Category: Expectations

• The ROI of a recovery attempt

  When you lose something, you need to decide: should you attempt to recover it, or should you give it up? (You can ask this same question when something’s broken: should you repair it, or should you give it up?) Giving up means accepting the loss. It means letting go of the past, moving on, and…

  Herbert Lui

  April 13, 2026

  Expectations, Life, Turning Stories

• Difficulty is a positive early signal

  “All things are difficult at the beginning,” goes a Chinese proverb (translating from, “万事开头难”).  Each entry in the Consistency Journal is introduced by a quote. That’s the one on day six. After nearly a week of journaling, and using it to help build my business writing practice, it resonated with me immensely. Dejection is a…

  Herbert Lui

  April 11, 2026

  Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories

• Talking about your goals is a tradeoff

  Sometimes, people ask me if discussing your goals with other people is a good idea. I think it’s a tradeoff: There’s a theory that the more you talk about your goal with other people, the more your brain feels like it’s achieved it already. Your ego feels good, which actually drains it of motivation. Another…

  Herbert Lui

  April 8, 2026

  Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations

• Nonsense

  People say nonsensical things all the time. They don’t know better, they’re mindlessly expressing their second nature, or you caught them at a weird time. Sometimes, all of the above. You do it. I do it. Nobody’s perfect. Nonsense shows up as a decision that doesn’t make sense, vague instructions, or a belief that conflicts with…

  Herbert Lui

  April 5, 2026

  Expectations, Turning Stories

• Second nature

  A second nature is a behaviour or thought that’s very deeply ingrained in you. It could take you towards your goals, like calming down when you feel confused or hugging a loved one when they’re hurting. Or, it could take you away from them, like holding a grudge or beating yourself up. It happens almost…

  Herbert Lui

  April 3, 2026

  Creativity, Expectations, Turning Stories

• Be curious, not judgmental

  Being judgmental is useful for doing difficult things. (Sanctimonious, self-righteous, prideful, are all variations of what I mean by being judgmental.) When you believe in a statement that’s judgmental, it gives you the energy you need to stick with letting go of bad habits, persisting in a challenging situation, or breaking through a self-limiting belief…

  Herbert Lui

  April 2, 2026

  Creativity, Expectations

• What’s obvious to you might not be to me

  In school and work, you’re conditioned to believe, “Your contribution isn’t valuable if it’s obvious.” But more often than you’d think, you take for granted what you know, and assume that I know it too.  What’s obvious to you might not be obvious to me; it might be the first time I’ve learned about it.…

  Herbert Lui

  March 31, 2026

  Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories

• Add purpose to the payoff

  Airline loyalty programs are difficult to navigate. They’ve made it this way intentionally, because it provides customers with a sense of challenge—the same way a video game would. The question is, what’s the payoff? Provided enough reward, the more of a challenge something is, the more you’ll strive to chase after it. Will it provide…

  Herbert Lui

  March 30, 2026

  Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories

• Bias for continuity

  After over 50 years of operation, the Ontario Science Centre shut down its main building a couple of years ago because the infrastructure was failing, and it was no longer safe. This type of decay happens naturally. The world can be chaotic, and its environment is always changing. Instead of repairing it, the government decided…

  Herbert Lui

  March 28, 2026

  A Matter of Time, Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories

• Five minutes ahead

  The clock in my study runs five minutes ahead. My partner and I set it this way in the hopes of constantly being five minutes early, which is exactly what happened the other day. This happens to be a tradition in both of our families. When I grew up, the clock in my family’s living…

  Herbert Lui

  March 27, 2026

  A Matter of Time, Creator Confidential, Expectations