Tag: purpose

Fearing the Unknown

Table Of Contents
  1. Memory lane and where it started
  2. There’s a silver lining in all of this
  3. A new day to make a difference

*This post was made back in 2017.

“What gives your life purpose?”

Les Brown

I first heard this line maybe a month ago while randomly scrolling through YouTube.

Such a simple line.

So simple that I saved the video and now listen to it once a day.

And so I asked myself, what is my purpose? What do I have to fear?

Memory lane and where it started

During my days at UMass Amherst, I vividly recall asking myself where I wanted to be, what I wanted to accomplish, what were my dreams, and, like so many others, how I would make money (I still think about this).

There were many hard, painful days.

But the one thing I feared more than anything, more than any broken bone or punch to the face I’ve taken, was failing myself.

Giving up, to say it another way.

I remember when I failed an exam.

I remember when I lost my wrestling matches.

I remember not being accepted to my college of choice.

Heck, I remember when I cheated out of my lifting sets!

There’s a silver lining in all of this

But I remember the positive impact from all those experiences as well.

I learned I could deal with adversity, that I could own up and face my fears.

It wasn’t easy, and I’ll never advise that to anyone.

But it’s also why I savor those moments. We all can.

Because we can live to tell about it one day.

A new day to make a difference

With all that said, I continue to ask myself that very same question to this day.

What is my purpose?

What do I have to fear?

I know one thing’s for sure – I’ll keep pushing forward.

We only have this one life.

Live it.

No recollection

Yarty Kim - summer sky
Yarty Kim - summer sky
Photo by Andrew Ruiz on Unsplash

 

There I was, lying on that hot, summer pavement, unconscious and still, not making a noise. This was it. My life would end before it began.

Around the time I was about three years old, like any young child who’s clueless about the rules of the road, I ran across the street and was struck by a sixteen wheeler (truck).

Of course, I have no recollection of this outside of what I was told by my brother and father. But many years later around the time I was a sophomore in high school, I found a document listing the injuries I had sustained on that day.

Here is the list: broken leg, cracked skull and fell into a coma. Surprisingly, I made it out alive from this accident.

Yarty Kim truck accident
Photo by Rhys Moult on Unsplash

Today, I wonder what could have been had I not been hit by that truck. Would I have been more intelligent? Brighter? Less angry? Who knows.

What I do know is that I made it out alive. I’m still living and am able to share this story with you. I’m happy yet feel unfilled. There’s so much more to do in this life, to help others live a better life, and to give back to the less fortunate.

And because of this accident, I believe I may be able to accomplish that, even if it is just one person.

Thank you for reading my story. Stay tuned as I’ll be releasing more stories of my life and hope what I share can help you in any way.

 

Love,

Yarty