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El Dirko

@mindskills.substack.com
14K followers 12K following 660 posts

Expert Speaker, Coach and Trainer on Emotional Intelligence, Behavioural Change and Unconscious Bias

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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 23h
"You do your worst – and we will do our best." (Winston Churchill, 1941)
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 18/12/2025
Still haven't finished reading it, so can't comment on its conclusion....
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 27/09/2026
I don't remember us having all these problems back when Pluto was a planet. Just saying.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 25/09/2026
It's easy to forget that just because people agree with our opinions on certain matters does not automatically make them decent human beings. Affinity bias wants us to believe that if someone shares a viewpoint, it means that they must be smart and nice, just because we are.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 23/09/2026
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left." (Oscar Levant)
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 20/09/2026
Just read an interesting description of someone who was (most likely) suffering from tertiary syphilis: "Constantly making contradictory claims, mood between euphoria and apathy, emotional instability, delusions of grandeur, extreme paranoia." Sound familiar? Anyway, this was about Hitler...
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 15/09/2026
Just discovered this great German band. Hope they'll go far! www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOG2...
youtube.com
The Beatles - Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand (HD & Remastered)
YouTube video by Eimbro
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 07/09/2026
From the German satirical magazine Der Postillon: "That was quick: Saxony-Anhalt invades Poland." www.der-postillon.com/2026/09/sach...
der-postillon.com
Sachsen-Anhalt überfällt Polen
Magdeburg, Olszyna, Warschau (dpo) - Sachsen-Anhalt hat Polen den Krieg erklärt. Truppen des ostdeutschen Bundeslandes durchquerten heute Morgen Brand
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 06/09/2026
This is just the first prognosis after the polling stations closed, but it's ridiculous. Let's give Saxony-Anhalt back to the Russians if they love authoritarianism so much: #saxony-anhalt #sachsen-anhalt #afdsucks
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 04/09/2026
From "Der Postillon" www.der-postillon.com/2026/08/plan...
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 28/08/2026
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 22/08/2026
I just read an article on the effectiveness of placebos and I have always wondered why you can't buy placebos in a store. After all, they are often 50-70% as effective as the "real" drugs. So just take 2 to get the same results... And if they don't work anymore? Just publish Placebo+ !
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 22/08/2026
I usually don't fall in love with gadgets, but I have been using a little device that not only records, but transcribes, summarises, creates mind maps and actions points from conversations. I only tried it with 2 languages, but apparently, it works with 120 Highly recommended: heypocket.com/12115686
heypocket.com
Pocket - Take Notes In The Real World
Pocket is a small AI device that turns everything you say and hear into clear notes, action items, and search. We combine custom hardware, AI, and software to build the best note-taking experience for...
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 19/08/2026
I think that like Cato with his "Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam", Democrats should have a snappy ending to all their speeches. How about "And to conclude, I think that Donald Trump and his whole cabinet should be imprisoned!" ?
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 18/08/2026
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 17/08/2026
Been reading a lot by Judith Shklar. Her political philosophy posits that the primary purpose of government is not to enforce lofty moral virtues or utopian ideals, but to prevent the abuse of power and protect citizens from fear and public cruelty. I definitely agree with her on the cruelty bit.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 14/08/2026
Shame that the unfunny joke candidate won in Clacton. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv... #clacton #farage
theguardian.com
Clacton byelection: Farage beats Count Binface but skips result announcement – UK politics live
Reform UK leader says result ‘speaks for itself’, as Essex police deny that they warned him not to attend vote count
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 14/08/2026
Anytime anyone starts a sentence with "It's plain to see" or "It's obvious", they probably have not really thought it through and are just rationalising their gut feelings.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 10/08/2026
There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems, because you need their gifts. (Richard Bach, Illusions)
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 07/08/2026
"I hate almost all rich people, but I think I'd be darling at it." (Dorothy Parker)
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 03/08/2026
"But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown." (Carl Sagan)
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 31/07/2026
Just got told off by my partner for not seeing something that was right in front of my face. My apology was that as a hunter, I only notice things when they are moving. That's correct, evolutionarily speaking, right? Right?
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 31/07/2026
⭐⭐☆☆☆ "Captain ignored every warning. Crew deceased. Would not recommend." How they all die during the Odyssey: www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte... #odyssey #nolan
theguardian.com
One big chart: deaths in the Odyssey
Would you rather be eaten by a Cyclops or fall off a roof and break your neck? Here’s how the plucky adventurers perish during the course of the story
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 30/07/2026
I am a bit worried that UEFA threatening to boycott FIFA tournaments will eventually lead to a Fifa vs UEFA Superbowl of Soccer extravaganza.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 29/07/2026
Off to Germany to deliver a "Coach yourself to confidence" event. First lesson: How to confidently place your towel to claim your own personal space.
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Miaganga @miaganga.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 26/07/2026
Currently reading "How to Be Perfect" by the amazing Michael Schur. I think it's working!
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 26/07/2026
I have written this really good (according to people who have read it) booklet about imposter syndrome. It's about 40 pages, but a publisher I talked to told me I would need to fluff it up to at least 180 pages. Why isn't there a market for short, but information-dense booklets?
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 24/07/2026
Many people are good at taking everything personally, but they never go: "Oh, what a beautiful rainbow. Is that for me? Thank you!"
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 21/07/2026
People who exude certainty and confidence in their opinions are seen as more believable than those who say "yes, but..". It is a major problem when those who offer simple solutions to complex problems are praised while those who know that there are no simple answers anymore are seen as wishy-washy.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 19/07/2026
Love this cartoon. We'll be watching the movie tomorrow and I will call it Troy Story 2 from now on!
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 16/07/2026
You are not to blame for the world being the way it is. You are to blame if it stays that way.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 12/07/2026
I do appreciate someone being able to look for the positive and hoping for a better future. (Especially since I was ready to post a snarky comment about Graham.)
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 11/07/2026
Study shows that people who view Trump favorably are more likely to score higher on measures of malevolent traits and lower on empathy and compassion. www.zmescience.com/science/news... #trump #fightfascism #empathy #resist
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 11/07/2026
Sports stars keep forgetting how privileged they are and not standing up to the person who has made the world such a shittier place is not covered by their right to have an opinion or a private life.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 08/07/2026
Here is an idea for a new US National Anthem: "No one likes us, I don't know why We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try And all around, even our old friends put us down Let's drop the big one and see what happens" (Randy Newman - Political Science)
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 04/07/2026
Happy Birthday, USA! You are like an ex who I still love, but don't want to see anymore. #independenceday #Happy250th #4thjuly
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 28/06/2026
1. I will mute every account that shares sad news about pets. 2. I will block every account that posts AI generated videos about pets.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 17/06/2026
Dear @wikipedia.org , I think you are doing a great job and I have donated in the past, but your behavioural economics approach to getting more donations simply sucks! I want to give once a year and don't want to receive emails, that's it! Don't try to push me towards monthly payments. Bad form!
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 14/06/2026
#ObamaAppreciationDay
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 13/06/2026
1/ A major human need is certainty. Change is happening faster and faster, so we want to follow or believe in someone who exudes certainty. Most important issues don't have easy answers, so they are fair game for a psychopath like Trump who has no problem spouting lies.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 30/05/2026
I just read an article on the effectiveness of placebos and I have always wondered why you can't buy placebos in a store. After all, they are often 50-70% as effective as the "real" drugs. So just take 2 to get the same results... And if they don't work anymore? Just publish Placebo+ !
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 26/05/2026
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem,
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 16/05/2026
Who said it better? Donald Trump or Randy Newman? "We give them money, but are they grateful? No, they're spiteful and they're hateful They don't respect us, so let's surprise them We'll drop the big one and pulverize them"
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 09/05/2026
"If I’m worth anything later, I’m worth something now. For wheat is wheat, even if people think it is grass in the beginning." (Vincent van Gogh)
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 08/05/2026
Trump has a pathological need to impress those who are richer than him. That's why he is so easily manipulated by Putin, as he allegedly thinks that Putin is richer than Musk.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 08/05/2026
Unearned privilege lowers empathy. I want people to be politicians who had to work hard to be successful, not those who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 07/05/2026
I just learned what a kindle is and am now happier than before. (A litter of kittens is called a kindle. 😻)
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 06/05/2026
“Just because someone is in charge doesn't mean they should be, and just because they can express an opinion doesn't mean you should listen to it.” (Iliza Shlesinger)
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El Dirko @mindskills.substack.com · 05/05/2026
Eric II, King of Denmark, passed away in 1137. He was known as Eric the Memorable. No one can remember why.
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