There's a version of self-reflection that feels productive but isn't. I discovered mine on a Tuesday evening here in my Thailand, not long into my sabbatical. I was doing what I'd been doing regularly for some time — sitting with a notebook, reviewing the day.
I've been wearing an Apple Watch for years. It tracks my steps, my sleep, my stress. It knows a lot about me. But the night I finally slept well — it had nothing to do with the data.
PERMAH isn't a wellness trend. It's a research-based framework that maps what a thriving human life actually consists of — and gives you a way to audit where you really are.
Stoicism has a marketing problem. The word conjures gritted teeth and suppressed feelings. The actual philosophy is almost the opposite — and far more useful.
And what it taught me about the life I'd been postponing The meeting room had no windows. I remember that detail with strange precision — because somewhere in the middle of a three-hour session reviewing a system architecture proposal, I realised I hadn't seen natural light in