“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
― Henry David Thoreau
Carve Your Own Path
From birth, I was conditioned with beliefs about how I “should” live my life. Born into a family of farmers, I was exposed to a simple lifestyle.
Oblivious to being “poor,” my family and I were content and satisfied with what we had.
But as the exposure...
“Every time you say yes to something you don’t want to do, this will happen: you will resent people, you will do a bad job, you will have less energy for the things you were doing a good job on, you will make less money, and yet another small percentage of your life will be used up, burned up,...
“The hardest part of any important task is getting started on it in the first place. Once you actually begin work on a valuable task, you seem to be naturally motivated to continue.”
― Brian Tracy
Emotional Motivation
Health is one of my top core values. Therefore, I respect and honor it by exercising regularly, eating nutrient-dense foods, and training my mind....
“Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.”
― Stephen Covey
Focus On Your Wins
One of my favorite hobbies is rock climbing, which consists of two types: bouldering and rope climbing. To have a good balance of technique, endurance and stamina, I incorporate both into my...
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”
― Eckhart Tolle
Attention is Zero-Sum
To start my day with a clear focus, I meditate for sixty minutes. Paying attention to my body sensations, I sometimes get distracted by the numerous thoughts. But as soon as I realize my concentration is diverted,...
“Do the work, every day, you have to do something you don’t want to do. Every day, challenge yourself to be uncomfortable, push past the apathy, laziness, and fear.”
― Tim S. Grover
Do the Necessary Work
Growing up, I never liked writing or reading. Reflecting back, the main reason for those negative feelings was because of my lack of interest in...
“The journey is what brings us happiness, not the destination.”
― Dan Millman
Define Your Interpretation of Success
For most of my life, I defined success based on society’s expectations. Some examples of my former interpretation of success included the following:
The amount of money in my bank account
The type of car I drove
The size of my house
The name brand...
“There's no abiding success without commitment.”
― Tony Robbins
Learn to Fall in Love With the Process
After graduating from college, I fully immersed myself in the professional world. With the main focus on building my career, I dedicated most of my time to work. In just a few short years, I had gained close to fifteen to twenty pounds of fat.
After...
“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.”
― Jim Rohn
Happiness Is a Choice
In October 2017, I went to Southeast Asia for three months.
My first stop was in Myanmar. One of my highlights of the trip was riding the circular train in Yangon.
Feeling carefree, I sat in the open doorway of the...
“We must do our work for its own sake, not for fortune or attention or applause.”
― Steven Pressfield
Learn to Do What Is Not Easy
Often times, I’m challenged with distractions.
Whether is doing mundane tasks such as cleaning my living space or wasting time on watching movies, these activities aren’t serving me because I’m using them as ways to keep...