William Liao @williamliao

Taiwanese American, daily blogger of ideas about impactful work in service of others, photographer (ephemera.photography)

William Liao last shared their writing spotting weeds
To be “lost in the weeds” is to be so caught up in minor detail as to completely miss the point.
Imagine two people getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum.
One person spends this opportunity scanning the painting while admiring da Vinci’s creation;...
William's Pantry
🍺 40 Beers
🥟 46 Dumplings
🧇 29 Waffles
🍪 29 Cookies
🍵 49 Teas
🍣 38 Sushis
☕️ 38 Coffees
🍫 41 Chocolate Bars
🍍 36 Pineapples
🥓 36 Bacons
🥚 36 Eggs
🥩 26 Steaks
🍊 45 Tangerines
🍓 25 Strawberries
🥃 28 Whiskeys
Collections

The joy of missing out

The logic behind the fear of missing out (FOMO) is that if you don’t participate in all things, you risk missing out on potentially meaningful life experiences. 

This mindset seems fairly well-intended on the surface — the pursuit of getting the most fulfillment and experience out of life sounds like a...
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2021-04-16 02:19:46

You cannot please everyone

For every piece of art, some will find it beautiful and others won’t. 

For every food dish, some will people find it delicious and others won’t care for it.

For every speech, some will think it was brilliant and others will feel that they’ve heard much better elsewhere. 

For everything that’s ever been...
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2021-04-15 02:02:08

No.

Saying ‘no’ is about communicating what your values are, and what you will and will not tolerate on the basis of these values. 

Saying ‘no’ is about protecting your energy and making sure that it only goes to the things that truly matter. 

Saying ‘no’ is about respecting your life and being...
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2021-04-14 00:48:24

Don't forget to laugh!

Sometimes we take life too seriously: 

We react to certain issues at work as if they were life-and-death situations. 

We give our to-do lists 100% of our attention and forget about the million other aspects of life that are worth paying attention.

We book large portions of the work week with back-to-back meetings...
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2021-04-12 21:51:47

The wheel is overrated

SMART, a startup founded in 2020, revealed an airless bicycle tire based on NASA technology in March this year. 

This tire in question doesn’t require inflation and can champion all kinds of terrain with its unique ability to return to shape at a molecular level without losing its structural integrity over...
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2021-04-12 00:27:15

Ask anyway

“The way to increase curiosity is to remove the obstacles” — Angela Duckworth, Author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance 

Being deeply curious is key to better understanding and appreciating anything in life.

The way you exercise deep curiosity is by routinely asking questions that help light the way to...
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2021-04-11 01:34:54

The title must be a string

I don’t know really what I’m doing: 

I feel like I am figuring out my career.

I feel like I am figuring how to live a meaningful life. 

I feel like I am figuring out my relationships with other people. 

I am figuring out this daily practice that I’ve got going called the ‘Daily...
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2021-04-09 21:29:14

A letter to my 80-year-old self

Dear 80-year-old William, 

It will be a long time before we meet, which I think makes writing this letter about my deepest wishes for you all the more valuable. 

Also, I hope you’re actually 80 when you read this. As you know all too well, no one is guaranteed a long life...
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2021-04-09 01:51:55

A toast to my 'failures'

Dear ‘failures’,

You really upset me when I first met you.

I mean really upset: frustration, anger, sadness, powerlessness, and all.

But as time went on, I had the opportunity to process: the subsiding of the initial storm of emotions gave me space to wonder openly about how I might be able understand...
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2021-04-07 21:20:25

Duct tape etiquette

Duct tape can be a great tool for things like holding a package together during transit or temporarily plugging a leaky pipe. 

On the other hand, we generally don’t use duct tape to stand up our households or to hold our cars together because there is an understanding that in the...
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2021-04-07 00:22:55