Charlie's Blog

The one thing it all comes back to in this life.

“Self-awareness is the ability to focus on yourself and how your actions, thoughts, or emotions do or don’t align with your internal standards. If you’re highly self-aware, you can objectively evaluate yourself, manage your emotions, align your behavior with your values, and understand correctly how others perceive you.”

It’s THE one skill I appreciate developing over my years the most…maybe I appreciate it more because of how uncommon it is.

The reason I say it’s the biggest lever is because once you are trying to be self-aware, there’s not a situation that can have power over you. You can utilise your surroundings for your benefit, also it will make you a stronger leader, and a more well rounded person.

Why is it so important?

⚔️ Know Thy Self

If you do not know yourself, what values you hold, what’s important to you, what societal norms are and how you act in accordance with them, then you will likely not know how to survive in this world.

I’m getting asked several times about what I think regards the market crashing and if I am worried.

Here’s my answer: I DON”T CARE.

The market can crash. Go up. Down. Left. Right. Sideways. It doesn’t matter to me and has ZERO effect. I will ALWAYS win.

My discipline is always increasing. My mindset is always expanding. My skills are always sharpening. My level of execution is always consistent.

These are my controllable and nothing in this world will ever stop that. Everything else is really all noise.

I don’t bet on the market to change my life. I don’t bet on other people. I bet on MYSELF. I don’t depend on anyone or anything in thus world to carry me through. I carry myself through.

There’s my answer. Investing into your mindset through design will always have 100000x multiplier than any money you put into anything. Think about that.

If you are going to leverage any resource in your life, leverage it into your discipline. your skills. and your mindset.

The compound effect of this intentional focus will make you immune to the bullsh*t and anxiety the world continuously tries to impose on you.

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I have always liked the idea of a muse.

Women are and have been and will be forever a great inspiration to men till the end of time. Nature, society has programmed men to be ‘simps’.

But it’s really not simps. Men are doing their divinely earthly purpose by being women’s protected/provider. That has what nature gave us as a role. The term simp has been cultivated over time because women have taken advantage of that. Bc of the sex culture movement , tinder. They’ve been unconsciously programmed to reward the exact opposite of that. Simps. Do you understand this? A good women IS the prize. 

Proverbs 31:10 

‘Who can find a virtuous women? For her price is far above rubies.’

CHANG- MIN LEE

These past couple of months I had plenty of time to read blogs, books, self help articles as much as I desired too. I had the opportunity to read and listen to many successful entrepreneurs, artists, professionals regarding their careers. This ideal of pursuing passions is not only hard to maintain, but unrealistic for most. Sure, for some of us, we were awakened to our passions early in our lives. As far back as I can remember, I was obsessed with creating and nothing invigorated me like writing a meaningful story. I knew that I was meant for a creative life. But most of us will not find a professional home in the arts. Most people perform other occupations in order to sustain a living for themselves. Yet, we are often challenged with this message that you aren’t fulfilling your purpose unless you’re doing what you love or are passionate about. I doubt many accountants desired to do their parents’ taxes as children. How many restaurant owners wake up every morning excited to endure the stress overload of running a food business. You guessed it, not a lot.

So let’s dive into this misleading notion of a passion-filled career. Even if you do set yourself up into a career that you are passionate about, what does it take to continuously keep the fire burning but also make a good living off what you are passionate about. I believe that most people are passionate about something, but it is extremely difficult to maintain that passion/fire throughout your whole life, nevertheless make money off it. Therefore, don’t think about being led by a theoretical passion. Instead, you have to get to the root and identify your curiosities. What intrigues you, what makes you wonder?

Every since I was a young boy I always knew I was passionate about art and design. However, I am deeply curious about street culture and continuously get inspired by the pioneering street wear brands and designers in the world of street fashion space. So that is what I am starting to pick at the thread of, discovering incredible stories and attitudes regarding a very specific cultural movement.

My entire childhood life I thought I was going to be a professional golfer. My father was a professional golf instructor, so naturally I wanted to pursue and make a living of this game. Although the game of golf has been a huge part of my life, I always found myself drawing or designing whatever medium I was experimenting at the time as a safe haven. I always loved how my curiosity and imagination would flow into me somewhat like a rush a euphoria, and there I can fully indulge myself into my work. As I got older and my craft has slowly evolved I have noticed that majority of my work stems from my curiosity in human relations. I strongly believe that if I can build my career off of a foundation of curiosities I will forever be satisfied; because I will forever be interested in the human side of the business. What keeps me going, what continues to stoke my passions, is my undying infatuation with meeting new people and learning their stories.

Don’t beat yourself up if you’re having trouble identifying your passions or finding it difficult to maintain your interest. Instead, listen to – and cultivate – your curiosities. Sometimes flirtations can lead to romances.

// MIN LEE.

I am scared and anxious as well.

 The Coronavirus is a real threat. A good chunk of the population will get sick from Covid-19 and a percentage of those people will die. The best we know how to combat the Coronavirus is continuously washing our hands and isolating ourselves from people. All this terminology none of us knew until a week ago. Now we gnaw on them like chewing sticks.

 This virus is not like the common flu, because we know the flu. It’s not like the last recession because there’s no company to blame and bail out. The reason why this disease and all it’s effects are so much more discomforting is because of the uncertainty. This virus can be said as a once in a lifetime pandemic blended by a crashing global economic crisis. And by all accounts, we are just beginning this ride into the unknown.

 I imagine when I was a kid walking into a haunted house, this is the type of fear and uncertainty that ran through my mind. I remember I never had the guts to walk in the haunted house alone, I always needed someone to hold my hand through it. My imagination is very deep and unmanageable as it is. I don’t need a man in a mask holding a chainsaw to chase me around to completely freak me out. The idea of blindly venturing into a dark cobwebbed doorway is plenty enough to give me cold feet.

 But, I will do just fine if my friends or family were there with me. The larger the group is, I feel as I am in more control of the darkness and not completely alone. Sort of like the fear has been equally distributed so I don’t feel all the fear at once. We collectively carry the worries and insecurities and now the passage is not as intimidating.

 I understand it is selfish, but I am glad that we are embarking on this journey together. To have my family and close friends, my community, and billions of people around the world sharing this fear together. In a way it does feel a billion times lighter as each day passes. And the anxiety, a billion times more tolerable. So I realized that we have one resource we can take advantage of. That is our relationships with the people around us. I have learned to lean on my brothers and sisters as well as be there to comfort my neighbors in need. All this matter is forcing me understand and practicing compassion as well as patience.

 Have you ever experienced your computer crash on you in the middle of a project? You have worked so many hours and invested so much energy into this project but now it’s gone. In a dark turn, the cursor freezes and all the information has evaporated. What do you do? There is a good ten to fifteen minutes where you are allowed to panic and scream. Cry if you need too! You have solidified such a good momentum into your work and were so close to being finished. Now it is cut short and all your work is lost. You don’t want to change course and start over but you realize you don’t have any other option but to start again from scratch.

 That is very similar to how I have been feeling this last few months. . Outside of contracting or succumbing to the Coronavirus, perhaps the hardest part about this situation is the drastic lifestyle change we are forced to adapt too. It seems like so many of us have not only grown accustomed to, but dependent upon living our lives going 100 mph. We’re bummed that our internship we worked so hard for is on pause, our big drop was spoiled, or our vacation we were looking forward to has been canceled. We had a goal to attain, more work that needed to be done, a fat paycheck to pursue. This whole situation has ruined everything for us!

Now we are all forced to be still. If we are fortunate enough, to stay home with our loved ones. We’ll have no choice but to be isolated with our own thoughts and our own selves. I believe this is a chance for us to re align ourselves back to who we truly are. There is a beauty of living a such simplistic life that really calms me. There will be periods of time where we do nothing but stare at  the blue sky. Maybe we will take on a book we put aside a long ago that we never had the time to read it.

 The realistic unfortunate circumstances will be that many of us will suffer losses on the work front. But this can also be an opportunity to consider our dreams, careers and workplaces differently. This is going to reset a lot of paradigms. And because I like to believe I am a hopeful guy, it can be for the better. Perhaps we will all, together, finally prioritize universal healthcare once this is all over.

Perhaps we will value strong national leadership. Maybe some of our divides won’t seem as far apart when we’re faced with a common enemy.

 There is some goodness there. A ringing of solidarity in the background of universal fear and concern. Just remember that we are all shouldering that fear with you. Also, be mindful that the fear is not about the virus, but about the uncertainty. And life has always been a series of mysteries and surprises and black hallways. The universe was never in our control, and clearly not as predictable as we fooled ourselves into believing. So, it turns out, we are used to this and know this quite well.

If this next week of disruptions turns into months and seasons, there is also a beauty and answer in being jarred out of our comfort zones and learning a new life language. It’ll be uncomfortable, painful, and traumatic. But one morning, it will be over and we’ll have transitioned to the next thing. And we’ll hold tight to these enduring stories about the year that changed our lives forever.

And how we did it together.

A brand is a platform to stand out, be heard, and shape identity. It defines who you are, you define what it is, and if all goes according to plan, your brand can grow into an amplified self.

But, as a creative person, Brand can also hinder, even restrict at times. A brand you create has the opportunity to become everything you stand by and believe. It is your story that you are showing to the world. I believe that great branding is all about saying No. It’s about discipline, sticking to your story, and constantly working towards your goal. Saying No to unsuitable deals, no matter how lucrative. Saying No to off-brand opportunities. Saying No to reckless abandon.

 Creativity although on the other hand is all about saying Yes. Creativity is drawing outside the lines. It is saying yes to channeling your emotions and creating something much bigger than your emotion itself. It is saying Yes to breaking the rules, doing the unorthodox and believing you have made the correct choice. This is often why creative people don’t make the soundest businessmen. It’s hard to tell a kite where to fly.

 Strong branding is always good for business. I mean a brand is very much similar with a business right? As I look around in the world some of the most powerful brands today are people. As we already know although, people are flawed. They can be unpredictable, and at times, wildly inconsistent. Just think about it. You know the names of Donald Trump, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and many other. But what stands out is their authenticity and transparency. Everything they say and believe is all what they stand by. Yes, we want to meet the company founder and track his or her values. But, we also expect them to be human, freethinking, and receptive to change. As consumers, it’s uncomfortable when businesses veer into different product lanes or make unexpected creative choices. But, as people, we allow our peers the freedom to change hairstyles, adopt new hobbies, and date dissimilar partners. Brands can be heavy, obstinate, and for some, baggage. People, however, can adapt – and, are quick to reinvent themselves. Without a history on their back, without hard expectations to fulfill, people can move faster and slide into new opportunities easier.

 This is why the future of Brand is people. Focusing on people. Behaving like people, and most importantly, becoming people. It’s almost like we’re working in reverse now don’t you think? People became brands, and now the brands become people. Branding yourself to become a voice to speak up.

// MIN LEE.

‘I believe in GOD and I believe in me. Same person.’

the trait most meaningful is the fire in the eyes. the ferocity of speech and the action that is the physical manifestation of seriousness.

it is the belief that GOD or the universe has bestowed upon you an immense task that no one else can accomplish but you. it is a holy war waged against the laws of physics.

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