Morning: Mom wakes up a bit before 7 to let me know they are going to the garden. I'm still tired, get up, and brush my teeth. Drink a cup of tea and eat some coconut crackers. Jump on my 8 am call where a colleague starts chatting about a meeting yesterday. The substance of the call begins after my boss joins, and I instant message her a question towards the end of the meeting. She replies that I should ask the broader team, and I ask the question, which leads to me becoming the lead on an issue in an area that I'm super interested in but that I'm nervous about becoming the lead. I silently talk to myself a bit, realize it's a good opportunity for me, and that I can always ask my manager if I have questions. I also realize that this is likely the first real opportunity I've had to lead in my current position, and I had previously intentionally shirked away from these kinds of opportunities in the old company because I didn't have management support. After the pep talk to myself, I eat breakfast of tea & toast with chicken stew. Jump on a 10 am call with a couple of colleagues and then head to a meeting with my manager at 10:30. Walk through some questions with her, get her guidance, and then send some follow-up emails.
Afternoon: Go shower and eat goat stew for lunch. Respond to an email, lay on the couch for a bit, and hear a few pings on our office chat. Answer those messages and keep an eye out on my inbox for the rest of the afternoon. Drink an afternoon snack of ginger tumeric tea (parents brought this back from their trip, and it's very yum) and eat some more coconut crackers. Read for a while, and here is what I learn:
- "The problem solving part of work was absolute candy for me": "Despite my moaning about the workplace, I have fond memories of the joys and wins and the great moments with our teams."
- "I see that I could have found this same gratitude, this same attitude, some months earlier if I simply had chosen to take a different perspective."
- Books that I want to read: Letters from Lake Como and The Practice of Groundedness
- Life outside of the U.S.: "While I was in the U.S., I was stuck in an environment where everybody was hustling to make money. Here in Taipei, it's a bit more low key. The Taiwanese work hard, but they also seem to have more fun because the nightlife is always bustling."
- Father vs son: "My father was a very, very hard worker all throughout his lifetime to gather together his wealth. I've always subscribed to the philosophy that you don't need to earn more than you need (or are going to need), and thanks to him, my family has much more than we will need financially."
- On thinking about money differently: "I have begun thinking of ways to deploy it for good. Money is a resource to be used, not just be held onto."
- "No one is going to remember you or anything you did 50 years from now": "So go enjoy yourself and avoid the stress. Chill and instead seek daily enjoyment and fulfillment in contribution and service to others (especially our kids, parents, and significant others)."
- On the question "what is the purpose of life?": "I respectfully submit that we 'discover' our purpose in life, just as we discover our favorite foods, our favorite activities, and our mates. We may only know our 'purpose' in the rear view mirror."
- "Spending time relaxing is the secret to a happy life": "A bar of chocolate, a long soak in the bath, a snooze in the middle of the afternoon, a leisurely stroll in the park. These are the things that make us the most happy."
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