I wrote this blog on my four-day “sabbatical” in Carlsbad, California. The quotes around sabbatical isn’t my doing but others’ when I told them I’m going on sabbatical, and they follow up with “how long?” Hence, the quotes around "sabbatical." One of the items on my bucket list was to learn how to surf. Little did I know how much I would learn from surfing itself. As I reflect on the first three months of 2024, I was amazed to see various parallels within what has happened to start the year in the expansion efforts of our team in LA, and how it relates to surfing. More on that later.
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25 is a new fun number for me. December 25th will be here before we know it (10 days till Christmas, but who's counting?!) and it's one of the most important moments in history to celebrate. It changed everything! I, myself, rode into my own 25 years of life this year, and there was so much good, hard, and sweet that finally came to fruition (or realization) to. With 25, there is so much to look forward to, reflect back upon, and simply live into. Let's keep the magic 25 rolling! For this blog, I'm sharing 25 lessons I've learned in the past year because learning doesn't happen from experience but reflecting on experience. Let's dive in: People are more interesting than you think. If you truly care about someone and want to know him/her, the why is just as important as the what. If you are doing it authentically, I've found that it usually takes a couple of follow up questions to gain understanding. ...and sometimes, it requires walking right into the fire with them. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Leadership has been one of the most exciting and rewarding yet exhausting and challenging decision I stepped into at a larger capacity this year. It can be easy to do something exactly the way you want to do something obviously, but leadership isn't about you... It's about teaching someone how to fish rather than serving them dinner. Once they learn to catch, it's so fun to see the amount of people we can serve together! (Eating alone is lame anyways. Let's go fishing.) This is one that I've thought about quite a bit in the past couple months. It was inspired by a leadership podcast (link at bottom) I listened to by Craig Groeschel. In the podcast, Craig defined and discussed momentum; he landed with his opinion that spiritual momentum has been the strongest out of all types of momentum. Spiritual momentum poured motivation and success into other areas of his life. When I study the life of Jesus, it becomes increasingly more obvious that it was all around serving others. Whether you are religious or not, I believe that sustainable momentum in your life requires a vision that is others-focused rather than self-focused. I may sound like a broken record if you've read my other blogposts or have simply met me, but here me out - "the only way to find balance is to learn what out of balance looks/feels like." -(I think my CEO?). And to get even more quote-y on you, "life is like riding a bike; the only way to keep your balance Is to keep on moving." (Albert Einstein). If you are anything like me in this area, this is a truth that needs to be reminded of and learned the hard way several times a year. One of the things I've implemented on my Saturdays is a "type of day" inspired by a colleague: a rot day (n): a day without an agenda, and full of spontaneity, rest, and owning your peace rather than your schedule. On some rot days, I get work done and play catch up. On other rot days, I go on a long walk on the beach with no guilt or timeline. Maybe I call a friend I haven't talked to in a while... or start brainstorming a blog. Rot days are the best. *Everyone has the same number of hours in a day, so find time to rot. One thing I'm realizing at a greater scale is how upside down the kingdom of God is. The kingdom of God is the #1 topic talked most about in Jesus's teachings. In my opinion (and conviction), we can't call ourselves Christians without examining what he is trying to tell us. My company launched our generosity and stewardship branch this year and I couldn't be more excited about the heart behind it, the people at the frontlines of it, and the impact to be generated from it. In a world where money is perceived as a sensitive and private matter, it's time to bring it into the light. Why? Because where your money is there your heart is. - Matthew 6:21 Second to teachings of the kingdom of God, Jesus talks about money as the most frequently. When we recognize that money isn't our master, and our master is the giver of it all in the first place, it changes everything. Implementation? Oof. More on that later down, keep reading. You may think this seems like the most obvious lesson, but it has been one of the most challenging truths, and probably one that I will have to consistently remind myself of as our company grows. There's something about setting intentional time to open up a book and grow yourself. Me and my friends joke that I need help because all my books fall in the genre/realm of leadership, spiritual health, and personal growth...it's borderline self-help (I like to think of it as self-growth). I don't care, though. I've learned so much in the past couple months. I made it a goal to read two leadership books by the end of this year, and there are so many nuggets of wisdom that I've been able to apply to my work practically and my mindset/thought-life personally. Read that two more times and go in with an open mindset about it. If you don't believe me, do some research for yourself. I used to have this mentality that every workout should be 100% effort. I inaccurately aligned the definition of 100% effort with 100% exertion in my mind. Depending on the season of life you are in, there are going to be busy days when less sleep is involved. I've found that when I modify my workout to something slightly lower in intensity whether that be the length of the workout or the type of workout, I'm better able to manage my energy and stress levels to perform consistently. * when I think of "season" I think more of rhythm rather than balance now. It is impossible to be balanced in every season, so when you learn to embrace the rhythm of the season rather than seeking balance, you can modify and adjust based on what the season demands. I had a client talk to me about this while I was working on this practice of talking to God daily, even if it is just for 5 minutes. For me, meditation is not stripping my mind to zero thoughts. I've personally found that impossible. Instead, I focus on what is important. For me, I like to meditate on gratitude or the glory of God. While I'd love to say I'm perfect at it, this is one of the hardest habits that I've been trying to build this year. For me, the best time to meditate is early in the morning when there are minimal distractions. It's a great way to ground yourself before starting the day and entering the unknown chaos. I think it's wild how my relationship with my parents have changed as I've grown up. I've appreciated the conversations we get to have now. They still drive me insane at times, but I'm sure they also feel the same way about me so I guess we are even. Learn to be the most positive person in the room and see what happens. I've learned this the most as I reflected on being a cycle instructor for the past five years. Whether it is 5am in the morning or 6:30pm in the evening, riders are coming to class to feel better on their way out than how they walked in. No matter how my day has started or has gone, it's a discipline to learn to find authenticity and positivity despite circumstance. This is a muscle I've been able to carry forward into other aspects and relationships in my life. No one likes to be that one who confronts or pushes against someone's beliefs or ideas (unless you are a type eight on the enneagram). For someone with people-pleasing characteristics, this has been a challenge. Obviously, there is a contextual piece to consider, but I've learned how to step out and push back on ideas when I don't agree or desire to understand more. If you have true friends and good people in your life, they will appreciate the thoughtful conversations that come out of it, no matter the result. I feel like the problem with church and corporate worship isn't that people don't go in with expectations of what church should be, but because they have a misunderstanding of the purpose of church is.*** Many over-expect what to get out of it. At least that was for me. When you tap into the truth that church is a gathering place to take communion together, learn from each other, worship together, and nothing else than that, you realize how important community group and building relationships with those within your home is everything. While spiritual transformation and radical revelation can definitely happen at church, I've found that it is in the mundane moments at home laughing with roommates or prayer sessions with community group where the Lord is closest. ***Sermon listed below on worship. It wasn't completely obvious to me in the beginning. I said this because I was one and I felt what it was like to be one of the only women in the room. This year, however, was when I saw it in other women in finance - how skilled they can become, how natural they interact in this space, and how needed it is in this world where finance and the desire for financial peace applies to everyone. This will definitely be a life mantra of mine till the end of time. It helps set a good framework mentally to prepare for the inevitable fails, but then also a reminder to reflect on how to move forward better, stronger, and more equipped from the learning of each failure. I felt this deeply in 2023 when I was studying for an exam I just couldn't seem to pass. After my third fail, I had to wait six months to re-take it and I was so distraught...borderline depressed. While it was extremely heartbreaking and discouraging, it was equally humbling and learning. My dad asked me what I was going to do about it after I failed for my third time - "It's not about the destination but about the journey. You will have a story to tell that you can connect on with others after you pass. So, keep going." Don't we love when fathers have all the answers? Try it. Nothing like a good howdy groovy! In Adam Grant's book, Give and Take, the author spends an entire chapter on volunteering and giving. The research breaks down to how "100 seems to be the magic number when it comes to giving" in a study of more than two thousand Australian adults in their mid-sixties. They were "happier and more satisfied with their lives than those who volunteered fewer than 100 or more than eight hundred hours annually" (Grant, 173). 100 hours breaks down to 2 hours a week. Everyone can do that, and communities sure need more hands to help. And like anything else that is uncomfortable, a good place to start is to start. I've learned that it may not begin with a cheerful heart but a curious heart, and that's okay. Transformation takes time. I was in a sermon at my church where the pastor shared how the average Christian gives about 4% of his/her annual gross income. This really surprised me. Rather than seeking general judgement, I looked into my own personal budget to understand how much I gave, and it was right above 2%. A pattern I notice as a financial planner is that the more money people make, the more they spend. It is those who can stay within their means of living as their income grows who are the ones who can build healthy disciplines around their spending and giving. "Surprisingly as it seems, people who give more go to earn more...research shows that giving can boost happiness and meaning, motivating people to work harder to earn more money." (Grant 183). This practice of generosity really goes back to reflection 5 at it's foundation for me. If you truly believe that nothing was yours in the first place, and everything is a gift from above, it should alter the way you view everything in life, including your money. I'm challenging myself in 2024 in prioritizing and aligning my giving because when I reflect on my life from opportunities to relationships I have been blessed with, it requires a response that bears much greater than 2%. There was a season this year where I felt crippled with anxiety - on the verge of crying at any corner, overthinking everything yet being rash with responses at times, and becoming a person who I was not all that proud of. I also saw this anxiety come out in others but for different reasons. I couldn't fully understand the anxiety when rooted from a reason that I didn't struggle with...that is until I experienced the anxiety for myself on something that others didn't deal with. Rather than meeting others at envy, I learned to meet them with empathy. When you can start there, you don't need to understand the root, but moreover learn to understand the person. Being a friend and encourager became significantly simpler when I came at it at this way and asked more questions (reflection 1). To be clear, work is not your identity, but definitely an expression of it. I heard this in a sermon on sabbath; while we were created to work, having a day of rest was built into the fabric of existence for many reasons. I think one of those reasons was to understand that work can stop, and life goes on because life is more than your work. This is easier to say than to implement, especially in busier seasons of work when I feel like it is taking all my life. I've learned to make room for meditation and involvement in extracurriculars outside of work whether that be church, volunteering, community group, or rot days, and let me tell you - it has been a game changer. This is not just for you, but also for others. I've definitely given my fair share of rants to my roommates or boss, but this year I've experienced others go through difficult times. I've found how helpful it can be to offer someone space to have a good rant or breakdown. *I'm not saying that it is a good habit to make this routine or practice, but just another lesson learned about meeting people at empathy and acknowledging other's emotions and your emotions because, after all, we are all human. This kind of just came out of my mouth while I was teaching a spin class on gratitude in November, and I found it such a good phrase to preach to myself this year and next year when I get antsy or impatient. Gratitude isn't about dwelling in the past nor expecting a plan for the future but learning to live in the present with both the past and future in mind. I've found that when I live too much in the expectant, I easily let myself down. Yeah, this is why my word of 2024 (stay tuned!) has an action plan to it, but let's just say that we need to be off the social media for a hot minute. To let you indulge in moderation, here are a few of my favorites: God sees us as precious like diamonds. Diamonds aren't created with luxury cultures of comfort and complacency but with intense and high-pressure environments... not to forget that they take a longggggg time to form (billions of years). Sometimes it feels like a billion of years to get to where I want to be or go; I've felt that in various areas of my life. Dallas Willard says that the main thing God can get out of us is who we become. If God truly wants what it is best for us, the timing is intentional, so I'm learning to trust Him in that. I hope you will, too. InspirationGive and Take by Adam Grant (book)
some 2023 highlightsOn my last birthday, a sweet friend from high school sent me a text that said this: I pray that this year is full of immense peace, direction, and alignment for you That was one of the kindest texts I received last year. It was meaningful and each of those words have stuck with me. Peace. Direction. Alignment.
The idea and expression of "alignment" came up multiple times more in my thoughts, work, books, and talks to a point where I knew there was something to it. I knew it had to be my word for 2023. Took a sabbatical several months ago. "Kid-adults"—that’s just a fancy word for making intentional time to get away from the craziness of life to return to your truest self when stripped away of all the titles and to-do lists.
I also just love this word. It rolls of the tongue and is just so fun to say. Sabbatical. October Blogpost By Liv Shin Hey October! This blogpost’s ultimate credit goes to “time.” We live in a world where we desire success and happiness right here, right now. The caveat is—the world we live in holds us captive in this space called time. I’ve learned that I can either resist the captivity of it, or allow time to grow me, move me, and become me into the person I strive to be. Unfortunately, time takes time…and we all hate waiting, especially me.
In hindsight, I’m so glad I let “time” do its thing though. I could have posted something in August…or September…or somewhere in between. Instead, these words are a culmination of all the months up to now, so bare with me because a lot has happened since! I've had about three different pieces I've written just hanging out on my desktop and ready to release in June as my monthly blogpost—one on control, another on dreams, and then a hybrid of the two topics with a sprinkle of the pandemic's crushing effect on both of them. Sweet, huh?
But as I began to reflect on the many things that went wrong, I also realized how many things took a turn that I would have never expected...in a good way. Happy February—the month of all the love! And I LOVE love, so I love February! I’m dedicated this blogpost to Marissa, an individual who showed me one of the BEST ways (in my opinion) to love someone—by believing in her. And that “her” was me. I’m only one of the many gals Marissa believes in, empowers, and motivates, though. She runs Etico, a small boutique in Fort Worth. Etico carries various handcrafted products and local treasures. The one commonality in all the vendors—they’re women. But that’s just my short elevator pitch of the store. It’s so much more than that, and I give all the credit to the woman behind the counter—Marissa.
Happy New Year’s! Although everyone has been throwing out the “We don’t need another day of 2020”, I think we can all say that we have learned a lot from this year. 2020 has grown us, shaped us, and hopefully—refined us in a way we may never have imagined.
All I have to do is abide in what I have received. He cares for the immediate repression and removal of every bud which the old nature would still like to put forth. -Andrew Murray; "Abiding in Christ" Hellooooo September—the month that calls our unhealthy, basic cravings for pumpkin spice EVERYTHING and sweater weather (please, Texas make this possible!) to attention. Before I dive in, I thought I'd start with Sparknotes because this is a long one. I get it if you don't want to read the whole thing, but I'm also going to use this as a hook to hopefully trap you into reading the rest, so here we go: Liv's sparknotes:
That's what Jesus did. We do not need to observe Western culture very closely to realize that it is captivated by the religion of the mediator. "The Spiritual Disciplines: Mediation"
****DISCLOSURE: I acknowledge that there is a lot happening in our world. Given the fact that this blog has to do with "time" and the importance of it, I want to let you know that I've withheld this post till later in the month because I wanted to mute my voice to let other voices be heard.
I have contemplated scratching this post, and writing a more relevant one to what is currently happening, but acknowledgement must come before action. For me, acknowledgement has taken the form of listening, learning, reading books, watching documentaries and films, and staying informed on both the latest news, as well as history that has founded what our world is today. The last thing I want is for this blogpost to seem ignorant or insensitive to the hurt that our world and people are experiencing. I hope you can understand. -- I'm in a moral dilemma. This month, I contemplated cheating on a test. Yep, not one of my high peaks in my life, but a real thought that stirred my mind. It was an online exam, and there was no way the professor would know of the other windows floating around her students' browsers. I had an 89.5 in the class, and cheating seemed like the easy way out.
Long story short, I came to my senses and didn't cheat. Instead, I made a pact with a friend to do the right thing, and so all good, right? Not so much. I ended up getting a grade that I didn't feel like I deserved after answering all the questions with confidence from studying hard. Taking the test felt good because I was prepared and able to explain all the concepts with ease. It was a hard hit when scores were posted a week later. The professor went over the exam in class, and I could safely say that many of us were appalled with the specificity she was expecting on the essay questions. It was as if she was encouraging an open book exam! However, for the most part, while students were aggravated and confused to an extent, they were unconcerned after a certain point. For me, it was different. I knew that what was running through my mind needed some sorting through. Full disclosure — I've received one B in college, which I then pass/failed. It's not that I'm rocket-science smart, but that grades have always been a reflection of my effort. Getting A's are important to me because I like to see the results of hard work and time I put into learning. When I get less than what I expect, it's a wake-up call to see what could be improved. However, what was extremely hard to replay last month was that I was so desperate for a letter grade to say that I was in a "moral dilemma." Cheating is wrong, and that is that. To do the right thing and put in 100% effort but not see the results wasn't easy, though. This whole situation made me wonder. My best friend reminded me to use this time to reflect on what I'm idolizing and prioritizing — goals and motivations, grades and achievements, food and fitness, fun and friends, etc. “People are making banana bread because of a virus.” That's when it hit me. I was listening to a podcast my editorial manager recommended while I was in the car. It was still Monday, but not any ordinary Monday. Today was the first day of online classes because TCU decided to cancel the rest of the semester due to COVID-19. We would be coming back from an extended spring break via the digital communication platform, Zoom, which is probably making loads of money right now.
So, to stay positive and hopeful amid reality, I decided to bake some banana bread. I set the alarm for 7:30 am even though I wouldn't be going anywhere. Nevertheless, I wrote out a list because that's what I do when I'm stressed — I plan. I rolled out of bed to warm the oven to 375 degrees and then got to work. I chopped up the bananas and walnuts, melted the butter, and whisked the sweet ingredients together during a somewhat bitter time in our world. My roommate wasn't going to be able to attend her senior graduation in May. Businesses were struggling to pay their workers. Cases of the virus were on the rise, and people were dying. Our president warned us that the next weeks ahead were going to be when this crisis is expected to peak. I remember the sweet smell of buttery banana bread that filled the room. Baking banana bread was the right choice. It's been a while since I've blogged. Part of the reason has to do with the busyness of this semester. Life has been both exciting and stressful, and I've learned that the one thing that balances these two extremities is the choices that I take on, and the opportunities I politely decline. While January felt like a year in itself, February flew by:
It's been busy! Here's one thing I've learned through it all: Yes, obviously you should say no to bad things, but that's not what I'm talking about. February has been a month of learning the courage and rest that comes with saying no to good things. And now, I've confused you. Please don't stop reading; I promise I have a point.
I got you 7's.1. Whatever type enneagram you identify with, we all live in a society that demands a lot from us.
Whether it is in our work place, school, home, etc, it can be easy to fall into a performance-based mindset and think that our identity is based on what we do, and how much we do.
For me, as a type seven, my passion (what my heart longs for) is gluttony. Not gluttony in terms of food consumption, but in terms of pleasure. If you're a type 7, you TOTALLY get it. Pleasure>pain always, that's our formula. But when we begin to drive our decisions and thoughts into this lifestyle, we can easily burn ourselves out and fall into exhaustion. To get to this passion of pleasure, I find myself constantly planning. That is the Type 7 fixation: planning. Especially then I find myself in a situation that is causing me harm or pain, my immediate response is to look ahead to what's to come. It's who we are— extremely imaginative and very efficient. But the problem with this is that we don't allow ourselves to understand this paradox of complete joy in sorrow. Sophomore year has come to an end, and I am blown away by not only how fast the year went, but how much the Lord has showed me His goodness in the relationships and experiences He brought me.
As I got to converse with different people about what my faith looks like in Him, I found myself constantly questioning the authenticity of it. I took a religion course this semester and I learned about a variety of world views in America. It was by far my hardest, yet most intriguing class. I wondered about the famous theory that says all religions lead up to the same mountaintop. We talked about it in class towards the end of the semester; as I listened carefully to many people pour their ideas and responses to that question, I was hoping I could find enough validity and evidence to explain that the answer was yes, yes indeed all religions are striving for basically the same end goal. But what I also found was my intuition—which I believe is deeply connected to the God who handcrafted us— resisting that urge and reminding me of the truth. being strong doesn't always mean going the fastest or the hardest.This week, I struggled. Thursday-Friday transitions are always a little tricky as I teach at 6:30pm on Thursdays, and then Fridays at 5:30am. This week I doubled and taught at 5:30pm and 6:30pm, and then my Friday 5:30am. In between those classes, I pulled an all-nighter...not because I needed to or wanted to, but because I just couldn't seem to sleep. Do you every have those nights? Your mind is restless, and before you know it, it's a new day? Getting burnt out is something every fitness instructor I've met experiences, including myself. I was tired-both physically and mentally. It didn't help that I was beating myself up over how my classes went post-ride. When I'm up on that podium and on that bike, it's no longer about me. It's about my riders. I want to serve them in the best way possible. What I say on that podium needs to be impactful, and what I do on that bike needs to be empowering. However, what I didn't realize in those moments was that I was the one self-evaluating how my riders felt instead of actually knowing the impact that each rider truly experienced. It's not about you. You may be calling the choreo, leading the interval, or building the energy, but you aren't doing the heart change (someone much bigger is).Yes, yes we are crazy. Bella and I decided to go skydiving at Spaceland Dallas today and it was AHHH-MAZING. No, not the puny indoor skydiving place, we did the real deal. Both of us were on about 2 hours of sleep and McDonald's breakfast, but as we got closer, our excitement and butterflies in our stomach woke us up.
We jumped off a helicopter 14,000 feet off the ground and got to pull the parachute at about 6,000 feet! It was exhilarating and beautiful and peaceful all at the same time. All worth it, every cent of it. February flew by so fast, but in the midst of this month, I got to press into meaningful moments, sweet fellowship, and a perspective of constantly learning. Reflecting back, I thought I'd take this post to share some of those things:
1) what I've learned in February, 2) new things I've started, and 3) what's to come Life consists of finding ways to live a little better, a little happier..kinda like a fish in a Brita. You'll have to read this to understand.
I don't expect you to understand what's going on in this collage I made. I mean, honestly, I don't even really know what's happening. I kind of just starting flipping through an Anthropologie magazine to find some aesthetically pleasing pictures I could cut out to make a collage.
I set an intention to relax today. It's been a crazy week of change, and I finally made it to Fall Break. I wanted to create something that reflected my week, but nothing in the magazine would do. That's when I decided to simply place pictures together, and two hours later, I have something I hope I can look back on and remember. Even though at first I didn't think it was possibly that I could make Anthropologie images relate to what has happened these past weeks, I took a deeper look at my collage. That's when I realized that what I created was a lot like life as we know it. We like to have structure, and purpose in everything we do even before we do it. We like to know what we are going to be, and how we are going to get there. We want our lives completely planned out. We spend so much time focusing on what's to come that sometimes, we forget the beauty in the process. It's finally FriYAY! This week has been busy, but also exciting as I was able to jump into the new role of being an RA in Foster Hall. A couple days ago, Kam (another RA) and I put on an ice cream social program that allowed people to have a "sweet" time eating ice cream and meeting people.
I also taught my first two spin classes of the year! Both were completely packed and it was really cool to see how hard work and advertising can really bring people to class! On my Wednesday class, I talked about gratitude in one of my songs, and how gratitude can only be experienced when you realize what you have is enough. I think this is so important. This allows gratitude to make sense of the past, focus on the present, and give us a vision for the future. Instead of trying to constantly do everything, gratitude allows us to live in the present, something I struggle with. When I reflect on this week so far, I can list out many things, starting with God being faithful in his Word when He says that He doesn't give anything we can't handle, but moreover, that we are never alone in our sufferings. 6th Year of TCU's "Afternoon Tea" put on by our vice chancellor & Student Development Services (SDS) to welcome those not choosing Panhellenic/Greek life.Sophomore year. Crazy stuff. Last year, I made the decision to not go through the recruitment process to get into a sorority. I wasn't too worried about it because I was never interested in being in one, but I did feel an uneasiness in that I was doing something wrong by not going through it. The week before school has an atmosphere that shouts Greek life as 50 percent of girls at TCU choose to undergo this process. I felt as if I was limiting myself from the number of people I would be able to meet and make relationships with. However, I quickly realized that all of this uneasiness was completely unnecessary.
Yesterday, I finished my last session for Orientation. The best summer gig I've ever had, thanks to the best group of OL's I got to work with!
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Oh, hey there!
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