

Eyes closed, eyes open

There is a lot going on in this short Haiku from an emotional point of view. The Eastern wind is a reference to that part of my life that is tied to the East, specially the Eastern Europe, but also the East in general.

Clouds

This year, I have decided to start a new daily post series, the Daily Haiku, featuring one daily Haiku poem every day.

How To Identify And Combat Anxiety

All entrepreneurs and business owners experience anxiety at some point during their journey. In this post, I talk openly about my experience learning to identify and combat anxiety.

Tips For Early Startup Founders

Next week, I will be traveling to Madrid to speak at the Demo Day of the 22nd edition of the Tetuan Valley incubator. I am so honored and excited to be speaking at that event. Our entrepreneurial journey started precisely at Tetuan Valley, seven years ago. Back then, Ignacio and

Good Riddance, Wordpress!

If it seems like the blog looks different, it's because it is different. I migrated to Ghost, and couldn't be happier. Why? Find out in this post!

Have I Become A Pessimist, Or Just A Villain?

While reading “The Satanic Verses”, by Salman Rushdie, this passage resonated a lot with me. After reading it, I just thought “that’s me”. I am by nature an inward man, he said silently into the disconnected phone. I have struggled, in my fashion, to find my way towards an

How To Install MongoDB On Android & Run It Natively (No MongoDB Account Needed)

There are many articles out there claiming to show how to install MongoDB on Android that start with: “Step one, open a MongoDB account. Step two, use this code to connect to the remote server”. So basically, their way of “installing” MongoDB on Android is running a mongo instance using

Fuck co-working spaces, there's a better, free alternative

I’m done with co-working spaces. I have found an alternative that is not only free but much better for getting stuff done. Want to know what are those places? Keep on reading… What’s wrong with co-working spaces? I have been working in co-working spaces for the last seven

This free, 5-min process in Estonia cost me 200€ and 2 days of my life in Spain

The resources that a government offers to its citizens can make a huge difference in their daily lives. In this post, I describe how a process that cost us 2 days of work and almost 200 euros in Spain can be done online in 5 minutes in Estonia, and it’

Choosing The Wrong COO Can Ruin Your Business

When the COO of this story parted ways with our company. I was relieved to see this person go. I learned the hard way that choosing the wrong COO can ruin your business. Immediately after they left, I had to take control of the operations again to repair all the

How The Pandemic Affected My Views On Stoicism

Some weeks ago, Todd from Canada kindly bought me three coffees and made me a very interesting question about my views on Stoicism. Did the pandemic change your views or do you look back at ur comments and still agree with what you originally wrote? The pandemic has changed us

Developing on an Android Tablet

After being frustrated trying to use the iPad Pro as a serious working device for years, I sold it and bought an Android tablet. Surprisingly, I found out it was better than the iPad Pro for many things, including coding. Is developing on an Android tablet possible? Let’s find

On Cultural Appropriation And The Universality Of Culture

I’ve always hated stereotypes. Maybe because I never fit in during my childhood and adolescence. I’m not saying here I was a rebel or an outcast. On the contrary, those are usually the worst (and lamest) stereotypes you can find. However, stereotypes follow us wherever we go. They

Are electric scooters good for the (urban) environment?

Yesterday when I came back from the gym, I had to get off my bike and remove some of these e-scooters you see in the picture. They were literally blocking the way (and taking the bike up and down the bridge is difficult enough as it is). That made me

I just want to watch the sunset... every day

“Microblogging pills” (MBP) are short posts containing random thoughts that cross my mind. Without necessarily any context or story behind them, raw and unedited. Tomorrow is Monday. The beginning of another week. When I was an employee, before quitting my 9 to 5 job, I hated Sunday afternoons. I would

Digital nomad guide to Lisbon, Portugal

After a long and dark winter in Estonia, with a lot of work and quite a high level of stress, we moved to Lisbon looking for a warmer place and a change of scenery to help us keep our sanity. We needed sunlight, good food, and a more laid-back place

Make bad customers sweat

The way in which you design the processes of your company can have a huge impact on your organization. Every business has to deal with good and bad customers. You don’t need me to elaborate on that. The good ones are the ones who happily pay for your services,

Experiences And Takeaways From EU-Startups Summit

This year I attended EU-Startups Summit for the first time. The 2022 edition of this young but quite ambitious conference took place in Barcelona in May (a couple of days ago). During the conference, I lived some very interesting experiences and got back home with some important takeaways that may

EU-Startups Summit: My Experience As A Founder

This week we traveled to Barcelona for the EU-Startups Summit. It’s a small and relatively new conference that takes place in Barcelona in May. After attending much bigger events such as Web Summit, Slush, or Latitude 59, this summit looks smaller and more localized by comparison. Still, it was

Retreating From Technology

“Microblogging pills” (MBP) are short posts containing random thoughts that cross my mind. Without necessarily any context or story behind them, raw and unedited. When I was a teenager, I was a lot into RPG games. My friends and I used to gather during the weekends in one of our

Measuring KPIs that matter

Most startups, especially at the beginning, fail to pay attention to KPIs. As I explain in this article, that’s a mistake. Measuring your KPIs, especially the KPIs that matter, is critical for the success of your startup later, even if you don’t think it’s relevant at the

Start measuring your KPIs from the first day

When you are launching a new startup, measuring your KPIs does not seem like a priority. You probably don’t have customers, revenue, a team, or even a product yet, just an MVP. So why bother? Here, I explain why it is important to measure everything from the first day

Mintos VS PeerBerry: My Personal Experience.

There are many reviews of Mintos VS Peerberry (and others) written out there, but most of them seem to be written by algorithms or P2P review sites, not real users (or even people). Hence, I decided to write my own review. I will write about them from a personal point

5 Years Of Micropreneur Life! 🎉

A week ago, Micropreneur Life turned 5. Happy birthday, ML! It’s been five amazing years. This blog has been changing and evolving with me. It has been the witness and confessor of these five intense years. I have laughed, cried, and shared my story here with you. Both for

Putin is gay

Almost twenty years ago, I was beaten by three guys close to my house in Murcia, Spain. I put up a good fight, but they were three. The reason? They saw me holding hands with another guy. Years later, one of these gentlemen came out of the closet. He was

Let’s start believing the unbelievable

Yesterday I attended a massive protest in the Freedom Square, Tallinn, in support of Ukraine. I’ve never seen so many people together in Estonia in my life. Thousands of people gathered to demand Putin to stop the war. Earlier that morning, while going to our offices by tram, a

Getting your Lithuanian e-Residency Card, second trip

Finally! After a second visit to Lithuania, I have my e-Residency card. I am officially the 79th e-resident of Lithuania. In this post, I describe my second visit to the Baltic country to get the card, how to install and configure it, and what you can do with it. Ready?

I have been buying flights without taking them, here's why

During the last five months, I have been buying flights to different places like Billund, Stockholm, Malmo, or Gothenburg. I didn’t take any of those flights, and I didn’t plan on doing it when I bought them. So why did I buy them? Well, Tallinn’s airport is

Spaniards cannot speak English, and it's embarrassing

“Microblogging pills” (MBP) are short posts containing random thoughts that cross my mind. Without necessarily any context or story behind them, raw and unedited. In the first week of January, my husband and I were on vacation. After months of enduring the dark Estonian winter, we needed some sunlight. We

Why are you (on social media)?

“Microblogging pills” (MBP) are short posts containing random thoughts that cross my mind. Without necessarily any context or story behind them, raw and unedited. One of my friends does not want kids. She doesn’t even want to get married. There’s no specific reason for that, or more specifically,

Break down, and let it all out

I just read an article on CNN on how social media have turned us all into professional pretenders, broadcasting a fake image of happiness and perfection to our friends, family members, and colleagues. This also affects our professional lives. We need to show we are so fulfilled and happy with

My Experience At Slush

It’s been a busy quarter. We moved to Estonia to reorganize my company, changed offices, and actively started fundraising our series A round. The latter involves attending startup and tech events, looking for investors, networking, and connections. In October we went to Lisbon for the Web Summit and, in

Ten albums that changed my life

Spotify and similar platforms have changed the way we listen to music. Albums are culturally dead. The playlist is king. That means people don’t usually choose or even know what they are listening to. It’s something that’s playing in the background, curated by an algorithm whose selections

Tips and Tricks to Make the Most of Web Summit

Web Summit is an intense experience, to say the least. As a startup founder, it may be certainly daunting. There is just so much to do there, so many people to talk to, investor meetings, Startup Pitch and Startup Showcase events… It’s important to stay focused and know your

Should I attend Web Summit? (as a startup founder)

We came back from Lisbon yesterday. It’s been five very intense days at Web Summit. I was there with my husband (who happens to be the CMO and co-founder of our business) as BETA startup attendees for Companio. We are actively fundraising right now (looking for our series A

Getting Your Lithuanian e-Residency Card, first trip

Recently I attended the premiere of the new Dune film. As a die-hard fan of the novel (I have read the whole saga twice, and I think only Foundation, by Isaac Asimov, can compare to it), and an admirer of the atmosphere of the 80’s movie, I was skeptic,

How to prevent internal power structures within your company

I recently arrived in Tallinn to spend here a considerable amount of time. 2021 has been a fantastic year so far (albeit a quite stressful one). The company has grown considerably, and so my team, distributed around the world. The heart of the company, however, is in Tallinn, as couldn’

Challenges of a Remote Working, Flexible Hours Setup

My company was born as a pure, unadulterated remote company. All the team works remotely right now, and it has been like that since I hired my first employee while recovering from a serious infection in Latvia. Since the beginning, also, my employees enjoy flexible working hours. As we are

Digital Nomad Guide to Antalya, Turkey

After a long period of inactivity due to the COVID pandemic, we have started to travel again. Antalya, on the south coast of Turkey, has been our destination of choice. We spent there the whole month of July. So is Antalya a good spot for digital nomads? Well, let’s

How to apply to become an e-Resident of Lithuania

As you know, I applied to become a Lithuanian e-Resident recently. The e-Residency program of Lithuania is not as polished as its Estonian counterpart yet, but I consider myself an early adopter of these initiatives. The process is still not completely intuitive, and there are some rough edges to polish.

What they really fear in Hungary

Disclaimer: this is a very raw and opinionated post, and I use very explicit language. If you don’t like to hear about LGBTQIA stuff, sexual education/orientation topics, or faint on the idea of a kid being taught about gender identities and sexual orientations, you may want to skip

The e-Residency program of Lithuania just launched, but it's still in its early alpha stage.

I just became a Lithuanian e-Resident. For those of you who still don’t know about it, Lithuania launched a program similar to Estonian’s digital nation. It was approved on January 2021, but the application process was not open until June 21. After the pioneering program from Estonia proved

Why losing 130,000€ made me the happiest man alive (Part 3)

Welcome to the third (and final!) part of the post series “Why losing 130,000€ made me the happiest man alive”! For those of you who missed the first and second parts, in these articles I describe how I amended the biggest mistake of my youth (buying a house). I

The sleeping generation

I try to avoid reading the news from Spain. Since I left, I have the feeling that my country is at a perpetual standstill. The same political quarrels, the same old arguments, the same stale stories, Isabel Pantoja, Catalonia, Lefts and Rights. Nothing really changes. Today, however, I made an

Why losing 130,000€ made me the happiest man alive (Part 2)

Welcome to the second part of the post series “Why losing 130,000€ made me the happiest man alive”! For those of you who missed the first part, in these articles I describe how I amended the biggest mistake of my youth (buying a house). Cue the dramatic intro music…

Why losing 130,000€ made me the happiest man alive (Part 1)

Finally, I was able to get rid of my house and the associated mortgage and account in Spain. I’m a free man now. However, this catharsis has come at a price. Concretely, 130,000€. That’s the money I’ve lost, all things considered, as a result of buying

I don't want my company to be a Unicorn. Here's why.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I have never been a huge fan of the classical startup scene. Recently I did a lot of research about other startup models, such as the Zebra movement, the Responsible Startup trend, and the post-growth philosophy. Models based on sustainability and

When countries rewrite history

Disclaimer: if you are from Bulgaria, I hope you read this blog post with an open mind. Otherwise, if you have strong nationalist feelings, you may want to skip it. It’s not my goal to make anybody feel bad. Today we visited the Bulgarian National History Museum. It’s

Democracy

Democracy is the illusion that queens and kings don’t exist anymore. It’s the fallacy of thinking that by owning an iPhone, receiving a monthly paycheck, and choosing who’s gonna rule your life for the next four years, you get to decide. That we are all equal. That

Four years of Micropreneur Life!

Today is the fourth anniversary of Micropreneur Life! 🥳 I actually had to check because I could not believe it’s been four years already since I started writing on this blog. Four years ago, I clicked on the “Publish” button of that first post. Back then, I didn’t know

De-tracking your website

There’s a myriad of blog posts, articles, books, videos, and courses devoted to teaching you how to measure your traffic, audience, and conversions through analytics and tracking cookies. Today, I want to propose to you the exact opposite, de-tracking your website (in the absence of a better term). This

The end of the nation-state era

At the turn of the century, James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg published “The Sovereign Individual“. That book predicted a future where, thanks to technology, individuals will have enough power to break free from the dependence of their nation-states. The Sovereign Individual accurately predicted many of the breakthroughs of the

I unknowingly built a Holacratic, hierarchy-less business. Here's why.

Recent events have made me think about the organizational structure of my business. When one discusses organizational schemes within organizations, there seems to be a clear distinction between startups and big corporations. The former are supposed to be flat structures, composed of a handful of members sticking together by virtue

Why Fiverr, Upwork, and other outsourcing platforms suck, and you should never use them

Three months ago, I was considering the possibility of adding video content to Micropreneur Life. After weighing all the technical aspects (is the camera of the phone good enough? Do I need a mic or a stand?), I decided I needed an animated version of the logo to show at

Life in Bansko for digital nomads

The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to travel (even more) slowly and stay in Bulgaria for longer than we initially planned. The positive side of this standstill is that it allowed us to know Bulgaria better and live in different places. Apart from Sofia, we have visited Plovdiv, Sozopol, and Burgas,

What traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic taught me about people

In February 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 didn’t seem like a real threat in many European countries. It was something worrisome, or even scary, but it was happening mainly in China. We were in Zagreb, Croatia at the time, and three cases have been detected in the whole country. Back then,

"Less" is out there!

Finally, after months and months of writing, correcting, editing, and struggling to make sense of Amazon KDP, I have finally published Less, my latest book! About writing “Less” Writing Less has been a completely different experience from my previous book, The e-Residency Program of Estonia. While the latter was mainly

A year of changes

Today’s January 1, 2021. Happy new year! 🥳 As you may know, I put the blog on hiatus while I was writing my second book, Less. Yesterday, the last day of the year, I finally completed the writing stage, so I decided to continue the tradition of writing one post

Working on my second book

It’s been a long time since I wrote my last article (almost a month), and I am going to stay quiet for some more time, as I am focusing on writing my second book: “The decluttering project”. The book proposes a different way of living. A simpler, more focused,

Towards the new society of the XXI century

Featured image by Junia Mortimer. I remember thinking, back in my teenage days, about robotization. The first robotic arms had appeared, and with them, the replacement of the first low qualified jobs in some factories. It was the mid-nineties, and the public debate on whether robots would take people’s

Why partnerships are dangerous for your business

Growing a business is an exciting adventure. You learn something new every day. There is a lot of room for experimentation, and nothing is more rewarding than trying a new strategy, or launching a new product, and seeing how it positively impacts sales or makes your customers a lot happier.

No, the iPad Pro cannot replace a laptop

Yesterday, I sold my iPad Pro for good. I am not going to buy another one anytime soon. From now on, I will stick to my good old MacBook Pro for everything, from coding to writing, from designing to blogging. If you follow my blog, you know I’ve been

Challenges of traveling as a gay digital nomad couple

Yesterday, my husband and I were headed to South Park in Sofia, Bulgaria, for a picnic afternoon. To get there, we always pass through the Lovers Bridge, close to the National Palace of Culture. They do frequent exhibitions on that bridge, from art to science. To our surprise, yesterday’s

Two beautiful and relatively unknown places on the coast of Bulgaria: Burgas and Nessebar

This summer, for the first time in two years, I took two weeks off work. I needed them. Fortunately, my business is now in a better place than it was two years ago. I have a strong team in place I can rely on, so I left my laptop at

Bulgaria is headed to a coronavirus crisis. Here's why.

We just came back from our two-week summer holidays. First ones in two years. We visited the coast of Bulgaria, mainly the Burgas and Nessebar areas. It has been a gratifying experience I will write about soon here on Micropreneur Life. As there was nothing in the fridge, I went

The Digital Nomad Scam

I consider myself a digital nomad. I have no problem with this tag. However, much like Low did with the genre they pioneered, slowcore, most true digital nomads I know repudiate that label. Why? Because the term has been abused to the point that it’s now associated with a

Life in Sofia for digital nomads

We’ve spent the last three months in Sofia, Bulgaria, and we are going to be here until November at least. The city may as well be one of the best spots in Europe for digital nomads, expats, and slow travelers. In this post, I share our experience living and

How to deal with angry customers

I have never been good at dealing with customers. That’s a bad thing when you run a business. Traditionally, the main two reasons for this have been an humongous ego and a total lack of empathy (I am an ENTJ after all… but I don’t believe in any

Time to slow down

Have you ever had a period of turmoil that led to a climax that changed everything for you? Today is that day for me. Usually, such days are only able to be identified when we connect the dots years later, as Steve Jobs said. But I know, as certain as

The lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic that we WON'T learn

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down. I don’t need to elaborate on that. It is an unprecedented episode in human history that, though unfortunate, should allow us to learn some lessons, especially in western countries. The lockdowns, the way our lives have changed, the “new normal”

This is why your business needs to adapt, and fast, to the coronavirus pandemic

Everything is going to change after the coronavirus pandemic… Your business should too. And fast. The world we live in, our societies, our economies, ourselves… Nothing is going to be the same. Besides the terrible toll of lives and the psychological damage of confinement and losing friends and family member,

Three years of Micropreneur Life

Yesterday was the anniversary of Micropreneur Life. Three years. Happy birthday! So much has happened during these three years. My life has changed completely, and I owe it all to this blog that I started sitting on a train on my way to Madrid. A trip that changed everything During

Finally, Saturday...

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria, 4th of April, 2020. Finally, Saturday… It’s been a super busy week, but today’s been a much more bright and relaxing day, despite the fact that it started with a heavy migraine. I am not

Of panic attacks and uncertainty

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic, 30th of March. It’s been some days since I posted. On Friday I had a weird panic attack. I try not to read news about the coronavirus. Especially from Spain. You don’t have to stay on top of

A walk through the apocalyptic park (again), now covered in white

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 24th of March. For decades, we thought we were invincible. We got used to the fast pace of the digital age. Instagram, traffic jams, Netflix, food delivery apps. We got used to the fact that we imposed

Snowstorm in Sofia...

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 23rd of March. Monday. The day started with a beautiful, amazing surprise. It was snowing! And snowing a lot. I had almost resigned myself to not see any snow this year, but here it was! Funny how

I am grateful for so many things...

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 22nd of March. Sunday. The day started with a gray layer of clouds covering the sky and ended up raining in Sofia. It’s been another dull day. I miss going out. I had some talks with

Mannequins with face masks

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 21st of March. Saturday night. 21st of March. 36 new cases makes this the worst day since the state of emergency was declared. Today, the government of Bulgaria approved another series of measures, including the prohibition to

Sofia is a beautiful city... we are just in the wrong area

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 20th of March. Friday. One week has passed since the estate of emergency was declared in Bulgaria. Fortunately, cases are not growing exponentially. That means declaring the estate of emergency as soon as the country reached 23

A second walk through a now empty park

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 19th of March. Thursday. Today was a bit brighter than yesterday. I woke up early and made breakfast while listening to King Crimson on my headphones to not wake up Miguel. The morning went by quickly, and

Trapped in Bulgaria for now

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 18th of March. Today we stayed the whole day at home. I focused on work to keep my mind busy again. Miguel sent me a video of a friend of his brother in Madrid. He lives on

A walk through the park

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 17th of March. Today it was a dull, busy day. Fortunately, the activity of the business has continued, or even increased. As a purely digital business, we are the last in the chain, so to speak, so

Apocalyptic groceries

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 16th of March. We worked from home today most of the day. I talked to the staff of our co-working space in Sofia and they offered us to extend our subscription while they stay closed. That was

Hanging out with friends (on videoconference)

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 15th of March. Sunday. We have been inside the apartment the whole day. Not even a walk. I killed time working on the new dashboard of my company, Companio. In a way, it’s good to be

State of Emergency

Today was the first day after the state of emergency was declared in Sofia. I wanted to stay at home, but Miguel insisted we took a walk in the park, avoiding contact with other people or the most crowded areas in the main promenade. I said yes. During the whole

Trapped in Sofia, Bulgaria

Diary of a digital nomad trapped by the coronavirus pandemic in Sofia, Bulgaria. 13th of March. These are bleak times for digital nomads. With the coronavirus paralyzing the whole world, some of us recently found ourselves trapped in a country, our flights canceled and our traveling plans ruined. I am

My frustrating experience looking for a co-working in Sofia (and how I discovered this amazing space)

We arrived in Sofia one week ago, on a Saturday night. We were so tired after a long and stressful trip via Belgrade that we spent the whole Sunday sleeping and resting. On Monday evening, after catching up with work, I started to look for a good co-working space in

From Zagreb to Sofia via Belgrade by bus. Our experience

I am in the bus to Sofia. We left the Belgrade bus station about an hour ago. Still sweating, I am recovering from the race. We almost did’t get to the bus bay in time. In this post, I share our experience traveling from Zagreb to Sofia via Belgrade

Can your business remain in Europe after Brexit thanks to e-Residency? Probably NOT. Here is why.

It happened. Populism, fear, and a highly successful democracy hijacking act on Facebook, targeting vulnerable Brexit swing voters, won, The UK left Europe. Farewell, friends. Still shocked by the turmoil of the Brexit, many British companies started to look for ways to escape the fanaticism of their own politicians. The

Life in Zagreb for digital nomads

As you may know, this year, instead of fleeing Europe for winter to South East Asia or other exotic (and warm) destination, we decided to explore the Balkans. After a very satisfactory visit to Rijeka, we decided to continue our exploration of Croatia by spending two months in its capital.

The year I went from micropreneur to company owner

Happy 2020!!! 🎉 Exactly one year ago, I was at the airport, traveling to Chiang Mai. 2018 was the year in which I embraced Minimalism as my philosophy of life. It was a year of discovery, exploration, and travel. Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Zagreb, in Croatia. 2019 has been

Meet Don and Martina, slow travelers and parents

The nomad lifestyle is gaining momentum, and more and more people are becoming location independent to travel the world while working online. When I visit my family and old friends in Spain, they always say: “How lucky you are to be a digital nomad and travel the world.” Then I

Towards a conscious use of our phones

If you read my blog regularly, you know I am a big fan of deep work, and quite critical with social media. I don’t have any social network account, and try to disable or at least reduce notifications as much as possible. That may look like a ambiguous stance,

Life In Rijeka For Digital Nomads

After spending July and August in Tallinn, we left with the last breath of the summer to the South, looking for warmer coasts. Concretely, to Rijeka, Croatia. How is life in Rijeka for digital nomads? Is it worth a visit? Let’s find out! Different people have different metrics when

How to self-publish your first book, the indie way

In September, I published my first e-Book, “The e-Residency program of Estonia: Launch and run a location independent business 100% online“. It was an incredible experience. I decided to self-publish my book on Amazon, taking care of everything myself. Why? Because I wanted to be free to decide about the

The loneliness of the digital nomad

I have been traveling for years. Throughout my journey, I have met all kinds of travelers. Lone wolves, couples, and even a group of friends who traveled together. Regardless of their backgrounds, age or country of origin, one common topic popped up in most conversations: the loneliness of the digital

I don't wanna play: Why we should stop gamification

Gamification [mass noun]: the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service. The Oxford Dictionary Some days ago I updated my iPad

Next stop: Rijeka, Croatia

Hello! Yesterday we arrived in Rijeka, Croatia. It was already dark so we could not really get a glimpse of the city. However, today I will take some time to explore the place when I finish writing these lines. My first impressions are quite good! It’s a beautiful and

How To Self-Edit Your First Book

I recently published my first book: “The e-Residency Program of Estonia: Launch and run a location independent business 100% online“. I decided to self-edit and self-publish it. I knew a professional editor would have saved me a lot of time, and not being an English native speaker, my results would

Life In Tallinn For Digital Nomads

As you may know, I talk a lot about Estonia in this blog, and for good reason. As a happy e-Resident, and the owner of two Estonian companies, I love sharing my knowledge about the Estonian digital nation and its possibilities for location independent entrepreneurs. So much in fact that

Busy days working on my book in Tallinn

Hello! Are you still out there? You may have noticed I’ve not written on the blog since mid June. I’ve been quite busy working on my book. Which book? The e-Residency book, of course. That’s the reason why I’ve not been very active here lately. I’

Life In Kuching For Digital Nomads

Before heading back to Europe, we decided to spend our lasts two months in South-East Asia in the city of Kuching. Aptly named “The next Chiang Mai”, this Malaysian hidden gem has been a delightful discovery. This article contains the most complete guide about life in Kuching for digital nomads,

Best Notes App For Digital Nomads

Taking notes on the go is essential for all of us, digital nomads. Whether you are an entrepreneur, blogger, photographer, writer, developer, or all of the above at the same time, you’ll eventually need to capture an idea or set a reminder about something. After trying literally dozens of

Unleashing the power of the e-Residency program, and the DigiDoc software

When the media talks about the e-Residency program of Estonia, the aspect that gets all the attention is how it allows location independent entrepreneurs to launch and run an online business without ever visiting Estonia. However, the true power of the digital nation lies in its foundations, namely, in your

Types Of Companies In Estonia, And What's The Right One For You As An e-Resident

The e-Residency program allows anyone, regardless of their citizenship or residence, to open a company in Estonia. When discussing how to open a company in Estonia, usually the conversation refers to a Private Limited Company, or Osaühing (OÜ) in Estonian. However, there are many types of companies in Estonia beyond

The Best Co-working Space in Ubud, Bali

After living and working for three months in Bali, I can confidently say I have visited a lot of co-working spaces and cafés. More than anywhere else. In this post, I share what’s –in my opinion– the best co-working space in Ubud, Bali. Ubud for digital nomads Ubud is

Debunking Some Myths About Stoicism

I recently finished a book about Stoicism that made me think about all the myths about Stoicism and misconceptions surrounding this philosophy. While this and other books do an excellent job debunking some of them, most people approaching this ancient school of thought still tend to fall for them. The

Escape Brexit: How Opening A Company In Estonia Can Help British Entrepreneurs

With the deadline approaching, and the perspective of a no-deal Brexit quickly becoming a reality, entrepreneurs in the UK are looking for ways to escape Brexit. For some years now, I am an e-Resident of Estonia. I own two businesses in this small baltic country. I didn’t even need

Grab or Go-Jek? What's The Best Taxi App In Southeast Asia?

So why this article? Aren’t apps like Grab or Go-Jek basically like Uber (or your local alternative) in Southeast Asia? Well, yes and no. If you come from Europe or America, your first visit to Southeast Asia will open you the doors of a new universe. Take Europe, for

e-Estonia and the advent of e-Nations

Technology has always been a disrupting force. But new breakthroughs are happening exponentially faster each year, and they are shaking pillars of our society that were previously considered immutable and eternal. It’s changing our cities, our homes, the way we pay and keep our money, and even the currency

Life In Bali, Ubud For Digital Nomads

After a short stay in Thailand, we moved to Bali to stay here for three months at least. In this post, I share my experience on how is life in Ubud for Digital nomads. Different people have different metrics when evaluating how good -or not- a place is. For context,

Blogging is dead: The new OpenAI algorithm for text generation

Blogging is dead. Recently, a new language processing and content generation framework from OpenAI was published. Leveraging the full power of machine learning available today, it’s capable of generating internet content. Texts, blog posts, articles, and even translations. The implications for content writers -and internet content in general- are

Mindfulness And Meditation For Entrepreneurs

I’ve been practicing meditation for the last five years. It has helped me during the most difficult times of my entrepreneurial journey, and also in my personal life. In this post, I want to discuss the practice of mindfulness and meditation for entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and small business owners. Why

Life In Chiang Mai For Digital Nomads

This weekend we attended the Nomad Summit conference here in Chiang Mai. It was certainly a massive event, as the city is one of the most famous digital nomad hubs. After living here for some time, it’s easy to understand why, and fall in love with this vibrant, chaotic

What I Learned From Writing A Daily Post On Stoicism For A Year

As you may know if you follow my blog, in 2018 I started writing a daily post on stoicism for a whole year. It was a way of commiting to reading one daily meditation of this book: “The Daily Stoic: 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living“

On Minimalism

Exactly one year ago, the 31st of December of 2017, I found myself on a plane, reflecting on how my life had changed since I quit my corporate job. I was flying back to Riga after spending the holidays with my family and friends. I’m also on a flight

Get Active In Your Own Rescue

The Daily Stoic for December 31st, “Get Active In Your Own Rescue”. “Stop wandering about! You aren’t likely to read your own notebooks, or ancient histories, or the anthologies you’ve collected to enjoy in your old age. Get busy with life’s purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get

Taking The Bite Out Of It

The Daily Stoic for December 30th, “Taking The Bite Out Of It”. “To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden. —SENECA, HERCULES OETAEUS, 231–232” Today’s stoic meditation talks again about this formula for being able to face any adversity, from small daily

Give Thanks

The Daily Stoic for December 29th, “Give Thanks”. “In all things we should try to make ourselves be as grateful as possible. For gratitude is a good thing for ourselves, in a manner in which justice, commonly held to belong to others, is not. Gratitude pays itself back in large

On Being Remembered

The Daily Stoic for December 28th, “On Being Remembered”. “Everything lasts for a day, the one who remembers and the remembered.” We all want to be remembered. In my mind, that can be traced back to our animal instincts. Our desire to transcend -by means of our descendants- is nothing

Don't Let Your Soul Go First

The Daily Stoic for December 27th, “Don’t Let Your Soul Go First”. “It’s a disgrace in this life when the soul surrenders first while the body refuses to.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.29 Do you run? If you do, you probably know that the mind -especially at the

Life Is Long -- If You Know How To Use It

The Daily Stoic for December 26th, “Life Is Long — If You Know How To Use It”. “It’s not at all that we have too short a time to live, but that we squander a great deal of it. Life is long enough, and it’s given in sufficient measure

Don't Burn The Candle At Both Ends

The Daily Stoic for December 25th, “Don’t Burn The Candle At Both Ends”. “The mind must be given relaxation—it will rise improved and sharper after a good break. Just as rich fields must not be forced—for they will quickly lose their fertility if never given a break—

Meaningless... Like A Fine Wine

The Daily Stoic for December 24th, “Meaningless… Like A Fine Wine”. “You know what wine and liqueur tastes like. It makes no difference whether a hundred or a thousand bottles pass through your bladder—you are nothing more than a filter.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 77.16 I was once at

What Are You So Afraid Of Losing?

The Daily Stoic for December 23rd, “What Are You So Afraid Of Losing?”. “You are afraid of dying. But, come now, how is this life of yours anything but death?” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 77.18 I am not sure what to think of today’s stoic meditation. Let me quote

Stake Your Own Claim

The Daily Stoic for December 22nd, “Stake Your Own Claim”. “For it’s disgraceful for an old person, or one in sight of old age, to have only the knowledge carried in their notebooks. Zeno said this . . . what do you say? Cleanthes said that . . . what do you say? How long

What Do You Have To Show For Your Years?

The Daily Stoic for December 21st, “What Do You Have To Show For Your Years?”. “Many times an old man has no other evidence besides his age to prove he has lived a long time.” —SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 3.8b I’ve been alive for 38 years and

Fear The Fear Of Death

The Daily Stoic for December 20th, “Fear The Fear Of Death”. “Do you then ponder how the supreme of human evils, the surest mark of the base and cowardly, is not death, but the fear of death? I urge you to discipline yourself against such fear, direct all your thinking,

e-Residency 2.0: What The Future Holds For e-Residents

Hello, fellow e-Residents, I’ve got exciting news! Estonia has published the document for e-Residency 2.0! This White Paper is a declaration of intent from the Estonian government for the future of the e-Residency program. However, at more than 40 pages, and being somewhat technical at certain parts, you

Human Scale

The Daily Stoic for December 19th, “Human Scale”. “Think of the whole universe of matter and how small your share. Think about the expanse of time and how brief—almost momentary—the part marked for you. Think of the workings of fate and how infinitesimal your role.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS,

What Comes To Us All

The Daily Stoic for December 18th, “What Comes To Us All”. “Both Alexander the Great and his mule-keeper were both brought to the same place by death—they were either received into the all-generative reason, or scattered among the atoms.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.24 I was discussing today with

Know Thyself—Before It's Too Late

The Daily Stoic for December 17th, “Know Thyself—Before It’s Too Late”. “Death lies heavy upon one who, known exceedingly well by all, dies unknown to himself.” —SENECA, THYESTES, 400 Don’t wait. Know yourself. Before it’s impossibly late. Do we know ourselves as well as we think

Everlasting Good Health

The Daily Stoic for December 16th, “Everlasting Good Health”. “I tell you, you only have to learn to live like the healthy person does . . . living with complete confidence. What confidence? The only one worth holding, in what is trustworthy, unhindered, and can’t be taken away—your own reasoned choice.

A Simple Way To Measure Our Days

The Daily Stoic for December 15th, “A Simple Way To Measure Our Days”. “This is the mark of perfection of character—to spend each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, laziness, or any pretending.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.69 Perfection is a topic that’s been discussed

What We Should Know By The End

The Daily Stoic for December 14th, “What We Should Know By The End”. “Soon you will die, and still you aren’t sincere, undisturbed, or free from suspicion that external things can harm you, nor are you gracious to all, knowing that wisdom and acting justly are one and the

Salaries for e-Residents, The Ultimate Guide

In one of my previous posts, I described how VAT taxes work for e-Residents owning a company in Estonia. There, I talked about the most common rules for earnings and dividends. However, there are lots of details and nuisances to know about your pay as the owner of your business.

It's Just A Number

The Daily Stoic for December 13th, “It’s Just A Number”. “You aren’t bothered, are you, because you weigh a certain amount and not twice as much? So why get worked up that you’ve been given a certain lifespan and not more? Just as you are satisfied with

The Beat Goes On

The Daily Stoic for December 12th, “The Beat Goes On”. “Walk the long gallery of the past, of empires and kingdoms succeeding each other without number. And you can also see the future, for surely it will be exactly the same, unable to deviate from the present rhythm. It’s

Dignity And Brevity

The Daily Stoic for December 11th, “Dignity And Bravery”. “As Cicero says, we hate gladiators if they are quick to save their lives by any means; we favor them if they show contempt for their lives.” —SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 11.4b Today’s stoic meditation is a call

Don't Sell Yourself Too Cheaply

The Daily Stoic for December 10th, “Don’t Sell Yourself Too Cheaply”. “I say, let no one rob me of a single day who isn’t going to make a full return on the loss.” —SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 1.11b It’s true that people spend more money

Spendthrifts Of Time

The Daily Stoic for December 9th, “Spendthrifts Of Time”. “Were all the geniuses of history to focus on this single theme, they could never fully express their bafflement at the darkness of the human mind. No person would give up even an inch of their estate, and the slightest dispute

Don't Hide From Your Feelings

The Daily Stoic for December 8th, “Don’t Hide From Your Feelings”. “It’s better to conquer grief than to deceive it.” —SENECA, ON CONSOLATION TO HELVIA, 17.1b Throughout this stoic journey, one of my main gripes about stoicism has been its apparent suppression of emotions. However, I have

The Cards We're Dealt

The Daily Stoic for December 7th, “The Cards We’re Dealt”. “Think of the life you have lived until now as over and, as a dead man, see what’s left as a bonus and live it according to Nature. Love the hand that fate deals you and play it

The Sword Dangles Over You

The Daily Stoic for December 6th, “The Sword Dangles Over You”. “Don’t behave as if you are destined to live forever. What’s fated hangs over you. As long as you live and while you can, become good now.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.17 The Sword of Damocles, commonly

The Benefits Of Sobering Thoughts

The Daily Stoic for December 5th, “The Benefits Of Sobering Thoughts”. “Keep death and exile before your eyes each day, along with everything that seems terrible—by doing so, you’ll never have a base thought nor will you have excessive desire.” —EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 21 In January the 1st, we

You Don't Own That

The Daily Stoic for December 4th, “You Don’t Own That”. “Anything that can be prevented, taken away, or coerced is not a person’s own—but those things that can’t be blocked are their own.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.24.3 The other day, I was reading about nomads

The Philosopher Is An Artisan Of Life And Death

The Daily Stoic for December 3rd, “The Philosopher Is An Artisan Of Life And Death”. “Philosophy does not claim to get a person any external possession. To do so would be beyond its field. As wood is to the carpenter, bronze to the sculptor, so our own lives are the

Don't Mind Me, I'm Only Dying

The Daily Stoic for December 2nd, “Don’t Mind Me, I’m Only Dying”. “Let each thing you would do, say or intend be like that of a dying person.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 2.11.1 “What would you do if you found out tomorrow that you had cancer?” That’

Pretend Today Is The End

The Daily Stoic for December 1st, “Pretend Today Is The End”. “Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day. . . . The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each

Follow The Logos

The Daily Stoic for November 30th, “Follow The Logos”. “The person who follows reason in all things will have both leisure and a readiness to act—they are at once both cheerful and self-composed.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 10.12b The logos. The stoics believed there was a powerful force governing

You Are Going To Be Ok

The Daily Stoic for November 29th, “You Are Going To Be Ok”. “Don’t lament this and don’t get agitated.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.43 Have you ever gone to bed thinking that there was something wrong? Nothing concrete that you can identify in your mind. But there it

It's Not On Them, It's On You

The Daily Stoic for November 28th, “It’s Not On Them, It’s On You”. “If someone is slipping up, kindly correct them and point out what they missed. But if you can’t, blame yourself—or no one.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 10.4 “A good teacher knows that when

The Pleasure Of Tuning Out The Negative

The Daily Stoic for November 27th, “The Pleasure Of Tuning Out The Negative”. “How satisfying it is to dismiss and block out any upsetting or foreign impression, and immediately to have peace in all things.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.2 I don’t read newspapers anymore. I mean, not only

The Altar Of No Difference

The Daily Stoic of November 26th, “The Altar Of No Difference”. “We are like many pellets of incense falling on the same altar. Some collapse sooner, others later, but it makes no difference.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.15 “What’s the difference between you and the richest person in the

Funny How That Works Out

The Daily Stoic for November 25th, “Funny How That Works Out”. “As for me, I would choose being sick over living in luxury, for being sick only harms the body, whereas luxury destroys both the body and the soul, causing weakness and incapacity in the body, and lack of control

Train To Let Go Of What's Not Yours

The Daily Stoic for November 24th, “Train To Let Go Of What’s Not Yours”. “Whenever you experience the pangs of losing something, don’t treat it like a part of yourself but as a breakable glass, so when it falls you will remember that and won’t be troubled.

Attachments Are The Enemy

The Daily Stoic for November 23rd, “Attachments Are The Enemy”. “In short, you must remember this—that if you hold anything dear outside of your own reasoned choice, you will have destroyed your capacity for choice.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.4.23 As today’s daily stoic discusses, there are many

The Glass Is Already Broken

The Daily Stoic for November 22nd, “The Glass Is Already Broken”. “Fortune falls heavily on those for whom she’s unexpected. The one always on the lookout easily endures.” —SENECA, ON CONSOLATION TO HELVIA, 5.3 What a powerful concept! When I first read today’s stoic, I was a

Once Is Enough, Once Is Forever

The Daily Stoic for November 21st, “Once Is Enough, Once Is Forever”. “A good isn’t increased by the addition of time, but if one is wise for even a moment, they will be no less happy than the person who exercises virtue for all time and happily passes their

Common Mistakes When Starting A Business That I Have Made

Recent studies showed that the average age of a successful entrepreneur is 45, not 20-something, hence debunking the young entrepreneur myth. Ultimately, it’s experience, not luck, energy or passion, which makes an entrepreneurial project work. That’s only natural if you think about it. We all make mistakes when

Behold, Now As Ever

The Daily Stoic for November, 20th. “Behold, Now As Ever”. “If you’ve seen the present, you’ve seen all things, from time immemorial into all of eternity. For everything that happens is related and the same.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.37 As you may know, recently I went back

Maxims From Three Wise Men

The Daily Stoic for November 19th, “Maxims From Three Wise Men”, has three quotes for the price of one. 🙂 “For any challenge we should hold three thoughts at our command: ‘Lead on God and Destiny, To that Goal fixed for me long ago. I will follow and not stumble; even

Four Habits Of The Stoic Mind

The Daily Stoic for November 18th, “Four Habits Of The Stoic Mind”. “Our rational nature moves freely forward in its impressions when it: 1) accepts nothing false or uncertain; 2) directs its impulses only to acts for the common good; 3) limits its desires and aversions only to what’s

Judge Not, Lest...

The Daily Stoic for November 17th, “Judge Not, Lest…”. “When philosophy is wielded with arrogance and stubbornly, it is the cause for the ruin of many. Let philosophy scrape off your own faults, rather than be a way to rail against the faults of others.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 103.4b–

Hope And Fear Are The Same

The Daily Stoic for November 16th, “Hope And Fear Are The Same”. “Hecato says, ‘cease to hope and you will cease to fear.’ . . . The primary cause of both these ills is that instead of adapting ourselves to present circumstances we send out thoughts too far ahead.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 5.

Everything Is Change

The Daily Stoic for November 15th, “Everything Is Change”. “Meditate often on the swiftness with which all that exists and is coming into being is swept by us and carried away. For substance is like a river’s unending flow, its activities continually changing and causes infinitely shifting so that

You Choose The Outcome

The Daily Stoic -and continuation of yesterday’s- for November 14th, “You Choose The Outcome”. “He was sent to prison. But the observation ‘he has suffered evil,’ is an addition coming from you. —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.8.5b–6a On yesterday’s stoic, I explain why I was not able

Never Complain, Never Explain

The Daily Stoic for November 14th, “Never Complain, Never Explain”. “Don’t allow yourself to be heard any longer griping about public life, not even with your own ears!” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.9 I’m writing the Daily Stoic for November the thirteen today, the fourteenth. Yesterday I was

The Strong Accept Responsibility

The Daily Stoic for November 12th, “The Strong Accept Responsibility”. “If we judge as good and evil only the things in the power of our own choice, then there is no room left for blaming gods or being hostile to others. —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.41 “The buck stops here”

It's Not The Thing, It's What We Make Of It

The Daily Stoic for November 11th, “It’s Not The Thing, It’s What We Make Of It”. “When you are distressed by an external thing, it’s not the thing itself that troubles you, but only your judgment of it. And you can wipe this out at a moment’

Always The Same

The Daily Stoic for November 10th, “Always The Same”. “Think by way of example on the times of Vespasian, and you’ll see all these things: marrying, raising children, falling ill, dying, wars, holiday feasts, commerce, farming, flattering, pretending, suspecting, scheming, praying that others die, grumbling over one’s lot,

All Is Fluid

The Daily Stoic for November 9th, “All Is Fluid”. “The universe is change. Life is opinion.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.3.4b I love those words by Marcus Aurelius. They sound almost as poetry to my ears. And I definitely agree. The universe is in constant change. Life can change

Actors In A Play

The Daily Stoic for November 8th, “Actors In A Play”. “Remember that you are an actor in a play, playing a character according to the will of the playwright—if a short play, then it’s short; if long, long. If he wishes you to play the beggar, play even

How To Be Powerful

The Daily Stoic for November 7th, “How To Be Powerful”. “Don’t trust in your reputation, money, or position, but in the strength that is yours—namely, your judgments about the things that you control and don’t control. For this alone is what makes us free and unfettered, that

Someone Else Is Spinning The Thread

The Daily Stoic for November 6th, “Someone Else Is Spinning The Thread” (Picture courtesy of Sam Lehman). “If the breaking day sees someone proud, The ending day sees them brought low. No one should put too much trust in triumph, No one should give up hope of trials improving. Clotho

A Higher Power

The Daily Stoic for November 5th, “A Higher Power”. “This is the very thing which makes up the virtue of the happy person and a well-flowing life—when the affairs of life are in every way tuned to the harmony between the individual divine spirit and the will of the

Not Good, Nor Bad

The Daily Stoic for November 4th, “Not Good, Nor Bad”. “There is no evil in things changing, just as there is no good in persisting in a new state.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.42 The other day, I mentioned how signing in to Facebook to ask for permission for using

Following The Doctor's Orders

The Daily Stoic for November 3rd, “Following The Doctor’s Orders”. Just as we commonly hear people say the doctor prescribed someone particular riding exercises, or ice baths, or walking without shoes, we should in the same way say that nature prescribed someone to be diseased, or disabled, or to

How To Deal With Stress As A Micropreneur

Stress is a serious business. Recently, I was hospitalized in Riga for almost a week with a severe infection. The doctors told me that one of the main causes of my illness was stress. So how do you get rid of anxiety? While being completely stress-free is almost impossible for

Binding Our Wishes To What Will Be

The Daily Stoic for November 2nd, “Binding Our Wishes To What Will Be”. But I haven’t at any time been hindered in my will, nor forced against it. And how is this possible? I have bound up my choice to act with the will of God. God wills that

Accepting What Is

The Daily Stoic for November 1st, “Accepting What Is”. Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will—then your life will flow well. —EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 8 One of the basic premises of Stoicism is what the

You Were Born Good

The Daily Stoic For October, 31st, “You Were Born Good”. “The human being is born with an inclination toward virtue.” —MUSONIUS RUFUS, LECTURES, 2.7.1–2 Yes, that little, scared, cute thing in the picture is me. Lovely isn’t it? (ok, don’t answer here). Are we good

Character Is Fate

The Daily Stoic for October 29th, “Character Is Fate”. “Each person acquires their own character, but their official roles are designated by chance. You should invite some to your table because they are deserving, others because they may come to deserve it.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 47.15b Today’s daily

We Were Made For Each Other

The Daily Stoic for October 28th, “We Were Made For Each Other”. “You’ll more quickly find an earthly thing kept from the earth than you will a person cut off from other human beings.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 9.9.3 No matter how much of an introvert we think

We Reap What We Sow

The Daily Stoic for October 27th, “We Reap What We Sow”. “Crimes often return to their teacher.” —SENECA, THYESTES, 311 I find today’s stoic meditation a good piece of advice. Specially relevant to entrepreneurs, the concept of “teacher” can be translated to the entrepreneur, while the students can be

Three Parts, One Aim

The Daily Stoic for October 26th, “Three Parts, One Aim”. “The best and the greatest number of authors have asserted that philosophy consists of three parts: the moral, the natural, and the rational. The first puts the soul in order. The second thoroughly examines the natural order of things. The

Two Tasks

The Daily Stoic for October 25th, “Two Tasks”. “What, then, makes a person free from hindrance and self-determining? For wealth doesn’t, neither does high-office, state or kingdom—rather, something else must be found . . . in the case of living, it is the knowledge of how to live.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.

The Fountain Of Goodness

The Daily Stoic for October 24th, “The Fountain Of Goodness”. “Dig deep within yourself, for there is a fountain of goodness ever ready to flow if you will keep digging.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.59 Goodness isn’t something that is delivered by email. It won’t get to your

Show The Qualities You Are Made For

The Daily Stoic for October 23rd, “Show The Qualities You Are Made For”. “People aren’t in awe of your sharp mind? So be it. But you have many other qualities you can’t claim to have been deprived of at birth. Display then those qualities in your own power:

How To Make A Living From Blogging In Less Than A Year

I can confidently say that I make a living from blogging. In fact, some months, my blog has been my main source of income. More than any of my companies. This is something I would have never imagined possible some years ago. In this post, I want to share my

It’s Easy To Get Better, But Better At What?

The Daily Stoic for October 22nd, “It’s Easy To Get Better, But Better At What?”. “So someone’s good at taking down an opponent, but that doesn’t make them more community-minded, or modest, or well-prepared for any circumstance, or more tolerant of the faults of others.” —MARCUS AURELIUS,

Heroes, Here And Now

The Daily Stoic for October 21st, “Heroes, Here And Now”. “Such behavior! People don’t want to praise their contemporaries whose lives they actually share, but hold great expectations for the praise of future generations—people they haven’t met or ever will! This is akin to being upset that

Marks Of The Good Life

The Daily Stoic for October 20th, “Marks Of The Good Life”. “You have proof in the extent of your wanderings that you never found the art of living anywhere—not in logic, nor in wealth, fame, or in any indulgence. Nowhere. Where is it then? In doing what human nature

Good Habits Drive Out Bad Habits

The Daily Stoic for October 19th, “Good Habits Drive Out Bad Habits”. “Since habit is such a powerful influence, and we’re used to pursuing our impulses to gain and avoid outside our own choice, we should set a contrary habit against that, and where appearances are really slippery, use

Frenemies

The Daily Stoic for October 18th, “Frenemies”. “There’s nothing worse than a wolf befriending sheep. Avoid false friendship at all costs. If you are good, straightforward, and well meaning it should show in your eyes and not escape notice.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.15 We all know someone we

The Benefit Of Kindness

The Daily Stoic for October 17th, “The Benefit Of Kindness”. “A benefit should be kept like a buried treasure, only to be dug up in necessity. . . . Nature bids us to do well by all. . . . Wherever there is a human being, we have an opportunity for kindness.” —SENECA, ON THE HAPPY

Spread The Word

The Daily Stoic for October 16th, “Spread The Word”. “Some people with exceptional minds quickly grasp virtue, or produce it within themselves. But other dim and lazy types, hindered by bad habits, must have their rusty souls constantly scrubbed down. . . . The weaker sorts will be helped and lifted from their

Give People The Benefit Of The Doubt

The Daily Stoic for October 15th, “Give People The Benefit Of The Doubt”. “Everything turns on your assumptions about it, and that’s on you. You can pluck out the hasty judgment at will, and like steering a ship around the point, you will find calm seas, fair weather and

One Week With The iPad Pro As My Only Working Device

If you read my blog regularly, you probably know that I seriously intend to replace my laptop with an iPad Pro. I have talked before about using your iPad Pro as your only working device if you are a developer, designer or blogger. But I decided to take this experiment

Don't Get Mad. Get Help

The Daily Stoic for October 14th, “Don’t Get Mad. Get Help”. “Are you angry when someone’s armpits stink or when their breath is bad? What would be the point? Having such a mouth and such armpits, there’s going to be a smell emanating. You say, they must

Revenge Is A Dish Best Not Served

The Daily Stoic for October 13th, “Revenge Is A Dish Best Not Served”. “The best way to avenge yourself is to not be like that.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.6 “How much better to heal than seek revenge from injury. Vengeance wastes a lot of time and exposes you to

Always Love

The Daily Stoic for October 12th, “Always Love”.  “Hecato says, ‘I can teach you a love potion made without any drugs, herbs, or special spell—if you would be loved, love.’” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 9.6 Curiously enough, this week my parents renewed their vows. They’ve been married for

Honesty As Our Default

The Daily Stoic for October 11th, “Honesty As Our Default”. “How rotten and fraudulent when people say they intend to ‘give it to you straight.’ What are you up to, dear friend? It shouldn’t need your announcement, but be readily seen, as if written on your forehead, heard in

Reverence And Justice

The Daily Stoic for October 10th, “Reverence And Justice”. “Leave the past behind, let the grand design take care of the future, and instead only rightly guide the present to reverence and justice. Reverence so that you’ll love what you’ve been allotted, for nature brought you both to

Set The Standards And Use Them

The Daily Stoic for October 9th, “Set The Standards And Use Them”. “When the standards have been set, things are tested and weighed. And the work of philosophy is just this, to examine and uphold the standards, but the work of a truly good person is in using those standards

A Higher Pleasure

The Daily Stoic for October 8th, “A Higher Pleasure”. “Yes, getting your wish would have been so nice. But isn’t that exactly why pleasure trips us up? Instead, see if these things might be even nicer—a great soul, freedom, honesty, kindness, saintliness. For there is nothing so pleasing

Looking Out For Each Other

The Daily Stoic for October 6th, “Looking Out For Each Other”. “It’s in keeping with Nature to show our friends affection and to celebrate their advancement, as if it were our very own. For if we don’t do this, virtue, which is strengthened only by exercising our perceptions,

A Selfish Reason To Be Good

The Daily Stoic for October 7th, “A Selfish Reason To Be Good”. “The person who does wrong, does wrong to themselves. The unjust person is unjust to themselves—making themselves evil.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 9.4 Today’s stoic meditation is all about “not doing wrong things” because “when we

The Nomad List Of Shame 2018

Even though the digital nomad lifestyle is growing in popularity, the world has yet to adapt to it. With the Nomad List Of Shame, I want to highlight companies, organizations and individuals that make the lives of nomads harder, in the hopes of generating awareness and, perhaps eventually, making things

Words Can’t Be Unsaid

The Daily Stoic for October 5th, “Words Can’t Be Unsaid”. “Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue.” —ZENO, QUOTED IN DIOGENES LAERTIUS, LIVES OF THE EMINENT PHILOSOPHERS, 7.1.26 “Silence is golden”. This topic has been discussed in the daily stoic a lot, on “Silence

All For One, One For All

The Daily Stoic for October 4th, “All For One, One For All”. “That which isn’t good for the hive, isn’t good for the bee.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.54 Apparently, Marcus Aurelius was one of the first writers to articulate that he has not a citizen of Rome,

A Mantra Of Mutual Interdependence

The Daily Stoic for October 3rd, “A Mantra Of Mutual Interdependence”. “Meditate often on the interconnectedness and mutual interdependence of all things in the universe. For in a sense, all things are mutually woven together and therefore have an affinity for each other—for one thing follows after another according

The Most Valuable Asset

The Daily Stoic for October 2nd, “The Most Valuable Asset”. “But the wise person can lose nothing. Such a person has everything stored up for themselves, leaving nothing to Fortune, their own goods are held firm, bound in virtue, which requires nothing from chance, and therefore can’t be either

Let Virtue Shine Bright

The Daily Stoic for October 1st, “Let Virtue Shine Bright”. “Does the light of a lamp shine and keep its glow until its fuel is spent? Why shouldn’t your truth, justice, and self-control shine until you are extinguished?” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 12.15 We enter the autumnal October with

You Can't Touch Me

The Daily Stoic for September 30th, “You Can’t Touch Me”. “If you lay violent hands on me, you’ll have my body, but my mind will remain with Stilpo.” ZENO, QUOTED IN DIOGENES LAERTIUS, LIVES OF THE EMINENT PHILOSOPHERS, 7.1.24 “Sticks and stones may break my bones…

Your Actual Needs Are Small

The Daily Stoic for September 29th, “Your Actual Needs Are Small”. “Nothing can satisfy greed, but even a small measure satisfies nature. So it is that the poverty of an exile brings no misfortune, for no place of exile is so barren as not to produce ample support for a

You Hold The Trump Card

The Daily Stoic for September 28th, “You Hold The Trump Card”. “How appropriate that the gods put under our control only the most powerful ability that governs all the rest—the ability to make the right use of external appearances—and that they didn’t put anything else under our

What Will Prosperity Reveal?

The Daily Stoic for September 27th, “What Will Prosperity Reveal?”. “For even peace itself will supply more reason for worry. Not even safe circumstances will bring you confidence once your mind has been shocked—once it gets in the habit of blind panic, it can’t provide for its own

What Time Off Is For

The Daily Stoic for September 26th, “What Time Off Is For”. “Leisure without study is death—a tomb for the living person.” SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 82.4 Today’s stoic meditation is asking us not to devote our time off to doing nothing. Instead of just lying at the beach,

The Vulnerability Of Dependence

The Daily Stoic for September 25th, “The Vulnerability Of Dependence”. “Show me someone who isn’t a slave! One is a slave to lust, another to greed, another to power, and all are slaves to fear. I could name a former Consul who is a slave to a little old

It Could Happen To You

The Daily Stoic for September 24th, “It Could Happen To You”. “Being unexpected adds to the weight of a disaster, and being a surprise has never failed to increase a person’s pain. For that reason, nothing should ever be unexpected by us. Our minds should be sent out in

The Most Secure Fortress

The Daily Stoic for September 23rd, “The Most Secure Fortress”. “Remember that your ruling reason becomes unconquerable when it rallies and relies on itself, so that it won’t do anything contrary to its own will, even if its position is irrational. How much more unconquerable if its judgments are

Banks Are Going To Disappear. Here's Why.

For quite some time now, I am a happy fintech customer. For my personal finances, I use Revolut. For my company, I use Holvi. The other day, I had to visit an office of the bank where I keep the only traditional bank account I’ve not been able to

No Pain, No Gain

The Daily Stoic for September 22nd, “No Pain, No Gain”. “Difficulties show a person’s character. So when a challenge confronts you, remember that God is matching you with a younger sparring partner, as would a physical trainer. Why? Becoming an Olympian takes sweat! I think no one has a

Maintain Composure, Maintain Control

The Daily Stoic for September 21st, “Maintain Composure, Maintain Control”. “When forced, as it seems, by circumstances into utter confusion, get a hold of yourself quickly. Don’t be locked out of the rhythm any longer than necessary. You’ll be able to keep the beat if you are constantly

Life Isn't A Dance

The Daily Stoic for September 20th, “Life Isn’t A Dance”. “The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing, because an artful life requires being prepared to meet and withstand sudden and unexpected attacks.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.61 I have to agree with today’s stoic meditation.

Flexibility Of The Will

The Daily Stoic for September 19th, “Flexibility Of The Will”. “Remember that to change your mind and to follow someone’s correction are consistent with a free will. For the action is yours alone—to fulfill its purpose in keeping with your impulse and judgment, and yes, with your intelligence.

Dealing With Pain

The Daily Stoic for September 18th, “Dealing With Pain”. “Whenever you suffer pain, keep in mind that it’s nothing to be ashamed of and that it can’t degrade your guiding intelligence, nor keep it from acting rationally and for the common good. And in most cases you should

Dealing With Haters

The Daily Stoic for September 17th, “Dealing With Haters”. “What if someone despises me? Let them see to it. But I will see to it that I won’t be found doing or saying anything contemptible. What if someone hates me? Let them see to that. But I will see

Anyone Can Get Lucky, Not Everyone Can Persevere

The Daily Stoic for September 16th, “Anyone Can Get Lucky, Not Everyone Can Persevere”. “Success comes to the lowly and to the poorly talented, but the special characteristic of a great person is to triumph over the disasters and panics of human life.” —SENECA, ON PROVIDENCE, 4.1 Today’s

A Garden Is Not For Show

The Daily Stoic for September 15th, “A Garden Is Not For Show”. “First practice not letting people know who you are—keep your philosophy to yourself for a bit. In just the manner that fruit is produced—the seed buried for a season, hidden, growing gradually so it may come

A Different Way To Pray

The Daily Stoic for September 14th, “A Different Way To Pray”. “Try praying differently, and see what happens: Instead of asking for ‘a way to sleep with her,’ try asking for ‘a way to stop desiring to sleep with her.’ Instead of ‘a way to get rid of him,’ try

Protecting Our Inner Fortress From Fear

The Daily Stoic for September 13th, “Protecting Our Inner Fortress From Fear”. “No, it is events that give rise to fear—when another has power over them or can prevent them, that person becomes able to inspire fear. How is the fortress destroyed? Not by iron or fire, but by

Be Down To Earth, Or Be Brought Down

The Daily Stoic for September 12th, “Be Down To Earth, Or Be Brought Down”. “Zeno always said that nothing was more unbecoming than putting on airs, especially with the young.” —DIOGENES LAERTIUS, LIVES OF THE EMINENT PHILOSOPHERS, 7.1.22 In my view, today’s stoic meditation is all about

What Would Less Look Like?

The Daily Stoic for September 11th, “What Would Less Look Like?”. “Let us get used to dining out without the crowds, to being a slave to fewer slaves, to getting clothes only for their real purpose, and to living in more modest quarters.” —SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 9.3b

Preparing On The Sunny Day

The Daily Stoic for September 10th, “Preparing On The Sunny Day”. “Here’s a lesson to test your mind’s mettle: take part of a week in which you have only the most meager and cheap food, dress scantly in shabby clothes, and ask yourself if this is really the

e-Resident Interviews: Alexander Ioannidis of Proudpixel OÜ

Alexander Ioannidis is the Director and founder of Proudpixel OÜ, his web design, development, and services company. I asked him about his struggles as an entrepreneur, and why he choose the e-Residency program to launch his business. This article is the first in a series of posts featuring e-Resident interviews

Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself

The Daily Stoic for September 9th, “Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself”. “But there is no reason to live and no limit to our miseries if we let our fears predominate.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 13.12b I have written about fear before. In the article Overcoming The Fear Of Earning

Do Not Be Deceived By Fortune

The Daily Stoic for September 8th, “Do Not Be Deceived By Fortune”. “No one is crushed by Fortune, unless they are first deceived by her . . . those who aren’t pompous in good times, don’t have their bubbles burst with change. Against either circumstance, the stable person keeps their rational

Our Hidden Power

The Daily Stoic for September 7th, “Our Hidden Power”. “Consider who you are. Above all, a human being, carrying no greater power than your own reasoned choice, which oversees all other things, and is free from any other master.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.10.1 “Your hidden power is your ability

They Can Throw You In Chains, But...

The Daily Stoic for September 6th, “They Can Throw You In Chains, But…”. “You can bind up my leg, but not even Zeus has the power to break my freedom of choice.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.1.23 No one can break you. No one can change who you are or

Focus On What Is Yours Alone

The Daily Stoic for September 5th, “Focus On What Is Yours Alone”. “Remember, then, if you deem what is by nature slavish to be free, and what is not your own to be yours, you will be shackled and miserable, blaming both gods and other people. But if you deem

How Can You Know Whether You've Never Been Tested?

The Daily Stoic for September 4th, “How Can You Know Whether You’ve Never Been Tested?”. “I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent—no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.” —SENECA, ON

First, A Hard Winter Training

The Daily Stoic for September 3rd, “First, A Hard Winter Training”. “We must undergo a hard winter training and not rush into things for which we haven’t prepared.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.2.32 No. I can’t agree with today’s stoic. I think one thing is preparing for

The Philosopher's School Is A Hospital

The Daily Stoic for September 2nd, “The Philosopher’s School Is A Hospital”. “Men, the philosopher’s lecture-hall is a hospital—you shouldn’t walk out of it feeling pleasure, but pain, for you aren’t well when you enter it.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.23.30 Given that I have

A Strong Soul Is Better Than Good Luck

The Daily Stoic for September 1st, “A Strong Soul Is Better Than Good Luck”. “The rational soul is stronger than any kind of fortune—from its own share it guides its affairs here or there, and is itself the cause of a happy or miserable life.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 98.

Consider Your Failings Too

The Daily Stoic for August 31st, “Consider Your Failings Too”. “Whenever you take offense at someone’s wrongdoing, immediately turn to your own similar failings, such as seeing money as good, or pleasure, or a little fame—whatever form it takes. By thinking on this, you’ll quickly forget your

When You Feel Lazy

The Daily Stoic for August 30th, “When You Feel Lazy”. “Anything that must yet be done, virtue can do with courage and promptness. For anyone would call it a sign of foolishness for one to undertake a task with a lazy and begrudging spirit, or to push the body in

Want Nothing, Have Everything

The Daily Stoic for August 29th. “Want Nothing, Have Everything”. “No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 123.3

The Opulent Stoic

The Daily Stoic for August 28th, “The Opulent Stoic”. “The founder of the universe, who assigned to us the laws of life, provided that we should live well, but not in luxury. Everything needed for our well-being is right before us, whereas what luxury requires is gathered by many miseries

Laugh Or Cry?

The Daily Stoic for August 27th, “Laugh Or Cry?”. “Heraclitus would shed tears whenever he went out in public—Democritus laughed. One saw the whole as a parade of miseries, the other of follies. And so, we should take a lighter view of things and bear them with an easy

Seeking Out Shipwrecks

The Daily Stoic for August 26th, “Seeking Out Shipwrecks”. “I was shipwrecked before I even boarded . . . the journey showed me this—how much of what we have is unnecessary, and how easily we can decide to rid ourselves of these things whenever it’s necessary, never suffering the loss.” —SENECA,

Revolut Premium & Revolut Metal For Digital Nomads, Are They Worth The Price in 2022?

British fintech Revolut took the banking world by storm with their multicurrency, completely digital, mobile-only banking solution. I’ve been a Revolut Premium user for quite some time. In 2018, Revolut announced a new premium tier with access to a metal card. In this article, I discuss whether upgrading a

Respect The Past, But Be Open To The Future

The Daily Stoic for August 25th, “Respect The Past, But Be Open To The Future”. “Won’t you be walking in your predecessors’ footsteps? I surely will use the older path, but if I find a shorter and smoother way, I’ll blaze a trail there. The ones who pioneered

Pillage From All Sources

The Daily Stoic for August 24th, “Pillage From All Sources”. “I’ll never be ashamed to quote a bad writer with a good saying.” —SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 11.8 My parents were really open-minded when it came to how my sister and I developed our beliefs and values

It's In Your Self-Interest

The Daily Stoic for August 23rd, “It’s In Your Self-Interest”. “Therefore, explain why a wise person shouldn’t get drunk—not with words, but by the facts of its ugliness and offensiveness. It’s most easy to prove that so-called pleasures, when they go beyond proper measure, are but

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

The Daily Stoic for August 22nd, “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff”. “It is essential for you to remember that the attention you give to any action should be in due proportion to its worth, for then you won’t tire and give up, if you aren’t busying yourself

Don't Be Miserable In Advance

The Daily Stoic for August 21st, “Don’t Be Miserable In Advance”. “It’s ruinous for the soul to be anxious about the future and miserable in advance of misery, engulfed by anxiety that the things it desires might remain its own until the very end. For such a soul

Where It Counts

The Daily Stoic for August 20th, “Where It Counts”. “Inwardly, we ought to be different in every respect, but our outward dress should blend in with the crowd.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 5.2 “Be different” -today’s advertisement industry claims- “by buying this”. As if defining yourself depended on the

Health Insurance For Digital Nomads

Not receiving proper medical assistance when you need it is one of the most distressful situations anyone can experience. If traveling the world is your lifestyle, you need to make sure you are covered wherever you go. In this article, I discuss available options for health insurance for digital nomads.

Corralling The Unnecessary

The Daily Stoic for August 19th, “Corralling The Unnecessary”. “It is said that if you would have peace of mind, busy yourself with little. But wouldn’t a better saying be do what you must and as required of a rational being created for public life? For this brings not

Only Fools Rush In

The Daily Stoic for August 18th, “Only Fools Rush In”. “A good person is invincible, for they don’t rush into contests in which they aren’t the strongest. If you want their property, take it—take also their staff, profession, and body. But you will never compel what they

The Buck Stops Here

The Daily Stoic for August 17th, “The Buck Stops Here”. “For nothing outside my reasoned choice can hinder or harm it—my reasoned choice alone can do this to itself. If we would lean this way whenever we fail, and would blame only ourselves and remember that nothing but opinion

Anything Can Be An Advantage

The Daily Stoic for August 16th, “Anything Can Be An Advantage”. “Just as the nature of rational things has given to each person their rational powers, so it also gives us this power—just as nature turns to its own purpose any obstacle or any opposition, sets its place in

The Supreme Court Of Your Mind

The Daily Stoic for August 15th, “The Supreme Court Of Your Mind”. “This can be swiftly taught in very few words: virtue is the only good; there is no certain good without virtue; and virtue resides in our nobler part, which is the rational one. And what can this virtue

This Isn't For Fun. It's For Life

The Daily Stoic for August 14th, “This Isn’t For Fun. It’s For Life”. “Philosophy isn’t a parlor trick or made for show. It’s not concerned with words, but with facts. It’s not employed for some pleasure before the day is spent, or to relieve the

Take Charge And End Your Troubles

The Daily Stoic for August 13th, “Take Charge And End Your Troubles”.  “You’ve endured countless troubles—all from not letting your ruling reason do the work it was made for—enough already!” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 9.26 My mother is a wise woman. Every time I’ve found myself

Make The Words Your Own

The Daily Stoic for August 12th, “Make The Words Your Own”. “Many words have been spoken by Plato, Zeno, Chrysippus, Posidonius, and by a whole host of equally excellent Stoics. I’ll tell you how people can prove their words to be their own—by putting into practice what they’

No Time For Theories, Just Results

The Daily Stoic for August 11th. “No Time For Theories, Just Results”. “When the problem arose for us whether habit or theory was better for getting virtue—if by theory is meant what teaches us correct conduct, and by habit we mean being accustomed to act according to this theory—

Perfection Is The Enemy Of Action

The Daily Stoic for August 10th. “Perfection Is The Enemy Of Action”. “We don’t abandon our pursuits because we despair of ever perfecting them.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.2.37b Today’s stoic refers to this psychological cognitive distortion called “all or nothing”. It’s a way of thinking that

Stick With Just The Facts

The Daily Stoic for August 9th. “Stick With Just The Facts”. “Don’t tell yourself anything more than what the initial impressions report. It’s been reported to you that someone is speaking badly about you. This is the report—the report wasn’t that you’ve been harmed. I

Start With Where The World Is

The Daily Stoic for August 8th, “Start With Where The World Is”. “Do now what nature demands of you. Get right to it if that’s in your power. Don’t look around to see if people will know about it. Don’t await the perfection of Plato’s Republic,

Designing on the iPad Pro [Updated 2022]

Can you use the iPad Pro as your only working device if you are a designer? Is designing on the iPad Pro possible (professionally, I mean)? That question has been in my mind since I bought one. I have talked before about using an iPad Pro as your only working

Pragmatic And Principled

The Daily Stoic for August 7th, “Pragmatic And Principled”. “Wherever a person can live, there one can also live well; life is also in the demands of court, there too one can live well.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.16 Recently, I was reminded that you can’t trust people. There’

There Is Always More Room To Maneuver Than You Think

The Daily Stoic for August 6th, “There Is Always More Room To Maneuver Than You Think”. “Apply yourself to thinking through difficulties—hard times can be softened, tight squeezes widened, and heavy loads made lighter for those who can apply the right pressure.” —SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 10.4b

Silence Is Strength

The Daily Stoic for August 5th, “Silence Is Strength”. “Silence is a lesson learned from the many sufferings of life.” —SENECA, THYESTES, 309 Today’s stoic focuses on exactly the same topic discussed on the Stoic from the 22nd of February, “What’s Better Left Unsaid”. So similarly to what

No Blame, Just Focus

The Daily Stoic for August 4th, “No Blame, Just Focus”. “You must stop blaming God, and not blame any person. You must completely control your desire and shift your avoidance to what lies within your reasoned choice. You must no longer feel anger, resentment, envy, or regret.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.

The Good Life Is Anywhere

The Daily Stoic for August 3rd. “The Good Life Is Anywhere”. “At this moment you aren’t on a journey, but wandering about, being driven from place to place, even though what you seek—to live well—is found in all places. Is there any place more full of confusion

We Can Work Any Way

The Daily Stoic for August 2nd. “We Can Work Any Way”. “Indeed, how could exile be an obstacle to a person’s own cultivation, or to attaining virtue when no one has ever been cut off from learning or practicing what is needed by exile?” —MUSONIUS RUFUS, LECTURES, 9.37.

Don't Go Expecting Perfection

The Daily Stoic for August 1st. “Don’t Go Expecting Perfection”. “That cucumber is bitter, so toss it out! There are thorns on the path, then keep away! Enough said. Why ponder the existence of nuisance? Such thinking would make you a laughing-stock to the true student of Nature, just

Your Career Is Not A Life Sentence

The Daily Stoic for July 31st. “Your Career Is Not A Life Sentence”. “How disgraceful is the lawyer whose dying breath passes while at court, at an advanced age, pleading for unknown litigants and still seeking the approval of ignorant spectators.” —SENECA, ON THE BREVITY OF LIFE, 20.2 Today

Stoic Joy

The Daily Stoic for July 30, “Stoic Joy”. “Trust me, real joy is a serious thing. Do you think someone can, in the charming expression, blithely dismiss death with an easy disposition? Or swing open the door to poverty, keep pleasures in check, or meditate on the endurance of suffering?

Trade-Offs When Ditching The 9 To 5

Quitting my 9 to 5 job was, as you probably know, one of the best decisions of my life. After years of freedom, I know I won’t be able to get back to a cubicle again. However, every important decision you make in your life comes with some compromises.

A Cure For The Self

The Daily Stoic for July 29th, “A Cure For The Self”. “The person who has practiced philosophy as a cure for the self becomes great of soul, filled with confidence, invincible—and greater as you draw near.” — SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 111.2 After reading today’s stoic meditation, I have

Check Your Privilege

The Daily Stoic for July 28th, “Check Your Privilege”. “Some people are sharp and others dull; some are raised in a better environment, others in worse, the latter, having inferior habits and nurture, will require more by way of proof and careful instruction to master these teachings and to be

Where Is Anything Better?

The Daily Stoic for July 27th. “Where Is Anything Better?”. “Indeed, if you find anything in human life better than justice, truth, self-control, courage—in short, anything better than the sufficiency of your own mind, which keeps you acting according to the demands of true reason and accepting what fate

When Good Men Do Nothing

The Daily Stoic for July 26th. “When Good Men Do Nothing”. “Often injustice lies in what you aren’t doing, not only in what you are doing.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 9.5 There have been many studies about the role of the German population in the Holocaust performed during the

What's On Your Tombstone?

The Daily Stoic for July 25th. “What’s On Your Tombstone?”. “When you see someone often flashing their rank or position, or someone whose name is often bandied about in public, don’t be envious; such things are bought at the expense of life. . . . Some die on the first rungs

Somewhere Someone's Dying

The Daily Stoic for July 24th. “Somewhere Someone’s Dying”. “Whenever disturbing news is delivered to you, bear in mind that no news can ever be relevant to your reasoned choice. Can anyone break news to you that your assumptions or desires are wrong? No way! But they can tell

Receive Honors And Slights Exactly The Same Way

The Daily Stoic for July 23rd, “Receive Honors And Slights Exactly The Same Way”. “Receive without pride, let go without attachment.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.33 This is a very wise advice, and actually, a very hard one to follow if you ask me. We all like to feel proud

No One Has A Gun To Your Head

The Daily Stoic for July 22nd, “No One Has A Gun To Your Head”. “Nothing is noble if it’s done unwillingly or under compulsion. Every noble deed is voluntary.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 66.16b I agree that we need to do the right thing because we want to. Not

Made For Working Together

The Daily Stoic for July 21st. “Made For Working Together”. “Whenever you have trouble getting up in the morning, remind yourself that you’ve been made by nature for the purpose of working with others, whereas even unthinking animals share sleeping. And it’s our own natural purpose that is

Made For Justice

The Daily Stoic for July 20th. “Made For Justice”. “The unjust person acts against the gods. For insofar as the nature of the universe made rational creatures for the sake of each other, with an eye toward mutual benefit based on true value and never for harm, anyone breaking nature’

Forgive Them Because They Don’t Know

The Daily Stoic for July 19th. “Forgive Them Because They Don’t Know”. “As Plato said, every soul is deprived of truth against its will. The same holds true for justice, self-control, goodwill to others, and every similar virtue. It’s essential to constantly keep this in your mind, for

Each The Master Of Their Own Domain

The Daily Stoic for July 18th. “Each The Master Of Their Own Domain”. “My reasoned choice is as indifferent to the reasoned choice of my neighbor, as to his breath and body. However much we’ve been made for cooperation, the ruling reason in each of us is master of

Don't Abandon Others... Or Yourself

The Daily Stoic for July 17th. “Don’t Abandon Others… Or Yourself”. “As you move forward along the path of reason, people will stand in your way. They will never be able to keep you from doing what’s sound, so don’t let them knock out your goodwill for

Progress Of The Soul

The Daily Stoic for July 16th. “Progress Of The Soul”. “To what service is my soul committed? Constantly ask yourself this and thoroughly examine yourself by seeing how you relate to that part called the ruling principle. Whose soul do I have now? Do I have that of a child,

Doing The Right Thing Is Enough

The Daily Stoic for July 15th, “Doing The Right Thing Is Enough”. “When you’ve done well and another has benefited by it, why like a fool do you look for a third thing on top—credit for the good deed or a favor in return?” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.

A Little Knowledge Is Dangerous

The Daily Stoic for July 14th, “A Little Knowledge Is Dangerous”. “Every great power is dangerous for the beginner. You must therefore wield them as you are able, but in harmony with nature.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.13.20 We’ve never had access to such amount of knowledge as the

Challenges for the e-Residency Program

The e-Residency program is probably one of the most innovative and ground-breaking ideas that a country has implemented in the last decades. However, in my experience, there are still areas with room for improvement. In this article, I want to talk about the current challenges for the e-Residency program and

A Leader Leads

The Daily Stoic for July 13th. “A Leader Leads”. “One person, on doing well by others, immediately accounts the expected favor in return. Another is not so quick, but still considers the person a debtor and knows the favor. A third kind of person acts as if not conscious of

Some Simple Rules

The Daily Stoic for July 12th. “Some Simple Rules”. “In your actions, don’t procrastinate. In your conversations, don’t confuse. In your thoughts, don’t wander. In your soul, don’t be passive or aggressive. In your life, don’t be all about business.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.51

The Start-Up Of You

The Daily Stoic for July 11th. “The Start-up Of You”. “But what does Socrates say? ‘Just as one person delights in improving his farm, and another his horse, so I delight in attending to my own improvement day by day.’” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.5.14 Today’s daily stoic launches

Love The Humble Art

The Daily Stoic for July 10th. “Love The Humble Art”. “Love the humble art you have learned, and take rest in it. Pass through the remainder of your days as one who whole-heartedly entrusts all possessions to the gods, making yourself neither a tyrant nor a slave to any person.

The Philosopher King

The Daily Stoic for July 9th, “The Philosopher King”. “For I believe a good king is from the outset and by necessity a philosopher, and the philosopher is from the outset a kingly person.” —MUSONIUS RUFUS, LECTURES, 8.33.32–34 When you have a look at today’s politicians,

Stop Monkeying Around

The Daily Stoic for July 8th. “Stop Monkeying Around”. “Enough of this miserable, whining life. Stop monkeying around! Why are you troubled? What’s new here? What’s so confounding? The one responsible? Take a good look. Or just the matter itself? Then look at that. There’s nothing else

Our Duty To Learn

The Daily Stoic for July 7th: “Our Duty To Learn”. “This is what you should teach me, how to be like Odysseus—how to love my country, wife and father, and how, even after suffering shipwreck, I might keep sailing on course to those honorable ends.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 88.

Slow Tourism

What is “slow tourism“? Before getting into that, let me describe you a memory from February this year. I and my partner traveled to Budapest to stay there for a month. Budapest is an amazingly beautiful city. It’s full of grand, majestic marvels of architectonic beauty. Our intention, nevertheless,

Rise And Shine

The Daily Stoic for July 6th: “Rise And Shine”. “On those mornings you struggle with getting up, keep this thought in mind—I am awakening to the work of a human being. Why then am I annoyed that I am going to do what I’m made for, the very

No One Said It'd Be Easy

The Daily Stoic for July 5th. “No One Said It’d Be Easy”. “Good people will do what they find honorable to do, even if it requires hard work; they’ll do it even if it causes them injury; they’ll do it even if it will bring danger. Again,

Protect The Flame

The Daily Stoic for July 4th, “Protect the flame”. “Protect your own good in all that you do, and as concerns everything else take what is given as far as you can make reasoned use of it. If you don’t, you’ll be unlucky, prone to failure, hindered and

Turn HAVE TO into GET TO

The Daily Stoic for July 3rd. “Turn HAVE TO into GET TO”. “The task of a philosopher: we should bring our will into harmony with whatever happens, so that nothing happens against our will and nothing that we wish for fails to happen.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.14.7 So today’

On Duty And Circumstance

The Daily Stoic for July 2nd. “On Duty And Circumstance”. “Never shirk the proper dispatch of your duty, no matter if you are freezing or hot, groggy or well-rested, vilified or praised, not even if dying or pressed by other demands. Even dying is one of the important assignments of

Do Your Job

The Daily Stoic for July 1st. “Do Your Job”. “Whatever anyone does or says, for my part I’m bound to the good. In the same way an emerald or gold or purple might always proclaim: ‘whatever anyone does or says, I must be what I am and show my

The Obstacle Is The Way

The Daily Stoic for June 30th. “The Obstacle Is The Way”. “While it’s true that someone can impede our actions, they can’t impede our intentions and our attitudes, which have the power of being conditional and adaptable. For the mind adapts and converts any obstacle to its action

No Excuses

The Daily Stoic for June 29th. “No Excuses”. “It is possible to curb your arrogance, to overcome pleasure and pain, to rise above your ambition, and to not be angry with stupid and ungrateful people—yes, even to care for them.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.8 “God is a concept

No Self-Flagellation Needed

The Daily Stoic for June 28th. “No Self-Flagellation Needed”. “Philosophy calls for simple living, but not for penance—it’s quite possible to be simple without being crude.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 5.5 It’s no secret I’ve always disliked the Christian religion. One of my main problems with

Adversity Reveals

The Daily Stoic for June 26th. “Adversity Reveals”. “How does it help, my husband, to make misfortune heavier by complaining about it? This is more fit for a king—to seize your adversities head on. The more precarious his situation, the more imminent his fall from power, the more firmly

Try The Opposite

The Daily Stoic for June 26th. “Try The Opposite”. “What assistance can we find in the fight against habit? Try the opposite!” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.27.4 I find today’s Daily Stoic to be quite interesting. During our teenage years, we all want to fit in. We are scared

The Wise Don't Have Problems

The Daily Stoic for June 25th. “The Wise Don’t Have Problems”. “This is why we say that nothing happens to the wise person contrary to their expectations.” —SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 13.3b Today’s stoic excerpt seems to me like the part of yesterday’s stoic I

The Truly Educated Aren't Quarrelsome

The Daily Stoic for June 24th. “The Truly Educated Aren’t Quarrelsome”. “The beautiful and good person neither fights with anyone nor, as much as they are able, permits others to fight . . . this is the meaning of getting an education—learning what is your own affair and what is not.

The Long Way Around

The Daily Stoic for June 23rd. “The Long Way Around”. “You could enjoy this very moment all the things you are praying to reach by taking the long way around—if you’d stop depriving yourself of them.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 12.1 This is one of those stoic teachings

The Definition Of Insanity

The Daily Stoic for June 22nd. “The Definition Of Insanity”. “If you are defeated once and tell yourself you will overcome, but carry on as before, know in the end you’ll be so ill and weakened that eventually you won’t even notice your mistake and will begin to

Take A Walk

The Daily Stoic for June 21st. “Take A Walk”. “We should take wandering outdoor walks, so that the mind might be nourished and refreshed by the open air and deep breathing.” —SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 17.8 I cannot agree more with today’s stoic excerpt. Taking walks is

Calm Is Contagious

The Daily Stoic for June 20th. “Calm Is Contagious”. “If then it’s not that the things you pursue or avoid are coming at you, but rather that you in a sense are seeking them out, at least try to keep your judgment of them steady, and they too will

Stay Focused On The Present

The Daily Stoic for June 19th, “Stay Focused On The Present”. “Don’t let your reflection on the whole sweep of life crush you. Don’t fill your mind with all the bad things that might still happen. Stay focused on the present situation and ask yourself why it’s

GDPR Compliance For Micropreneurs And Solopreneurs

Since it was applied on 25 May 2018, there’s been a lot of turmoil in the online business world because of the GDPR. Especially among sole business owners, there’s a lot of confusion about how to properly comply with it. In this article, I want to discuss GDPR

Prepared And Active

The Daily Stoic for June 18th. “Prepared and active”. “Let Fate find us prepared and active. Here is the great soul—the one who surrenders to Fate. The opposite is the weak and degenerate one, who struggles with and has a poor regard for the order of the world, and

Offense Or Defense?

The Daily Stoic for June 17th. “Offense Or Defense?” “Fortune doesn’t have the long reach we suppose, she can only lay siege to those who hold her tight. So, let’s step back from her as much as possible.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 82.5b–6 I sincerely don’t

No Shame In Needing Help

The Daily Stoic for June 16th. “No Shame In Needing Help”. “Don’t be ashamed of needing help. You have a duty to fulfill just like a soldier on the wall of battle. So what if you are injured and can’t climb up without another soldier’s help?” —MARCUS

Listening Accomplishes More Than Speaking

eThe Daily Stoic for June 15th. “Listening Accomplishes More Than Speaking”. “To the youngster talking nonsense Zeno said, ‘The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is so we might listen more and talk less.’” —DIOGENES LAERTIUS, LIVES OF EMINENT PHILOSOPHERS, 7.1.23 Some daily stoics

Try The Other Handle

The Daily Stoic for June 14th. “Try The Other Handle”. “Every event has two handles—one by which it can be carried, and one by which it can’t. If your brother does you wrong, don’t grab it by his wronging, because this is the handle incapable of lifting

Life Is A Battlefield

The Daily Stoic for June 13th. “Life Is A Battlefield”. “Don’t you know life is like a military campaign? One must serve on watch, another in reconnaissance, another on the front line. . . . So it is for us—each person’s life is a kind of battle, and a long

A Trained Mind Is Better Than Any Script

The Daily Stoic for June 12th. “A Trained Mind Is Better Than Any Script” “In this way you must understand how laughable it is to say, ‘Tell me what to do!’ What advice could I possibly give? No, a far better request is, ‘Train my mind to adapt to any

Just Don't Make Things Worse

The Daily Stoic for June 11th. “Just Don’t Make Things Worse”. “How much more harmful are the consequences of anger and grief than the circumstances that aroused them in us!” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.18.8 It’s true that when something goes wrong, getting angry is one of

You Can Do It

The Daily Stoic for June 10th. “You Can Do It”. “If you find something very difficult to achieve yourself, don’t imagine it impossible—for anything possible and proper for another person can be achieved as easily by you.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.19 Success, failure, and the process of

Solve Problems Early

The Daily Stoic for June 9th: “Solve Problems Early”. “There is no vice which lacks a defense, none that at the outset isn’t modest and easily intervened—but after this the trouble spreads widely. If you allow it to get started you won’t be able to control when

Brick By Boring Brick

The Daily Stoic for June 8th. “Brick By Boring Brick”. “You must build up your life action by action, and be content if each one achieves its goal as far as possible—and no one can keep you from this. But there will be some external obstacle! Perhaps, but no

Finding The Right Mentors

The Daily Stoic for June 7th. “Finding The Right Mentors” “We like to say that we don’t get to choose our parents, that they were given by chance—yet we can truly choose whose children we’d like to be.” —SENECA, ON THE BREVITY OF LIFE, 15.3a I

When To Stick And When To Quit

This post was actually the Daily Stoic for June 6th: “When To Stick And When To Quit”. However, I find today’s stoic to be extremely interesting for entrepreneurs and, especially, for micropreneurs. “Think of those who, not by fault of inconsistency but by lack of effort, are too unstable

Blow Your Own Nose

The Daily Stoic for June 5th. “Blow Your Own Nose”. “We cry to God Almighty, how can we escape this agony? Fool, don’t you have hands? Or could it be God forgot to give you a pair? Sit and pray your nose doesn’t run! Or, rather just wipe

This Is What We're Here For

The Daily Stoic for June 4th. “This Is What We’re Here For”. “Why then are we offended? Why do we complain? This is what we’re here for.” —SENECA, ON PROVIDENCE, 5.7b–8 Not really sure what to write today. Ryan Holiday seems to try to convey a

It Is Well To Be Flexible

The Daily Stoic for June 3rd. “It Is Well To Be Flexible”. “He can’t serve in the military? Let him seek public office. Must he live in the private sector? Let him be a spokesperson. Is he condemned to silence? Let him aid his fellow citizens by silent public

Plato's View

The Daily Stoic for June 2nd. “Plato’s View”. “How beautifully Plato put it. Whenever you want to talk about people, it’s best to take a bird’s-eye view and see everything all at once—of gatherings, armies, farms, weddings and divorces, births and deaths, noisy courtrooms or silent

Always Have A Mental Reverse Clause

The Daily Stoic for June 1. “Always Have A Mental Reverse Clause”. “Indeed, no one can thwart the purposes of your mind—for they can’t be touched by fire, steel, tyranny, slander, or anything.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.41 Dune is one of the most fascinating science fiction sagas

We Have But One Obligation

The Daily Stoic for May 31st, “We Have But One Obligation”. “What is your vocation? To be a good person.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.5 The Stoics believed, above all else, that our job on this earth is to be a good human being. Obviously, all philosophies and religions teach

Working Hard Or Hardly Working?

The Daily Stoic for May 30th. “Working Hard Or Hardly Working?” “I can’t call a person a hard worker just because I hear they read and write, even if working at it all night. Until I know what a person is working for, I can’t deem them industrious.

Work Is Therapy

The Daily Stoic for May 29th. “Work Is Therapy”. “Work nourishes noble minds.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 31.5 Some days ago, while writing about Where to find joy, I discussed precisely about how I am the kind of person who loves doing stuff. In my case, it’s not about

Kill The Technician!

Most micropreneurs I know come from a technical background. That’s not surprising. The vast majority of one-man businesses rely, especially at the beginning, on the technical skills of the owner. However, when we transition from freelancers to entrepreneurs, we need to kill the technician inside us and let other

The First Two Things Before Acting

The Daily Stoic for May 28th. “The First Two Things Before Acting”: “The first thing to do—don’t get worked up. For everything happens according to the nature of all things, and in a short time you’ll be nobody and nowhere, even as the great emperors Hadrian and

Sweat The Small Stuff

The Daily Stoic for May 27th. “Sweat The Small Stuff”. “Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing.” —ZENO, QUOTED IN DIOGENES LAERTIUS, LIVES OF THE EMINENT PHILOSOPHERS, 7.1.26 It’s true that what we are is the sum of the small things we

Stop Caring What People Think

The Daily Stoic for May 26th. “Stop Caring What People Think”. “I’m constantly amazed by how easily we love ourselves above all others, yet we put more stock in the opinions of others than in our own estimation of self. . . . How much credence we give to the opinions our

Where To Find Joy

The Daily Stoic for May 25th: “Where to find joy”. “Joy for human beings lies in proper human work. And proper human work consists in: acts of kindness to other human beings, disdain for the stirrings of the senses, identifying trustworthy impressions, and contemplating the natural order and all that

Making Your Own Good Fortune

The Daily Stoic for May 24th. “Making Your Own Good Fortune”. “You say, good fortune used to meet you at every corner. But the fortunate person is the one who gives themselves a good fortune. And good fortunes are a well-tuned soul, good impulses and good actions.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS,

Show Me How To Live

The Daily Stoic for May 23rd. “Show Me How To Live”. “Show me that the good life doesn’t consist in its length, but in its use, and that it is possible—no, entirely too common—for a person who has had a long life to have lived too little.

Today Is The Day

The Daily Stoic for May 22nd. “Today Is The Day”. “You get what you deserve. Instead of being a good person today, you choose instead to become one tomorrow.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.22 “I don’t complain about the lack of time . . . what little I have will go far

What Kind Of Boxer Are You?

The Daily Stoic for May 21st. “What Kind Of Boxer Are You?”. “But what is philosophy? Doesn’t it simply mean preparing ourselves for what may come? Don’t you understand that really amounts to saying that if I would so prepare myself to endure, then let anything happen that

Quality Over Quantity

The Daily Stoic for May 20th. “Quality Over Quantity” “What’s the point of having countless books and libraries, whose titles could hardly be read through in a lifetime. The learner is not taught, but burdened by the sheer volume, and it’s better to plant the seeds of a

Learn, Practice, Train

The Daily Stoic for May 19th. “Learn, Practice, Train” “That’s why the philosophers warn us not to be satisfied with mere learning, but to add practice and then training. For as time passes we forget what we learned and end up doing the opposite, and hold opinions the opposite

Digital Business Banking Alternatives For e-Residents

Thanks to the e-Residency program, virtually anyone can open a European company in Estonia. When it comes to banking, there are two main options: opening a bank account with an e-Residents friendly bank such as LHV or opting for a digital alternative. In this post, I want to describe some

How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything

The Daily Stoic for May 18th. “How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything” “Pay attention to what’s in front of you—the principle, the task, or what’s being portrayed.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.22 One of the main teachings of meditation is being present. It’s

The Stoic Is A Work In Progress

The Daily Stoic for May 17th. “The Stoic Is A Work In Progress” “Show me someone sick and happy, in danger and happy, dying and happy, exiled and happy, disgraced and happy. Show me! By God, how much I’d like to see a Stoic. But since you can’t

The Chain Method

The Daily Stoic for May 16th, “The Chain Method”. “If you don’t wish to be a hot-head, don’t feed your habit. Try as a first step to remain calm and count the days you haven’t been angry. I used to be angry every day, now every other

Count Your Blessings

The Daily Stoic for May 15th. “Count your blessings”. “Don’t set your mind on things you don’t possess as if they were yours, but count the blessings you actually possess and think how much you would desire them if they weren’t already yours. But watch yourself, that

Our Well-Being Lies In Our Actions

The Daily Stoic for May 14th. “Our well-being lies in our actions”. “Those obsessed with glory attach their well-being to the regard of others, those who love pleasure tie it to feelings, but the one with true understanding seeks it only in their own actions. . . . Think on the character of

Fueling The Habit Bonfire

The Daily Stoic for May 13th. “Fueling the habit bonfire”. “Every habit and capability is confirmed and grows in its corresponding actions, walking by walking, and running by running . . . therefore, if you want to do something make a habit of it, if you don’t want to do that, don’

Kindness Is Always The Right Response

The Daily Stoic for May 12th. “Kindness Is Always The Right Response”. “Kindness is invincible, but only when it’s sincere, with no hypocrisy or faking. For what can even the most malicious person do if you keep showing kindness and, if given the chance, you gently point out where

Guilt Is Worse Than Jail

The Daily Stoic for May 11th. “Guilt Is Worse Than Jail”. “The greatest portion of peace of mind is doing nothing wrong. Those who lack self-control live disoriented and disturbed lives.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 105.7 There’s a powerful truth in today’s stoic excerpt. Feeling guilty about something

Don't Be Inspired, Be Inspirational

The Daily Stoic for May 10th. “Don’t be inspired, be inspirational”. “Let us also produce some bold act of our own—and join the ranks of the most emulated.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 98.13b Today’s stoic excerpt is all about taking action, and I could not agree more

Carpe Diem

The Daily Stoic for May 9th. “Carpe Diem”. “Let us therefore set out whole-heartedly, leaving aside our many distractions and exert ourselves in this single purpose, before we realize too late the swift and unstoppable flight of time and are left behind. As each day arises, welcome it as the

Good And Evil? Look At Your Choices

The Daily Stoic for May 8th. “Good And Evil? Look At Your Choices”. “Where is Good? In our reasoned choices. Where is Evil? In our reasoned choices. Where is that which is neither Good nor Evil? In the things outside of our own reasoned choice.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.16.1

Payment Solutions For e-Residents, Solopreneurs & Small Businesses

One of the most critical decisions for every business is which platform to use to accept payments from your customers. However, for micropreneurs, getting a good payment solution is not always an easy task. Unfortunately, the situation gets worse for e-Residents owning a company in Estonia. In this article, I

How To Have A Good Day

The Daily Stoic for May 7th. “How to have a good day”. “God laid down this law, saying: if you want some good, get it from yourself.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.29.4 I think we all can agree on our disagreement of “what’s a good day”. The definition varies

Righteousness Is Beautiful

The Daily Stoic for May 6th: “Righteousness Is Beautiful”. “Then what makes a beautiful human being? Isn’t it the presence of human excellence? Young friend, if you wish to be beautiful, then work diligently at human excellence. And what is that? Observe those whom you praise without prejudice. The

You Are The Project

The Daily Stoic for May 5th. “You are the project”. “The raw material for the work of a good and excellent person is their own guiding reason, the body is that of the doctor and the physical trainer, and the farm the farmer’s.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.3.1 For

What's Truly Impressive

The Daily Stoic for May 4th. “What’s Truly Impressive”. “How much better is it to be known for doing well by many than for living extravagantly? How much more worthy than spending on sticks and stones is it to spend on people?” —MUSONIUS RUFUS, LECTURES, 19.91.26–28

Show, Not Tell, What You Do

The Daily Stoic for May 3rd. “Show, not tell, what you do”. “Those who receive the bare theories immediately want to spew them, as an upset stomach does its food. First digest your theories and you won’t throw them up. Otherwise they will be raw, spoiled, and not nourishing.

Travel Slow: The Local Digital Nomad Movement

The words “digital nomad” commonly evoke images of teenagers with their MacBook laptops lying on a hammock, somewhere in a tropical island. I have discussed before how this stereotype has little to do with reality. In this post, I want to talk about the local digital nomad movement, and why

Be The Person You Want To Be

The Daily Stoic for May 2nd. “Be the person you want to be”. “First tell yourself what kind of person you want to be, then do what you have to do. For in nearly every pursuit we see this to be the case. Those in athletic pursuit first choose the

Make Character Your Loudest Statement

The Daily Stoic for May 1st. “Make character your loudest statement”. “For philosophy doesn’t consist in outward display, but in taking heed to what is needed and being mindful of it.” —MUSONIUS RUFUS, LECTURES, 16.75.15–16 Today is the 1st of May. I’ve been following the

What Is In Keeping With Your Character?

The Daily Stoic for April 30th, “What Is In Keeping With Your Character?”. “Just as what is considered rational or irrational differs for each person, in the same way what is good or evil and useful or useless differs for each person. This is why we need education, so that

Washing Away The Dust Of Life

The Daily Stoic for April 29th. “Washing Away The Dust Of Life”. “Watch the stars in their courses and imagine yourself running alongside them. Think constantly on the changes of the elements into each other, for such thoughts wash away the dust of earthly life.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.47

Wants Make You A Servant

The Daily Stoic for today, April 28th. “Wants make you a servant”. “Tantalus: The highest power is— Thyestes: No power, if you desire nothing.” —SENECA, THYESTES, 440 It’s true that we are slaves of what we want or need. While we think that we can change our lives if

Turn It Inside Out

The Daily Stoic for April 27. “Turn it inside out” “Turn it inside out and see what it is like—what it becomes like when old, sick, or prostituting itself. How short-lived the praiser and praised, the one who remembers and the remembered. Remembered in some corner of these parts,

Things Happen In Training

The Daily Stoic for April 26th. “Things happen in training”. “When your sparring partner scratches or head-butts you, you don’t then make a show of it, or protest, or view him with suspicion or as plotting against you. And yet you keep an eye on him, not as an

There's Nothing Wrong With Being Wrong

The Daily Stoic for April 25th. “There’s nothing wrong with being wrong”. “If anyone can prove and show to me that I think and act in error, I will gladly change it—for I seek the truth, by which no one has ever been harmed. The one who is

A Productive Use For Contempt

The Daily Stoic for April 24th. “A Productive Use For Contempt”. “Just as when meat or other foods are set before us we think, this is a dead fish, a dead bird or pig; and also, this fine wine is only the juice of a bunch of grapes, this purple-edged

The Mind Is All Yours

The Daily Stoic for April 23rd. “The mind is all yours”. “You have been formed of three parts—body, breath, and mind. Of these, the first two are yours insofar as they are only in your care. The third alone is truly yours.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 12.3 I was

Here's Why You Should -Or Shouldn't- Open An Estonian Company

I often get lots of similar questions from people who want to open an Estonian company but wonder if it’s the right solution for their business: Dear Ignacio, I have a business of … I am considering opening a company in Estonia, but I don’t know if it will

The Marks Of A Rational Person

The Daily Stoic for April 22nd. “The marks of a rational person”. “These are the characteristics of the rational soul: self-awareness, self-examination, and self-determination. It reaps its own harvest. . . . It succeeds in its own purpose . . .” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.1–2 I started this daily stoic journey without a clear

Don't Let Your Attention Slide

The Daily Stoic for April 21st. “Don’t let your attention slide”. “When you let your attention slide for a bit, don’t think you will get back a grip on it whenever you wish—instead, bear in mind that because of today’s mistake everything that follows will be

Real Good Is Simple

The Daily Stoic for April the 21st, “Real good is simple”. “Here’s a way to think about what the masses regard as being ‘good’ things. If you would first start by setting your mind upon things that are unquestionably good—wisdom, self-control, justice, courage—with this preconception you’ll

Our Sphere Of Impulses

The Daily Stoic for April 19th. “Our sphere of impulses”. “Epictetus says we must discover the missing art of assent and pay special attention to the sphere of our impulses—that they are subject to reservation, to the common good, and that they are in proportion to actual worth.” —MARCUS

Opinions Are Like...

The Daily Stoic for April 18th. “Opinions are like…” “What is bad luck? Opinion. What are conflict, dispute, blame, accusation, irreverence, and frivolity? They are all opinions, and more than that, they are opinions that lie outside of our own reasoned choice, presented as if they were good or evil.

No Harm, No Foul

The Daily Stoic for April 17th. “No harm, no foul”. “Do away with the opinion I am harmed, and the harm is cast away too. Do away with being harmed, and harm disappears.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.7 Many years ago, a pizza slice costed me one of my best

How To Transition From Employee To Digital Nomad

Some years ago, I worked at a cubicle from 8am to 6pm, 5 days a week. I felt miserable. One day, I decided to quit my job and start freelancing. Eventually, I became a micropreneur and began traveling the world. In this post, I want to share my experience on

Observe Cause And Effect

The Daily Stoic for April 16th. “Observe cause and effect”. “Pay close attention in conversation to what is being said, and to what follows from any action. In the action, immediately look for the target, in words, listen closely to what’s being signaled.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.4 In

Pay Your Taxes

The Daily Stoic for April 15th. “Pay your taxes”. “Nothing will ever befall me that I will receive with gloom or a bad disposition. I will pay my taxes gladly. Now, all the things which cause complaint or dread are like the taxes of life—things from which, my dear

Becoming An Expert In What Matters

The Daily Stoic for April 14th. “Becoming an expert in what matters”. “Believe me, it’s better to produce the balance-sheet of your own life than that of the grain market.” —SENECA, ON THE BREVITY OF LIFE, 18.3b We live under a constant information overload. We have built a

Less Is More

The Daily Stoic for April 13th: “Less Is More”. “Don’t act grudgingly, selfishly, without due diligence, or to be a contrarian. Also, don’t overdress your thought in fine language. Don’t be a person of too many words and too many deeds. . . . Be cheerful, not wanting outside help

Reject Tantalizing Gifts

The Daily Stoic for April 12th. “Reject tantalizing gifts”. “Atreus: Who would reject the flood of fortune’s gifts? Thyestes: Anyone who has experienced how easily they flow back.” —SENECA, THYESTES, 536 What’s wrong with accepting a gift? Generally speaking, nothing. However, there are different types of gifts. In

If You Want To Learn, Be Humble

The Daily Stoic for April the 11th. “If you want to learn, be humble”. “Throw out your conceited opinions, for it is impossible for a person to begin to learn what he thinks he already knows.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.17.1 Today, I was talking to a fellow TechHub member

Judgments Cause Disturbance

The Daily Stoic for April 10th, “Judgments cause disturbance”. “It isn’t events themselves that disturb people, but only their judgments about them.” —EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 5 Some weeks ago, by mid March, the stoic meditation, “Timeless Wisdom“, talked about this topic. How events are not good or bad per se,

Test Your Impressions

The Daily Stoic for April 9th. “Test your impressions”. “From the very beginning, make it your practice to say to every harsh impression, ‘you are an impression and not at all what you appear to be.’ Next, examine and test it by the rules you possess, the first and greatest

Will My Estonian Company Have To Pay Taxes In My Home Country?

There’s one recurrent fear many solopreneurs face when considering starting a company in Estonia. Namely, that if they live and work in their home country, their companies will be considered tax residents there. Worst case scenario, they are scared of having to pay taxes twice. Luckily, there are double-taxation

The Cost Of Accepting Counterfeits

The Daily Stoic for April 8th. “The cost of accepting counterfeits”. “When it comes to money, where we feel our clear interest, we have an entire art where the tester uses many means to discover the worth . . . just as we give great attention to judging things that might steer us

Expect To Change Your Opinions

The Daily Stoic for April 7th. “Expect To Change Your Opinions”: “There are two things that must be rooted out in human beings—arrogant opinion and mistrust. Arrogant opinion expects that there is nothing further needed, and mistrust assumes that under the torrent of circumstance there can be no happiness.

Prepare Yourself For Negativity

The Daily Stoic meditation for April 6th. “Prepare yourself for negativity”. “When you first rise in the morning tell yourself: I will encounter busybodies, ingrates, egomaniacs, liars, the jealous and cranks. They are all stricken with these afflictions because they don’t know the difference between good and evil. Because

Trust, But Verify

The Daily Stoic for April 5th. “Trust, but verify”. “First off, don’t let the force of the impression carry you away. Say to it, ‘hold up a bit and let me see who you are and where you are from—let me put you to the test’ . . .” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES,

Don't Let This Go To Your Head

The Daily Stoic for April 4th: “Don’t let this go to your head” “Make sure you’re not made ‘Emperor,’ avoid that imperial stain. It can happen to you, so keep yourself simple, good, pure, saintly, plain, a friend of justice, god-fearing, gracious, affectionate, and strong for your proper

Deceived And Divided

The Daily Stoic for April 3rd. “Deceived and divided”. “Circumstances are what deceive us—you must be discerning in them. We embrace evil before good. We desire the opposite of what we once desired. Our prayers are at war with our prayers, our plans with our plans.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS,

You Are NOT Your Company

One of the most confusing aspects for aspiring solopreneurs is understanding the difference between them -as individuals- and their businesses. In this article, I describe the implications of the fact that you are not your company, in terms of obligations, finances and taxes. This post’s been specifically thought for

Be Wary Of What You Let In

The Daily Stoic for April 2nd: “Be wary of what you let in”: “Drama, combat, terror, numbness, and subservience—every day these things wipe out your sacred principles, whenever your mind entertains them uncritically or lets them slip in.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 10.9 I think today’s stoic has

The Color Of Your Thoughts

“The color of your thoughts”, inaugurates a new section in our Daily Stoic journey, “Unbiased Thought”. Curious to see where this takes us. “Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.16

You're A Product Of Your Training

The Daily Stoic for the last day of March: “You’re a product of your training”. “Chasing what can’t be done is madness. But the base person is unable to do anything else.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.17 I don’t think our destiny is determined by anything but

Reason In All Things

The Daily Stoic for March 30th: “Reason in all things”. “Hurry to your own ruling reason, to the reason of the Whole, and to your neighbor’s. To your own mind to make it just; to the mind of the Whole to remember your place in it; and to your

Why Do You Need To Impress These People Again?

The Daily Stoic for March 29th. “Why do you need to impress these people again?”. “If you should ever turn your will to things outside your control in order to impress someone, be sure that you have wrecked your whole purpose in life. Be content, then, to be a philosopher

Cowardice As A Design Problem

Today’s Daily Stoic, “Cowardice as a design problem”. “Life without a design is erratic. As soon as one is in place, principles become necessary. I think you’ll concede that nothing is more shameful than uncertain and wavering conduct, and beating a cowardly retreat. This will happen in all

Pay What Things Are Worth

The Daily Stoic for March 27th. “Pay What Things Are Worth”. “Diogenes of Sinope said we sell things of great value for things of very little, and vice versa.” —DIOGENES LAERTIUS, LIVES OF THE EMINENT PHILOSOPHERS, 6.2.35b Some years ago, I found myself at a large queue in

What Rules Your Ruling Reason?

The Daily Stoic for March 26th. “What rules your ruling reason?” “How does your ruling reason manage itself? For in that is the key to everything. Whatever else remains, be it in the power of your choice or not, is but a corpse and smoke.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 12.33

The Internet We Are Building

Facebook is certainly hitting the headlines these days. The huge data leak, its role in the results of the recent US elections, the increasing privacy concerns of its users… It all sums up to a strong feeling of discontent among once devoted fans. However, we can’t blame Facebook alone.

Wealth And Freedom Are Free

The Daily Stoic for March 25th. “Wealth and freedom are free”. “. . . freedom isn’t secured by filling up on your heart’s desire but by removing your desire.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.1.175 In our society, there seems to be a very well defined concept of wealth or personal well-being.

There Is Philosophy In Everything

The Daily Stoic for March 24th. “There Is Philosophy In Everything”. “Eat like a human being, drink like a human being, dress up, marry, have children, get politically active—suffer abuse, bear with a headstrong brother, father, son, neighbor, or companion. Show us these things so we can see that

The Straitjacketed Soul

The Daily Stoic for March 23rd. “The straitjacketed soul”. “The diseases of the rational soul are long-standing and hardened vices, such as greed and ambition—they have put the soul in a straitjacket and have begun to be permanent evils inside it. To put it briefly, this sickness is an

The Sign Of True Education

The Daily Stoic for March 22nd. “The sign of true education”. “What is it then to be properly educated? It is learning to apply our natural preconceptions to the right things according to Nature, and beyond that to separate the things that lie within our power from those that don’

The Best Retreat Is In Here, Not Out There

The Daily Stoic for March 21st. “The best retreat is in here, not out there” “People seek retreats for themselves in the country, by the sea, or in the mountains. You are very much in the habit of yearning for those same things. But this is entirely the trait of

Ready And At Home

The Daily Stoic for March 20th. “Ready and at home” “I may wish to be free from torture, but if the time comes for me to endure it, I’ll wish to bear it courageously with bravery and honor. Wouldn’t I prefer not to fall into war? But if

Timeless Wisdom

The Daily Stoic for March 19th. “Timeless Wisdom”. “For there are two rules to keep at the ready—that there is nothing good or bad outside my own reasoned choice, and that we shouldn’t try to lead events but to follow them.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.10.18 Today’s

Overcoming The Fear Of Earning Money Or Charging For Your Services

While this title might sound overly ridiculous, it’s not. A lot of entrepreneurs struggle with charging what they are worth. As a freelancer and solopreneur, I’ve been there. Thus, in this article, I want to share my experience on how I overcame my fear of earning money. Different

Impossible Without Your Consent

The Daily Stoic for March 18th, “Impossible Without Your Consent”. “Today I escaped from the crush of circumstances, or better put, I threw them out, for the crush wasn’t from outside me but in my own assumptions.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 9.13” Today’s stoic suggests that we are

The Beauty Of Choice

The Daily Stoic for March 17th. “The beauty of choice”: “You are not your body and hair-style, but your capacity for choosing well. If your choices are beautiful, so too will you be.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.1.39b–40a Beauty is something subjective. In spite of the efforts to formalize

That Sacred Part Of You

The Daily Stoic for March 16th. “That Sacred Part Of You”: “Hold sacred your capacity for understanding. For in it is all, that our ruling principle won’t allow anything to enter that is either inconsistent with nature or with the constitution of a logical creature. It’s what demands

The Present Is All We Possess

The Daily Stoic for March 15th. “The present is all we possess”. “Were you to live three thousand years, or even a countless multiple of that, keep in mind that no one ever loses a life other than the one they are living, and no one ever lives a life

Self-Deception Is Our Enemy

The Daily Stoic for March 14th. “Self-deception is our enemy”. “Zeno would also say that nothing is more hostile to a firm grasp on knowledge than self-deception.” —DIOGENES LAERTIUS, LIVES OF THE EMINENT PHILOSOPHERS, 7.23 Now this is an interesting topic. I think most of us fall into the

One Day It Will All Make Sense

The Daily Stoic for March 13th. “One day it will all make sense”: “Whenever you find yourself blaming providence, turn it around in your mind and you will see that what has happened is in keeping with reason.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.17.1 Wow, it’s amazing how such a

Seeing Things As The Person At Fault Does

The Daily Stoic for March 12th: “Seeing things as the person at fault does”: “Whenever someone has done wrong by you, immediately consider what notion of good or evil they had in doing it. For when you see that, you’ll feel compassion, instead of astonishment or rage. For you

Getting Started With Bitcoin And CryptoCurrencies, A Beginner's Guide

As Bitcoin is going mainstream, it’s not seen anymore as an oddity reserved for geeks. However, the world of cryptocurrencies is still surrounded by a mystery halo and lots of doubts for the non-tech savvy. In this article, you will find a guide for getting started with Bitcoin and

Living Without Restriction

The Daily Stoic for March 11th. “Living Without Restriction” “The unrestricted person, who has in hand what they will in all events, is free. But anyone who can be restricted, coerced, or pushed into something against what they will is a slave.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.1.128b–129a Today’s

Find Yourself A Cato

The Daily Stoic for March 10th. “Find yourself a Cato”: “We can remove most sins if we have a witness standing by as we are about to go wrong. The soul should have someone it can respect, by whose example it can make its inner sanctum more inviolable. Happy is

Find The Right Scene

The Daily Stoic for March 9th. “Find The Right Scene”: “Above all, keep a close watch on this—that you are never so tied to your former acquaintances and friends that you are pulled down to their level. If you don’t, you’ll be ruined. . . . You must choose whether

Don't Unintentionally Hand Over Your Freedom

The Daily Stoic for March 8th, “Don’t unintentionally hand over your freedom”. “If a person gave away your body to some passerby, you’d be furious. Yet you hand over your mind to anyone who comes along, so they may abuse you, leaving it disturbed and troubled—have you

Don't Trust The Senses

The Daily Stoic for March 7th, “Don’t Trust The Senses”. “Heraclitus called self-deception an awful disease and eyesight a lying sense.” —DIOGENES LAERTIUS, LIVES OF THE EMINENT PHILOSOPHERS, 9.7 Let me tell you a story that took place many years ago, when I was still living with my

Don't Tell Yourself Stories

The Daily Stoic for March the 6th: “Don’t tell yourself stories”. “In public avoid talking often and excessively about your accomplishments and dangers, for however much you enjoy recounting your dangers, it’s not so pleasant for others to hear about your affairs.” —EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 33.14 The other

Cutting Back On The Costly

The Daily Stoic for March 5th. “Cutting back on the costly”: “So, concerning the things we pursue, and for which we vigorously exert ourselves, we owe this consideration—either there is nothing useful in them, or most aren’t useful. Some of them are superfluous, while others aren’t worth

A Walk Through Riga: Big Monuments And Controversial Landmarks

To say that Riga is a beautiful city is an understatement. Full of art-nouveau buildings, wide open soviet-style avenues and impressive monuments, it’s unlike any other European capital. A short walk through Riga its enough to immerse yourself in its very unique character, owing to both its past and

Awareness Is Freedom

The Daily Stoic for March 4th. “Awareness is freedom”: “The person is free who lives as they wish, neither compelled, nor hindered, nor limited—whose choices aren’t hampered, whose desires succeed, and who don’t fall into what repels them. Who wishes to live in deception—tripped up, mistaken,

(Dis)Integration

The Daily Stoic for March 3rd: “(Dis)integration”. “These things don’t go together. You must be a unified human being, either good or bad. You must diligently work either on your own reasoning or on things out of your control—take great care with the inside and not what’

Accurate Self-Assessment

The Daily Stoic for the 2nd of March. “Accurate self-assessment”. “Above all, it is necessary for a person to have a true self-estimate, for we commonly think we can do more than we really can.” —SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 5.2 It’s usually hard for us to do

Where Philosophy Begins

The Daily Stoic for the 1st of March: “Where philosophy begins” “An important place to begin in philosophy is this: a clear perception of one’s own ruling principle.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.26.15 Philosophy never interested me when I was in high school. My introduction to philosophy was reading

When You Lose Control

The Daily Stoic for February 28th. “When you lose control”. “The soul is like a bowl of water, and our impressions are like the ray of light falling upon the water. When the water is troubled, it appears that the light itself is moved too, but it isn’t. So,

Cultivating Indifference Where Others Grow Passion

The Daily Stoic for February 27th. “Cultivating Indifference Where Others Grow Passion” “Of all the things that are, some are good, others bad, and yet others indifferent. The good are virtues and all that share in them; the bad are the vices and all that indulge them; the indifferent lie

To Each His Own

The Daily Stoic for February 26th. “To each his own”. “Another has done me wrong? Let him see to it. He has his own tendencies, and his own affairs. What I have now is what the common nature has willed, and what I endeavor to accomplish now is what my

How To Keep And Grow Your Customers As A Digital Nomad

One of my main concerns when I decided to become a digital nomad, apart from getting good medical attention, was keeping and expanding my client base. In this post, I want to share my experience on how to keep and even grow your customers as a digital nomad while you

The Smoke And Dust Of Myth

The Daily Stoic for February 25th. “The smoke and dust of myth”. “Keep a list before your mind of those who burned with anger and resentment about something, of even the most renowned for success, misfortune, evil deeds, or any special distinction. Then ask yourself, how did that work out?

The Real Source Of Harm

The Daily Stoic for February 24th. “The real source of harm”: “Keep in mind that it isn’t the one who has it in for you and takes a swipe that harms you, but rather the harm comes from your own belief about the abuse. So when someone arouses your

Circumstances Have No Care For Our Feelings

The Daily Stoic for February 23rd. “Circumstances have no care for our feelings”. “You shouldn’t give circumstances the power to rouse anger, for they don’t care at all.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.38 That is probably one of the most recurrent teachings of Stoicism, and the one that’

What's Better Left Unsaid

The Daily Stoic for February 22nd. “What’s better left unsaid”. “Cato practiced the kind of public speech capable of moving the masses, believing proper political philosophy takes care like any great city to maintain the warlike element. But he was never seen practicing in front of others, and no

Wish Not, Want Not

The Daily Stoic for February 21st. “Wish Not, Want Not”. “Remember that it’s not only the desire for wealth and position that debases and subjugates us, but also the desire for peace, leisure, travel, and learning. It doesn’t matter what the external thing is, the value we place

The Grand Parade Of Desire

The Daily Stoic for February 20th: “The grand parade of desire”. “Robbers, perverts, killers, and tyrants—gather for your inspection their so-called pleasures!” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.34 Talking about drugs, alcohol, and these kind of indulgences Marcus Aurelius refers to as “pleasures” is subject to certain social irony. On

The Banquet Of Life

The Daily Stoic for February 19th. “The banquet of life”: “Remember to conduct yourself in life as if at a banquet. As something being passed around comes to you, reach out your hand and take a moderate helping. Does it pass you by? Don’t stop it. It hasn’t

Life In Budapest For Digital Nomads

We plan on staying in Riga at least until this fall but, after that, we are considering two options for our next location: Budapest or Chiang Mai. Being two very different cities, we decided to visit both to make up our minds before the final decision. In this article, I

Prepare For The Storm

The Daily Stoic for February 18th: “Prepare for the storm”. “This is the true athlete—the person in rigorous training against false impressions. Remain firm, you who suffer, don’t be kidnapped by your impressions! The struggle is great, the task divine—to gain mastery, freedom, happiness, and tranquility.” —EPICTETUS,

The Enemy Of Happiness

The Daily Stoic for February 17th. “The enemy of happiness”. “It is quite impossible to unite happiness with a yearning for what we don’t have. Happiness has all that it wants, and resembling the well-fed, there shouldn’t be hunger or thirst.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.24.17 Someday… Recently,

Don't Make Things Harder Than They Need To Be

The Daily Stoic for February 16th. “Don’t make things harder than they need to be”. “If someone asks you how to write your name, would you bark out each letter? And if they get angry, would you then return the anger? Wouldn’t you rather gently spell out each

Only Bad Dreams

The Daily Stoic for February the 15th, “Only bad dreams”. “Clear your mind and get a hold on yourself and, as when awakened from sleep and realizing it was only a bad dream upsetting you, wake up and see that what’s there is just like those dreams.” —MARCUS AURELIUS,

Think Before You Act

The Daily Stoic for February 14th, “Think before you act”: “For to be wise is only one thing—to fix our attention on our intelligence, which guides all things everywhere.” —HERACLITUS, QUOTED IN DIOGENES LAERTIUS, LIVES OF THE EMINENT PHILOSOPHERS, 9.1 Think before you act. I don’t think

Towards Deep Work: Becoming Unreachable

While being in a distracting environment may be ok if you are working on shallow tasks, finding a quiet spot and becoming unreachable is necessary  if we need to do some deep work. In order to do that, first, we need to find a space where we can work uninterruptedly

Pleasure Can Become Punishment

The Daily Stoic for today, February the 13rd: “Pleasure can become punishment”. “Whenever you get an impression of some pleasure, as with any impression, guard yourself from being carried away by it, let it await your action, give yourself a pause. After that, bring to mind both times, first when

Protect Your Peace Of Mind

The Daily Stoic for February 12nd. “Protect your peace of mind”: “Keep constant guard over your perceptions, for it is no small thing you are protecting, but your respect, trustworthiness and steadiness, peace of mind, freedom from pain and fear, in a word your freedom. For what would you sell

Hero Or Nero?

The Daily Stoic for today, February 11th. “Hero or Nero?”. “Our soul is sometimes a king, and sometimes a tyrant. A king, by attending to what is honorable, protects the good health of the body in its care, and gives it no base or sordid command. But an uncontrolled, desire-fueled,

Anger Is A Bad Fuel

The Daily Stoic for February the 10th. “Anger is a bad fuel”. “There is no more stupefying thing than anger, nothing more bent on its own strength. If successful, none more arrogant, if foiled, none more insane—since it’s not driven back by weariness even in defeat, when fortune

You Don't Have To Have An Opinion

The Daily Stoic for today, February the 9th: “You don’t have to have an opinion”. “We have the power to hold no opinion about a thing and to not let it upset our state of mind—for things have no natural power to shape our judgments.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS,

Did That Make You Feel Better?

The Daily Stoic for February the 8th. “Did that make you feel better?” “You cry, I’m suffering severe pain! Are you then relieved from feeling it, if you bear it in an unmanly way?” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 78.17 Just some moments ago, I was trying to focus on

Fear Is A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

I wanted to separate the Daily Stoic posts from the main blog’s content, but I think the Stoic for February the 7th. “Fear is a self-fulfilling prophecy”, deserves to be with the main articles. Here, I describe how I overcame my fears to quit my corporate job and start

Don't Seek Out Strife

The Daily Stoic for February the 6th: “Don’t Seek Out Strife”. “I don’t agree with those who plunge headlong into the middle of the flood and who, accepting a turbulent life, struggle daily in great spirit with difficult circumstances. The wise person will endure that, but won’t

Steady Your Impulses

The Daily Stoic for February the 5th: “Steady Your Impulses”. “Think of the manic people in your life. Not the ones suffering from an unfortunate disorder, but the ones whose lives and choices are in disorder. Everything is soaring highs or crushing lows; the day is either amazing or awful.

What To Do With A Failed Business Or Product

If there’s a skill I have mastered during the years, it’s failing. Since I became an entrepreneur, I have embarked on many different projects. Some of them have been successful, but most of them failed. As a result, I’ve had to decide what to do with quite

On Being Invincible

The Daily Stoic for February the 4th: “On being invincible”. “Who then is invincible? The one who cannot be upset by anything outside their reasoned choice.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.18.21 The term Prohairesis, first introduced by Aristotle, became a fundamental concept of the Stoic philosophy thanks to Epictetus. According

The Source Of Your Anxiety

The Daily Stoic for February the 3rd: “The source of your anxiety”. “When I see an anxious person, I ask myself, what do they want? For if a person wasn’t wanting something outside of their own control, why would they be stricken by anxiety?” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.13.1

A Proper Frame Of Mind

The Daily Stoic for today, February the 2nd: “A Proper Frame Of Mind”: “Frame your thoughts like this—you are an old person, you won’t let yourself be enslaved by this any longer, no longer pulled like a puppet by every impulse, and you’ll stop complaining about your

For the Hot-Headed Man

The Daily Stoic for today, February the 1st. “For the hot-headed man”. “Keep this thought handy when you feel a fit of rage coming on—it isn’t manly to be enraged. Rather, gentleness and civility are more human, and therefore manlier. A real man doesn’t give way to

Philosophy As Medicine Of The Soul

The Daily Stoic for the last day of January: “Philosophy as medicine of the soul”… “Don’t return to philosophy as a task-master, but as patients seek out relief in a treatment of sore eyes, or a dressing for a burn, or from an ointment. Regarding it this way, you’

You Don't Have To Stay On Top Of Everything

Daily Stoic for January the 30th. You don’t have to stay on top of everything. (that’s quite a relief 🙂 ) “If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters—don’t wish to seem knowledgeable. And if some regard you as important, distrust

Keep It Simple

The Daily Stoic for today, January the 29th. Keep it simple: “At every moment keep a sturdy mind on the task at hand, as a Roman and human being, doing it with strict and simple dignity, affection, freedom, and justice—giving yourself a break from all other considerations. You can

What Spain -Or Your Country- Could Learn From Estonia

Today, I received an email from my Spanish accountant. You have an alert from the tax office. Can you have a look at it? As soon as I read that, my heart skipped a beat. That was not good news, and probably not the best way of starting the week.

Watching The Wise

Today’s Daily Stoic, January the 28th: “Watching The Wise”. “Take a good hard look at people’s ruling principle, especially of the wise, what they run away from and what they seek out.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.38 Today’s stoic passage suggests us to pick someone as a

The Three Areas Of Training

The Daily Stoic for today, January the 27th: “The Three Areas Of Training”. “There are three areas in which the person who would be wise and good must be trained. The first has to do with desires and aversions—that a person may never miss the mark in desires nor

The Power Of A Mantra

The Daily Stoic for today, January the 26th: “The Power Of A Mantra” “Erase the false impressions from your mind by constantly saying to yourself, I have it in my soul to keep out any evil, desire or any kind of disturbance—instead, seeing the true nature of things, I

The Only Prize

The Daily Stoic for today, January the 25th, “The Only Prize”: “What’s left to be prized? This, I think—to limit our action or inaction to only what’s in keeping with the needs of our own preparation . . . it’s what the exertions of education and teaching are all

Push For Deep Understanding

The Daily Stoic for January the 24th: Push for deep understanding. “From Rusticus . . . I learned to read carefully and not be satisfied with a rough understanding of the whole, and not to agree too quickly with those who have a lot to say about something.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 1.7.

The Truth About Money

Daily Stoic for January the 23rd. The truth about money. “Let’s pass over to the really rich—how often the occasions they look just like the poor! When they travel abroad they must restrict their baggage, and when haste is necessary, they dismiss their entourage. And those who are

Forget SEO. Write Content Only YOU Can Write

If you are a blogger, chances are SEO has a powerful influence over your writing. In fact, SEO is so ubiquitous in the web these days, most blog articles are all starting to look alike. In this article, I want to encourage you to forget SEO and, instead, focus on

The Day In Review

The Daily Stoic for today, January the 22nd. The day in review. “I will keep constant watch over myself and—most usefully—will put each day up for review. For this is what makes us evil—that none of us looks back upon our own lives. We reflect upon only

A Morning Ritual

The Daily Stoic for today, 21st of January, suggests us to have a morning ritual where we would ask ourselves a series of questions: “What am I lacking in attaining freedom from passion? And what for tranquility? What am I? A mere body, estate-holder, or reputation? None of these things.

Reignite Your Thoughts

Daily Stoic for January the 20th: reignite your thoughts. “Your principles can’t be extinguished unless you snuff out the thoughts that feed them, for it’s continually in your power to reignite new ones. . . . It’s possible to start living again! See things anew as you once did—that

Wherever You Go, There Your Choice Is

The Daily Stoic for today, January the 19th. Wherever you go, there your choice is. “A podium and a prison is each a place, one high and the other low, but in either place your freedom of choice can be maintained if you so wish.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.6.25

See The World Like A Poet And An Artist

The Daily Stoic for today: “See the world like a poet and an artist”. “Pass through this brief patch of time in harmony with nature, and come to your final resting place gracefully, just as a ripened olive might drop, praising the earth that nourished it and grateful to the

Reboot the real work

Daily Stoic for January the 17th. Reboot the real work. “I am your teacher and you are learning in my school. My aim is to bring you to completion, unhindered, free from compulsive behavior, unrestrained, without shame, free, flourishing, and happy, looking to God in things great and small—your

Never Do Anything Out Of Habit

The Daily Stoic for January the 16th. Never do anything out of habit. “So in the majority of other things, we address circumstances not in accordance with the right assumptions, but mostly by following wretched habit. Since all that I’ve said is the case, the person in training must

Peace Is In Staying The Course

Daily Stoic, Jan 15th. Peace is in staying the course. “Tranquility can’t be grasped except by those who have reached an unwavering and firm power of judgment—the rest constantly fall and rise in their decisions, wavering in a state of alternately rejecting and accepting things. What is the

How To Avoid Taxes Legally: The 183 Days Rule [Updated 2022]

On my previous post, Demystifying Digital Nomad Taxes, I mentioned that there’s a way to avoid taxes legally if you are a digital nomad, by adhering to the 183 days rule. Isn’t that illegal or morally wrong? Talking about this topic in the context of digital nomadism is

Cut The Strings That Pull Your Mind

The Daily Stoic for today, January the 14th. Cut the strings that pull your mind. “Understand at last that you have something in you more powerful and divine than what causes the bodily passions and pulls you like a mere puppet. What thoughts now occupy my mind? Is it not

Circle Of Control

The Daily Stoic for today, January the 13th. Circle of control. “We control our reasoned choice and all acts that depend on that moral will. What’s not under our control are the body and any of its parts, our possessions, parents, siblings, children, or country—anything with which we

The One Path To Serenity

Daily Stoic for January the 12th. The one path to serenity. “Keep this thought at the ready at daybreak, and through the day and night—there is only one path to happiness, and that is in giving up all outside of your sphere of choice, regarding nothing else as your

If You Want To Be Unsteady...

If you want to be unsteady… “For if a person shifts their caution to their own reasoned choices and the acts of those choices, they will at the same time gain the will to avoid, but if they shift their caution away from their own reasoned choices to things not

If You Want To Be Steady

“The essence of good is a certain kind of reasoned choice; just as the essence of evil is another kind. What about externals, then? They are only the raw material for our reasoned choice, which finds its own good or evil in working with them. How will it find the

What We Control And What We Don't

Daily Stoic for January 9th. What we control and what we don’t. “Some things are in our control, while others are not. We control our opinion, choice, desire, aversion, and, in a word, everything of our own doing. We don’t control our body, property, reputation, position, and, in

Seeing Our Addictions

The daily stoic of today, seeing our addictions, hit a raw nerve in me: What we consider to be harmless indulgences can easily become full-blown addictions. We start with coffee in the morning, and soon enough we can’t start the day without it. We check our email because it’

Seven Clear Functions of the Mind

Today’s Daily Stoic, enumerates the seven clear functions of the mind. The proper work of the mind is the exercise of choice, refusal, yearning, repulsion, preparation, purpose, and assent. What then can pollute and clog the mind’s proper functioning? Nothing but its own corrupt decisions.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.

Who Are You?

“How often are we asked a simple question like “Who are you?” or “What do you do?” or “Where are you from?” Considering it a superficial question—if we even consider it at all—we don’t bother with more than a superficial answer. — The Daily Stoic. Ryan Holiday “Who

You Are Never Too Old To Change Your Life

Today I turned 38 years old. Happy birthday Ignacio! . Some days ago I received an email from someone who was considering becoming a digital nomad, but thought was too old for quitting her corporate job to travel the world, working remotely. She is just 31. In this post, I want

Clarify Your Intentions

Today’s daily stoic is actually a pretty interesting one for entrepreneurs, freelancers and digital nomads alike: clarify your intentions. Let all your efforts be directed to something, let it keep that end in view. It’s not activity that disturbs people, but false conceptions of things that drive them

The Big Three

The Daily Stoic for today: Perception. Action. Will. The big three concepts of Stoicism. “All you need are these: certainty of judgment in the present moment; action for the common good in the present moment; and an attitude of gratitude in the present moment for anything that comes your way.

Be Ruthless To The Things That Don't Matter

“One of the hardest things to do in life is to say “No.” To invitations, to requests, to obligations, to the stuff that everyone else is doing. Even harder is saying no to certain time-consuming emotions: anger, excitement, distraction, obsession, lust.” — Ryan Holiday. “The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations for Clarity,

Education is Freedom

We should not trust the masses who say only the free can be educated, but rather the lovers of wisdom who say that only the educated are free — EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.1.21–23a I cannot agree more with today’s Daily Stoic Meditation: Education is Freedom. I think we

Control and Choice

Hello there, and happy 2018! This year, I have decided to go through this book: The Daily Stoic. The book has an interesting concept. It contains 366 “meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living”. Thus, it has one short passage to read and meditate about every day. I

Why Quitting Your Corporate Job May Be The Best Decision Of Your Life [Updated 2022]

Happy new year’s eve! Today, I feel like reflecting on where I am now and how I got here. Some years ago, I quit my steady job. It was a life-changing decision for me. In this article, I want to explain why quitting your corporate job may be the

Choosing The Best Bitcoin Wallet

One of the most confusing aspects for beginners willing to enter the bitcoin world is how to securely store your money. There are many options out there, and an overwhelming amount of information on the subject. In this article, I try to explain what a cryptocurrency wallet is, what bitcoin

Free yourself. Quit social media.

Quitting social media? Are you serious? Technology allows us to be hyperconnected. Not only social networks, but online services and a whole new generation of communication channels like Slack or Skype have opened the doors to remote work and location independence in extraordinary new ways. However, they have also brought

The Digital Banking Revolution And What It Means For Digital Nomads

Ultimately, technology disrupts everything. Uber, Lyft and others have seriously unsettled the traditional cab industry and, eventually, will make it disappear. AirBnB did the same with apartment rentals and the hotel industry. This phenomenon has most certainly arrived to banking too. Here, I want to discuss what the digital banking

Working On An iPad Pro For Developers [Updated 2022]

In a previous post, I talked about the possibility of using an iPad Pro as your only device if you are a blogger. This time, I want to talk about completely replacing your laptop with an iPad Pro for developers. Is that even possible? Let’s find out. Why Would

On Becoming a Digital Nomad

Recently, an article on becoming a digital nomad caught my attention. The article seemed to focus on the financial aspects only, advising the readers to save on meals by not having lunch at restaurants or coffee at bars. I have read many similar articles lately. It seems that being a

VAT And Taxes for e-Residents Owning A Company in Estonia [Updated 2022]

Before becoming an e-Resident and starting a company in Estonia, one of my main concerns was understanding VAT and Taxes. To my relief, I found out that it was super simple. In this article, I explain VAT and Taxes for e-Residents owning a company in Estonia. One of the main

Demystifying Digital Nomad Taxes

One of the most disturbing and frightening topics for aspiring digital nomads is how to pay their taxes. In this post, I try to demystify digital nomad taxes, where and how to pay them and offer some insights on the topic. Currently, my partner and I live as digital nomads,

How to travel safely and get medical attention as a digital nomad

Yesterday I spent six hours at a foreign hospital, waiting to be seen by a doctor. I had an ear infection, and it did hurt. It hurt a lot. I didn’t know if the doctor would speak English fluently enough to understand me. I was alone in a nightmarish

Starting A Company In Estonia Changed My Life [Updated 2022]

I own a company in Estonia and I run it completely online, wherever I travel. This experience has changed my life. In this article, I describe how starting a company in Estonia can help you embrace a simpler, happier life as a location-independent freelancer, digital nomad, or entrepreneur. Why Starting

The Process of Becoming an Estonian e-Resident

Today I went to the Estonian embassy here in Madrid to pick up the digital identity card that identifies me as an Estonian e-Resident. It is absolutely amazing to have it in my hands at last. I had been looking for this for weeks. What’s the e-Residency? The e-Residency

How to Affect the Perceived Value of a Product or Service

As part of The Decluttering Project, I decided to do a little experiment. This experiment showed me how the perceived value of a product can be modified, sometimes substantially, with simple strategies. Our perception of the value of a concrete object or service is not as objective, or as irrefutable

The Decluttering Project, Day 7

Welcome back to the Decluttering project. Today, I want to talk about a different type of decluttering: decluttering your life of contracts. During the years, we acquire lots of contracts: our health insurance, the insurance for our cars, or houses, the phone contract, our internet connection… It’s easy to

The Decluttering Project: Day 6

Welcome back to The Decluttering Project. Today I sold my car! Yippee!!! That’s absolutely good news! The car is obviously one of the most expensive items that I was selling. Thus, I was uncertain on whether or not I would be able to easily sell it. Stuff I sold

The Decluttering Project: Day 5

Welcome back to The Decluttering Project journal. Today, my good old friend Sergio Trujillo visited me. He came home to buy some stuff for him and his current band and help me with my decluttering adventure. I know Sergio for quite some time now. We had a band together called

The Decluttering Project: Day 4

Yesterday was a great day of decluttering. Apart from my piano, one of the things I probably am more attached to is my vinyl collection. Associating memories to objects I have come to realize that the things we are more attached to are the ones that have involved a commitment

The Decluttering Project: Day 3

Howdy! Today I wanted to reflect on my feelings about getting rid of my stuff. I would probably get rid of most of my stuff without the slightest hesitation. However, my piano is a different story. About my piano My piano has been with me for more than 10 years.

The Decluttering Project: Day 2

Hello! This is the second-day report for The Decluttering Project. Apparently, my online efforts were fruitful, because I have managed to sell quite a lot of stuff, including: * A trackpad and a keyboard from Apple * The MOTU Ultralite Sound Card * A podcast microphone * A MicroKorg Red XL keyboard * An Oxygen

The Decluttering Project: Day 1

Hello there! Today I want to talk to you about a very special experiment I am conducting to embrace a full digital nomad life: The Decluttering Project. What’s this Decluttering Project, you may ask? In Spain, it’s really difficult to live as a freelance developer or entrepreneur. The

How To Update To Ghost 1.0 In Debian And Apache

Edit: In Nov 2022 I discovered that Ghost decided to make its platform more friendly to other OS and platforms such as Debian, so I went back to the platform (after using Wordpress for a while). This post may be somewhat out of date then. You may want to read

How NOT To Build A Startup

How not to build a startup? Well, according to every startup handbook, in order to build a successful business, one must follow the following steps: 1. Choose a “Niche Market” 2. Meet relevant people in that market, interview them and listen to their problems, trying to find a common pain

Building A Microstartup: A Published Project In A Month

As you might know already, I am not a huge fan of the traditional startup unicorn scene. In my opinion, the goal of startups nowadays is to develop an odd product that seems disruptive just because it’s weird, generate hype, accumulate an adequate user base for the investors, and

Working on an iPad Pro for Bloggers

From the moment I bought my iPad pro, I fell in love with it. At first, I thought it would be just another iPad with a faster processor and an attached keyboard. However, I discovered that the iPad Pro is a performance beast and wondered if it may replace your

Blogger Recognition Award

Hi there! It seems “Micropreneur Life” has been nominated for the Blogger Recognition Award! I would like to thank Helene from the HC Lifestyle Blog for nominating me. If you don’t know her already, make sure to visit her blog. She is a young but passionate blogger and talks

Digital Nomad Life. Riga.

Let me introduce you to the city where my partner and I decided to start our new digital nomad life. Riga it’s a lovely, affordable and beautiful city at the heart of the Baltics. The nice thing about being a micropreneur is that we are able to work anywhere

Reduce The Bouncing Rate Of Your Blog By 8x

In this post, I describe how to reduce the bouncing rate of your blog. By applying just some simple techniques, you can reduce the bouncing rate of your blog by up to 8x. Why Is This Important? One of my main warhorses for the Digital Leaves blog was its bouncing

A Thousand Words A Day, A Book In A Month

In this article, I want to share with you a technique that I am using to write a book in a month. I know it sounds kind of weird. Why a month? Starting is Easy, Sticking to it is Hard Writing a book is such a common goal for entrepreneurs.

Gain Focus By Learning To Say No To Yourself

In my previous post I talked about how, after being fired, I found myself with a world of opportunities to explore. Too many opportunities, in fact. It’s been always hard for me to say no. This has nothing to do with saying no to others, but with the ability

New Opportunities, New Paths

A week ago, the CEO of the startup I was working on asked me to talk privately via Skype. Our startup was building a product that is closely tied to the –now defunct– Obama Care. Long story short, with the repeal of the Affordable Health Act, we lost our customers.

Mistakes to Avoid when Hiring a VA

If you are a micropreneur, chances are you are reluctant to relinquish control over your business. However, sooner or later you’ll find yourself in need of a hiring a VA. A Virtual Assistant can be of great help for alleviating those repetitive tasks that eat your productivity. They can

Clean Slate

Hi there! This is the first post of “Micropreneur Life”. Let me introduce myself. My name is Ignacio, I am a micropreneur living in Madrid, Spain. I am also a senior freelance developer, composer, blogger, podcaster, and the manager of the “Madrid Micropreneurs” meetup group. I’ve been exposed to