One of the most positive externality to dedicating more to work is the clarity it gives my personal life.
The realization that work will always be there (and thus I can only do my best but not stress over it) means that no decision in my personal life will be all that bad.
I just have to relax and enjoy the ride. Just like work is now play, my personal life is more fun than ever. It is all up to me, but I am willing to let kindred spirits lift mine.
This is, indeed, a wonderful Friday. Cheers.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Thursday, August 10, 2006
be true to oneself
Envy is one emotion that I rarely experience, yet it is the one emotion that sells. By creating a desire for someone else's lifestyle, the market can open the consumers' wallet.
Advertisers try to influence consumer behavior by creating a desirable image. The group that seems the best target is the teens. What other group needs to belong so desparately and can use material goods to identify themselves.
That same desire to belong can also be seen in other areas for other demographic groups. Women hitting 30 often face social pressure to marry. Men have always been judged by their EP, earning potential.
After years of being told what to do by parents, peers, advertisers and the entertainment industry, is it any wonder that we even know who we are any more?
I tend not to want what other people have, since my creative outlet is being one of a kind in the way I dress. It does take more time and energy to buy things second-hand and to reject trends that are not me. It is also fun.
The same holds true for my lifestyle. By not identifying with one particular group, I have the freedom to be with whoever I want and whenever I want. Perhaps it is also a consequence of age. At this point, my value comes from just being myself all the time.
Of course, the number one rule to being true to oneself is to not have expectations (note that expectations are different from goals). Trying to get somewhere rather than to enjoy the journey is always a guarantee to disappointment.
Advertisers try to influence consumer behavior by creating a desirable image. The group that seems the best target is the teens. What other group needs to belong so desparately and can use material goods to identify themselves.
That same desire to belong can also be seen in other areas for other demographic groups. Women hitting 30 often face social pressure to marry. Men have always been judged by their EP, earning potential.
After years of being told what to do by parents, peers, advertisers and the entertainment industry, is it any wonder that we even know who we are any more?
I tend not to want what other people have, since my creative outlet is being one of a kind in the way I dress. It does take more time and energy to buy things second-hand and to reject trends that are not me. It is also fun.
The same holds true for my lifestyle. By not identifying with one particular group, I have the freedom to be with whoever I want and whenever I want. Perhaps it is also a consequence of age. At this point, my value comes from just being myself all the time.
Of course, the number one rule to being true to oneself is to not have expectations (note that expectations are different from goals). Trying to get somewhere rather than to enjoy the journey is always a guarantee to disappointment.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Monday, August 07, 2006
monday again
It's Monday, and I am back to this thing called work.
Lately, work has been going well. Hard to believe that I not only overcame the stress of work but also embraced it completely.
I have three major roles at work:
1. in-house counsel - manage our on-going lawsuit with a neighbor for environmental contamination. Damages seeked: $100M
2. PR - represent the company in our current three development projects: condos, TOD (transit-oriented development) and retail/commercial.
3. operations manager - improve our day-to-day operations, from HR, to IT, to file management. Basically, do all the things that the other managers and the GM don't have time to do.
On occasion, I answer the phones.
It's a perfect fit. The fact that I practiced law makes it easy to read the endless pleadings. My stunt at the LA Redevelopment Agency makes the PR second nature. I also worked part-time as a personal assistant to a busy attorney while in law/grad school, so I know exactly what it takes to get things done. I was even a part-times receptionist during college.
Everything happens for a reason, and the more I embrace every situation, the more I am able to be in the moment and realize my destiny. Not sure where this is all leading to, but it feels perfect right now.
Lately, work has been going well. Hard to believe that I not only overcame the stress of work but also embraced it completely.
I have three major roles at work:
1. in-house counsel - manage our on-going lawsuit with a neighbor for environmental contamination. Damages seeked: $100M
2. PR - represent the company in our current three development projects: condos, TOD (transit-oriented development) and retail/commercial.
3. operations manager - improve our day-to-day operations, from HR, to IT, to file management. Basically, do all the things that the other managers and the GM don't have time to do.
On occasion, I answer the phones.
It's a perfect fit. The fact that I practiced law makes it easy to read the endless pleadings. My stunt at the LA Redevelopment Agency makes the PR second nature. I also worked part-time as a personal assistant to a busy attorney while in law/grad school, so I know exactly what it takes to get things done. I was even a part-times receptionist during college.
Everything happens for a reason, and the more I embrace every situation, the more I am able to be in the moment and realize my destiny. Not sure where this is all leading to, but it feels perfect right now.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
partnership
Lately, when I hear of an engagement, the topics that follow are usually the details of the wedding planning: all the troubles that you have to go through just to say "I do."
I was married once but skipped all the formalities by having a private affair for 12, 14 counting the 2 cousins who crashed last-minute. The simplicity was due to time constraints, but I still feel lucky for not having to survive an expensive, exhausting ordeal.
These costly productions that run in the high five-digits are not what I believe in any more. Today, I joked to my girlfriends that I plan to find a partner and not a husband.
One of my mother's best friends had a life partner for the entire time I knew her. Their partnership was to be admired, overcoming stepchildren, lived-in in-laws and diverse cultures. They only married when his terminal illness required that legality. To me, that story shows how society is still out of step with the reality of how people connect.
As much as I look forward to finding someone I can be with indefinitely, I never try to examine a romantic interest as whether that person can be the one. Dating is all about having fun, and the pressure of that person have to play a certain role in another's life kills the mood.
Perhaps we should all strive for a great partnership and let marriage take place as it is necessary. This way, we can take lots of fabulous vacations with our partners and enjoy the honeymoon period before we have to think about ceremony sites or cutting the guestlist.
I was married once but skipped all the formalities by having a private affair for 12, 14 counting the 2 cousins who crashed last-minute. The simplicity was due to time constraints, but I still feel lucky for not having to survive an expensive, exhausting ordeal.
These costly productions that run in the high five-digits are not what I believe in any more. Today, I joked to my girlfriends that I plan to find a partner and not a husband.
One of my mother's best friends had a life partner for the entire time I knew her. Their partnership was to be admired, overcoming stepchildren, lived-in in-laws and diverse cultures. They only married when his terminal illness required that legality. To me, that story shows how society is still out of step with the reality of how people connect.
As much as I look forward to finding someone I can be with indefinitely, I never try to examine a romantic interest as whether that person can be the one. Dating is all about having fun, and the pressure of that person have to play a certain role in another's life kills the mood.
Perhaps we should all strive for a great partnership and let marriage take place as it is necessary. This way, we can take lots of fabulous vacations with our partners and enjoy the honeymoon period before we have to think about ceremony sites or cutting the guestlist.
value
The chairman of my company is at the office for about one week each month. One of the brightest people, but also a workaholic. He has teenage kids, but he only sees them for one or two weeks at a time.
We had our usual check in this past Friday. He was telling me the story of how he worked for the richest man in Taiwan at one point, and that guy worked longer than the chairman himself.
It was a moment of disconnect. Even though I am finally enjoying what I am doing, I had an epiphany that I cannot stay with the company for more than two years. The chairman was trying to inspire me by telling me how much he values working.
Having been unemployed for two years is truly a blessing in disguise. I strive for the perfect balance of work, self and social worlds and know exactly what I have to do in each area. On the whole, I know I work harder on my spirituality than most people and need more than just one thing to be happy.
Although I love to work hard and is starting to see the rewards of my six months of hard work, I don't intend on giving up my life outside work. It is the fun and the knowledge in my personal life that give me the energy to work hard. It is the spirituality and the conneciton to others that give me the inspiration to do my best.
I have never been and will probably never be the richest or the most famous person, but for now, I am at my happiest.
We had our usual check in this past Friday. He was telling me the story of how he worked for the richest man in Taiwan at one point, and that guy worked longer than the chairman himself.
It was a moment of disconnect. Even though I am finally enjoying what I am doing, I had an epiphany that I cannot stay with the company for more than two years. The chairman was trying to inspire me by telling me how much he values working.
Having been unemployed for two years is truly a blessing in disguise. I strive for the perfect balance of work, self and social worlds and know exactly what I have to do in each area. On the whole, I know I work harder on my spirituality than most people and need more than just one thing to be happy.
Although I love to work hard and is starting to see the rewards of my six months of hard work, I don't intend on giving up my life outside work. It is the fun and the knowledge in my personal life that give me the energy to work hard. It is the spirituality and the conneciton to others that give me the inspiration to do my best.
I have never been and will probably never be the richest or the most famous person, but for now, I am at my happiest.
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