Enjoy the Process

Author: Enjoy the Process

  • Confession: I should be on the Ashley Madison list

    It was only a few months ago, I remember doing my daily ritual of scanning CNN articles to stay abreast of current news, when I stumbled across a headline that read something along the lines of, “Ashley Madison hack ruined my life”. There was consistent coverage in the summer months to follow related to this hack, the site, and its consequences.

    My initial response to the Ashley Madison website was disgust. Even as a child, I for some reason, held ideal views of love and marriage and thought it was a sacred and precious gift. Although infidelity has penetrated into the households of many couples and families, it was always private, done in secret—I couldn’t believe that a website was created to help publicly facilitate what society views in shame. Then again, I guess it was only a matter of time before technology also disrupted this space, and in lieu disrupt the relationships involved.

    I dug a little deeper to discover what was going on, searching for why the site was created in the first place, who the founder is, why the site was hacked, combed through the barrage of comments, and watched a biological anthropologist’s examination of human behavior and why people are on the Ashley Madison site.

    Although my initial reaction was, “I can’t believe this site exists” and was rooting for the hackers and their success, I realized their good intentions led to additional complicated issues in addition to already existing broken relationships—i.e., hate crime, cyber security, online scam, and even suicides. There are lots of different perspectives out there, some as “light” as making humor out of the incident as hosts of an award show, to some more reflective misconceptions about the hack.

    However, I had a different reaction to what had already been discussed concerning this issue, one that took me some time to think about and with some hesitancy, am writing about now.

    My Confession

    It was estimated that about 37 million people were identified in the hack, ranging from the average Joe, CEOs, politicians, and sadly, even pastors. I shook my head when reading this statistic, but at that moment, a haunting epiphany struck me—I, too, am on that list.

    No, I did not literally sign up for the Ashley Madison site after only being married for less than two years, and I have no intention to do so. I am deeply in love with my wife, I am completely, holistically satisfied in our marriage—emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually. Yet, despite this complete and rich love, the intimacy that she and I share, the trust, comfort, security, and passion, there exists in me thoughts that jeopardize and can put all of these amazing things at risk. There are temptations that ever so slightly brew and I don’t know where it comes from, yet I know that it’s not something that I want to entertain. I realized, instead of judging those who were users on the Ashley Madison site, I knew if anybody were to hack my thoughts, I, too, would be extremely guilty of infidelity, of the possibility that I too can be a user of the Ashley Madison service.

    It was this realization that confused and troubled me for the past couple of months. Before marriage, I never understood how even in the small circle of people I knew, men would cheat on their wives, wives would leave their husbands. I could not understand how two individuals who were so deeply in love, to go as far as to commit to love each other for the rest of their lives, could do something as egregious as cheating, and ultimately cause an immense amount of hurt and pain to someone whom they claimed to love till death do us part. And now that I am married, ironically I can now see how this tragedy may come to fruition in my life, I can see how I too am susceptible to the ugly grips of a broken love.

    Small steps lead to greater victories

    What I fortunately learned early on is that the people who resort to using sites like Ashley Madison or who secretly have affairs with other people is not something that happens overnight. As some writers have already mentioned, it is the small hurts and pains that go unaddressed, the unfulfilled, discontent heart that was never shared between the two individuals, that ultimately lead to deeper hurts and pains that eventually will lead people to find comfort, love, and or respect, elsewhere.

    I’m truly grateful that I was able to realize this early on, identifying in my self when I was hurt by my wife, and felt a thin layer of callousness covering my heart. I knew I immediately had to bring this before her, instead of covering it in pride or whatever other reason I could think of, and in doing so, being able to not let the hardness penetrate any deeper and resolve the issue immediately. I knew it was something as small as an argument that makes me not want to sleep next to her that evening, can ultimately lead me to not sleep with her forever. Some may think that this is unnecessary, it may be overbearing to talk about and reveal such seemingly petty disagreements, however, I find it more foolish to not talk about these things to risk the possibility of having a much more difficult conversation of, “Where were you last night?”

    My heart goes out to all the individuals affected by the Ashley Madison site and hack. My heart goes out more to the millions of people not on the site who struggle with broken relationships. And my heart goes out to those who may be beginning their amazing journey of marriage, especially the ones in their honeymoon phase who feel like their love will last forever.

    My hope is that we can realize how it’s the little things that ultimately lead to the much bigger disasters, or to victories. It is either the little hurts and scars that continue to build up that may lead to an outburst of anger or rebellion. It is the little lusts, the glances, the entertaining of certain thoughts and images that lead to infidelity, rape, and other sexual offenses.

    But it is also the little steps of communicating, reaching out, starting early, that can lead to open, vibrant, and trusting relationships. It is the small battles we choose to face, instead of mindlessly giving into whatever our minds and bodies crave. It is these small victories, that will lead us not to have to use sites like Ashley Madison, that will not create a desire for hackers demanding justice, and for the rest of society having to deal with issues like hate crime, cyber security, and most importantly, broken relationships and taken lives. I wonder, how much better off this world will be if only we learned how to love one another with more depth and greater trust.

    To my beloved wife, I hope you never have to hack my mind and heart because I will do my utmost best to guard it, to love you truly till death do us part. I hope you can join me in this battle, for honesty, for purity, and to continue our fun, exciting, comforting, journey of marriage. I want to enjoy every process with you.

    Love,
    Your husband

  • What is your retirement dream?

    Sitting poolside at a beautiful resort, the sound of a cascading waterfall in the background, ice cold Pina colada in one hand served by a friendly waiter, an engaging book in the other, relaxing for endless hours without a care in the world, where time is only judged by the position of the sun in the clear, baby blue sky…

    Standing on perfectly maintained green grass, surrounded by magnificent mountains and breathtaking landscapes, calmly breathing in unpolluted fresh air, ready to take the last putt on the 18th hole for a birdie, knowing what awaits is a victory ice cold beer, and the cool ride home in an electric red Porsche…

    It sounds too good to be true, a life worth striving for, working hard in our earlier years to hopefully reach this point in our lives where we can retire and simply enjoy the pleasures of life.

    For many, it is the American dream. It is what we see in movies, what we talk about with friends, what we hear about from our bosses when they occasionally call into the office to make sure the work is being done and clients are satisfied.

    For a privileged few, this is already a reality, a vacation. And fortunately, I had the opportunity to live this retirement dream for a couple of days when I took a trip to Arizona—golf haven, retirement home central, and reliable sunny days. I experienced and witnessed this life and to be honest, it was relaxing, stress-free, and enjoyable. However, when I looked at the multitude of individuals and couples who sat by the pool, walked the golf courses, I noticed something and began to wonder, “Are these people truly happy? Did they achieve what they want in life and in their later years, are they fulfilled, joyful, worry-free?” Obviously I don’t know what these people are truly feeling or thinking, but by observation, it just didn’t seem so. That made me wonder, what does my end look like? What does “retirement” mean to me?

    Begin with the end in mind

    While I had a lot of time to reflect and think, I began with one of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”—begin with the end in mind. Now when thinking about life, what we know with absolute certainty for humans is that our end is death. When we draw upon this habit and really begin with the ultimate end, it certainly helps us put things into perspective and gives us a different lens to view our life and the meaning behind it. But that’s for a different time…

    I began with a different end—retirement. Retirement is usually discussed in the context of work and our careers, usually achieved around the age of 65 for social security benefits to kick in and hopefully for the fortunate few that saved, their 401-k’s and other retirement funds. With the exception of the unicorn stories, the Fortune Magazine 30 under 30 group, self-made millionaires, viral apps being acquired by mega companies, the majority of us work a vast portion of our lives (assuming we start working soon after graduating college in our early 20s and retiring in our mid to late 60s). Forty years… Approximately forty years we work, whether purposefully, intentionally, toward a goal, perhaps retirement, or maybe for some, aimlessly, without even a dream of sitting pool side or owning that Porsche.

    I wondered, would I be satisfied with living out my recent vacation, every single day when I’m older? Soaking up the sun, playing golf, eating food and being served by someone else so I don’t have to lift a pinky up? As relaxing and enjoyable my recent vacation was, I don’t know if I would be satisfied with the cliche American retirement dream. It’s not to say that it is an undesirable dream, most certainly not, but to wonder if I would be satisfied with my life, to work hard for 40 somewhat years to enjoy, if lucky, another 15-20 years of it, does not seem like something I look forward to nor desire. It does not seem like a good investment of the precious resource of time given to me. Not to say that nothing bad won’t happen within those years where all the hard work would then amount to nothing anyway.

    A new retirement fund

    So if working hard, saving, and hustling to achieve comfort, relaxation, and what seems like “freedom” is not my own personal dream, then what is? What is… Now this is a difficult question, a difficult picture to paint in our heads because we’ve been absorbing since an early age this one picture of retirement.

    I don’t know if I have an exact picture, a dream, or an end goal I’m striving for, but there are a few things that I can say at this stage and point of my life:

    1) I don’t want to wait until I’m in the last quarter of my life, to be able to fully enjoy life

    The common perception here is that we need lots of money to be able to be free, to enjoy life, but I’ve seen enough with my own eyes that there is so much happiness aside from the expensive luxuries of life, but that priceless treasures bring us so much more joy than what a consumer mentality teaches us. I want to continue to learn how to be content with what I have, and as a friend once said, “to live simply, and give lavishly”. I don’t need to wait to really enjoy every day of my life, to be thankful and grateful for what I have thus far, and to fully enjoy that.

    2) I want to surround myself with people who share a similar hope

    We know how easy it is to be influenced by the people around us, and there is much wisdom whether through literature or science, that supports this fact. And having traveled much, both inside and outside the states, I can confidently say that the New York, tristate area is definitely a major proponent of the lifestyle in placing an extreme emphasis on more work, more money, status, power, and fueling the idea that we need to have more to enjoy life and that luxurious things are better—luxury goods, luxury vacations, luxury foods, luxury homes. Having been blessed with much, I can say that though some of these things are most certainly nice to have, they are not necessary to have a fulfilling life.

    3) I want to be in a place where I won’t forget what the ultimate end is

    I know that life is short, having had near death experiences at an early age, having witnessed too many deaths from the small circle of people I know. I know that there is more to life and as I continue to grow in my understanding of this life, I want to be in a place that I can share with others my discoveries of greater joys, greater freedom, greater love, and a deeper meaning to what we view as our precious lives.

    It is certainly not a definitive picture, and perhaps that’s better? Regardless, it is a direction, a focus, that allows me to not only invest into a 401-k, but also invest into my retirement fund of meaning, of joy, of love, of peace, and knowing that when I do so, my returns are truly priceless and limitless.

    …Holding the hand of my beloved wife after many years of being together, weathering through the storms and enjoying the sunshine, still making each other laugh, holding onto one another like the honeymoon phase of our relationship, heart being tender and affectionate, gut still dropping when she gazes into my eyes… Meeting with various people, people who we can share our love and our joy with, people who we can laugh with, people who need care and can care for us, people who still make us better after many experienced years… Sharing a meal together, a simple meal, but delicious because of the laughter, the love, brightness and energy, sharing stories of hope, stories of love… And at the end of the day, going to bed with the warmth, comfort, and peace, of truly being happy with all that we have, however much or however little, knowing that we lived that day to the fullest, knowing that the day was meaningful and beautiful…

    That’s a wonderful retirement for me.

  • “The Call”

    On September 6, 2015, during an ordinary Sunday service, I felt for the first time a “calling”. My initial response was a call to go (as we read from Genesis 12, Abraham’s call to go). A call to leave the homeland, into an unknown place.

    I remember in 2010, after a month stay in Tanzania, I had an intense desire and passion to go on full-time, international missions; however, something in my gut knew that was not the answer, the time or call. I was ready to give up my potential career as a well-paid pharmacist, but God had other plans for me to take on a full time job.

    Fast forward five years later, I now feel called. Called when things could not be better from the world’s eye—called when I’m very happily married, when our finances are relatively stable, flexibility and comfort of job situation, home owner at the age of 26, good social life amongst friends, nothing majorly wrong with family relations. And when things could not seem better, even being grateful at most times, I know that something was awry, something was off, my heart has not been content. And for some time now, going through this career journey, searching for what is my “call” and having experienced a gamut of experiences, I realize there is only one true call.

    What was initially a call to go, a call to missions, I know that is not the ultimate call. The call is from the caller, the call is to a being, not a place, a job, or life purpose. Our life purpose is already defined—to be children of God, to be disciples, to glorify the Lord, to rejoice always, pray continually, to give thanks in all circumstances, to love the Lord and to love others—simple. Yet, as 21st century millennials, we complicate this to such varying degrees.

    Our call, is never a call to go or a call to be, our call is a call to come. To come, and draw nearer to God, to be in greater intimacy with the Lord.

    Yes, I agree and have been blessed through finding work as worship, to treat this area, my family and friends, as a mission field, my marriage as a mission field. However, throughout it all, all the changes, the one constant always draws back to God our Lord and the closer intimacy with Jesus Christ. On this journey, with all the doubts, the questions, everything has been drawing me closer to God and that is the only call.

    Our purpose and focus should never be a career, a meaning, a vocation, a church, nor a place—all irrelevant. It’s simply a relationship (which we know is not that simple), not an ideology, religion, set of beliefs, or a philosophy to grasp nor a life to achieve both in a secular and Christian worldview. The Lord—as Mary sat beside the Lord—that’s all it’s about.

    And each individual has different understandings, different degrees of knowing the Lord and with that a representation in our lives, a reflection of that relationship, of Jesus Christ. Some, to genuinely be called to a marketplace, a profession, or perhaps some to be examples in marriage; some to preach, some to teach, as expressed by Apostle Paul. But again, these reflections should never be the focus as “holy” as it may seem.

    And with the talk of end of the world (nothing new in our time or of before), I can’t help but to think of not in short- or long-term thinking but want to begin thinking in terms of eternity. And I ask myself, how much do I really believe this? And as I ponder, it’s a matter of trust of how much more intimately I know the Lord. Just like in a relationship with a significant other, it doesn’t matter what stage or how long you’ve known the individual, there is a level of faith and trust that comes with committing to “human eternity”—i.e., till death do us part. It is through this commitment, covenant, we draw infinitely closer to an individual—never through short or long term commitments or time frame of knowing one other. And how much more so, will we know the Lord when we commit to him for eternity perspective.

    Regarding end of world talk, U.S. dollar collapsing, it’s easy to focus our attention on these media grabbing topics (or rather lack thereof for now until it happens). However, regardless of the timing, it is certain, even aside from Christian perspective, that the collapse of the U.S. dollar is most likely inevitable. It is also, if belief in the Christian God is true, that the times of our fallen world we know will end. Regardless of each belief, we can put our trust/faith in one or the other, both, or neither and that affects the way we live our lives. If we really believe the U.S. dollar will collapse, would we not find measures to be prepared, to be guarded? Just like we would do if we receive a warning about a potential hurricane to hit our area. If the Christian end times is true and regardless of whether we know when, would we still not live a life reflective of that? And of course, it may look different as is to the measure of faith of each individual’s relationship with God.

    I don’t know what will happen three days from now, I don’t know what my specific reflection of my relationship with God will look like, nor what location or vocation I should be. But one thing is clear as it always has been—to love God with all my heart, mind, and soul. It is this commandment, the greatest commandment, that has led to all the greatest truths and revelations in my life.

  • So What Do You Do?

    This is a common question we are either asked or ask ourselves when we first meet people. It’s a seemingly safe, small-talk type of question, however why is it that this is the first question we (as a society) ask?

    I remember the first time I thought about this when I asked an individual and they responded, as if they were ashamed, that they were not employed at that time. My immediate thought was, “Oh, then what do you do?” (in a condescending tone) however after pausing for a split moment, I realized.. what’s wrong with that?

    It was after encounters like this that I began recognizing more in myself and in others how often this is where most conversations begin. What I thought seemed innocent, really turns out to be a much deeper, embedded value system of the society we live in.

    Some background..

    Having worked in the Medical Communication industry for a little over 3 years, I attained two promotions during that time and was well regarded amongst my peers and upper management. I had a Doctorate in Pharmacy and though was relatively young, was still held in high regards and looked upon for advice and insight for my division. After a journey of ups and downs in the corporate setting, I left this job to pursue an entrepreneurial journey. For the next year and a half, I attempted to create a new business model by using small businesses for social good, consulted a new online startup company and shaping its value proposition, as well as join an existing startup company learning how to manage and create culture from the bottom up.

    It was throughout this journey that I’ve encountered numerous times, some out of genuine curiosity, the question of, “so what do you do?” I began to realize more and more how much our society values and identifies with what we do—that is, what is our profession, our career, our status, and of course tied closely with that an estimation of how much money we make and what kind of lifestyles we can leisurely enjoy.

    During the transition times I had between each of the ventures, I really began exploring within myself how much I identified with what I did. What I initially perceived as something not as important to me, I quickly realized how much I too, am simply a product of our environment and society. During the down times when I did not have work, was at home, while the wife went off to work, feelings of insecurity and lesser self-worth started creeping in. It wasn’t that I couldn’t get a job (a well-paying job at that), but exploring this journey of entrepreneurship was more important to me. However, people around me did not understand, especially the ones that are closest to me. It was the family members who did not understand how as a man I was not providing for my family, the friends who would half jokingly make remarks that I am not doing anything with my time and my life, and of course, it was my own voice that haunted me the most, wondering, “what am I really doing with my life?”

    A new perspective..

    After lots of self reflection, support from my beloved wife, reading various literature, that I began to overcome this value system created by our society’s culture. I began to see more clearly how this culture took shape. It’s from childhood, that we are imposed with this belief that “we can achieve anything, the sky is the limit, just believe in yourself and you can do it” mentality. Then there are some parents (particularly the Asian American ones) who push their children to get the best grades, to take multiple extracurricular activities, who “want the best for their children,” who set expectations that only esteemed degrees such as doctors, lawyers, and high-salary bankers, are the only careers worth pursuing. Perhaps, more subtly, it is also from the pulpit that pastors preach that we are called to live “more impactful lives”, to pursue worthy lives, to never settle.

    All these different facets of life from childhood, to becoming more competitive in high school to get into the best colleges, to then get the best jobs, to then take on a career that was nothing more than an illusion of satisfaction and success, has led us to identify ourselves with what we do.

    Now, though of course there are positive influences and life-lessons from this type of drive, ones such as hard work, being productive, disciplined, etc., when those good character building traits are lost in the midst of simply becoming a slave to the system, we are just constantly, aimlessly working for more (more money, status, power), ultimately fueling our own self-esteem. We become nothing more than the infamous rats running the race, the mindless drones climbing an illusory ladder, knowing that what awaits us at the top is really nothing great at all.

    Currently, I am not working a well paying corporate office job nor pursuing the seemingly glamorous entrepreneurial startup, but rather am learning to appreciate the finer things in life, like maximizing the time with my wife. I am learning to be content with what we have, instead of always yearning for more. I am learning to be okay with not being defined by what I do, but rather I’m defined by simply who I am. I am an individual, who doesn’t like to settle for the norm, who questions and thinks (perhaps a little too much for his own good), who loves spending time with people and certain individuals, who has a deeper relationship with God, who has a story to tell about his life. That’s who I am. I am not defined by being a pharmacist, a 6-figure salary man, an entrepreneur, or a writer. Rather, those things are just a small part of my life.

    With these insights, it’s sometimes uncomfortable to ask, “What do you like to do?” or “So what kind of person are you?” but perhaps it will get people off the normal script of life and not to simply identify ourselves with what we do, but really begin to find out who we really are.

  • One Year Anniversary

    – Dedicated to my beloved wife

    I realized this process wouldn’t be complete without an explanation of where the motto “enjoy the process” originated from. I’ll save the full story for another time, but basically it was the theme from the beginning of my relationship with my now wife. When we started dating, or what we defined as courtship (despite a NY Times article released shortly after titled “The End of Courtship?”), there were many hurdles we had to jump over. But instead of looking at them as negatives, we simply wanted to enjoy the process through the good times and bad.

    My wife and I were wedded March 2014 and we recently celebrated our one year anniversary.  There were times that were definitely very challenging, however, the beauty of marriage, a healthy marriage, is something that is incomparable to anything else in life. We shared a few things that we learned or were thankful of after our first year together. A couple of mine are below:

    I am most free when I am with my wife

    There is the adage you hear amongst “bros” when either their girlfriend or wife is out of town, “I’m a free man!” I remember being alongside friends who had girlfriends/wives that would say this and when their “significant” other was no longer around, then it was time to go out and have fun. The sad reality of this condition, especially for those that are committed in marriage, is that the commitment seems more like an imprisonment rather than a joy.

    I wasn’t sure what to expect once I got married how I would react if my wife were to be out of town, but I was given the opportunity to experience this not too long ago. She was away for an extended weekend and the little bachelor inside my head thought, “It is time to have some fun!” However, once apart, I realized after the first night that I was not having more fun nor did I feel more liberated. In fact, life didn’t seem complete. It was then I realized that the relationship that my wife and I nurtured, especially in the earlier stages, was so mutually beneficial that I was able to do everything that I wanted to do even with her. I was so thankful to have a wife that is understanding and it made me want to “sacrifice” certain areas of my life that perhaps some bachelors may view as not worth sacrificing. I know that my life has been more freeing now with my wife than the illusion of freedom during my single hood.

    My reality is better than any fantasy

    The second thing I learned and was tremendously thankful towards my wife may be a little bit uncomfortable for some couples or individuals to read. There is another adage that “men are like dogs” when it comes to their sexual desires.  Though I credit myself to be a little bit more civilized than a dog, I know that if left to my own vices, I am no different and the lure of sexuality is most certainly present in my life.

    What I realized that most men would do regarding these lures is to either suppress them or entertain them in their own minds (the former most likely leading to the latter anyway). I realized that as I would try to keep suppressing or avoiding the thoughts, it would usually lead to frustration as it is no different than trying to stop thinking about a pink elephant in the room. An exercise I did was to just play out whatever lure it may have been, that is, whatever fantasy was conjured up in my own mind (and of course, this will probably look different for everyone). I realized as I “played out my fantasy” in entirety and how it would affect my life, there was no way that the fantasy could ever replace the reality I had with my wife. There is nothing nor anyone that can ever replace her with all our quirks and intricacies that make us us, and that is when I realized that my reality is better than any fantasy.

    Now I must add that a tricky part to this “exercise” is that if the relationship is not healthy, entertaining the lures of sexual desires or playing out fantasies may ultimately lead to a reality, which then will lead to the plethora of broken and hurt marriages and relationships we see today. I must urge that it is paramount to ensure that the relationship is healthy and then be able to tackle whatever other issues present in life.

    All in all, I cannot wait to keep enjoying this process with my wife, and I could not have asked for a better year together. Happy one year anniversary love.

  • 3 Things I Learned from My 1st Business Venture

    I started my first entrepreneurial business venture about six months ago from this date. Initially, there was a lot of excitement to finally take the plunge into this “elite niche society” of entrepreneurs and innovators. The vision was to use a for-profit business in a social good model, in hopes to provide a new business structure for existing businesses and new ones in the future to model after. The hope was to change the way business is done and perhaps see a world where money and profit is not the sole bottom line, but using money and profit as a means to benefit others.

    After the initial excitement inevitably wore off, I soon realized a previous lesson I had learned that the grass is not greener on the other side. However, I persevered through the long hours, the uncertainty of the business working out, disagreements with various people, and ultimately came out of this process with some reaffirmed and new found insights.

    1. Never You can do business with friends or family, just be smart about it
    Having grown up in a family that has been doing business our whole lives, one of the lessons I personally experienced and witnessed was to never do business with friends or family. Although there is some truth to this statement, I learned that it is not the business itself that tears friends and families apart, but it is what the business reveals about the people doing it together that does.

    I learned through this experience that when you choose to partner with other individuals to pursue whatever goal or vision it may be, it is not enough to simply be like-minded or nice people in regards to a social aspect, but the core belief, the attitude, essentially the heart beat of the partners involved must be the same and in tune. If not, it may be possible to work things out, but it will be one bumpy ride.

    2. People don’t exist to be trusted, they exist to be loved
    On a similar note, I was also reminded of the above phrase that I heard in a sermon a few years back. It was said in the context of faith, however I found it very applicable to doing business as well as many areas of life.

    It is important to be diligent with the work that you’re doing, making sure all the “i’s” are dotted and “t’s” crossed, because unfortunately you never know the intention of individuals. Trusting a man’s character or word is no longer something honorable in this day and age and thus it is important to recognize this. However, though this is true, it should not be the focus as this would only debilitate anyone attempting to achieve something for the greater good.

    3. Stay focused and persevere, even when it hurts
    This one is a little bit simpler and a philosophy many have asserted and subscribed to, however this is just another personal reminder of the reality of this side of the coin (i.e., startup business/entrepreneur). The word “entrepreneur” holds a catchy ring to it and corporate office workers seem to dream about escaping and pursuing this idea and concept of starting something new. However, having worked in the corporate office, there is merit in this type of work such as stability and collaboration (read more here) and entrepreneurship is not something for everyone. There are many days that can become drudgery just like office work. There are also many days that are more challenging and difficult since there is no real defined structure, ergo the appeal for some individuals. Having started this journey, I can say that the most difficult and challenging part has been the people I have worked with. Particularly the people that are closest to you, though done with the best intention and care in mind, sometimes have the most hurtful and heart piercing words an individual can hear when trying to aspire to do something grander than the norm. But, sometimes we need to identify the “chicken-littles” in our lives and just pursue on and enjoy the process despite the struggles and pains that come with it.

    Having learned and experienced so much in the past six months, despite the first business venture flopping, I can take this failure as a true success and now am ready to keep on dreaming, keep on aspiring, and hopefully make a bigger impact and change to those around me, to ultimately enjoy their processes as well.

  • Enjoy the Process – The Beginning

    Updated Oct 2020

    This is the first time I am setting up a blog since the days when Xanga was popular!

    There are numerous individuals who’s whose stories we read about after the fact of them “making it,” but hopefully my story will just be one of many who share their honest and real life testimonies while pursuing whatever goals it may be.

    This blog will be a reflection of the journey I take through becoming an entrepreneur, a husband, a believer, now blogger and anything else that comes my way in life.

    I hope you (reader number one and many others), will enjoy the process with me.

    P.S. While attempting to make this first post, it took me some time to navigate the dashboard of WordPress, assuming filling out the “What’s on my mind” draft was sufficient in posting an article. Using the very basic and minimal layout for now (to minimize costs), while probably making many more mistakes, this is already a fun beginning in the process!