Tagged: courage

Thrive to be a Man With Character

 

 

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“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”—Malcolm S. Forbes.

Outer Beauty

New York city is defined by millions of yellow taxis and large crowds. Some people say that this city is full of arrogant assholes. Some people even say that they deserve to carry such pretension merely because they survive thrive in such a hard beautiful city. I say that New York city is full of millions of individuals, each with his own unique story. And here, New York to me, as a person, is defined by the men and women who laid on the tiny grass of Central Park at night, taxi drivers who refused to charge me any fees, poets with their vintage typewriters drafting a poem for $0.25, restaurants with Japanese toilets that caused a few giggles (and screams) among girls and pool places where good friends hang out. She is strong, fun, flexible.

I am sitting on a lounge chair of the Square booth after cruising Project New York. I admit – I love PoolTradeShow, where designers and artists display new items specifically for the boutique market. And I am amazed that I found a company, Solid Threads, that make “clothing with character.” As Brian Carr, founder of Solid Threads, told me his story, I was pleasantly surprised – a clothing company that cares about character. One by one, I am finding, speaking with, being connected to, individuals whom not only have the strength to build companies from scratch, they carry the strength that change the world around them – beyond the successful companies that they have built. And that is truly awesome.

The tees speak for themselves – buy one at http://www.solidthreads.com. Wear one with a pair of jeans or khakis and you’re set!

Inner Beauty

Project New York features clothing, accessories and shoes for men. Beyond physical beauty, men with character are sexy because of the following:

1. Men with Character Do What is Right. Character is who you are when no one is looking. Men who have character choose to do the right thing even when no one is looking. He is not perfect and he does not always choose the correct course of action. However, he makes things right. He makes a commitment and follows through with it. He thrives to be a better man.

2. Men with Character are Courageous. He has fears. In fact, he is afraid of many things. However, he has the courage to respond to fear. When he is afraid of his emotions (which he has bottled up), he is not afraid to face it – to feel the pain, to experience it, to walk toward his emotions. When he wants to run away, he marches toward resolution – working with another individual, diminishing problems instead of allowing problems to destroy relationships (whatever type it is).

3. Men with Character are Humble.  He has the confidence and courage to be vulnerable – He does not need to be always right, first and the best, and he could and would admit it when he is wrong. They could step aside, observe their past actions and say that they’ve made mistakes. And such mistakes are what make us human, what make us stronger, grow a little bit deeper.

Have a beautiful day! – And let your inner beauty shine!

© 2014, Fish and Cars. All Rights Reserved.

Find a Role Model

Fish and Cars Fish and Cars Fish and Cars
(Wonder Con, San Francisco 2011)

“I don’t want to be a supermodel; I want to be a role model.” — Queen Latifah

Role Models

For this throwback Thursday, I want to inspire you to find a role model.  When I was at Wonder Con in 2011, I was excited to find female superheroes. They are feminine yet fearless, powerful and courageous.  They are women I could look up to.  And they come in different shapes and sizes.  Find one that would inspire you to shine!

Inner Beauty

When you are looking for a role model, consider the following elements:

1.         Determine the characteristics you love.  What are some traits you personally admire? When I was going to school at the University of California, Berkeley, I consciously chose female professors who had a mind of her own, the ability to challenge the norm and excellent presentation skills. As I was learning the subject, I would imagine that I was in her shoes, speaking the way that she did, with gestures just like her. I certainly love the following characteristics in women: fearlessness, achievements, courage, confidence, empowerment and resilience. Sometimes these characteristics are not found in one person – I would find a number of role models, a number of people, that have one, some or all of these characteristics that I admire.

2.         Emulate the characteristics that you love.  Learn how your role model displays the characteristics that you love. For example, I encountered a female Chief Executive Officer whom asked me out to lunch out of the blue. It turns out that she was networking. I thought she was brave – and down to earth. I had lunch with her, exploring her role and learning how I could help. And thereafter, I thought it would be fabulous to learn a little about challenges that female CEOs face. Just like this woman whom requested to have lunch with me out of the blue, I requested and set up lunches with a few female CEOs to learn about their lives. And I became wiser from their experiences.

3.         Pass it forward if you choose to.  No matter what your role is in your life, you could make a difference in someone’s life if you choose. I have a few official mentors whom helped me and I have been a mentor to a few people in my lifetime so far. It is rewarding to see high school students go to college, post graduate students find career opportunities and just friends finding an answer to a challenge that they may be facing.  Go out there and give someone a hand!

Have a beautiful day! – And let your inner beauty shine!

© 2013, Fish and Cars. All Rights Reserved.

Use Your Courage to Follow Your Heart

Fish and Cars
(Dress – Free People, Shoes – Cole Haan, Necklace – Nordstrom)

Photo by Raj.

“And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement speech, June 2005.

Outer Beauty

A knit dress is usually flattering because it fits your body perfectly. Good tailoring and a proper fit could emphasize a person’s most attractive features. Here, I am wearing a red knit dress by Free People, one of my favorite brands. The knit in this dress is not too thick or too thin – just perfect. To match the dress, I am wearing a red necklace made of crystals by Nordstrom.

I love this pair of nude heels by Cole Haan with Nike Air technology as it is made for comfortable walking.

Inner Beauty

Courage is the ability to face fear, danger, difficulty, uncertainty or intimidation. In other words, one chooses to act regardless of one’s fear.

1. Leave your job if you are unhappy. If you are unhappy with your job but you are afraid of uncertainty and a lack of financial security, first be assertive by asking for more responsibilities or a raise and begin searching for a better opportunity. Find an opportunity that aligns with your personal values. You may be a lot happier as a result! If you are looking into a career change, begin research into the new career now. Take small steps to reach your goal until you are fully there. You will demystify the process and will become more confident as you step closer to your goal and and your dream.

2. Have courageous conversations. No relationships are going to be perfect and thus, resolving conflicts will be imperative throughout life. Personally, I prefer deep meaningful relationships over shallow ones, and in order to have deep meaningful relationships that last, one must maintain them. Instead of cutting people you love out of your life, openly and honestly discuss these conflicts, put yourself in their shoes and find resolutions to the conflicts so they will not repeat in the future. Most importantly, while having courageous conversations, remember the big picture – you want to maintain and deepen the relationship out of and with love.

3. Face your fears head on. I am afraid of heights. Thus, I was not thrilled to go zip lining in Costa Rica. However, I faced my natural fear of heights by first admitting that I was afraid. In conversations, I told people that I was afraid of heights and asked for advice that may help me face my fear. Some people told me that they were afraid too but after zip lining a few times, they loved it.  “Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad!” I thought. In addition, I considered other aspects of zip lining that may alleviate my fear such as safety wires and additional precautions that the company uses, encouragement from tour guides and written experiences of other people whom were also afraid of heights. Knowledge is power, and I had fun zip lining in Costa Rica despite my fear of heights!

Have a beautiful day! – And let your inner beauty shine!

© 2013, Fish and Cars. All Rights Reserved.