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I appreciate these essays because they force me to reflect.
I reflect a lot anyways (arguably too much) but writing is the most rigorous form. It’s valuable in the same way podcasting and the gym streak have been valuable.
When you first start podcasting, your initial reaction is one of disgust. Do I really use all those filler words? Is that really how I sound? Is that really how I look?
Your gut response is to turn away.
It’s the same with recorded workouts: you realize just how far your perception is from reality and it’s disturbing. But in a world where deluding oneself has never been easier, these ‘reality checks’ have never been more important.
Writing is the ultimate reality check.
With speaking, there are ways to mask faulty thinking. With video, there are ways to edit out your inadequacies. But with writing, there is no escape.
Writing forces you to think clearly.
In starting chapter two of my Korea journey, I’ve also come to appreciate writing as a way to “remember”.
Life decisions are so easy to rationalize with the benefit of hindsight. But revisiting old essays has reminded me that there has always been more uncertainty, confusion, and chaos than I recall. It’s a good reminder for me to document more.
So far, 2025 is off to a strong start. I held my second K-Bridge event (70+ guests), met many new K-Diaspora professionals, and even had a few new business ideas emerge.
Of course, with new opportunities comes new challenges: where to invest my time, who to partner with, how to say no...
This journey has helped me understand why so few people pursue independent paths. English writer Rudyard Kipling wrote that life's about being able to “keep your head when all about you are losing theirs.” Pursuing anything unconventional - especially alone - is welcoming in a degree of psychological chaos most can’t manage.
But if excellence is the capacity to take pain, I’m confident I’m on the right path.
