Learning Limits
Savvy Saturdays - 7/18/20
Hello friends,
Greetings from Austin!
Last week in my update, I shared about going to a couple of weddings, and I must say, it’s crazy to experience one in person during COVID.
Though the pews were quite spacious with everyone wearing masks, there was a joyous awkward mood amidst the tense atmosphere when socializing and interacting with other peeps.
I, for one, enjoyed catching up with high school and home church friends. In fact, before the wedding started, I was moving around so much that my friend on the live stream called me out on it. (I’ve never felt so publicly shamed 😅)
I was so blessed, though, to see my friends get married; both in-person and YouTube live. They were great reminders of the beauty of a covenant, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for them!
That aside, this past week, I started to go to the Half Price Books after work!
There was something nostalgic about it.
Growing up, I loved to go to book shops in malls or outlets whenever I had the chance (thank you Barnes & Nobles 📖).
Sitting down in a lonely aisle or chair, I’d have a stack of books beside me, ready to read and become absorbed in whatever fictional world I had chosen. Those times were very simple and precious, as I would find so much energy and joy reading them. Hours passed by like seconds, and before I knew it, my parents would come to take me home as the store closed.
For my ventures at Half Price Books, I ended up staying until it closed also. 😅Instead of reading fiction though, I got absorbed in the more practical sections, like Christian Living and Computer Science.
In fact, I ended up spending the last hour at the store reading books on Node and Ruby on Rails, in order to get a high-level conceptual understanding of two languages I’ve worked with before.
Weirdly enough, I found that I was more productive reading the physical books, rather than browsing the references online. There’s something special about the weight and handling of hardcover and paperback books that give more depth to the knowledge being consumed.
I’m hoping to spend more of my free hours at the book store as I’ve found it a great way for me to de-stress and rest.
And yes, I’m a nerd.
And yes, I won’t completely freeload on books and buy my own. (though old habits are hard to quit 👀)
I would say besides wedding parties and book store browsing, I’ve been exploring ways to put myself out there more, whether to catch up with friends or utilize social media in different aspects.
For quite some time after college, I had gone on a hiatus in not really interacting with anyone outside of ministry, work, and personal reflection.
On one hand, this was because I had a fear of getting burnout.
On the other hand, this was because I needed to learn my own boundaries and limitations, as I struggled to say no to everything I was asked off.
I thought I had the ability to take on everything, but the reality was that when I was saying “yes” to something, I was really saying “no” to something else.
After spending some time isolated in COVID, recognizing more of my limits and what I can handle, I found I was more willing to take on new ventures and meet up (virtually) with people without the fear of burnout or overcommitment.
I learned to say no.
Of course, I still wrestle with balancing what I can handle and saying no to things, as this past week, I ended up staying up most nights binge-watching an anime.😳
But fortunately, this is a continual process of learning to balance time and commitments (and the anime was pretty good; Code Geass; 10/10 would recommend 😄)
Anyways, thanks for checking in on this update. Sorry for the lateness of it. 😅
If you know someone who would benefit from these insights or resources, feel free to share it with them!
Else, please stay safe wherever y’all are at, keep it savvy, and I’ll see y’all in the next update! 😊
Weekly Collections
Faith
How Do I Know If I’m Doing Enough for God?
A high-quality 7-min read (or 11+ min listen) of John Piper’s thoughts over what actions we should be taking, heart-wise, regarding our works, and where it should be outpoured from, instead of forced!
“Realize that the New Testament portrays some responses of the soul as roots and hundreds of others as fruits of obedience.
Some acts are root; some are fruit.
So, we should focus on the deepening and the strengthening and the intensifying of roots like faith, hope, and love. Each one of those in the New Testament is pictured as producing life — the rest of life, the rest of obedience.”
Entrepreneurship
10 Tips For Ambitious People in Their Twenties
Work in different verticals throughout your career.
Geography pushes you. Pick the city you work in wisely. Examples: Bay Area is harder. Austin is softer.
Learn OUTSIDE your skillset. That’s how creativity is born. It will help you rethink how you do your core thing.
Keep documenting your learnings. Start a blog, newsletter, or YouTube channel. Build your brand.
Go after the failures. Those are the biggest learning experiences.
Find someone who’s living your ideal life and do whatever it takes to work for them.
Figure out what you are an expert in. Hire/surround yourself with people who complement your weaknesses.
Chase opportunities, slow down for success
Start learning for the next step today. Keep leveling up.
Always be connecting and helping others! Become the hub.
Productivity
Here's Why Perfectionism Will Destroy You and Everything You Love
“It's not fear of failure. It's fear of not being great.
The fear of being average.”
I have never watched a video that exposed and explained my own perfectionism so much, yet also gave me perspective on how to deal with the issue. If you have 11 mins, I would highly recommend spending time watching how to overcome it!
(spoiler: you don’t, but you learn to accept imperfection, eliminate all the barriers and just do what you gotta do)
Weekly Reflections
Mental Model
The map of reality is not reality. Even the best maps are imperfect. That’s because they are reductions of what they represent.
If a map were to represent the territory with perfect fidelity, it would no longer be a reduction and thus would no longer be useful to us.
A map can also be a snapshot of a point in time, representing something that no longer exists. This is important to keep in mind as we think through problems and make better decisions.
—(Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions)
How to apply the mental model:
What maps, frameworks, or perspectives do you utilize in order to traverse life?
Are you using them holistically, or do you default to one of them mostly in life?
How can you discover other maps, frameworks, or perspectives to utilize in life?
Verse of the Week
“Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
—Psalm 37:4
Challenging Quote
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.
We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.
We are far too easily pleased.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses
If you guys have found the newsletter to be helpful, I would love to hear from you on what’s been good, any suggestions for improvement, and anything else you’d like to see!
Please don’t be shy to let me know and thanks in advance!