Nobody Yet

I haven't uploaded in a month, but I swear I have a good reason !!! (the inaccurate excuse that I give myself) The past month, I travelled to Palo Alto for a work trip with the goal of fleshing out the MVP product we're looking to launch and a presentation with the big dog. Here are some lessons I've been thinking about from the past month. Some other stuff More coherent thoughts: www....

When's the best time to set goals? Whenever you need to get it together. In this episode I go over some quarterly goals I'm looking to make progress in the next 3 months. Recorded July 13, 2025

Reflections on a quiet long weekend where I did a little work, a little reading, a little writing, and a little working out. I also reflect on feeling fomo in the past weekend and the tradeoffs that lead up to this point. Recorded on July 7

Among my favorite reframes is thinking of life like a stock: - short term volatility is irrelevant to long term progress - downturns feel catastrophic as life improves in absolute terms but has been experienced before in percentage terms - life improves compound Recorded June 23

The 3 things I'm optimizing for in my 20s is authenticity, agency, and conviction. I have the first two down pat. But what about conviction? I talk about trying to build off conviction when being the lead in a new project in a new industry and an unlikely solution to balancing humbleness and confidence: an alter ego Recorded @ June 17

How Do You Get Confidence When Starting Something New? This is a question I'm currently asking myself as I take lead in a new project tackling a new industry. Why do I always need evidence before I do new pursuits despite not having evidence in the first place? How do I build meaningful blind faith? How can an alter ego help? Recorded on June 9, 2025

On this episode, I reflect on a conversation I had with a childhood friend and the feeling of being old at 25. Why do we feel old all of a sudden? Why do we reminisce about the past? Why do we feel like we can't do much anymore? Recorded on June 2.

Some jumbled thoughts on reframing when writing my Reframing Substack essay: https://www.nobody-yet.com/p/reframing

I'm back after locking in for a month with work. Turns out I just really miss podcasting and emptying my brain with structured thoughts. In this episode, I talk about why I was gone for a month and my current obsession with reading biographies (one of the highest leverage things no one does). Also. It's not Henry Shackleton, it's Ernest Shackleton lol. Recorded on Monday May 19 Some ot...

In this episode, I review the last quarter of the new year and the previous temporary shift of what is valuable. I talk about the cynicism that comes with feelings of having low agency and cultivating a new approach to work: dispassion. Recorded on March 28 @ 11pm Some other stuff More coherent thoughts: https://lieric.substack.com/   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ericcliii   Ig: https://www.i...

In this episode, I continue on the insights in section 2 (success) in Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday. Specifically, I cover 3 chapters: "Don't tell yourself a story", "What's important to you", and "Beware the disease of me." I also think through unteachable lessons- a framework that I've been obsessing over and it's specific reference to money and status. Recorded on March 13 @ 9:48pm Some othe...

Being a bit sad these couple of days (but not today as I'm recording this!), I reflect a bit into my sadness and operationalize the approach to get out of the rut. I then wonder if I experience more self torment than the average person from my more frequent introspection and look forward to testing maxes in the gym. Recorded on Feb 27 @ 11:07pm EST More coherent thoughts: https://lieric.substack.c...

In this episode, I cover the insights in section 1 (ascent) in Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday. Specifically, I cover the 4 chapters: "talk talk talk, "don't be passionate", "get our of your own head", and "work, work, work" and how they specifically pertain to my own life. Along the way, I berate my future self who is hopefully coming back to listen to this episode. Enjoy lol :) Recorded on Feb...

With the past two weeks being stressful, this week is a bit more slow. In this episode, I talk about the internal resistance and fear with reaching out to people in the context of work and of friends. Some smaller reminders of the curse of competence and meaningful vs important activities! Recorded on Fed 14 @ 6:17pm EST Some other stuff More coherent thoughts: https://lieric.substack.com/   Youtu...

It's another week and I'm still stressed. In this episode, I pull my attempt at a MECE framework of the sources of my stress (spoiler alert: internal expectation and self validation are buckets). I also dig into 3 small reminders to myself to enjoy the little moments in life. Recorded on Feb 5 @ 6:43pm EST More coherent thoughts: https://lieric.substack.com/   Youtube: https://www.youtube....

Recording this in a stressful time after just gotten back from a ski trip with catch ups for work, powerlifting programming, friends, and other interests (like this podcast!). I talk about the downsides of ambition and having a type A personality: anxiety, self inflicted pressure, search for internal validation, and pain in not meeting internalized expectations. Thoughts are jumbled a bit in this...

My guest is Yuxuan- currently pursuing his own home care company. We talk about how he escaped from the "normal" big tech route post university, the feeling he felt after earning his first dollar, the chaos after going viral on TikTok, and the lessons he accumulated so far. Some other stuff :) More coherent thoughts: https://lieric.substack.com/   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ericcliii   Ig:...

I talk about recent reoccurring doubts I've had in choosing my current job instead of several alternatives and the arguments to combat these doubts. Inspired from a recent year of review catch up with some close friends, I also remind myself how to reframe difficult times. Recorded on Jan 15 @ 5:47pm Some other stuff My writing: https://lieric.substack.com/   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@...

HAPPY NEW YEAR ! It's just me in this one. I already had to opportunity to stew in the reflection of 2024 so I'm looking ahead in this one. I talk about ideas I would like to keep in mind when it comes to New Year's Resolutions (focus, duration, urgency), things that currently do and do not matter to me, and my resulting new years resolutions. Goals are pointless if not operationalized. If there's...

The road to being a medical professional is difficult. Period. So what happens when you realize 10+ years of school is just not for you? This is part one of the story of Jonathan, who pivoted from aiming for medical school towards mastering in Genetic Counseling at Stanford, John Hopkins, UofT, etc... Along the way, Eric and Jonathan talk about his high school experiences, looking for social and o...

The road to being a medical professional is difficult. Period. So what happens when you realize 10+ years of school is just not for you? This is part one of the story of Jonathan, who pivoted from aiming for medical school towards mastering in Genetic Counseling at Stanford, John Hopkins, UofT, etc... Along the way, Eric and Jonathan talk about his high school experiences, looking for social and o...

My guest is Jack- currently a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at MIT. We talk about how he started pursuing research out of spite, falling deeply interested in research, getting into the door at prestigious universities, and the random shenanigans in research. Some other stuff More coherent thoughts: https://lieric.substack.com/   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ericcliii   Ig: https://www.instagr...

I talk about being sick and some of the reminders to have around resetting expectations, framing pursuits, and enjoying my time during this period. Recorded on Dec 22 @ 4:29pm Some other stuff More coherent thoughts: https://lieric.substack.com/   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ericcliii   Ig: https://www.instagram.com/ericli.c/  

My first guest for this rendition of Nobody Yet: Joon! He's someone I met in university via mutuals and I follow him on instagram where he has been posting his yoga journey of handstands and insane flexibility like touching the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. We talk about his progression in yoga as a source of mindfulness, perspectives on happiness, living completely in the moment, and...

Everyone optimizes for different things at different points in life. I overview what I'm optimizing for at this specific point in time in which I'm 25 and have recently moved to New York for a new job. Recorded on Dec 3 2024 @ 11:09pm Some other stuff More coherent thoughts: https://lieric.substack.com/   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ericcliii   Ig: https://www.instagram.com/ericli.c/