Archive for the 'Ari's Personal Stories' Category

What I Am Not Thankful for

This last week was Thanksgiving in US.  Though I’m not an American, I’ve grown to accustomed to the spirit and the ritual of this holiday.   And indeed, my family and I shared a very special time — it seems that each year we spend with our growing children, the more we realize how important these [...]

The Power of Peer-Mentoring

Mentoring/coaching doesn’t just happen when you pay someone who’s more experienced than you.  It can also happen among your very peers — and such a partnership can have bond and strength that few other relationships can.  Let me tell you about my peer-mentoring partner, and invite you to join me in forming a new peer-mentoring [...]

Self Actualization: Filling a Hole That’s Shaped Like You

This is a life story of my mother.  Her life is an example of how to find a need in the world only you can fulfill.  It’s a glimpse of what it’s like to reach complete fulfillment - self actualization.

Introduction: My Mother’s Calling
My mother is a missionary. Well, that’s how I describe her [...]

What I Force My Children to Learn, or Not (Digest)

Note: This is the digest version of a longer essay.

In a continuing discussion about children and learning, I’d like to share my family’s view and philosophy on this matter.  It mainly deals with what we force our children to learn, and what we don’t.
The Fundamental
First of all, we recognize that forcing is undesirable, and is [...]

What I Force My Children to Learn, Or Not

In a recent post, I discussed the nature of learning and growth with children. As a follow-up, I’d like to share my thoughts and our policy on how we’re approaching this issue of making our children learn something.
In a hurry? Read the digest version.

Before I get going, I need to place credit where it’s due [...]

Because We Can’t Grow Alone

I promise to get back to the regular programming with the next post, but after releasing my business/career vision, I felt that this was the time to give thanks.
So, below are some of people who helped me in the first four months or so of this blog.

Heros of Healing: Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

My friend Akemi Gaines alerted me on to Jenny Manion’s group writing project: Heros of Healing. This wasn’t a post I planned to write next but the subject matter is close to my heart, so here is my contribution.
Heroine of Healing: Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
She is renowned for her work on identifying psychological stages one [...]

Help! I Need to Become More Mindful

I’ve always loved daydreaming. Ever since I was little, I’ve always had hyper-active imagination. Sometimes when I’m walking, I would bump into things — like a telephone post, for example — because I was looking down and daydreaming, not really paying attention to what may be awaiting above my forehead.
I consider my imagination [...]

This Is How Good Life Can Be

Tonight was perfect.
My wife and I have this tradition of having dinner together with another family, our long time friends.  They came over, and we were all hanging out in our courtyard of our condo.  The kids were running outside, playing.  My wife cooked a delicious meal of Tex-Mex — tacos made of whole foods.  [...]

How I Healed My Damaged Self-Esteem

Just as I wrote my big essay on self-esteem, I encountered an event that triggered a discovery and healing of where my own self-esteem was damaged. It’s a rather personal tale, but let me use it to illustrate how you can mend the foundation of your mind.
My Son’s Fall
A few days ago, I was [...]