☀️ How To Balance Two Opposite Ideas

I jotted down some thoughts during my flight from New York to LA last December, and this week I decided to clean it up and expand on it. Enjoy:

I'm sitting on a 5:30 pm flight from JFK to LAX.

It's one of the first times in a while that I have the window seat as I usually reserve it for my fiancée.

I looked out at my window and glanced down at the ocean of city lights.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder.

It made me think about the "overview effect", which describes the feeling an astronaut gets when looking at the earth from afar and realizing that he/she is seeing the world they're so familiar with from a completely new angle and it changes them.

It made me feel so insignificant.

I started to accept both how small and big I am, how powerful yet powerless, unique and special, but I still am just one speck of sand in a sea of consciousness.

There is so much power in balancing these two opposite ideas and adjectives in my head.

It also led me to think about how I’ve learned to marry the Eastern and Western philosophies of self vs. collective, and how there is a deep beautiful truth in how it informs me, and people like me, to be in this world.

The real difficulty is understanding how to have a healthy relationship with both.

Lean too much into the collective, and you lose your sense of self.

You will pick jobs, talk, dress, act, and be in a way where you feel like is expected or needed to fit in or create harmony in the environment you live in while ignoring the self and the complex experiences and emotions that come along with it.

Lean too much into the self, and your sense of self becomes inflated.

Whether it’s ego, pride, or vanity, you become so focused on your own needs that you see the world revolve around you. You become selfish, and you tailor a life that will help you gain wealth, power, and influence just because you can continue enhancing that image of self.

As someone who spent his first 18 years in Taiwan, I feel like I have spent the majority of my life tailoring more to the collective.

And I’m still currently learning to be more selfish, to not neglect my own needs and wants, and learn to be less attached to the opinions, affection, and attention of others.

I used to think that it was such a hassle to have to learn to balance the two worlds that I come from.

However, I realized that embracing the duality of my nationalities (on top of the innate duality that comes from being a Gemini) is what allows me to understand more deeply the complexity of the human experience.

If I embrace it, it gives me an advantage in understanding a more expansive view of the world we live in.

Question to ask yourself:

What are two opposite ideas, adjectives, or feelings you are currently learning to balance in your head and your life right this moment?

☀️ How can I help?

If you enjoyed reading this week’s issue, here are two more things you can do:

1. Share it with someone else who will find it valuable.

2. Schedule a free call with me to discuss whether 1-on-1 coaching could be helpful to you on your journey!

And that's it for now! ✨

Thank you for reading this edition all the way to the end. I appreciate you 🙏

Thanks for being part of this journey.

Hope to see you in the next issue!