Book Review: “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl

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Before I left for my recent adventure to Taiwan, a friend lent me Viktor Frankl’s book, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Earlier this week, I finally got a chance to read through the book on my flight back to Los Angeles. Whenever I find myself engrossed in books like this one, I usually jot down the page number in my notepad and later write up the quotes that I found particularly interesting. Several quotes struck a chord with me:

On Living:

“Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time wrongly as you are about to act now.”

Whenever I’ve been faced with decisions, large or small, I find myself going through the pros and cons of each choice. This analysis can take days, weeks, if not longer. Weighing the consequences of the choices available is certainly important; however, after a certain point, evaluating options does little other than to further cause anxiety and promote self-doubt. At the end of the day, a (sometimes irreversible) decision needs to be made. I like Frankl’s advice of approaching decisions. Life only comes around once. But of course, going with your gut is far easier said than done.

“Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.”

This one’s pretty simple, but wow. Talk about deep. I think this statement truly gets at the heart of Frankl’s whole book. Life is constantly throwing new challenges that need to be overcome. Sometimes, it’s so easy to just give up. External circumstances are certainly one factor, but internal causes, such as self-doubt or the belief that things will never get better, are other reasons that might cause folks to throw in the towel.

 Having a “why” to live seems like a great way to think about how to overcome any challenging situation. The question now is discovering what that “why” means for each of us – I’m still trying to figure that one out for myself.

On Success and Happiness:

“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it.”

This got me immediately thinking about the chicken or the egg causality issue. Rather than thinking about the “path” towards success, or the “path” towards happiness, perhaps I should be thinking about what I want to do; in theory, happiness and success (however defined) will follow.

Overall, I’d highly recommend reading this book. It’s a really short read and doesn’t take much time. But wow, does it ever leave a mark. At least for me it did!

Winter ’11: Taiwan in Review

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Today marked the last day of class for the winter term at Taida. I can’t believe my three-month course is already over!

Ever since coming back from Shanghai, I’ve always wanted to return to Asia to further improve my Chinese. I yearned to live in the Middle Kingdom. Everything seemed so fascinating. I had the option of returning to Asia for a summer to improve my Chinese, this time in Taipei, at the International Chinese Language Program. But, because I had a firm start-date in mid-June, coming back one more time became a non-issue. I never forgot about my goal to come back, and three months ago I finally returned.

Well, it’s been three months! It’s definitely been an incredibly amazing experience. I mentioned in an earlier that I had mixed reservations about my course. After staying for the full course, I can honestly say that my opinions haven’t changed. However, I don’t think I can fault the CLD for this. My teacher was fantastic. Since I was the only non-Japanese in my class, the focus of the course was on primarily speaking (which is what I wanted) than on writing.

While increasing my speaking, listening, and reading fluency was the primary goal, my goals in coming to Taiwan weren’t solely to study Chinese. Rather, I also wanted to:

1. Learn traditional characters

  • Did this every day: ordering food, watching the subtitles on TV, and of course during class

2. Get a different perspective of cross-strait relations

  • Hard to say whether this was accomplished or not, but certainly got a read on this during the 2012 Taiwan Presidential Elections

3. Climb some mountains

  • Climbed two mountains near Taipei: Elephant Mountain and Seven-Star Mountain

4. Visit the beaches

  • Went to Kending, Nanwan, and Baishawan – renowned beach areas in the south of Taiwan

5. Use the island as a base for traveling throughout Asia.

  • Went to Hong Kong
  •  Will be going to Singapore and Malaysia

Looks like I accomplished everything I wanted to get out of while here. Success!

One unexpected surprise that makes this experience abroad unique from my previous experience in Shanghai was getting to know and befriend people from all over the world.

Unlike the program in Shanghai, which consisted of only American college students, the people I’ve met here are incredibly diverse, both in terms of age and background. Some students here are still in college. Others, like me, have just graduated relatively recently. Others haven’t even started college, or have been out of college for years. I’ve gotten to meet folks literally from all over the world: Australia, Iraq, Honduras, Hungary, Japan, and the UK, just to name a few. All this diversity has taught me so much about the world, some trivial, some fascinating:

– Knowing what words like bogan and woop woop mean to Aussies
– Getting a first-hand account of being buried-alive after a bomb blast in Iraq
– Realizing just how intense the desire to migrate to America still is for many

Overall, I’m incredibly glad as well as thankful that I’ve been able to (financially afford) putting a hold on my professional career for this language program. Besides doing all of the things aforementioned, this “career-break” has really given me the time to re-evaluate what I want most out of my life, both personally and professionally. Moreover, this experience has affirmed my belief that it’s the people you meet, not the place, which makes a city feel like home.

That’s a lot of writing. If you read this far, thanks!

I’m still going to be in Asia through the end of February, but this weekend is the last I’ll be spending in Taiwan. So, if you excuse me, it’s time for me to log off and make some last-minute memories before heading back home!

Redefining the Path to Success

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Success is subjective. What one might consider an example of success might not be considered an example of by another. I’ve realized that being wealthy or having expensive things doesn’t necessarily equate to a sense of personal success and achievement. Rather than gauging success based on preconceived societal notions, I think it’s much more important to have a self-defined notion of success.

The path to success is not linear. Since success is highly subjective, the path to success is also highly subjective. In other words, there is no set path to achieve success. I’ve realized that it doesn’t make much sense to categorize decisions as a “step forward” or a “step back” towards the path to success. I’ve come to the conclusion that decisions and the results that follow are all growing experiences. Though certain decisions may help to achieve success more easily, choosing the “wrong” decision doesn’t necessarily mean achieving success is no longer an option.

Which brings me to my (current) definition of success: working in a field that you’re passionate about. Whether or not that passion pays well or is highly regarded doesn’t matter, at least to me. Passion doesn’t always pay the bills, which is why I find those who actually do seek it despite the fact are particularly admirable. Passion speaks. It’s contagious. It’s success.

Thankful For

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Thanksgiving really is my favorite holiday, and I truly believe that I shouldn’t need a holiday to express my gratitude. Everyday I am thankful for what I’ve got. Looking back on the year, I’ve got a lot to be thankful for:

Health. I think a lot of people at my age tend to overlook this quite a bit. Several weeks ago I experienced a couple heart palpitations. This scared the crap out of me, but the doctor, after doing a couple tests, assured me that it was nothing abnormal and that otherwise, I am in perfectly healthy shape.

Friends. Moving from Philly to DC not really knowing anyone, as well as additional circumstances, made last year particularly challenging. In contrast, this year has been incredibly memorable, truly unforgettable. I owe it all to everyone I’ve befriended for helping make this year without a doubt one of the best years I have had in a long time.

Family. Even though they may sometimes be a little skeptical, I’m thankful for their unconditional support in whatever latest scheme or idea I come up with. Additionally, I’m glad they seriously just want me to live my own life and be happy. This notion of living your own life, and not the lives of others, is something that I greatly take to heart and appreciate. A lot.

Discipline. I wouldn’t be able to be in Taiwan without being cognizant LONG ago that I’d be surviving on no income for an extended period. I’m glad I stayed the course throughout last year and this year and saved so that I’m able to do what I’m doing now.

I could go on and on, about food, about nature, about travel, etc. There’s so much to be thankful for!