From the category archives:

Confronting Challenges

To people who have just met me, it might seem that everything I have done seems to have panned out.   I wanted to work for myself, and my first few business endeavours didn’t turn out so bad.   I wanted to paint, and most of my art has had some gallery time as well as been sold.   Same with photography.  I wanted to be a good rock climber, and I’m climbing at a pretty respectable level.   I wanted to be good with women, and my dating life is respectable right now, to say the least.   I wanted to be a good snowboarder, dancer, magician, white water kayaker, adventurer,  speak multiple languages, and so and and so forth.

Have I been lucky?

Not so much.  Along each thing that works out, there are a serious number of embarrassing failures and a lot of perserverance.   I’ve just gotten comfortable with embarrassing failures.

I have a number of shelved paintings that I feel are uninspired, even though I’ve spent countless hours on them.  I’ll probably throw them out soon once I accept that they are that bad.

Many of my creative endeavors were canned.  Even look at this website, for example, you can see on the sidebanner that I had a writing gap.  Risingbean.com had virtually no readership in the first year.  And right now, I feel the first few articles I wrote were not particularly well written.

I’m more than sure many of the women I’ve approached in the past thought I was creepy, awkward, or weird.   Honestly speaking, 9 out of 10 phone numbers I collected didn’t pan out beyond flirty text messages.  Even now, many numbers don’t work out.  It’s just part of the game. [click to continue...]

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Please read this if you’re suffering from a loss.  As I’m writing this, I’m feeling a little down and out from a loss right now.  Still, I feel  this moment is the best time to write since I can bridge space and time and give out empathy when I myself could use some comfort.

Firstly, feel better knowing that you are not alone. All of us go through cycles of despair, doubt, frustration, overwhelment, and insecurity.  I am writing this to you, so as I’ve  mentioned above, time is bridged for a connection.

Know that it will all get better in time.  It’s hard to believe, but if you look back on all the times you were down and out,  you eventually did move on.  It’s part of the human condition known as perserverance.  Remember that first breakup? If you’re a young reader and are nodding your head curious to read more, then just trust me, just give it some time  (and go out in the meantime!).

Use this time to strengthen yourself. There’s always a hidden lesson.  Don’t let problems, a bad dealing with someone, or a perceived betrayal harden you.  This is where you need to strengthen yourself by practicing universal love.  Give love when you feel like there’s nothing in you to give.  Give other people the benefit of the doubt.

If your business has gone sour, cherish your experiences, and realize you have an exciting new path ahead of you.  Opportunities come to those who open themselves to attracting them in, and those who see choices in all situations, particularly the challenging ones.  Most great things are born from a period of trial and error.

If a relationship has fallen apart – family, a business partnership, and particularly a romantic one – regardless of the circumstances or reasons, try to wish the other person the best in your heart (and mean it!).   This is what a part of unconditional love is.   It’s the best time to practice it.  You’ll thank yourself later, because instead of acquiring a jaded attitude to future relationships, you actually grow better.  Be grateful for the relationship.

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