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Andy Park | 04.29.13 |

The other day, I was feeling a little tired and lethargic. In my stupor, I accidentally made the wrong turn to go the opposite direction I needed to on the highway. When I realized I was going the wrong way I thought to myself, "No big deal. I can just make a U-turn at the next exit."

It was all good until I saw the next street sign that said, "Next exit - six miles." Six miles? Are you kidding me? That's twelve miles out of the way and about 11-13 minutes of my life I would potentially lose. Okay, maybe I'm overreacting a little bit, but before you start judging me and thinking I'm over dramatic, put yourself in the driver's seat and picture yourself making this mistake. Realize that you have to drive six miles in the wrong direction and six miles back, just to get to where you are now. Okay, now that that's settled we can move on.

My next reaction was to think of ways to get myself out of this debacle. Instinctively, I thought of making an illegal U-turn in the median between the highways, the ones that say "Authorized Vehicles Only."

And that's when it hit me...Mistakes lead to more mistakes, which probably lead to even more mistakes. It's not a profound revelation but an important one for me. After my wrong turn, I had three opportunities to take illegal U-turns. Three more chances to possibly make the situation even worse by getting a ticket. It'd be pretty mindless to risk this, but often times I think it's what I do. My instant reaction is to get myself out of the jam I'm in as fast as possible at any cost. Even if I were to get away with it, I wouldn't be handling the situation with integrity.

We all mistakes. It's not necessarily a bad thing and it's not something we'll be able to avoid. It's going to happen. Once I accepted the fact that I would lose 11-13 minutes of my life and about a half gallon of gas, it actually wasn't so bad after all! It was a nice day out, I listened to some good music, and best of all, I learned a life lesson.

What matters most is how we deal with that initial mistake. Do we handle it with integrity and character, or do we let the mistakes snowball into something far worse than it needs to be? I think sin is the same way. Once a sin is committed, it leads to more opportunities and temptations to sin. Galatians 5:9 is profound when it says "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." Sometimes, all it takes is that one mistake or that one sin to set us off the right track. We were running a good a race but this little blip completely takes us off course. It's vital not to compound our mistakes and sins and to cut them off early, because we can get into some ugly situations if we don't.

Giver > Gifts

Andy Park | 11.21.12 |

It's so easy to be thankful when everything is going your way. Your life is going just as you planned it out. Your relationships are great, you're doing well in school and you feel needed at your workplace.

What about when things aren't going as you want though? Can you still remain grateful?

I just came back from a Retreat this weekend with my church Grace Community Chapel and it was so refreshing and revitalizing. As soon as I came back home though, things have been...a little off. The testing period came right away.

First, I dropped my car keys down a sewer grate. This is one of those things that you always wonder what you'd do if it actually happened to you. I kind of just laughed this one off though and was able to retrieve them pretty easily with some help from the department of public works. No big deal. Then, last night while playing ice hockey, I took a stick to the mouth and chipped a little corner off of my front tooth.

Every part of me wants to curse up a storm and complain about this. I don't have dental insurance so this could cost a pretty penny also.

Deep inside though, I'm reminded to be grateful for the Giver and not the gifts. As hard as it is to be grateful during tough times, I know that this is the mentality I need and want to have. This is just another opportunity for me to grow in this area.

People who are grateful in all circumstances are untouchable by the devil and that's where I want to be.

What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?

Think Outside of the Box

Andy Park | 10.16.12 |

I came across this really cool article about a man that made a bicycle almost exclusively out of cardboard. The video above shows how he makes it and it actually looks pretty durable.

The amazing thing about this is that it could potentially sell for only $20! The inventor believes that the bike could help the world's most congested cities and even better, could be a form of inexpensive transportation in third world countries.

It's crazy to think that something so mundane and ordinary as cardboard could be used in such a useful and powerful way. I really believe that when we think outside of the box, and when we are actively looking for ways to contribute to this world, ideas will come and impact will be made. The problem most of the time is that we are too comfortable and too apathetic to even want to do something. I'm glad I came across this video; Mr. Gafni has definitely spurred me on.

It's not how you start, it's how you finish

Andy Park | 09.25.12 |

I saw this video on ESPN the other day and was really inspired and challenged by it. The senior captain of San Francisco University high school, Holland Reynolds, became so dehydrated during her state championship cross country race that she fell over a few meters shy of the finish line. She ended up crawling her way to the finish and clinching the championship for her team. What's more inspiring though is that she did it for her coach Jim Tracy, who was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease earlier in the year.

I learned a lot from this short video.

1. It's not how you start, it's how you finish: It's so easy to start something, but to see it through til the end is the sign of a champion. No matter how many obstacles you go through or how many times you pass out along the way, finishing is what counts.

2. What you do affects those around you: Holland's courage towards the end not only clinched her team the championship, it left a lasting memory of encouragement to her teammates, coaches, and now anyone who watches this video. What we do directly and indirectly affects those around us. Whether that will be in a positive or negative way is up to us.

3. It doesn't matter if you win or lose: I don't think it matters that Holland's team won the championship. That's just icing on the cake, an added bonus, a cherry on top. What really matters is the unity and character that is built through the completion of something difficult. More than the victory, I think the team would look back on this event and remember the unity and bonds that were built through it.

All these points resonate loudly with me right now. I've definitely hit a few road bumps and went along some detours in running this brand but I'm inspired as ever to keep it going and to never give up. I trust that God put me to this and that he will be get me through it. It's also easy for me to think of this brand as my own and how it can benefit me, but God constantly reminds me of the vision he has given to me for the brand. It's not for me, it's purpose is to be a positive impact to those who come across it and it is a medium to support and uplift the community around me. Lastly, I'm reminded that it doesn't matter how big or small this brand gets. It's more about my motives and intentions and how genuine they are. Even if a few people are inspired through this brand, I would consider it a success.

Having said that, I'm still pushing this brand to grow and develop. I have some new products and projects lined up in the near future to take those steps. Stay tuned!

Question: What are you trying to "finish" right now?

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