Quora

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: How long have you stuck to your habits? What are ways to stop a habit that's consuming your lifestyle? What books should I read to get back in the habit of reading? I'm probably going to stop this series, though. Quora has the same questions over and over. It's getting boring and I have to wade through too many questions to find someone genuinely asking something in a way suggesting they'll act on it, and not just ask what popped into their heads. I mean, do the above questions suggest to you that the people asking them are going to change their lives? They look to me…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: What is the best gift you have given anybody? How would you explain leadership in an easy way? Why do we dislike to follow some leaders? I'm 17, what daily habits can I adapt in order to become more productive and optimistic? Q: What is the best gift you have given anybody? A: For my high school / college girlfriend I hand wrote, hand drew, hand made, and hand sewed a little booklet of my favorite passage from my favorite book at the time The Little Prince. The passage was a conversation between the Little Prince, the Fox, and the Rose. I’m not an illustrator, writer, or…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: Among the leaders of the world, who do you admire the most? How do you strive to make every day Mandela Day? Who is the most successful revolutionary leader in past 100 years? What life lesson did you learn the hard way? Q: Among the leaders of the world, who do you admire the most? A: Of leaders alive today, I don’t consider any on par with successful historic leaders of the past like Mandela, King, Lincoln, Washington, and so on. It’s a major problem that, I believe, shows big cultural problems. I think the most critical problem is in our educational system that promotes following, not…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: Why are most African leaders mediocre? How do I develop a habit of studying in noise? How can I leave my girlfriend? I don't love her anymore but I am afraid that she will hurt herself, she is a really weak girl. Are you a good writer? How do I stop watching anime? Q: Why are most African leaders mediocre? A: I can’t speak to most African leaders, but I have to mention three counterexamples to what you’re implying. First, I think nearly anyone would rank Nelson Mandela as one of the great leaders of all time. He became the father of a nation. Among other achievements,…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: What's the bravest thing you have ever done? What situations have taught you the most about leadership? What is one small, specific habit every successful person does? Is leading a simple life overvalued? What's the most embarassing misconception you've ever held? Q: What's the bravest thing you have ever done? A: I swam across the Hudson River from New Jersey to Manhattan with a friend. No boat or guide to help in case of a problem. No practicing. We wanted to do it so we did it. I left a note in case my body washed up on shore somewhere that I was doing it to live…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: What habit did you break that you are the most proud of? Life Advice: How can I make my life simpler? Has someone ever been the leader of two countries at once? What is your one habit that you can't change? Do people in a relationship ever think about cheating at some point? Q: What habit did you break that you are the most proud of? A: Eating junk like chips, pretzels, and ice cream. Easily replaced by fresh fruits and vegetables, which I came to like more, freeing my body from excess fat and my mind from feelings of guilt. I wrote some about it here:…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: Why don't we build a classic space station? Was there time before the universe was created? How would I write a character who has no emotions, or who has alexithymia? What happens if one does burpees in a moving elevator? Can 100 burpees everyday build running speed or just stamina? Q: Why don't we build a classic space station? A: There’s an easy way to see the answer, and it’s not about technology. Take on the project. You’re just as qualified as anyone to make it happen. There’s no position in government or any place else that gives anyone more ability than you to build a space…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: How should I make a habit of writing one blog post every day? What's the difference between a dictator and a strong leader? I am not really convinced that there's a real difference between managers and leaders. Am I right? How do bloggers come up with so much content? How can I generate ideas for blogging? Q: How should I make a habit of writing one blog post every day? A: I’ve written a blog post every day since January 2011. Here they are: Joshua Spodek’s Archives. In case you didn’t guess, I didn’t feel like writing every day for the past 5+ years. I still did…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: What is the best way to explore philosophy? What has been a weird side effect of your education? Do you show emotions easily? Can someone who is mute be a leader? I am driven by my emotions. That means I cannot write on days where I am feeling bad (which is nearly everyday). How do I force myself to write? Q: What is the best way to explore philosophy? A: I approach philosophy for the love of knowledge and to improve my life—not academically, to write papers or teach others, so my answer will differ from theirs. I found the best way is to take on life’s…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: Are some people just born leaders? Would it be too over the top to write a letter to my son's daycare because they watch too much TV and I feel it is excessive (more than 2 hours)? What happens in my body if I totally cut sugar from my diet? What are the best events for leadership? Who according to you is considered a great and kind leader as per history but was actually the opposite? Q: Are some people just born leaders? A: No one is born leading. Everyone has to learn some skills. Even if people have traits that lend themselves to leading, some skills…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: What habits can I develop to improve my speaking style and communicate more like Steve Jobs? Are you a leader or a follower? How should I stop loving someone who does not love me? Is burpee the fastest weight loss exercise? Aside from running, what is the best form of Cardio for fat loss that doesn't require equipment? Q: What habits can I develop to improve my speaking style and communicate more like Steve Jobs? A: One habit dominates over all others in every performance field: Practice, practice, practice Public speaking is performance. Think of every type of performer: actor, musician, singer, athlete, improv, etc. They all…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: What is the best habit you've taken up from another person? How do I start a successful project? Are there any program in NYU/ Columbia University for high school students that increase their to be accepted when applying? What makes an awesome CEO? A transformative leadership role at IBM vs Sales Engineering role at Google given the financials are the same. What would you choose? Q: What is the best habit you've taken up from another person? A: Burpees, without a doubt. Get to know me and you get to know I do burpees—over 70,000 so far, daily, without missing a day in over four years. I…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: How do I start a successful project? What are the best morning habits? Is it normal to not ever want a relationship again after a heartbreak? Who is the most influential writer that came from Germany? What are the differences between leaders in business and leaders in academia? Q: How do I start a successful project? A: The number one most important element is to know the problem you want to solve and the community feeling that problem that you want to serve. My Princeton talk gives my best answer in depth. It’s an hour and tells you how to start a successful project, which can be…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: Is it ethical to search the cell phone of my partner if I've been told he is cheating? Do you find it offensive when people write "'Murica"? How do you know for certain you won't cheat on anyone? In terms of acquiring life's wisdom, what are better things to do than reading books? Why is leadership training as important as leadership education? Q: Is it ethical to search the cell phone of my partner if I've been told he is cheating? A: I recommend two different questions than if it’s ethical: What alternatives do I have? What will the results of my actions be for each alternative?…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: What makes an effective leader? How can I be more spontaneous? How can I use my introversion as a business leader? What books or articles describe the high performance leadership framework (as taught at Stanford)? Should I feel bad about getting rejected from Harvard/Stanford/Columbia? Q: What makes an effective leader? A: Rather than describe the qualities and behaviors that effective leaders have, I’ll answer it takes to make someone an effective leader. More than anything else, leaders are made through experience. Before a leader can take on a big challenge, he or she has to have taken on smaller challenges, developing and mastering the skills, experiences, and…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: What makes an effective leader? How can I be more spontaneous? How can I use my introversion as a business leader? What books or articles describe the high performance leadership framework (as taught at Stanford)? Should I feel bad about getting rejected from Harvard/Stanford/Columbia? Is it ethical to search the cell phone of my partner if I've been told he is cheating? Q: What makes an effective leader? A: Rather than describe the qualities and behaviors that effective leaders have, I’ll answer it takes to make someone an effective leader. More than anything else, leaders are made through experience. Before a leader can take on a big…

Continuing my Saturday series on posting my answers to questions from Quora, here are my next questions answered: What are the best, most insightful questions to ask to find things out about and know what a person is like? How often should men be leaders in relationships? I have been reading a lot but it's online like Quora and other sources. Is that of less value then actual books? Have you ever envisioned your life in 10years? What are the top 10 books of all time? What's the best graduate job if your ultimate goal is to be an entrepreneur? Q: What are the best, most insightful questions to ask to find things out about and know what a person is like? A: More important…

Continuing my Saturday blog series of posting my answers from Quora here... This week's questions: What is the best way to start reading philosophy? For leadership training purposes, what's more important, knowledge or imagination? What are the advantages of university courses over just reading textbooks? Can there be disadvantages to calling your business a "startup"? What are some of the best time management tips for college students? Who are some of the most influential women in the world in 2016 and how are they wielding that power? Question: What is the best way to start reading philosophy? My answer: I approach philosophy for the love of knowledge and to improve my life, not as an academic to write papers or teach others, so my answer…