photo credit: lalouque

All things exist independently, yet interdependently.

Time: while the present exists in the here and the now, we can’t dismiss the shaping forces of our past, the consequences in our tomorrows.

Words: while letters are strung together to form words and sentences, they really come to life when we engage in the ideas and concepts conveyed.

Relationships: while two people in a marriage exist as two distinct individuals, these two people will also become one.

Learning about independence and interdependence teaches me a few things:

While I have the freedom to pursue happiness and self-fulfillment, I am at the same time very much a part of our larger world. I must not complain nor point a finger at imperfections, nor take for granted the blessings given me,  I must not stop remembering, remembering that I am part of the fabric of this society, its struggles and triumphs.

I remember my brief sojourn in New York City.

I saw a trembling, lonely, disheveled old lady at Elmhurst Park.

I know we are not in the least bit related.

But then again we are.

I gathered up my courage.

I decided not to fear or run away, not to judge or to blame.

I gently walked over, and offered her my bread.

***

Thank you for reading.   If you enjoyed this post, you might also like these posts:

• Moments of Gratitude
• Wise Words from the Prophet

Please take a moment to drop a comment, perhaps share from your life or observations of how we are independent, yet interdependent?

During another downturn several years back, I learned a new definition of success.

It was a time not unlike these times.  Many companies have folded.  Many people have been laid off.

In the eyes of the world, these companies would forever be tossed in the “failure” category.  After all, didn’t they run their companies to the ground?

I was, at that time, the owner of a public relations agency struggling to keep my clients and my employees.  While I was discouraged, I wasn’t defeated.  But I didn’t feel like “success” either, until I met professor Erickson from the City College of San Francisco, where I had signed up for a complimentary small business management class.

Professor, how do you define success?”  A dark-hair middle-aged woman at the front of the classroom raised her hand.

The grey-hair, balding professor in a navy suit looked up from his lecture notes and turned in the direction of my classmate.

Well, it’s simple.  Once you have learned and improved upon whatever it is you want to learn and improve on, then to me, that is success!”

That’s it?”  My classmate’s eyes opened wider and shot back instinctively.

Yes, that’s it.”  The corners of my professor’s lips turned into a smile.

I sat quietly, but my mind was processing that simple advice…

Once you have improved, then you are successful.  Yes, I think that’s what he just said.

Those simple words had a profound effect on me.

I began reflecting on some business challenges, but came to the conclusion that hey, I was still a success!  Why, because according to my professor’s definition, as long as one have learned or improved from an experience, one is a success!  So on that particular day, no matter what I felt about the state of my business, I was proactively sitting in a classroom, improving my small business skills.  So, I have crossed a small, personal success milestone!

After that, I started rewarding myself for little, personal victories.  Hey, I outreached to five prospective clients today.   Hey, I worked with our webmaster HelloAri to complete our website revamp.  Hey, I created a great marketing campaign today, etc. etc.  Soon enough, these personal victories grew and began manifesting as public ones, and we started winning more clients and awards.

Once you have improved, then you are successful.  Yes, that was what he said.

How refreshing!  Perhaps the secret of happiness lies in our perceptions of success.  Have you had days when you feel discouraged because you are so far away from reaching your goals?  Consider carving your goals into smaller pieces.  Say you’d like to run a marathon one day.  But it overwhelms you.  Why not start by going to the gym and runing for 10 minutes today and adding on the miles incrementally afterwards?  So long as you are learning and making progress, hey, you’re a success!

What goals are you working toward?  What successes have you had recently?  Do share.  Remember to see them in smaller pieces, so you have more reason to pat yourself on the back and more reason to celebrate.

Here’s to your success!

If you enjoyed reading this post, you might be interested in these too:

• Success or Failure.  Does it Matter?
  
• A Vision for Your Life
  

This post is dedicated to my friend and former colleague, Christina Cheang.

Image by ToniVC via Flickr

I was in a fancy Chinese restaurant in the Lion City, sitting across from Christina C., a dynamo of a woman and the new Singapore leader of our international public relations agency.  We were deep in conversation as the waiter filled our cups with Puér tea and served us plates of steamed sea bass and herbal black chicken.

I was wrapping up a two-week business trip.  My life in San Francisco seemed so far away.  Well, literally 8,500 miles away.  Yet my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, twirling about everything I needed to do before I left, and everything that awaited me when I return.

“How am I going to find the time to do everything?”  I said as I wolfed down the sea bass and emptied the tea cup.  “Within the next week, I’ll be making five presentations.  Two here, and three back in San Francisco.”

Christina looked at me through her stern, maternal eyes.

“Slow down, Sharon.  Don’t you know that time is elastic?”

“Time is elastic?  What do you mean?”  I rested my chopsticks, momentarily.

“Well, you and I think that we only have 24 hours a day.  But have you ever been so engrossed in something that you lose track of time?”

“Well, yes.”  My eyebrows arched higher as I leaned toward her.

“Have you ever felt like hours have passed, when in fact, it had only been minutes?”

I nodded.

“You see, when you are inspired to act on something, you will always find the time and energy to dive into what you’re meant to do.  And when you get ‘in the flow,’ time becomes elastic.”

Inspired, I returned to my hotel room that night and whipped together a powerpoint presentation in under an hour, pleasantly surprising myself.  I experienced first hand the meaning of “time is elastic.”

Christina C. taught me an invaluable concept, and I have often reflected on those three simple words since our memorable dinner almost two years ago.

Tonight, I saw the Michael Jackson movie “This Is It” for the first time.  Those around me lamented that it was such a shame that he died so young.

Then, suddenly, the three words, “time is elastic” popped to mind.  I started thinking about his lasting impact on music, and on the millions of people around the world.

The “King of Pop” may have passed on, but his music will live on in our hearts and minds for a long, long time.  Michael Jackson has forever outlived his 50 years and succeeded in stretching time to its maximum elasticity.

I could almost see Christina’s smile as I pen this today.

“Great, you get it now.  Time is elastic, grasshopper.”

Image by m.a.r.k via Flickr

It was a full moon night, everywhere…

I’m sure you didn’t miss it, whether you live in San Francisco, Shanghai, Switzerland or Singapore…

The moon beckoned from afar – luminous, warm, inviting – like a grandmother gathering little children around her rocking chair for story time.

You and me, we likely didn’t breathe the same air that night, what with the countless miles between us…

“How many miles?”  You asked.

“Geez, I don’t know, I’ve never been good at Math.”

But  we digress…


It was a full moon night, everywhere…

Though we didn’t breathe the same air, we did see the same moon, didn’t we?

Did it not call to you?  The same way it called to me?

Did it not whisper in your ears, the way it did me?

“What did it say?”  You asked.

Take heart, don’t fret the miles that separate you.  You may think we live in a vast, cold world.  You may count with your fingers and toes all your loved ones who live far away.  But really, we live in a small, small world.  How else can I visit each and everyone of you, every night, without fail, if our world were indeed too big, too vast?”

Hark, the moon has spoken.  Just then a cloud floated by, casting a big shadow upon us.  But the moon was smart and escaped soon enough.  It then continued to smile and shine, over the freeways, over the meadows, over little you and little me.

It was a full moon night, everywhere.  No matter the distance, we are all connected, in more ways than one.

By Sharon Sim-Krause

Cover of The Prophet

One of the most illuminating, succinct yet all-encompassing books I have read is a book called The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese-American writer and philosopher.  In 26 short poetic essays, he discusses the human condition and various life issues with quiet eloquence and wisdom.  When I first read these poems, I was struck by the wisdom and insights contained in these simple words.  I have included 10 excerpts from some of these poetic essays to provide you a glimpse into the mind of a brilliant writer, and offer a little shot of inspiration to your day.   Enjoy!

On Love…

When love beckons to you follow him, though his ways are hard and steep.  And when his wings enfold you yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

On Work…

You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth. For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, and to step out of life’s procession, that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.

On Joy & Sorrow…

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the self same well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be?

On Reason & Passion…

For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction. Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion; that it may sing; And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes.

On Beauty…

And beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.  It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth, but rather a heart enflamed and a soul enchanted.

On Friendship…

For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill? Seek him always with hours to live. For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.  And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

On Giving…

You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.  For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?

On Pleasure…

Pleasure is a freedom song, but it is not freedom.  It is the blossoming of your desires, but it is not their fruit.  It is a depth calling unto a height, but it is not the deep nor the high.  It is the caged taking wing, but it is not space encompassed.  Ay, in very truth, pleasure is a freedom-song.

Image by sanjibm via Flickr

On Self Knowledge

Say not, “I have found the truth,” but rather, “I have found a truth.”  Say not, “I have found the path of the soul.” Say rather, “I have met the soul walking upon my path.” For the soul walks upon all paths.

On Death…

You would know the secret of death.  But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?

If you enjoyed these excerpts, you might enjoy the book.   It is relatively thin and is available at Amazon.  Fuller  poems are also available through this website I chanced upon online.

Here’s to your life, and to love, beauty, knowledge, joys, sorrows, reason, passion and all!

Wow!  The United States of America is 233 years old today.  The American colonies declared its independence from Great Britain that fateful year, and the rest as they say, is history.   But what incredible changes have swept the world since that fateful penning of the Declaration of Independence…

• The U.S. has grown from 13 states to 50 states, from former colonies to the world’s superpower.
• We have moved from an agricultural, horse-and-carriage culture to one that embraces incredible advances in technology – fast cars, jet-setting airplanes, instant connectedness with the Internet and more.
• We have grown from an era where slavery was widely accepted, to inaugurating our first Black president in 2009.

To think that much of our progress stems from our founding fathers’ belief in this idea:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Every time I come across these words, I’m inspired and moved.  I feel lucky that this idea has seeped into our nation’s consciousness and shaped the constitution and supported legislations that have bettered the lives of generations of Americans since the ink dried on the Declaration in 1776.

Being of Chinese descent, I’m fortunate, that because I live in 2009, I have been spared the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.  I’m fortunate that they lifted the ban on inter-racial marriages in 1967, or my husband and I, or several of our friends, would not be allowed to marry today.

To many of us, it is a tough year to celebrate.  After all, we are in a deep recession, with unemployment at 9.5%, and the yoyo-ing stock market hard on the faint of heart.

Then again, we pause on July 4th to look at the Declaration again, that no matter what happens, we have unalienable rights.  And no matter how big the challenges are, we have the freedom to pursue life, liberty and happiness.

Thank you, our founding fathers.  Happy Birthday, America!