Live Out Loud

As an information-driven recap of the year: here are the cities I’ve slept in, the airports I’ve arrived in or departed from, books I read, and shows I saw. (Past years: 2018 ) Compared to last year: "Shows I saw" is a new category. "Books I read" were more heavily audiobooks.     Cities I slept in  Ann Arbor, Michigan Cotswolds, England Denver, Colorado Fuchu, Japan Jeju, Korea Kaohsiung, Taiwan London, England Los Angeles, California Oxford, England Portland, Oregon San Francisco, CA Seattle, Washington Toronto, Canada Seoul, Korea Singapore Whistler, Canada Airports I traveled through CJI  DEN DTW ICN KHH LAX LHR OAK NRT SEA SJC SFO SIN Books I read A Higher Loyalty A Million Years In A Thousand Years Atomic Habits Becoming Billion Dollar Whale Culture Map Customer Success Deep Work: Rules For Focused Success In A Distracted World Educated Free Food For Millionaires Gay Girl Good God If You Le

"God doesn't talk to me in an audible voice because God isn't a human being; He's God. That makes sense to me, because human beings are limited and God isn't limited at all. He can communicate to us in any way He wants to anytime He wants to. Through flowers, other people, an uncomfortable sense, a feeling of joy, goosebumps, a newfound talent, or an appreciation we acquire over time. It doesn't need to be a big mystical thing." - Bob Goff, Love Does (page 140)

As an information-driven recap of the year: here are the cities I’ve slept in, the airports I’ve arrived in or departed from, and the books I read in 2018. This post was inspired by my colleague and friend Amy, who has been doing this annual recap since 2011. Her recap includes shows she saw and races she completed, and I adapted mine accordingly. Cities I slept in  Ann Arbor, Michigan Da Nang, Vietnam Hoi An, Vietnam Hue, Vietnam Karawaci, Indonesia Melbourne, Australia Osaka, Japan Portland, Oregon Seattle, Washington Seoul, Korea Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt Singapore West Palm Beach, Florida Airports I traveled through CAI CGK DAD DTW EWR HKG ICN JFK KIX PBI SEA SIN SSH Books I read   Born A Crime Boundaries Boys In The Boat David And Goliath Difficult Conversations Everybody Lies For Men Only For Women Only From The Corner Of The Oval Gift Of Loving Yourself Grit Hidden Christmas Hit Refresh Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus M

As I close out 2018, I am hopeful for.. continued work in a profession that makes me feel alive opportunities to help others flourish, both in my personal and professional life ways I will continue to grow, as I make mistakes and experience discomforts the things I will discover as I relate with others closed hearts to slowly open up the quiet whispers of my heart to be recognized and fulfilled joy experienced in partnership the slow but sure progress towards my physical goal of doing pull-ups one day Inspired by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's 2018 Annual Letter, titled  What We're Hopeful For

Whenever friends would ask about what kind of partner I'm looking for, I would recite a short list of non-negotiable's and a medium list of nice-to-have's. I never minded sharing my non-negotiable's (shared values, spiritual maturity, someone who enjoys their work but doesn't find their worth in it), but I felt shy about my nice-to-have's or personal preferences. Who was I to be so picky or particular, especially if they weren't "important" enough to be deal-breakers? Recent interactions have had me re-evaluating the weight of qualities that I had not thought much about before. For example, I never thought that I valued a common enjoyment of food, until I met someone who admitted he "eats to live" (vs. me, who clearly lives to eat). Even though I had previously noted this as merely a preference, I realized I had unsaid expectations of how I envisioned my life and ministry. It would be a pity to not have someone share the joys of eat

I never identified much as the "courageous" type. When a colleague commented to me on Friday that she thought I was courageous, I was prompted to re-evaluate what I thought courage was. The next day as I was reading Malcolm Gladwell's book, I stumbled across a portion that revealed a lot about my (incomplete) view of courage. Here is a snippet  from Gladwell's book titled  David & Goliath, p 149: "The conquering of fear produces exhilaration. The contrast between the previous apprehension and the present relief and feeling of security promotes a self-confidence that is the very father and mother of courage. Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you've been through the tough times and you discover they aren't so tough after all." I don't think taking the uncommon path is easy for anyone, but there are people who are overwhelmed by the fe