“To get something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” ~Unknown
Maybe you feel stuck. Or bored. Or frustrated. It’s not that you don’t like the life you live, it’s just that you suspect there’s something more. Some greater sense of meaning or excitement. New connections.… Read More
“Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.” ~Denis Waitley
I remember dreaming for years about living abroad. First it was Italy so that I could discover my roots. Then it was Fiji because it seemed like the furthest place from Los Angeles (which I actually did, but only for two months during the summer of 2003).… Read More
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” ~Eckhart Tolle
I wake up. I take a look outside.
I take a breath in and just appreciate where this dream has taken me.
I want to be a ninja.
Yeah, it sounds a little strange.… Read More
“Don’t ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~Howard Thurman
Three years ago, I found myself in the biggest predicament of my life.
I had finally found what made me happy. I knew that travel ignited a part of me that otherwise lay dormant.… Read More
“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” ~Matsuo Basho
Once, one of my friends shared a line of wisdom that summed up the dance of wholeness and aspiration I often find myself absorbed in:
“Everything is quite all right; our worth secure and true. Everything’s not quite all right; we’ve worthy work to do…”
Part of the longing and neediness I tend to feel comes from a rift between who or where I am, and where I believe I should be to be “successful.”
My life has been colored by this dichotomy: the strange see-sawing dance between achievement and room to grow.… Read More
“A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” – Unknown
Two years ago, I was sitting in my car thinking just after being laid off from the job I thought I’d probably spend the rest of my life doing. According to how these stories usually go, I should have been mad; I should have been scared; I should have wanted revenge.… Read More
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” ~Andre Gide
I’ve lived in Virginia all my life. Pretty much all that I remember at least.
I was a young boy when my parents moved here from Long Island, New York—away from much of our family—because life in the place they had grown up just didn’t provide the opportunities necessary to support a family of six.… Read More
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” ~Helen Keller
Ever since I can remember I liked to travel. It does something to me, something strange and oddly uncharacteristic: I am suddenly very laid back.
When I travel I’ve got the right mind-set. I know I will stand in lines, have to schlep heavy bags, or perhaps have delays.… Read More
“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.” ~Unknown
Have you ever paused at a podium, feeling your hands shake as you speak to the senators before you? Have you ever laced your skates, shuddering as you heard your name announced as the next skater to compete?… Read More
“Your current safe boundaries were once unknown frontiers.” ~Unknown
It was a few months into my semester abroad during my sophomore year in college when I realized how special the experience had become.
On the way to class, I strolled past the Pantheon and snacked on homemade gelato.
Preparing dinner consisted of purchasing fresh-picked produce and a fresh-cooked baguette.… Read More
Next year, I plan to visit two countries as part of my 2011 “Travel Resolutions.” First is Indonesia as I’ve always wanted to see Borobudur and of course, Yogyakarta, center of Javenese culture.
In the second half of the year, I want to reward myself with a big overseas trip because by that time, I’m hopefully done with my master’s thesis (woo-hoo!).… Read More
“Life is a process of becoming. A combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” ~Anais Nin
Five months ago, my partner Mike and I were offered jobs as English teachers in a school in China.… Read More
“The saddest summary of life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.” ~Unknown
This is a phrase that had become a central theme in my life. One night, during one of my all too frequent bouts of insomnia, I sat at my computer and decided to write about my discontent, my middle aged angst.… Read More
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” ~Lao Tzu
Ever since my birthday in December, I’ve been changing things up. I think it’s good once in a while to take inventory and make new decisions.
You don’t always have to analyze why you decided to do something, or where you went wrong, or where it all started.… Read More
“It is better to travel well than to arrive.” ~Buddha
I have this thing about road trips. I love them, can’t get enough of them. I could never step on another airplane for as long as I live and be perfectly fine with that—but I love having all the experiences that can only happen on the road.… Read More
Last year, I graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a major in Communication Studies and a minor in Business Writing.
During my college career, I created public relations material for both my Business Writing minor and the public relations firm where I interned. As I thoroughly enjoyed my minor and the internship, I decided to apply to more PR positions.… Read More
“Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” ~H. Jackson Browne
When I was fifteen, I “died” for about a minute or so and then came back to life. A very severe case of bronchitis that lasted for over a week caused my brush with death.… Read More
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