The Introspective Thinker

Personal Development

2014 – Half Year Update

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Well, it’s exactly halfway through 2014! Here’s a look at how I’m progressing in each of my goals laid out for the year:

  • Paid off remainder of my student loans. — In retrospect, I think this goal was a bit too aggressive. I graduated with roughly $85k in loans from undergrad, and despite several months of extended travel in late 2011/early 2012, I began the year with about $42k left. So far this year I’ve paid off an additional $10k, but am hoping to payoff an additional $1k per month for the remainder of the year. 
  • Ran a half marathon in under two hours. — I haven’t made it just yet, but am making (in my opinion) progress. I’ve FINALLY gotten into a habit of running at least 2-3 times a week from my apartment in Arlington to the Smithsonian in DC. I have two more half marathons coming up this year, in August and October. Hopefully I can crack the barrier this year! 
  • Completed the minimum requirements of the marine corps fitness test. — I’ve probably made progress on the running portion, but nowhere on the crunch or pull-up test. I should start getting on that…
  • Launched teamdone.io — This project has been off-an-on my plate for nearly a year. So far, I haven’t made much progress on it besides mockups I did at the beginning of the year. For now, this project has been put on pause. 
  • Attended mass at least once a month — Done! 
  • Blogged monthly — Nope. Only two so far this year. Hope this changes! 

For the remainder of the year, I’m going to try to simplify most of my goals into three categories: financial, fitness and personal. Here’s to another six months!

Three Years Later

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While clearing out my inbox this evening, I stumbled upon an email from my website’s host server — my site had been renewed for another year. When I created onefootonsand, three years ago, I never imagined this site would still be around. I created this website in part to keep my friends, from college, from study abroad, from home, an opportunity to follow my life beyond the facebook statuses and pictures. Over the past three years, I’ve used my website as a medium to set goals, log my travels, and jot down my thoughts on development economics, politics, and my other academic interests. A lot has happened in my life over the past three years since I first created my website:

  • I’ve created a life here in DC. When I first created this blog, I lived in a studio in Rosslyn and knew literally a handful of people in DC. Today, I still live in Arlington, but in a house with some great friends. Moreover, I’ve been fortunate enough to have met dozens of people throughout the DMV area. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again, people truly make the place, and I’m so glad that I can share my life and experiences here in DC with others.
  • I’ve traveled far more than I could’ve dreamed. I’m no means well off, but I’ve always placed traveling as a priority in my life. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on rent in over-priced DC, I’ve scrimped on my housing expenses (paying $300/month for rent for the past two years), to save for travel. Since creating this blog, I’ve jumped into the chaos that is uncertainty and spent time backpacking throughout Taiwan and Southeast Asia, vacationed in Istanbul, Athens and all over India, as well as throughout North America including Toronto, Chicago and New Orleans. Our 20s are meant for a time of exploration, right? I can honestly say, I’ve done a whole lot of that. Truly grateful.
  • I’ve figured out what I like, and don’t like, when it comes to a career. At the end of the day, I want a career that offers opportunities for international travel while giving me the opportunity to conduct qualitative and quantitative research. I want a career where I am not a cog, where I can clearly see my impact on the business. I’m so glad and fortunate that my current position at Flat World affords me most of these dreams.

There are countless people and experiences that have made the past three years and unforgettable journey. My early 20s were certainly one of growth and self-reflection. I can only imagine what the rest of my 20s will have in store for my life.

Thanks for reading!

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014!

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It’s the final day of the year. Before I head out to ring in 2014, I’m sticking with tradition and writing my year annual review. I’ve been doing this for the past two years, inspired in large part by Chris Guillebeau’s Annual Review, who I’ve been following since 2008!

In the past two years, I wrote these reviews chronologically. You can see these here: 2012, 2011. I already covered all the travels that I did this past year in detail, but if I take a step back, I did a lot more than just traveling.  Here’s what went well, what didn’t and my goals for the coming year:

What went well?

  1. Friendships and relationships. I think overall this went extremely well. I met a ton of people through various projects, as well as felt like I grew closer to a lot of people, both in DC as well as Penn friends.

  2. Traveling and music. I had to mention this, because travel was a big part of my life this year! It’s crazy to realize that I went to so many (and some new!) places: Istanbul, Athens, Toronto, New York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Charlottesville, Chicago, Southern California, Central California, and Las Vegas!

  3. Career experimentation. So many projects and experiences from this year: freelancing, YPFP, APCO, Flat World. I learned so much about myself, what I like, what I don’t like, what I’m willing to tolerate, and what aspects of a job are non-negotiable.

What didn’t go well?

  1. Focusing on what matters the most. I did a lot of different things throughout 2013, and struggled to see how everything was relevant and related to each other.

  2. Financially, I didn’t really save much at all this past year. I did put a pretty big dent in my student loans, but for the most part I spent a lot, particularly on food, drinks, and travels.

  3. Fitness. Although I completed my first ever half-marathon (!), I think I gave too much attention to other projects, which sacrificed a lot of my time to focus on getting more fit for much of the year.

2014 Goals:

Here’s a look at how I fared with this past year’s goals. Below is a partial list of my goals for the coming year. By the end of 2014, I’d like to say that I have:

  • Paid off the remainder of my student loans.

  • Ran a half marathon in under two hours.

  • Completed the minimum requirements of the marine corps fitness test.

  • Launched teamdone.io.

  • Attended mass at least once a month.

  • Blogged about my journeys as a marketer / researcher / traveler at least once a month.

What about you? How was your 2013, and what are your goals for 2014?

Thanksgiving 2012 in DC

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Stunning Scenery - One reason why I'm thankful for living in DC

Yesterday was the first time I spent Thanksgiving in DC, and only the third time in my life that I haven’t spent the holiday with family. Looking back, there’s a lot to be thankful for this year.

My career break. Leaving a job voluntarily, especially in this economy, is always a tough decision. I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to study abroad in Taipei, and travel (if only briefly) around Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. I experienced and saw so many things, challenged myself in countless ways, and met so many great people.

My career. Coming back to the States with no firm offer in-country was stressful. There were moments while abroad that I feared the impending uncertainty I’d have to face once I returned to LA. Where would I live? What would I do? Thankfully, it only took me a couple weeks to receive offers. I’m now working at a career company. Note that I didn’t use the word job. After being back in the workforce for six months, it’s an amazing feeling to work at a place where I can honestly see myself for a while. It’s an amazing feeling. I’m constantly being pushed at just the right speed, the work environment is incredibly relaxed, and the benefits are just fantastic!

My friends. I once heard this interesting quote that people make the place. After moving to Philly, then DC, then Taipei, then back to DC, I wholeheartedly believe in the quote. After meeting so many people (and saying so many goodbyes) throughout Taiwan and Southeast Asia, I came back with a greater appreciation for all the friendships I’ve been fortunate to have over the past six years. And it’s not just close friends that I’m thankful for. Other friends, colleagues, activity partners, acquaintances, and even just folks that I’ve met once but have since forgotten, each individual has shaped my life in each city.

My health. Earlier this year my grandma passed away. And it was by far the most unexpected event that happened in my life this year. Her death was the first I’ve experienced among my immediately family, and was a powerful reminder that life is fleeting. As a twenty-something, I think I sometimes take for granted my health and youthfulness. I’m thankful that aside from poor eyesight and a deaf ear, I’m in good health.

While these are the top points that came to mind, about a year and a half ago I started keeping a log of three good things that happened for me that day. As this article argues, cultivating gratitude raises overall life satisfaction and helps foster a positive outlook. Although from time to time I’ve lapsed entries, the point of the exercise is to be more mindful of the positive things in our life. Try out the exercise for a week and see how you feel afterwards. Hope it makes you more aware of how great of a life you have!