Jim Carrey was one of my favorite comedians as a kid. I used to love him on In Living Color. I still crack up whenever I see his old Fire Marshall Bill skits!
Carrey delivers a rousing commencement address!
But, in addition to making us laugh, Jim Carrey is also a wise soul. If you have a few minutes today, watch this segment from Jim Carrey's 2014 commencement speech at Maharishi University (the clip is also embedded below). It's loaded with gems.
In this segment, Carrey talks about fear--and how we often let fear dictate our lives. He says, "So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality..."
This is a powerful idea. It reminds me of different times when I chose comfort and familiarity over challenges. One thing I've started to see is that great things can come from accepting challenges and stepping out of one's comfort zone. These are moments that test your mettle and force you to grow.
Jim Carrey is a comedian and low key wiseman
We all have practical constraints, but pay attention to the moments in which you let fear and its ugly cousin, doubt, into your thoughts. Do you feel motivated by fear? Or, does fear prevent you from pursuing something important and meaningful? If it's the latter, remember what Jim Carrey says a little later about his dad, who chose a "safe" path instead of doing what he loved. "...[Y]ou can fail at doing what you don't want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love..."
I met Bette and her oldest son, Joey, during a death penalty trial in Center City. It was the sentencing phase for the two men who killed her youngest son, Timmy, who was gunned down execution-style when he was 15. Caroline, an advocate with the Families of Murder Victims, introduced us. "Bette, this is Jooyoung. He's a researcher and wants to interview you." Joey sized me up and seemed protective of his mom, who had already been through so much. Her eyes were red from crying, so I said, "I'm really sorry to hear about what happened." She smiled a little and said in her Tacony accent, "Thank you. It's been such a long day. But, call me whenever, sure." I spent the next day with Bette and her family at the courthouse and visited them weekly over the next year. I hadn't planned on following the families of murder victims, but my ongoing research in Philly had pushed me in this direction. While getting to know gunshot...
El Guapo I love Bas "El Guapo" Rutten. The Dutchman was a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, 3-time King of Pancrase, and an all-around badass. Following his illustrious fighting career, he transitioned into MMA commentary. I've found his commentary insightful and think that he comes across as a very humble and approachable person. Recently, I learned that Fuel TV was producing a show for Rutten called "Punk Payback." I immediately thought that the show would be a spin-off of MTV's "Bully Beatdown," a show in which professional MMA fighters confront and beat up bullies. To me, this would make sense: Bas Rutten was bullied when he was younger and openly talks about developing self confidence/awareness through the martial arts. I just watched a 10-minute clip of Punk Payback and am surprised to report that it isn't this kind of show. Instead, the episode I saw featured Rutten providing colorful commentary on how to resist/disarm armed...
I just finished reading Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck . This was a breezy read and packs a ton of wisdom into 210 pages. I read the entire book on my flight back to California yesterday and think it's worth checking out, particularly if you're disillusioned with the cult of self-help-pop-psychology in today's book market. Manson's book is as advertised, "A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life." Other passengers were interested in the book, too! I was initially drawn to The Subtle Art... because Manson, a professional blogger , draws inspiration from Charles Bukowski aka "The Dirty Old Man." Bukowski is one of my favorite writers and has a legion of fans who adore his blunt, crude, and honest way of writing. I can't think of a less pretentious writer. Love or hate him, Bukowski was someone who wrote with raw sincerity; "The Dirty Old Man" was open and unabashed about his vulnerability and he...
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