Learn to Be a Disciplined Half-Ass

1 Comment read Creativity

I’ve been reading “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert and one idea of hers has been really resonating with me (enough that it’s now plastered across the top of my daily planner):

“You must learn how to become a deeply disciplined half-ass.”

Let me explain.

According to Gilbert, the two worst things you can be as a creative is lazy and a perfectionist.

Well shit, that’s me.

The lazy part is obvious. If you want to create, you have to be disciplined. You have to show up every day and do the work. Even if it’s not easy or fun. Whether or not you’re feeling inspired. You gotta sit your ass down and put in the effort.

But the perfectionist part, is just as important, if not as obvious.

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Lean into the Down

0 Comments read Life

Next time you’re feeling down, don’t run from it. Don’t try to change it. Don’t fight it.

Lean into it.

Feel what it wants to express and GO there. Pick up the guitar and play a sad song. Watch a bittersweet movie. Try writing a shitty poem.

Embrace the down. Sink into the beauty of it. Move WITH it and let it express itself, IN and AS you.

But don’t wallow in the stories. Don’t get trapped in the, ‘You’re broken’s, and the, ‘What’s wrong with you’s. That’s a prison.

But the actual feelings themselves… The present sensations. The energetic aliveness. That’s a portal.

Dive into the down. Use it as a doorway. And let it open yourself up to more of you.

Why I Can’t Wait to Turn 60

1 Comment read Life

Tonight, at midnight, I turn thirty. The big 3-0.

It feels like this is supposed to be some sort of big deal. A mildly depressing milestone of sorts. Like this is the official signifier that I’ve hit my peak and life will start heading downhill from here.

Sorry, but I couldn’t disagree with that sentiment any more.

I’m turning 30 in a few hours and I’m happier, healthier, and more free than I’ve ever been.

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The New JaeminYi.com (2016 Edition)

1 Comment read Updates

You know that feeling you get when your clothes feel way too old? Wearing them just sucks the life out of you. They makes you feel like a shittier, more awkward version of yourself.

Well, that’s how I felt about this website. I grew out of it a loooong time ago, but I’ve been wearing the same old rags for years. Until this week.

Ahhhhh, much better.

The last update was in 2011. And I was a much different guy then.

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The Way Out is Through (Or: How I Transformed My Relationship with Writing and Love)

7 Comments read Creativity, Life

Writing has always been excruciatingly painful for me.

It takes me FOR-FUCKING-EVER. My inner critics (yes, plural) doubt me every step of the way. And even after spending hours on one paragraph, I never feel like it’s up to par.

So I gave it up. For 2 entire years.

Yet the DESIRE to write – to express myself, to not just consume content but to also PRODUCE it – that never went away.

So, what’s a guy to do?

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Mac Apps I Can’t Live Without

8 Comments read Productivity, Recommended

Apps, apps, apps. I love apps. The thought of a new app that’ll make my life more awesome practically gets me salivating.

And why shouldn’t it? These days, so much of our lives exists in the digital realm, we’re practically living in a virtual reality! So discovering a new life-changing app is like gaining a new superpower. You can literally extend your ho-hum abilities in UNLIMITED ways…without having to get bit by a radioactive spider.

So these are the top Mac apps that I can’t live without. The crème de la crème. The apps I’d take with me to a deserted island (which conveniently has a power outlet and wifi, of course).

The apps that without, I’d feel like a mere human weakling…

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