Dec 28, 2017Escape the Escape Artist MindsetFight or flight. As perfectionists, we almost always choose flight. We avoid. We run away. We escape because it is easier than facing the risk of rejection, abandonment, and failure. We escape trying new things because we don’t know want to be bad at something. We escape subjective activities like…Life Lessons2 min read
Dec 24, 2017Failogue: It’s a Wonderful Life Wasn’t Always So Wonderful“Indeed, the weakness of this picture, from this reviewer’s point of view, is the sentimentality of it — its illusory concept of life. Mr. Capra’s nice people are charming, his small town is a quite beguiling place and his pattern for solving problems is most optimistic and facile. But somehow…Movies3 min read
Dec 20, 2017To Fill Doesn’t Always Mean to SatisfyThe amount of things to see, read, and hear are now infinite. Each day, more than 2 million blogs posts are published, The Washington Post alone publishes around 1,200 pieces of content (once about every 2 minutes), 95 million photos and videos are shared on Instagram, 576,000 hours of video…Social Media2 min read
Dec 16, 2017Ursula K. Le Guin on Inventing Our Lives“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question we were asked countless times as children. We dreamed of being astronomers, teachers, cooks, and mailmen. We played all of them as children with pretend stethoscopes, fake mail totes, plastic food, and a kid telescope. Our imaginations…Life Lessons2 min read
Sep 10, 2017Hunting for PicturesWhere is your mind as your head rises from your pillow? Is there clarity? Or are you lost in your thoughts? Adrift in your list of meetings and to-dos? Consider this scenario: “He jumps out of bed early and sets off only if his mind is clear, his heart pure…Gratitude3 min read
Mar 26, 2017Will It Be On the Test?“Will it be on the test?” This was my favorite question during the first two decades of my life. I was the stereotypical Asian who sat in the front of the classroom, taking notes on everything and nothing. My attentiveness was deceiving. I didn’t care very much about what I…Creativity5 min read
Feb 13, 2017Six Lessons from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural AddressFranklin D. Roosevelt was elected president during the worst year of The Great Depression. There were unprecedented levels of unemployment and homelessness. Morale was low and a deep fear spread throughout the country as many lost their life savings, homes, and hopes for the future. Many Americans anticipated FDR’s inaugural…Politics2 min read
Jan 31, 2017Martin Luther King, Jr. on FearFear is essential to our lives. Without it, we would be deprived of our basic needs. Fear is biologically ingrained in all of us. It protects us by giving us an adrenaline response in dangerous situations, allowing us to survive. Fear is also necessary for our progress. It has motivated…Martin Luther King5 min read
Jan 13, 2017How to Meditate Every Day“Meditation is not about feeling a certain way. It’s about feeling the way you feel.” -Dan Harris (10% Happier) In 2016, I meditated every day. It wasn’t easy. I planned to meditate for months before I first tried it, and it took me years to develop a daily practice. Trapped…Meditation10 min read
Jan 3, 2017I Took Over 22,000 Photos in 2016In 2016, I took over 22,000 photos in six countries, 15 states, more than 30 cities, at least a dozen state and national parks, on mountains as high as 2,500 meters, at 20 meters under the sea, and at more gardens than I can count. On average, I shared about…20163 min read
