Ami Says

Late at night, I found myself aimlessly scrolling through Instagram Reels when, out of nowhere, a guy appeared claiming that brushing your teeth with your left hand could transform your life. Being someone who's constantly seeking more from life, I thought, "Why not?" and decided to give it a try the following morning. Subsequently, while I was on my computer or phone, an advertisement for Ramit Sethi's book, "I Will Teach You To Be Rich," popped up. Initially dismissing it as sensationalist flu...

As a Tech Sales Instructor, I had a student in Miami. We were talking about his dream compensation. "So tell me, man, how much do you want to make a year?" He shot back, "$200 Million". All the other students laughed, but I didn't. If that's his dream, why laugh at it? But I responded, "OK, $200 million a year, but how much of that is going to be from Tech Sales?" He responded without winking, "Oh, about $150K," which is a realistic salary for a Tech Sales professional. It was clear that I wasn...

We talk about the future of warfare, but the future is already here. Yet, we base our approach to warfare on the past. Big tanks, ships, and aircraft have the most significant value. We see this when European armies buy large tanks and other large terrestrial vehicles to face the no longer unrealistic threat of a direct conflict with Russia. All this, although over 30 ships of Russia's Black Sea Fleet - a third of the entire fleet - have been destroyed this past year by a country that doesn't ha...

In George Orwell's 1984 novel, there's a reference to surveillance helicopters coming close to the ground to spy on people through their windows. It doesn't sound fantastic today, but his book was first published in 1948, long before such surveillance was possible. During Covid-19, I lived in Jerusalem, and the police used drones to make sure people under quarantine were indeed at home. As an avid cyclist, I saw traffic police launch drones from orange orchards for traffic surveillance. It's no...

A company contacted me, seeking assistance with an important sales presentation while their top salesperson was on vacation. Specializing in building management systems, they had an opportunity for a significant contract involving multiple buildings. During a late-night call, the CEO passionately outlined why their offer surpassed the competition's. As I took notes, he revealed that while their company asked for a mere $50K, the competitor proposed $300K. Puzzled, I asked, "You stated the super...

I managed a sales team once which ranged a variety of nationalities, personalities, and experience. However, management had one blanket policy for the entire team: make as many calls as possible, with everyone benchmarked according to the closer who made the most calls. Generally, it’s a numbers game, and the one who makes the most calls usually makes the most sales. Our number one salesperson made around 280 calls a day and made the most sales. But our number two salesperson made only 20 calls...

They often speak of midlife crises and burnout hitting in your 40s, but for me, it's a different struggle altogether: a relentless deluge of nonsense. After two decades in the tech industry, instead of growing more tolerant, I find my patience wearing thinner by the day. The warning signs aren't merely observed; they're swiftly addressed with a decisive fury. Gone is the leniency once afforded to novice professionals who overlook blatant red flags in the vain hope they'll vanish on their own. T...

Residing in numerous countries has significantly moulded my mentality, encompassing positive and challenging facets. Growing up in Greece, my admiration extended beyond its scenic beaches to the industrious builders who commenced work before sunrise, employing manual tools and portable concrete mixers. Simultaneously, I found inspiration in the maritime magnates whose colossal tankers in Piraeus fueled my dreams. This environment instilled the belief that diligent work could propel one to such ...

We live in a world of enemies who want to rejoice at our downfall. If you're on the front of some war, it's a bit easier to identify the enemy, but it's not always clear even there. But in a civilised peacetime society, it's tough. In a simple mind, one's friend is the one who is nice to you. The enemy is the one who is mean to you. Still, even then, the term enemy isn't popular in a civilised society, just like the word evil is a term reserved for the exclusive usage of religious people. "Soph...

On New Year's Day, 1985, my 40-year-old father died of a heart attack. I was two years old. But never mind me; my poor mother was in her twenties and had lost the love of her life right next to her on that January morning. December 31st, 2023. I'm 40 years old. Some crooks stole my bike from my basement earlier in the year. The police officer who came over to take fingerprints - yes, in Austria, things are different - told me how he had just had a heart attack. With a warm smile, he advised me ...

The routine of every day is automatic. One gets up and does what one does without thinking much about it. The body proceeds while the mind gets lost in random thoughts, worries, memories, and processing information. The hands wash the face, prepare the coffee, put on the coat, and lock the door. All the while, the mind thinks about the night's dreams, the day's worries, and, not surprisingly, the weather. And millions of people around the world join you in unison. The time when all this changes...

The Christmas markets are bustling with cheerful people holding Glühweins and fruit punches. The smells of Lebkuchen and fried potato fill the air. Random stands selling random goods that would unlikely sell during any other marketing event. The cold temperature matters little as the body temperature of the masses makes up for it. One Christmas market location remains empty. Still needs to be set up. As if accidentally forgotten. The area so accustomed to being used for a Christmas market appea...

One glass of wine, one shot of something, one cocktail of this, one of that, and then one of that. Life is too short not to enjoy the moment. The strange yet comforting music emanating from the speakers above. The view on the street below, a this, a that, a small, a big, a fast, a slow yet just a car. Multiple cars. Stopping at the light as the tram slides by. Filled with people heading to town. To party, to walk, to eat, to drink, to get absolutely and totally drunk. It's cold outside, or is i...

The roads look like winter, but it's not quite there yet. Still, some flowers wither away slowly. Others look like they're holding on a bit longer. It's funny how these flowers get appreciated the most, as they don't stand out in summer when all the flowers stand firm. The green grass grows between the cobblestones but slower in places where outdoor platforms of cafes and restaurants once covered them. The buildings look empty. I look for a cat looking at the road from one of the windows, but a...

On that Saturday morning, Hamas won against Israel. They outsmarted the world's 11th superpower. They used scooters and primitive communication methods. Actually, it was an ingenious tactic. And it effectively bypassed all the defences of Israel. Resulting in one of the greatest tragedies in the State of Israel's history. But the strategy used by Hamas is not their invention; anyone trained in guerilla warfare knows that what they did was according to the textbook. Except, of course, for butch...

We all know about self-sabotage and limiting beliefs; we talk about it all the time, but we're unaware of how much we're affected. We may have a fear of success, even more so fear of failure, fear of appearing stupid, but it's more than that. If you've made a certain amount of money all your working life, then trying to increase this compensation will raise all kinds of existential alarms in your mind. Because, in truth, going from $40K a year to $100K a year is scary. Extremely uncomfortable. ...

If you want something else for yourself, the likelihood that your current environment will allow this is mostly impossible. Your parents, siblings, partner, kids, relatives, and friends make up your current tribe, and your tribe wants to keep you "safe" according to tribe norms. While they often aggressively try to do so, their intentions aren't necessarily ill intent. They truly believe you're losing your mind and that you're in grave danger of ruining yourself. True, if you choose to become a...

The world is going to war, and the fools are stuck on being wholly zoomed in. A war here, a war there, zoom out, and you'll see it's one war. One battle of East vs West or West vs East, whichever you prefer. An Axis - yes, an Axis that actually uses that name! - of Russia, Syria, Iran and everything that is of Iran (Hamas, Hezbollah, The Houthis, and co.). Treacherous Turkey, Hungary, Serbia and now Slovakia, who won't pick the right side of history. Zoom out, and it's one big massive front tha...

The meat at the butcher's in the market looks beautiful. The lines, the colour, the drops of blood. A brief thought of feeling bad, but again appreciating how beautiful it looks. The bipolar attitude of society where we're supposed to feel bad for animals but not stop eating them. This "I feel bad" nonsense. If you don't feel OK with it, then don't do it, and if you're OK with it, then don't pretend that you're not. Like all these people who rant against porn, but they're at it secretly, hoping...

You think you know something, but do you really? What is it that you know? Some expertise? What you learnt in school? From your parents? Friends? Neighbours? Can you guarantee it's not all just one massive pile of shit? Of course, you can't. Everything you think you know is based on your thoughts, but what do you know? 2+2 = 4? Why do you know this to be so? Because you were taught that it is so. But maybe it's 5? It could be 6. The only reason it's 4 is because you've been told it's 4. And bec...

If you grew up poor, you likely have a fear of poverty. I read once that many of the Forbes list is made up of people who fear poverty, and this fear propels them to crazy heights of financial success. Another common fear is fear of failure and actually fear of success, which keeps many, if not most, people living lives that are not aligned with their dreams. In fact, this is so common that it's cliche. But many different kinds of fears hold us back. Fear of not being smart enough, even though ...

What haunts me the most about the experience in Kharkiv is not what I saw, but the thought of what I have yet to witness. The fear of myself in such chaos is something that keeps me up at night. It's not the fear of the Russians and their primitive imperial aspirations that drives me to escape to the West, but the fear of what I might become in the face of such violence. Even the sight of suffering dogs triggered an anger within me that I've never felt before, and that terrifies me. It's not th...

In the water it falls. Using a stick I rescue it. Sitting there at the edge with a broken wing I know my effort is worthless. If I move the bird to the other side it won't fall in again. It won't drown. But how will it die? Without a wing it's a matter of time. I leave the bird where it is as I farewell. It looks at me. Relief or hope? I know what I'll see when I return. Exactly as one imagines. A dead bird. And I feel like shit. My eyes darken. Anger engulfs me. Why did I save what I kill...

Every time we think things will be different this time and then we deal with precisely the same nonsense. The only thing that changes is the actors playing the roles, but the story is the same. There may be slight variations here and there. It's not Jerusalem, and it's New York. It's not winter, and it's summer. It's not a daughter but a son. It's not a blonde but a brunette—nevertheless, so much déjà vu. When you're starting your life, and when I say that, I mean in your late teens and early ...

When I think of the history it’s hard to understand how peaceful these quiet streets among these old but up kept buildings are. There’s silence that’s broken once in a while by the hoofs of horses pulling carriages with their cargo of mesmerized tourists. The drivers pointing out quietly one historical building or another. I think of my own sadness which at this point in my life seems to be one of my oldest companions. Never surprising me but still misunderstood. I am content and sad at the sam...

A fucking idiot walks down the inevitable path of stupidity, never learning a fuck all thing. All the wisdom in the world he reads, not realising that it goes in one ear and comes out of his asshole like a silent fart. He falls in love before he is loved and he goes to war before its declaration. Money he chases as he has none and he declares fatherhood without proof. He aches for illusion and takes for granted what's real. Everywhere he sees enemies where there are none and where there are ...

I'm a city person. I could never live in anything with a population less than 500K. It's just the way it is. One jackal crosses my path that's normal, two it's time to slow down. And then a fox. Clearly there's a party going on. I'm always seeing things and not sure what is real and what isn't but as long as it stays in the corner of my eye all is good. When the moon is bright it complicates things as you constantly think there's a car coming when it's not. However, the beauty about the nigh...

Racing through the late night city traffic of buses, cabs, ambulances, cop cars and motorists. Electric bikes and cycling commuters. Into the forest roads of sporadic motorists, cautious jackals and a single track train echoing throughout the mountains. Down into the land of highways and high speed railroads, heavy industry and endless trucks screaming across the land. Highway patrol speeding along, flashing lights. Buses traveling national routes. Commercial jets and military helicopters in th...

I don't understand how people can gather within a cramped building and pray to God. I haven't been to a house of prayer in years and last time I was there I felt like a caged animal. When I'm on the top of some mountain overlooking the land I see creation. I see a promise fulfilled. A land of the living. And whether I want to or not I think of my Creator and the possible outcomes and consequences of it all. And if you're going to be an asshole you're only going to last so long on the road. I c...

Descending a quiet road at good speed I overtake a minivan clearly unsure of its whereabouts. At the bottom of the hill it catches up with me as I'm drinking some water and enjoying the view. Tourists. The teenager runs off to snap pictures and the mother approaches me to ask me if I knew where some archeological site could be found. I point up to the mountain and proceed to explain the map of asphalt and dirt paths. After she thanks me I wonder how come I always know where the weird shit is? ...