JOURNEY AND CHARACTER: What I'm Most Proud of Through The Series of Failures to Success

After watching this insightful TED talk by Dumbfoundead. His perspectives of being Asian American and not fitting in with other AZNs, his love of hip hop and the role it play in his becoming, and his failures that lead to his successes.

Growing up, no one expected me to get to where I am now today. That quiet, shy, stuttering kid, who was undersized for his age, couldn’t read aloud, and who couldn’t even get simple things correct like coloring grade school map assignments—grew up to become a loving husband, future father, established nurse practitioner, small business owner, author/publisher, and leads as co-camp director to kids with autoimmune diseases, and a street dance organization.

Hip hop played a huge role in teaching me how to build identity and find a path towards self-actualization. As Dumbfoundead put it best, “I loved hip hop. it was raw, unfiltered, and unapologetically black, which helped me become unapologetically asian.” And it was in learning to accept myself that I was able to accept both the best of me, and also, the worst of me.

Most people these days only see the successes that I have accomplished within recent years. However, it was the series of failures I went through until one day, I became the success that no one expected. Though, I am so proud of my successes, it is my journey that I am most proud of—a journey that carries unwavering self-belief, grace, grit, and humility. It is the character which I have navigated with during the turbulent times I hold to my highest regard. To me, high character is the trophy of a lifetime.