Listen Now

As consumers, you can also reflect on the way companies run their business, at least I try to do that for myself! In this episode, I'll be sharing the biggest lessons that I have learned from 2 tech giants - Tesla (or actually not really) and Grab! Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/better.podcast/ Join the Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/betterpodcast Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/watchbetter Write to me at: melvin@accesscontent.digital Some related reading https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship/the-real-story-behind-ubers-exit-from-southeast-asia-10096 https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/uber-grab-singapore-ride-hailing-southeast-asia-private-hire-10630396 https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/how-grab-beat-uber-in-southeast-asia-10630682 Listen to Business Wars - SpaceX vs Blue Origin (Warning: VERY ADDICTIVE PODCAST) https://open.spotify.com/episode/066Pf9a9NkAvhR3kxYKXzF?si=0DZSgvrzS3CvG_8yBnqrXw --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

Who hasn't failed before? Who likes to fail?  The point is, fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.  In this episode, I cover how failing can be a good thing, and how to make every failure work to your advantage! Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/better.podcast/ Join the Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/betterpodcast Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/watchbetter Write to me at: melvin@accesscontent.digital Related reading: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-importance-of-learning-to-fail-gracefully_b_8265920?guccounter=1 https://mixinglight.com/color-grading-tutorials/failing-gracefully-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-to-bomb/ https://artiagarwal.medium.com/why-we-need-to-talk-about-failure-11fcfc77e66c https://medium.com/swlh/failure-isnt-really-failure-a03445edaf0b --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

If there's only one skill left to learn, what would it be? Literacy is taken for granted these days, now that almost everyone knows how to read and write. But the basic requirements for work has changed. What is it, and how can we improve on it?  Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/better.podcast/ Join the Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/betterpodcast Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/watchbetter Write to me at: melvin@accesscontent.digital Additional links: https://sustainabilityx.co/digital-literacy-will-probably-be-the-only-kind-of-literacy-there-is-dc430de6124a --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

In this episode, Better Self - How to get enough Fukkatsu Ryoku (復活力) - (Recovery Strength) to uncancel 2020: An interview with Yuka Shinoda.  With cancel culture getting so rife all over, the biggest thing that has been cancelled is the entire year of 2020. While many of us are still caught in lockdowns and uncertainty, at least one person found it within her to improve herself in multiple aspects of life.    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/better.podcast/ Join the Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/betterpodcast Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/watchbetter Full Video Episode: https://youtu.be/-1J7X3Q64Ro Write to me at: melvin@accesscontent.digital   In this episode, I speak with Yuka Shinoda on what she has been learning, why she has been learning all that, and more importantly, how you can take advantage of your time in lockdown to learn as much as her.  #uncancel2020 #interviews --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

In this episode, I put forward a proposal for you to quit social media altogether. Of course, I don't mean for everyone to take such extreme measures right away, but at least understand why there's a case for it.  Full video episode: https://youtu.be/rEScogwZ-Ak Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/better.podcast/ Join the Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/betterpodcast Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/watchbetter Write to me at: melvin@accesscontent.digital We all know how social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. have created so many positives in our lives, but have we given the same weight to the negatives? Whether it's for our relationships, or even our mental well-being, there's a reason to stop using these platforms. However, if we can't bear to do just that, what can we do to at least take control back from these monopolies? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

In this episode of Better, Better Self, I'm going to contest that the world doesn't need more specialists, and tell you why they are overrated.   Full video Episode: https://youtu.be/m1m7jAfZQaI Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/betterpodcast  For more episodes, visit https://anchor.fm/the-better-podcast-by-melvin-seetoh From childhood, most of us were taught to specialize to earn more. Is that really the case now?  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/betterpodcast For more episodes, visit https://melvinseetoh.com/better Visit Jubilee on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jubileeProject I was just reading through Goodhumans, a Jubilee media Facebook group, and saw something that particularly interested me. Oh by the way, if you aren’t already subscribed to Jubilee on youtube, you’re missing out on a whole lot of empowering stuff that encourages empathy, so check that out. So sorry for digressing, but yeah, Facebook group. Well, this group, is a safe space for members to really get out there and be vulnerable to at least a few people. We discuss some problems that are happening to us, or around us, support as many as we can, and ask for help whenever we need it. Anyway, someone was just asking for help in getting toxic people out of her life. And it jumped out at me. Why do some people around me, or maybe you’re listening to this and feel the same way, but why do some people just have that many toxic people around them? Look, I was genuinely curious, because it took me a few days of introspection to realize that there must be something I’m doing right because I either don’t have toxic people around my life, or maybe they just don’t get to me. Maybe some of you know it already, but I’m quite a deadpan person. I don’t have many highs or lows in my life, and most things that happen around me just affect me just as a small blip on an ECG. Ok surprise pop quiz, and I promise this is going to be important to this episode’s topic: When was the last time someone made you angry, sad, or made you emotional? I’m going to guess most people find it easy to answer that quickly. Not for me, seriously, I’m struggling to think when, but I’m quite sure it was my wife. Still, I don’t think I feel much outside of my home, which also led me to think: are there truly no toxic people around me? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

Related Links:  Former Thinx Employee Accuses Miki Agrawal of Sexual Harassment The Better Podcast - Better Relationships - You Need To STFU For Feedback and Comments: melvin@accesscontent.digital Here’s a Bible story for everyone. Yeah, you might not be the religious type, but even you must admit there are life lessons from the bible. There’s this story about the samaritan woman at the well, whom Jesus had to meet. She was a woman who had been sleeping with 5 men, perhaps even as she was married, yet Jesus still had to show her that she was loved. The turning point of this story was when she realized she was loved in spite of her imperfections, and she ran down the streets evangelizing. The thing I want to focus on is the fact that we will never know how loved we are until we are truly open with the person loving us. I use the word love loosely, but it’s your choice if you want to replace it with accepted or respected. It’s the same thing. If we put up a facade and expect to be loved, true happiness can never come. That’s because deep down inside, we know that the people who buy that facade only love the facade. Because it’s easy to love light and surface reflections, the beautiful shimmering glow one sees on top. However, you must be willing to go deeper, to show both to those whom you wish to be close. The light, as well as the darkness, depth, and challenges, the not so flattering or easy stuff as well. This is the pathway to real closeness and love. And how to get there? Vulnerability. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

For feedback and comments be sure to visit melvinseetoh.com/better or write to melvin@accesscontent.digital I’ll be the first to admit, even though I score as an extrovert on every single personality test, quite often I feel the need to not say anything at all. Maybe I’m being too sensitive, but I’ve been caught in many situations where a person I’m with just can’t stop talking about random things. Let’s be clear, even I know that knowing how to talk doesn’t necessarily mean we are building a conversation. There’s a time to talk, but more often, the best thing to do is listen. If you have been listening to this podcast, you would have known that I have been reading up quite a bit on building relationships, after all, that’s one of the topics on this podcast, and something I have great passion for. I’ve done one episode on silence in conversations, but I haven’t shared what I’ve learned about conversations, not as much as I would like at least. Conversations are hard. To hit the right spot, to absolutely nail the conversion, is sort of like shooting a moving target while on a moving vehicle. Every uttered word, every microsecond of silence, every non-verbal cue, signals a response that will change the dynamics of that conversation. The question I wanted to get answers to, is “What are some general formulas” in conversation scenarios? Yep, I found 4 for this episode. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

For comments and suggestions, write to melvin@accesscontent.digital, or comment at https://melvinseetoh.com/better On the Internet, some of the most common anxiety-related headlines relate to overthinking, and generally how to stop it. “How do I stop overthinking?” is such a commonly asked question on the Internet because it is a problem so many people, even those around me deal with. Thinking too much is not associated with being a good thing because our thoughts often torture us with negativity.  Maybe you feel tortured by overthinking, and even that statement caused you to start thinking… “If only I stopped thinking so much, I could live a normal life,” “If only I stopped thinking so much, I could be normal.” “If only I stopped thinking so much, every day wouldn’t be a waking hell,” I told myself. I looked at my podcast stats, and true enough, the episode with the most listens was well, about how to stop overthinking. Like what I mentioned in the podcast trailer, I’m not an expert on psychology. I’m not even an overthinker. I’m just someone who loves to research and share what I learn in summaries. At that point when reading on overthinking, the majority of articles were all about stopping it. But I decided to revisit the topic and found the article that inspired this episode, and it was clear to me that telling you how to do something is certainly going to be harder than teaching you to embrace it. I read the story of the author, desperately clinging to something, anything that would get himself to stop overthinking and get out of his own head. Being a big overthinker became the source of all his problems. As many people know, there’s a huge mental component to running, and because people would get in their own heads and overthink so much, they would never run to their potential or capacity. Even if you weren’t an overthinking, surely, you would know that even for some things that are meant to be natural, such as social interactions, overthinkers would always stay fixated on the right thing to say, and the right non-verbal cues, that they may seem nervous and unconfident. However, especially if you were an overthinker, you might want to pay close attention. What if you could turn overthinking into a strength, rather than a debilitating defect? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

For comments and feedback, visit melvinseetoh.com/better or write to melvin@accesscontent.digital. I might have mentioned this on one of the previous episodes before, but again, if you want the last word, be the last to speak. I was trying to find the origins of this quote, so I did a search on it, and hey guess what? No results found! This could very well be an original quote, and you heard it here first! Anyway, I digress. I was already aiming to write more episodes on communication for a few reasons. First, I feel strongly about communication or rather EQ being a stumbling block for many people, especially in this day and age, where most people prefer texting over calling. I don’t think it’s terrible. We get so used to shooting a message, many times to multiple people in a group chat, so much so that we find phone calls or face to face interactions awkward. Another reason is that communication isn’t taught in school. We learn it from continued interactions with people around us, but rarely do we get corrected if there’s a faux pas or an outright infraction. The end result, people just add it to a mental notebook and store that criticism of you for later. Lastly, even though there are many repositories of knowledge out there to sharpen our communication skills, many still seek hard skills over soft ones. At the same time, I got inspired by a retail staff in a Nike store, who was an excellent communicator. He made me feel comfortable right away not because he was eloquent or had a comedian’s repertoire, but because he knew when to talk and when to keep quiet! See, that got me thinking about my previous lessons on silence. When I was selling real estate, our training booklet had a telemarketing pitch to follow, which included the abbreviation: S-U-G-A-R, SUGAR, now do you know what that stands for? Exactly. Notice I gave you enough time to think about the answer, but I didn’t wait long enough for you to think there was something wrong with this recording. Oh yes, the answer, it stands for shut up, get a response. Of course, this is not a universal rule when it comes to communication, or even sales. The key to using silence, is to know when to use it, and when to stop using it, and you might just be able to communicate better, even without saying a word! More about this in this episode. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

I’d start this episode by mentioning two things that separate humans from other animals. 1, our ability to resist temptation, and 2, our ability to exercise control over our emotions and behaviour. Of course, self-control matters in life. In fact, in every aspect of our lives. It keeps us social, creating deliberate practice, forward planning, time and energy investment, and tolerating discomfort. Let me just simplify it a little, if it’s supposed to be good for you, chances are you need self-control to get it or get to it. In fact, get on quora, do a search for why is it hard to eat healthy. And you’ll see one of the answers simply says “you lack self control.” Isn’t life strange? Everyone knows that we shouldn’t be overeating, smoking, pumping ourselves full of booze, right? So why do some of us still go all out just to do such things? Do you see the irony yet? We have and need self-control, yet the things we deem as good just seem to be begging us to let go of it! Obviously, this is an important enough topic for us to spend a little attention on. In this episode, we’ll be exploring how to develop more of that. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

For those of you who tuned in to the previous episode, did you take the time between the last episode and this one to practice fighting against the 2 last horsemen? I was particularly inspired as I wrote that episode and avoided complaining with “you” statements. I don’t think we’ve had any arguments since. Try it out for yourself! Also after 10 episodes, I think i’m ready to push this podcast out on more channels. Be sure to look out for it on youtube if that’s your jam too! If you’re tuning in to this podcast for the very first time on this episode, you’ll find it a bit abstract, so before you listen on, go back to episode 10, and I guarantee you’ll find more sense in this one. For a quick recap if you’ve forgotten, in that episode I highlighted 2 out of 4 horsemen of relationship apocalypse, they are criticism and contempt, and in this episode I’m going to be continuing with the next 2, defensiveness and stonewalling. Just take note, Masters of relationships maintain a 5:1 ratio of positivity to negativity during conflict discussions. Positive interactions include displays of interest, affection, humor, empathy, and affirming body language (like eye contact and head nodding). Clearly, having more negativity than the positive is a sign of relationship trouble, but as long as the ratio is maintained, and the four horsemen are not present, negativity can still be healthy. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

If you knew me personally, you’ll know I’m not a very feelings-based person. In fact, if I were to be specific, I think I only managed to unlock my emotions in my 30s. I’d have to say a huge part of that happening is due to 3 milestone events in my life. First one was when I found religion. The second one was when I got into a serious relationship with my current wife, and the last one was when I married her. These 3 events caused me to disregard common logic, and operate more on feelings and faith. Even though I know such behaviour may seem illogical and even stupid, I think it has brought me immense joy throughout the years. The reason why relationships are probably the world’s biggest mystery, is that many problems or even triumphs are centred around emotions. Relationships are built on emotions, run by emotions, and even ruined by emotions. We all know we can never understand the full picture behind human emotions because we will never have full and complete data over them, not even our own. So in this episode, I’m going to go 100%, ok maybe just 75% emotional, and share with you what I’ve learnt recently, the 4 horsemen of relationship apocalypse, how they exist in my relationship with my wife, and how I intend to stop them in their tracks. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

Say I have no where else to spend my money, and I decide to give it to you. But i’m too sadistic so I decide to torture you with a choice. I’ll flip a coin, heads you get $100,000. Tails, you get nothing I give you $10,000 Especially in Singapore, many people will prefer the “safe” option of taking the $10,000. After all, that’s guaranteed. Is that the right choice? If you break it down statistically, the first option has an expected value of $50,000. Option 2 has a value of $10,000. The difference between them of $40,000 is called the risk premium. If you take on risk, you have more to gain. Alan Watts, who wrote the book “The Wisdom of Insecurity” quotes the benefits of not craving certainty - “I call it the ‘backwards law’. When you try to stay on the surface of the water, you sink but when you try to sink, you float. What you hold your breath, you lose it - which immediately calls to mind an ancient and much neglected saying, “whosoever would save his soul shall lose it”. This skill to flow with uncertainty, or, detachment, is more valuable than ever before in today’s uncertain world. If you have any comments or feedback, please write to me at melvin@accesscontent.digital or hit the comments section at melvinseetoh.com/better --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

Anyone knows who Will Wheaton is? Even if you didn’t watch Star Trek or Stand By Me, you might have seen him on The Big Bang Theory where he plays.. Well, Will Wheaton! Well, he’s an actor, writer, and he was just talking about his struggles with chronic depression and anxiety on Medium. He has a wonderful family, made up of 2 adult children and has a cheat code in life - A celebrity status. You could say he has a good life, in fact, I can only dream of such a life. Still, he struggles everyday with self esteem, self worth, and self value. I spoke about this topic in the previous episode, and cannot emphasize the importance of knowing your self worth more. It might just be the single most important factor in lifting most people out of their lack of confidence, their self hate, and lead them onto the path to happiness. It might take 30 years, like for him, but the first step to recovery is acknowledging this fact for yourself. In this episode, I want to further give you more ways to fight this battle for yourself, and I hope this makes you better. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

With the coronavirus still looming over the whole world, how stressed are you? While many countries including Singapore have already opened their economies so people can move on with their lives, working from home is still highly recommended, and people are still going to feel the pressures of loneliness, work pressure, and the slower economy stacked on their shoulders. Honestly, I feel it all the time. The company I’m employed by isn’t doing well, every activity at work requires revenue to be generated, and social distancing requires the team to spend more time apart. Meanwhile, outside of my bubble, many people have had their very livelihoods threatened. Entire industries have been forced to evolve or get eradicated. Even real estate investors, not that I’m one, have been forced to find new tenants that just aren’t there. So amidst all this, many people I speak to have had the same negative experiences in the last 3 months, and it’s getting harder and harder for everyone to stay positive. Maybe you are feeling this only now, maybe you’ve always been a glass half empty kind of person, whatever the case is, I think most of us really need help. That’s why I want to give everyone some tips to do just that in this episode. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

Think about it, what if you were playing the role of a relationship guru today, and someone asked you a quick question: What’s one piece of relationship advice that has helped your relationships? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

She said, “I was so afraid of people not liking me… people would pitch jokes, and I would say ‘yes’ to all of them, because I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I’d have to go later and change them, and then — all of a sudden — the script comes out and their jokes aren’t there, and they feel betrayed and lied to.” This unhealthy behaviour was killing her career, until one day, she heard someone say: “People-pleasing is a form of Assholery.” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support

What if there’s a skill that will help you foster deeper relationships with your friends, your spouse, even your clients, by allowing them to trust you more, share more with you, and even love you more! What if that skill only requires you to do just 1 thing - and you don’t even have to be that smart to do it? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/betterpodcast/support