it’s been 4.5 months — my longest publishing hiatus since starting this blog in 2012. a quick 2020 summer recap: i left my company, got a Korean visa, and began pursuing a new career in K-pop.
as such i’ve had a lot of opportunities to think about time. here’s what i found.
reinventing
most days i walk by the 삼진 office, a pharmaceutical company that makes the Korean version of Advil (게보린). we spend a lot too much time on competition. only 3 companies make computers, and they’re more badass for it. so we don’t always need a sequel or a do-over or a cover. let greatness echo.
worrying
regretting the past, feeling anxious toward the future. it took me 29 years to realize only the present moment exists. today while watching yellow leaves fall from a tree, the perfect song played on my iPod.
learning
without effort we absorb and act on external input. this influences our outlook — bleaker or brighter. however William Allin says “education is not the answer, it is the means to all the answers.” meaning this weekend you can learn to ride a bike or poison your wife. learning is not innately good.
creating
a sexy word with dire implications (see: reinventing). social scientists predict 1% of us create, 99% consume. now suppose we 5x creators. consumption will decrease, no? and in that reality you can write a perfect song that nobody hears ‘cuz there are too many perfect songs to listen to. maybe we already live in that reality.
judging
positive change happens after suspension of judgment. we know this, then do nothing about it. see worrying. i appreciate Cortes for having the balls to say this (click for full thread):
f*** fake humbleness and the mediocre among us who insist upon it.
fearing
the most disruptive scenario of my lifetime is Kung-Flu. but not the 99.8% recovery rate. it’s the grown-ass men screaming about masks, despite our response killing more people than the disease. thanks Dr. Fauci.
spinning
two ingredients:
- waking up Saturday wondering “what should i do today?”
- still in bed 45 minutes later, re-opening the same apps in sequence
Bob Proctor suggests success is consistently moving towards a goal. but not just any goal. goals should scare us. earlier this year i achieved a few short-sighted entrepreneurial and financial goals, fell into depression, tried therapy for awhile and generally wanted to leave earth.
today i aspire to become a fixture in Korean pop culture. that’s a goal worth getting out of bed for.
lying
for the last couple years i’ve done a fair share of “lying by omission.” if i’m asked a question i answer truthfully, but if i’m not asked i say nothing. i mistook this strategy for some modern take on stoicism. it’s actually just a cowardly way out of uncomfortable situations.
preaching
when you read books and experience success and lean ENTJ it is increasingly natural to switch to “advice mode” while hanging out with other people. i recently asked some friends to catch me when i do this. awareness of my tendency to lecture has been humbling to say the least.
hating
it’s like everybody got together and agreed: we’re too flawed to love each other. because love is defense. hate is offense. so i don’t love Trump, and i don’t hate Joe Biden. whoever wins, i hope they do a great job.
trying
what separates us from the animals. the epitome of the human spirit. and i hope we keep it up, despite all the other -ing’s that keep us down.
concluding
to be honest i also drafted posturing, living, dying, placating. but reading any more would be the antithesis of this post’s goal. have a nice day
Really great post, Ryan. While I disagree with you on a lot of the shit you post on Twitter, I very much respect and admire your willingness to put yourself out there, to be vulnerable, to tell it like it is (or at least your version of how “it is”).
Congrats on everything thus far, and I look forward to your K-pop stardom.