Change is good

"Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change." - Confucius

One of the nice little Confucius sayings that takes you like a second to think about, but the lesson is really good.

Examples of positive changes in my life:

1. Lost 15 pounds since the beginning of the year. Woo! Keep that off, now, Bobby!
2. My Chinese name was Yiqing, and I changed it officially in 2008 to "Robert." --> which led to an inumerable amount of nicknames, like Bobby, the Sauce, the Rat,
3. Used to be a dour, depressed kid in junior high with weight problems and glasses. One of the most unpopular kids in America, I'm not exactly Zac Effron right now, but in better shape and have a better outlook in life, fueled by my "You gotta laugh at least twice a day" motto.
4. Decided to come to USC Law School and the LA area after undergrad, to be closer to my family and be reunited with my parents, my grandfather, and my sister. Best decision I ever made, especially tonight, on Chinese New Year/ Valentine's Day.


Article I read recently says this, "Most people live in a complete daze. Actually, they don’t LIVE. They just ‘get by’ because they never take the necessary action to make things happen – to seek their dreams." So TAKE ACTION.

It also had this to say, " success hinges on the simple act of making a decision to live – to absorb yourself in the process of going after your goals.


I think that's a very important lesson. I'm not Dr. Phil, I'm not your career counselor, your life coach, or your financial adviser, but I think anything that you want to accomplish in your life, you gotta go after it, and it's important to take that first step. You know how many times I've applied to stuff and gotten rejected in the past year, especially 2009? I'm not fazed by it, because I know that once I do get lucky and get something, it'll be something really good, something I really want, and it'll fully justify the power of positive change.

It's a very simple lesson. Think about famous people, or just normal people in your life who've met with a lot of success. CEO's are ordinary people who make a difference in their organization. Superstar basketball players are those who make changes in their work ethic to be the best they can be. Barack Obama ran his whole campaign on the theme of "Change" while embodying the word "change" in his own life. Living life IS having the willpower to change, and you gotta get started now.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan