The archive of my process of making a better me through seeing, experiencing, meeting and learning about the unfamiliar.
‘Being Right Vs. Finding Right’ Kingston’s Journey #48
There’s a difference between being stupid and being stupid enough to try. The former is not thinking things through, while the latter is based on reasoning.
“Beholden to the Opinions of Others” Thoughts on Judgment: Kingston’s Journey (Episode 47)
If you crave the compliments, you’ll feel a proportional amount of criticism.
“The World Needs Stupid People” On Pride, Principles & Pioneering: Kingston’s Journal #46
We think things are stupid based on the information we have available, not what is necessarily true.
“Responsibility Leads to More Prosperity” Kingston’s Journal #45
To take responsibility or defer responsibility, that is the question.
“Crippled by ‘What If’s’” Thoughts on Regret: Kingston’s Journal #44
Those that refuse to change lanes, that is, people that don’t make adjustments as circumstances change, build their own prison.
“Carpe Diem” Kingston’s Journal #43
Its far easier for us to sit around flipping through pictures then getting off our butts and making things happen. Good memories are only made if we take the initiative and seize opportunities.
“Man Plans & God Laughs” Kingston’s Journal #42
Sometimes you get blindsided by life, disrupting your action steps. Hence the saying, Man plans & God Laughs. Pivot to adjust to the changing environment.
“You Don’t Become a Man Until Your Father Dies” Kingston’s Journal #41
When you’re not the leader, you always have someone to lean on when times are tough. Once that leader is gone though, you’ve got big boots to fill. The process of filling them changes you.
“The Price to Be Paid” On Goals: Kingston’s Journal #40
With goal in heart, look to someone doing something similar but further along. Ask, is what they have and what it cost what I want.
”Don’t Let Someone Else’s Clock Dictate Your Own” Kingston’s Journal #39
If its your life, why let someone else set the pace for you?
“Be Frugal and Generous” Kingston’s Journal #38
During hard times, cut out the inessentials, and give more then you take.
8 Things I Learned in Thailand: Kingston’s Journal #37
I spent close to a year in Thailand, here are 8 thing I learned
“It’s You Against You” On Comparisons: Kingston’s Journal #36
Teddy Roosevelt once said, “The comparison is the thief of joy.”
“Smash the Average” On the Controllable and Uncontrollable: Kingston’s Journal #35
Average is the refusal to try to make your situation better.
“J” On the Controllable and Uncontrollable: Kingston’s Journal #34
J is a colored man who felt held down by the white man. He is a victim that feels he has no control over his life.
“Don’t Desire What You’ve Decided Not to Have” On Happiness: Kingston’s Journal #33
Nostalgia, as in looking to the past and wondering “what if “is a dangerous thing. It’s living in the past, and we were designed to move forward.
“Last Boot on the Ground” Thoughts on Being a Leader: Kingston’s Journal #32
There’s an old saying that goes, a manager tells people what to do and a leader shows them what to do. Break down the word “leader” and you get the word lead. Break it down further and for every leader you have followers. What does it mean to follow? It means to do the same…
“What Turns a Heart Bitter” On Love and Indifference: Kingston’s Journal #31
Teaching job is over, just need to finish up the grading and that’d be a wrap for being a school teacher. I think back to all the things I did for my kids out of love, care and concern. And how so much of it was unrecipricated. I won’t laundry list it as that would…
“Rudy” Work Hard, In a Thoughtful Place: Kingston’s Journal #30
Let’s talk about Rudy, he was a young man with big dreams. He may have been small in stature, but that didn’t deter him from playing college football. He spent years toiling, working harder than most to be a bench warmer on the team. Only in the last game of his college career did he…
“I Loved You, But Not No More” Thoughts on Love: Kingston’s Journal #29
So yesterday I saw some of my M3 students likely for the last time. As I walked past, one of them called after me, “Mr. Kingston!” she said. I turned around, “good bye!” they called out as they waved farewell. Me, being more a man of letters and not so quick to think on my…
“A Man’s Burden” On Taking Responsibility for Everything: Kingston’s Journal #28
I started the term with high ideals for myself, I was going to emulate the best teacher I ever knew and make all my kids better students. “Great teachers inspire” I said to myself. A number of my students have improved, more have gotten worse, and the great majority have stayed more or less the…
“It’s About Being Remembered” A Lesson on Leaving a Legacy: Kingston’s Journal #27
Just because I only have a few weeks left as a schoolteacher doesn’t mean I have ceased rolling out new ideas in the classroom. I watched a Ted talk on how to be the most effective teacher. The speaker talked about how he did away with the traditional teacher is at the front lecture and…
“Who Am I, What Matters, What Am I Good At” Kingston’s Journal #26
Recently I watched an interesting Youtube video that was about the advice an older person would give to their 20 something self. He compared this life stage as akin to running a series of experiments to answer 3 questions rather then trying to get the most prestige or money. Those 3 questions are: 1. Who…
A Man is a Child Twice: Kingston’s Journal #25
Once on the birth bed and once on the deathbed, both times we are helpless.
“A Man Has 2 Families” Kingston’s Journal #24
The first family is the hand you were dealt, the second is what you make of what you have.
5 Things I Like About Teaching In Thailand (and 3 I Don’t): Kingston’s Journal #23
As this school year winds down to the final 4 weeks, I wanted to reflect on the things I like and didn’t like during my time here in Thailand. Pro: Firstly, the students are quite friendly, whenever they pass me in the hall, there’ll normally be some that greet me. Con: On the flip side,…
Persistence or a Waste of Time? Kingston’s Journal #22
Darn near 2 months ago, I talked about how I felt burnout from the monotony of teaching English in Thailand. I still feel that boredom and unhappiness. I’ve been trying to block out these feelings or numb it as an alcoholic would say, by doing things that are unconventional for a teacher: Weaponized ToothpicksSinging in…
The Harder You Work, The Luckier You Get: Kingston’s Journal #21
Often there is a lot of talk about luck, specifically in life and career. How this person or that person became successful because of luck and circumstances. As I talked about in a previous post though, each choice that we make alters the next. Therefore, its not so much that luck determines our outcome, its…
Always Engage on Your Terms: Kingston’s Journal #20
I got some interesting comments from one of the students at my school on my YouTube Channel. The details of it are irrelevant for the topic of this post, the point is, I’ve discovered I’m not fully mature yet. I was going to do something more impulsive, even when I had the entire weekend to…
What is Comfortable Must Be Discarded: Kingston’s Journal #19
I remember two and a half years ago when I was an accounting intern in Rome, NY. One of the supervisors was talking to me about how work at the federal government doesn’t pay the most, but its “comfortable.” At the time I was still dead set on being an accountant as a 21 year…
Bad Decisions Define Us: Kingston’s Journal #18
We all have choices that we make in life, some good, some bad. Our lives are a series of choices. For instance, the college you decided to go to determines your geographic location, your location in school decides where you begin building your professional network as well as work experience and more likely then not,…
Africa, The New American West: Kingston’s Journal #17
About three weeks back I talked about how I felt stonewalled. I didn’t know what to do next after finishing my year teaching in Thailand. I knew I wanted to spend a few months learning how to farm in Latin America, but I wasn’t sure what comes next, and that problem befuddled me. After much…
All Roads Lead to Rome: Kingston’s Journal #16
With all the different career paths I’ve been moving around in for the past year, it gets easy to forget my purpose with all these changes. As such I think its important to define what I want out of life. It may seem that bouncing from author to accountant to school teacher and then farmer…
“Bend it ‘Till it Breaks”: Kingston’s Journal #15
One of the things I’ve discovered that I dislike the most is asking for permission. It is something that we are inherently conditioned to do when we were socialized as school children. We were told as kids when to stand and when to sit, if we could go to the restroom or not and when…
Becoming a Better Speaker: Kingston’s Journal #14
A couple of weeks ago, I finally worked up the courage (and realized I haven’t done this yet) to watch some old videos of my speech class I took in the spring of 2016. It was supposed to be my class assignment, but I never did it. Now having watched these videos and comparing them…
How to be a Respected Leader: Kingston’s Journal #13
I’ve noticed a significant change in the attitude of my students as the school year has gone by. The shaky kneed me from May when I stood in front of my first class seems ages ago. Many mistakes were made, from the pace of my class being too fast to me unable to control my…
Only the Guilty Fear Judgement: Kingston’s Journal #12
I’ve noticed a gradual shift in my demeanor as this year has gone by. I started January of this year keeping to myself for the most part working on my second book which I have since shelved when when I have a draft. Besides sharing my book with my immediate family, no one knew what…
How to Be the Best: Kingston’s Journal #11
I’ve come to realize now that I’ve been an accountant, author, English teacher and a field surveyor. All of these professions started out new and intriguing. Especially towards the beginning of the experiences everything seemed so fresh and that peaked my curiosity. One by one though, I began to lose my curiosity for all of…
Getting Stonewalled: Kingston’s Journal #10
Right now I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I wasn’t feeling frustrated with my life. I’m turning 24 in less than 10 days and I still haven’t figured things out. Yes, I’m almost finished surveying 400 Bangkok university students and after I’m finished compiling the information I’m going to be asking professors if…
Always Know When to Pivot: Kingston’s Journal #9
Planning out all aspects of your life just doesn’t work out when there are so many external factors that are beyond your control: Things that can change in forces of mother nature to man made disasters, the possibilities of things getting in our way is endless. Internal factors also play an important role though. New…
What Mileage Does to the Body: Kingston’s Journal #8
I’m fairly happy with the progress I’ve made in Muay Thai training. My power kick feels good and has improved a lot. I’ve also lost some weight along the way. My reflexes have improved I feel and I’m able to do some basic reading of where and what type of attack is likely to occur…
How to Save a Life: Kingston’s Journal #7
“Who did I help, what did I learn.” I stumbled upon this little piece of advice yesterday on a YouTube video I watched last night about advice they would give to someone younger. I believe what you learn and who you help are interlinked as you cannot help anyone unless you know what you’re doing.…
Kingston’s Journal: How I’m Recapturing Lost Youth
Auditioning for a talent show yesterday was no big deal to me. The kung fu demo I did was something I’ve done hundreds of times before, sure I’m a bit rusty as its been a while, but still. What is important is auditioning is something I’ve never done before. When I was in high school…
Kingston’s Journal: How to Develop Sales Skills
Going up and down universities surveying students has been an interesting experience. A few weeks ago, I was reflecting on the past two years of my life and whether it was wise for me to work as an accountant when it was well within my comfort zone. Being a door to door salesman would have…
Kingston’s Journal: The Final Project
Unless I find a way to open up another angle in my stay here in Bangkok, there is not much more to be gained. What I’m looking to do though is lecture once in a University here in Thailand for the experience, bragging rights, and as another accolade on my personal portfolio. My plan is…
Kingston’s Journal: Why I’m in Thailand
I came to Thailand because I felt my life was going into a rut back in Reno and I thought another year there would lead to the same old same old. So I began planning my escape 6 months in advance. I wanted to go to Thailand primarily to learn Muay Thai. And of course…
Kingston’s Journal: The Day of Giving
Thanksgiving day alone, the first one lone. Honestly it feels like just another Thursday to me. This reminds me of a Rocky I quote, “It’s thanksgiving to you, Thursday to me.” As a young man, it don’t matter much to me, in 5 years though, things need to be figured out. I’ve been told that…
Kingston’s Journal: Down on One Knee
Quite honestly, I’m feeling burnt out from teaching these kids in Thailand. Not only are lessons feeling monotonous, but managing tweens has been giving me a real headache. I’ve been feeling a light headedness during afternoon classes like I’m about to pass out. Part of it I think is because I never really had the…
Kingston S. Lim 