Remember when your were young and you couldn't wait to grow up? Heck, I remember when I couldn't wait to drive... nowadays I wish I have a (free) 24 hour Lyft driver. Our younger years is a series of complicated experiences that brings a various mixture of desires, joy and struggles. I often hear people say "If I could go back in time to change everything I did - I would make it better." Who wouldn't want to have their very own time-traveling Delorean. After writing my DEAR BABY ANT blog, which is a letter to my younger self, it became clear I wanted to address a few other things about life. The very things that I wish I knew when I was younger. Just to be clear, I have no regrets at all. I love my life. Everything I have and lack off is what makes me who I am. Some of the things I will address will sound familiar from my other blogs, so I apologize if I sounds like a broken record. So lets continue...
DEAR YOUNGER SELF:
THE WORLD IS OPEN TO YOU... TRAVEL ALL YOU CAN
One word that really comes to mind when talking about traveling is FREEDOM. You may think you're motivated to succeed in life when you look at someone's Lamborghini, but when you travel and fall in love with the freedom, you'll be amazed at how hard you're willing to work to reach that level of that freedom again. We all have that friend who'll make tons of excuses to why they're not packing up their bags and taking off on an adventure. So many people say they don't travel because it costs money. Funny thing, those people have never really traveled before and they just spend their money on other things. Yet people who choose to travel often tends to have more humble lives as they choose to spend their money on their wanderlust. Traveling isn't cheap, it costs money, but that isn't something that should stop you. The only thing that should stop you is the idea that your life may never be the same if you don't take the chance to fall in love with it. Travel as much as you can, travel to distant places & make friends all over the world, trade-in your taste for fancy hotels for that $25 hipster hostel, eat cup of noodles for lunch (my ongoing joke on how I save money for adventures) and most of all travel while you are YOUNG! This will add a great dimension to your life & will also serve as a form of education. There are things you can never learn in any textbook. In the end, your 80 year old self will thank ya for it.
COLLEGE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE
Many of us goes to college simply because it generally what is expected of people. Although I did finish college (pressure of a Chinese American & also my passion) with a bachelor degree in film production, I can agree that it does not guarantee you anything. Unless you are doing something specific in the medical field, or maybe even engineering, or technology, you've got to reinvent the wheel in order to be successful. I believe that school shows that you have the ability to follow instructions, keep deadlines, and maybe show up on time, which is what most jobs need from their workers. There isn't much independent thinking involved here. You have to be a self thinking person in this country. If you want to be an entrepreneur, teach yourself! One of my favorite writers/bloggers Mark Manson wrote a blog called: 5 THINGS THAT SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN EVERY SCHOOL. Those 5 things he points out makes a lot of sense: PERSONAL FINANACE, RELATIONSHIPS, LOGIC & REASONING, SELF AWARENESS AND SKEPTICISM. He goes in depth on those topics and I highly recommended the read.
There is a wealth of knowledge available to you on the internet and in books! Find what you're good at (and what you're passionate about) and do the work to make it into a money machine. I feel that high school and college doesn't teach us how to think outside the box and how to simply live life. I truly believe that. I could have easily picked up a camera, shot my short films on digital formats and utilized YOUTUBE as my platform. I'm not suggesting not to go to college... I'm just saying college isn't for everyone. Be successful on your own terms.
USE THE INTERNET / SOCIAL MEDIA TO CHANGE yourself & inspire but be careful
The internet has been around for 20 years, and YouTube / social media has taken the world by storm in the last 10 years and we're just getting started. It is going nowhere so we should all embrace it. Everyone can benefit from it and should take advantage of all the positives that these platforms has to offer. As I mentioned above, I have wished that YouTube & digital film was available to me during my time in film school. It certainly would have given me a different approach to college. We also know that networking is just as important as a higher education and this is where social media has proved to be a powerful tool. Educate yourself. You will meet some of the most inspiring people in the world. And you can pretty much learn just about anything online. Youtube tutorials can literally teach you how to put a car together. I spend hours and hours watching Ted Talks and many inspirational vloggers while I do my daily cardio at the gym ( I call it "knocking out two positives") - things that just really inspire me. Thats what its really all about.
Then you have the argument that life was much better without social media. You could just enjoy the simple things in life. Nowadays people are antisocial, awkward, have low self esteem when it comes to interacting in real life they have become a zombie and disconnected, even though they are probably smarter when it comes to a lot lol. I know social media definitely had a negative effect on the way it got my brain thinking. Sop just be careful. UNPLUG often. Stay connected to the real world while using the internet and social media to inspire and change the world.
LIVE SIMPLY
I really wish that we grew up in a culture where more people are encouraged to make memories rather than buy material things. I recall wanting that high paying job so I could but myself a MTV worthy crib and pimped out sports car. Things have certainly changed. In the past 6 months, I have started my journey towards minimalism. Well, not a pure 100% minimalist, but I would take parts of it and imply to my life. Again, THE SIMPLE THINGS. I began treasure road trips that required minimal amounts of money (its amazing how far prep meals and a tank of gas can take you). I watch less TV and began to read more (many journeys to Hogwarts). I now crave deep conversations (I want talks about the universe, love, death, the meaning of life, music/movies that move your soul, your childhood, your insecurities and fears... the list goes on and on). Remember when we were kids and we didn't have to worry about all the things that didn't really matter? All we wanted to do was play, explore and have fun with what was in front of us? Let's go back to that. And most of all, whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy.
VALUE YOUR FRIENDSHIPS & THOSE WHO TRULY CARE... let go
As I get older, I’ve learned that some things are a must. Some things must happen, some things you just can’t avoid. Like growing up, grieving, death, happiness… but when it comes down to it, life is really about friendships. It’s about who you meet, and who you don’t. Who will forget you and who will remember you. Who you chase after and who runs you down. It’s about who's there when you feel alone and who’s not. Who you can talk to and who makes it hard for you to be yourself. And that is what is important. Friendship, it’s always about the friends.
Remember get away from the dream killers. Clear your surroundings and your mind...clear your path. Not everyone can make the journey with you. Run your race. Avoid people with closed minds and those who tend to be negative. When someone or something is threatening your inner peace or is being toxic, remove yourself. What other's think of you doesn't matter. The world is going to judge you no matter what you do, so you might as well do whatever the hell you want. The thing is people are not transparent these days, people wears masks and they'll do whatever they have to do even if that means hurting the other person. As the Joker said, "People are only as good as the world allows them to be."
TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY
I did a ton of sports growing up and was really reckless with my body. I tore my MCL, it was a long healing process and to this day it still effect me. I'm currently on hypertension medication for my blood pressure, most likely cause of my past eating habits and inability to manage my stress. Not sure if I'll be able to ever get off the pills but my life now consist of daily trip to the gym, better eating habits ( btw, I just ate pizza & wings today LOL) and stress management. I must admit, I'm totally a different person than I was a couple years ago. My advice... keep exercise, eating well, and keep a healthy living in balance. Schedule rest and recreation regularly. The older you get, the more you’ll understand why. I heard the other day someone saying "I don't have to run because I'm on a holiday." It's more like a privilege for me. Its freedom. Especially when you can't do it for more than half of your life - that alone should really puts things into perspective. Bottom line, take care of you body and it will take care of you.
LIFE IS ONE BIG ON-GOING DREAM & ITS OKAY TO DREAM
Everyday I celebrate a on-going dream, that dream is called life. The fulfillment of this dream won't happen overnight. It's all a beautiful process of choosing a life we actually want, and deciding at each moment what kind of person we want to be. If you like the journey you're on, keep loving the hell out of it, because if you are creating your life with love, don't destroy it in doubt. You're way too creative to do that. Take your time, and don't let anyone rush the beautiful journey that you're on. When you take it in with an open mind and heart, you create a space for a fresh perspective and breath, and you'll realize there is nothing to compare it to - nowhere to go and nowhere to arrive. Life is nothing but a dream, and if you are creating your life with love, your dream becomes a masterpiece of art. This dream is endless and will continue it til the day you die.
LIFE IS GOOD. BAD TIMES WILL COME BUT ITS ALWAYS TEMPORARY
When things go wrong in life, most of us try to escape it, denying the truth life presents to us. Life is a bundle of times and seasons! We have the spring, summer, fall and winter, yet through it all, we survive and weather the conditions each of those season's presents. One thing that's important to me, is who do you get strength from. On particularly rough days when I'm sure I can't possibly endure anymore, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad times so far is 100% and that's pretty good. Always believe in yourself, and don't let obstacles block you from achieving your goal. Resilient and successful people don't focus on their problems. They focus on the solutions. Always remember, bad times are temporary.
Yes, life would be very different if I have a time traveler version of yourself... one that gave me all the secrets and answers that I know now. And No, I'm not referring to The Sports Almanac of 2025, creating FACEBOOK, having tomorrow's winning POWERBALL numbers (which would be nice) or what my past crushes thought of me. The fact is, in the end everyone dies. So don't waste my time doing something that makes you unhappy. My only wish to you is to live the life you want because you never know when you're gonna be gone, it might be tomorrow, maybe next month, maybe in 40 years. But what I do know is when it's all over, when I wake up from this life I wanna say that it was worth it. The people you met, the things that you've done, THAT IT WAS ALL WORTH IT.
I want to apologize for being MIA the last few weeks. I have been feeling a little uninspired, but again it's always temporary. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment below your thoughts or just to say HI. Please SHARE & SUBSCRIBE if you haven't already.