Dream work makes the team work

There is a saying in America that "Teamwork makes the dream work."

However, I think even more profound lessons that can be learned from switching that phrase. It is great and noble dreams that serve as the glue that bonds and unites a team, and that drives each team member to be make a meaningful contribution. That is what I reflected on when I watched this video "One Dream One Korea" that is part of a global grassroots movement that is instilling the dream of a united Korea in the hearts of men and women of all ages and backgrounds.




#OneDreamOneKorea

Interviews for the 'One Dream One Korea' campaign

Question asked to young leaders participating in the One Dream One Korea campaign in Insadong, Korea on August 9th, 2015: "Why is the Korean reunification important to you?"

Namsik Yoo of California: "We need to build a model nation for other nations to follow. Korea is the only divided nation in the world. Once it unites based on its founding spirit of Hongik Ingan it can benefit the entire world.

Pilchul Kwak of Washington state: "I read the book 'The Korean Dream' and learned that the unification of Korea could be a turning point for world unification. Also, if families are separated by the 38th, I can imagine their pain. If I'm separated from my family event for a short time, it hurts, so I can imagine how those families feel. I want to destroy that barrier as quick as possible."

(right) Jinhyung Yoo: "For the sake of Global Peace"
(left) Eun Kyung Kim: The Korean peninsula is mixed with communism and democracy. We must set an example by our unity for the world to unite faster"

"One Dream One Korea" campaign #1Dream1Korea

Do you like history?

Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it. -Edmund Burke

History is a fascinating subject for me, because I can often see how similar events and circumstances are occurring in the present day. If we study history carefully, we can learn lessons that can instruct us how we should live today.

Reading up on the history of my ancestors from Holland

You shall know them by their frutis

"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit." Matthew 7:16

The greatest measure of a man is in his children, because in the ultimate sense, they are the 'fruits' of your life. Today I reflected about this as I mentored some youth in my community.

We did a project where the kids made fruit-kabobs for their siblings. I could understand more why parents are the happiest when their children get along and love each other. It is because they are demonstrating the good fruit of the parents' life-long investment.

Thank God for the family where we can learn these valuable lessons.

Inspiring speech at the Global Peace Convention 2014 Paraguay

I was impressed by this speech by Dr. Hyun Jin Moon at the Global Peace Convention Opening Plenary in Paraguay last year. In it he details a model for national transformation based on the case study of the work of the Global Peace Foundation in Paraguay.

Text: http://www.hyunjinmoon.com/global-peace-convention-2014-opening/

video: http://youtu.be/TsLekyotz38?list=UUUc_CFLrDIWFDz_tsAfw0NQ

"Positive social transformation leads to political and legal change that then leads to sustainable economic development"

I believe this is a key instruction for any form of national development, because change first has to start in the hearts of people, then the people should form a system of governance to establish order. Upon that orderly framework, economic development can take place without corruption or bias.

It's not over till it's over

During the GPF Leader's meeting adventure workshop, we had an interesting experience during one of the hikes that reminds me about the importance of striving for excellence. 

We were hiking all day, and we thought we may have reached our destination, but we couldn't tell for sure. The map was hard to read accurately and all we knew was that we were supposed to reach the highest elevation point in that area. We had reached a rather high point, but it looked like there might be something a little higher further up the trail. What should we do?

My team discussed and we decided that if we were going to shoot for a goal, in this case reaching the highest elevation, we should give our 100% effort to reach that goal with confidence, rather than going back wondering if we had really reached the highest point. 

And so we trekked on and on, uncertain about how long the hike would last. Yet finally, we did reach a clear end-point, and at the moment we reached the final destination, a heavy snow came through the fog and showered us as if celebrating our victory of reaching the real destination. Everyone on our team agreed this was something profound. 

We should always strive to complete our goals completely, and definitely not settle for a half-hearted effort that we'll look back on with regret.

2/25/2015 Wenatchee National Forest:
Snow came down right as we completely accomplished our stated goal.
It lasted just for the 5 minutes we stayed there and as we headed back it stopped.  

Are you an owner or a renter?

Today I realized that I am a renter. Literally, I am renting the house I live in with some other friends.

And because I am a renter, I have a certain attitude that displays itself in how I care for my house.

For the past few months, I and a few of my house-mates noticed that the tap water and shower was not as hot as it used to be. Immediately, my reaction was to tell the house management about the problem, and wait for them to fix it.

Finally after months of pestering, the management suggested we actually look at the boiler for any leaks. So I checked it this evening, and I found no leaks. Yet I also noticed something that I would have seen a lot earlier if I had bothered to look at the boiler previously. The thermostat knob was set to warm. So I turned the thermostat to a higher setting and a few minutes later, we had hot water again!

The problem was the boiler's thermostat was set to warm instead of hot

This slightly embarrassing incident taught me a valuable lesson about the mindset of ownership versus the mindset of a renter. When there is a problem in any situation, an owner immediately takes responsibility to fix it no matter how tired he is or how inconvenient the solution may be. But a renter complains about the problem and waits for someone else to fix it until he's forced to deal with it.

I also realized that even if I am a renter in my house, I should have the attitude of an owner if I want to get problems fixed a little quicker! I guess this applies to any situation where there are problems that need to be fixed. Rather than just complain about it, I should take responsibility if I really want to get anywhere.

A habit of keeping promises

Keeping promises is a good habit to have. But how do we develop that kind of habit?

It starts by keeping our promises we make to ourselves.

Today I promised I would not get distracted from my work with Global Peace Youth and focus at my workplace. It was hard to stay focused, sometimes I disappointed myself, but I didn't give up and felt that at the end of the day I put in my best effort to fulfill my promise.

We received a delivery of GPF 2014 Annual Reports recently at our Mountlake Terrace office.
Stop by our office to take a look or check them out online:
http://www.globalpeace.org/global-peace-foundation-2014-annual-report

This kind of practice helps me develop the habit of keeping my promises, so next time I make someone a promise, I am probably going to naturally make more effort to keep it.

Have you developed a habit of keeping your promises?

Your weakness is your strength - lessons from S Korea's development model

I was glad to participate in the live broadcast of a forum held in D.C. this morning with the title "The United States, South Korea and Civil Society Cooperation in Global Humanitarian Development". It was a very professional forum and broadcast held in collaboration with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Global Peace Foundation.

I was impressed by Ambassador Young-mok Kim's presentation by the extent to which South Korea has expanded its global humanitarian efforts, but especially how they have utilized their unique experience in their reconstruction efforts after the Korean War to offer guidance to underdeveloped countries facing similar challenges in spurring socio-economic growth.

It goes to show that every nation has its times of trials, yet it is in those times that you can see the true spirit of the people and where the greatest innovations can take place that can be an inspiration to all people.

KOICA Pres. Young-mok Kim shared his personal experiences with
Korea's unique development model called "The New Village Movement"

If you get a chance, I recommend you read the summary of highlights from the event on the GPF website to get to know Korea's unique story as one of the few nations that went from being an under-developed country to an official donor country, especially in the span of less than 60 years.

This story also gives me insight into the important role S. Korea should play in relation to the re-unification process with North Korea and how this effort, though sure to be challenging, can be another valuable model for the region and world if the Korean people can demonstrate their noble character once again, which I believe they can.

Trust is most important in business

Today I experienced the importance of trust in doing business. I went to get an oil change at a Grease Monkey in Edmonds and after inspecting my car, the repairman recommended I get my transmission fluid replaced and some other things done that I didn't quite understand. I hesitated because the work would cost over $200. The only thing I really had to rely on was my trust for this man and the reputation of the business.

About a year ago I went there to get my oil changed, and another worker checked my oil and told me that even though my mileage indicated I needed an oil change, the oil looked pretty clear still and he recommended I wait a while longer before changing it. It impressed me that he wasn't just trying to make money but rather was looking out for my best interest.

This influenced me and also from remembering other friends recommend this shop, I decided to go ahead with the work.

This reminds me that in any endeavor, even business, ethical standards are critical to success.

Panera Bread engages in community service as another way to build trust with their customers

Think of the future

A lot of times we get stuck in our present circumstances and forget about our long-term goals, especially when we face challenge. However, a mature person always recognizes that long-term goals are worth striving for and are willing to put in the effort to get there, day by day.

Investment is never wasted

Even when we don't feel like we are making progress, our investment is certainly not wasted. Every step forward will one day allow us to reach our destination. This is what I learned today.

Core Values in practice

Today was the second day of our GPF leaders' meeting adventure workshop. I experienced the GPF Core Values in a vivid way today:

Wenatchee National Forest, team strategizing

Living for the Greater Good: My team was doing an orienteering activity to find all the dispersed flags throughout a certain area on a map. We had been exhaustively hiking all day and gotten all the flags except one, and it was my responsibility to lead the team to the last flag. I was motivated to give the team a good experience and victoriously complete the activity in the allotted time to inspire the other teams.

Dream Big: However, I knew that I was also responsible to pick up another team from another location. They called me to request a pickup right when I was about to lead my team to the last flag. I wanted to be responsible to pick up the other team in time, but I also wanted to give my team a victory as well. I determined that I could do both. It was a challenging goal.

Ownership: I realized that the longer I took to make a decision, the longer both teams would lose. John Dickson, not knowing my responsibility to pick up the other team, suggested I run ahead to find the flag while the rest of the team caught up. I decided to go ahead with this idea, knowing in the back of my mind that I needed to find the flag very quickly or the other team would be waiting longer.

Teamwork: I rushed to the supposed location of the flag, but it was no where to be found! In despair, I frantically looked about. Then, to my surprise, seconds later my whole team came rushing around me to cover the area. I later learned that as soon as I had took my head start, the rest of my team, many of whom are over 60, took up my steady jog pace and were trailing behind me. They took on my responsibility instantly and allowed me to go back to pick up the other team without any more delay, even without my mentioning to them at all about my situation. They were united in my desire to bring our team's victory and thus we could successfully find the final flag in time, I found out when I returned.

Small actions have big effects

Today I learned a valuable experience through hiking. I learned that small actions have big effects.
I thought the hike would be easy,  and that small assumption lead to a big deal  when I wasn't concerned enough to remember to bring micro spikes (a boot traction device), which presented some dangerous moments during the hike as we crossed icy patches.

I 

Absolutes

Do you like absolutes?

Some people dislike absolutes,  saying that they are not considerate of "reality" or make people feel inadequate. However,  the way I look at it,  though absolutes may challenge our illusions of self-image when wesee our real measure on a clearly defined scale,  they provide us with a clarity of where we need to go and this the hope of achieving a higher state of living.
If we strive for absolutes, we at least have the chance of achieving absolute values and ideals.

Compliments

We all have unique strengths and weaknesses. Because of this, human beings naturally are inclined to support and compliment each other to fill our weaknesses with our strengths. This is the way we grow our hearts and realize our life's true value in serving others.

Ownership means taking initiative

The natural inclination of an owner is to constantly take initiative to achieving the common goals.
Someone who isn't motivated by the goal might follow instructions to avoid being reprimanded,  but they will rarely recognize and act on opportunities when they arise.
Today I realized some ways that I can improve in making ownership and proactive thinking a habit.

Feb. 12th, 2014, neighborhood park

Rest In Peace

A lifestyle of service may not be the easiest lifestyle, but it is certainly the most rewarding.

I like to think of it this way: If I work hard all day for a noble purpose, then, though my body is tired, my mind is at ease. I can rest peacefully.

However, if I indulge myself in whatever may suit my whims, maybe lounging around my house most of the day, then my body may be comfortable, but my mind will be uneasy. And I probably won't be able to sleep well.

I think this daily cycle is a metaphor for life - people who work hard their whole life for a noble cause will find themselves resting peacefully in the afterlife, and those who don't will have trouble in their eternal rest.

Be a good example

We should be a good example for all those who, knowingly or unknowingly, look up to us. We should demonstrate that in our daily life we are striving for noble ideals and living by moral principles and values.

The inflection point of history belongs to the current generation

When we look at ourselves, I think it's important to see ourselves in the perspective of the continuum of time. Our lives are the connection between the past and the future. We are continuing the efforts of past generations and setting the direction for future generations. That is why it is so crucial that we assess the quality of our current lifestyle and evaluate if we are making a meaningful contribution to mankind's progression in the precious time we have been given.

Set the bar high

Making high standards for yourself allows you to constantly be growing and encourages those around you to strive for excellence as well.

Do you demand respect or command respect?

"A people unused to restraint must be led, they will not be drove" -George Washington, Jan. 3rd, 1777

George Washington was a person that commanded respect, rather than demanding it. This is why in the records of history, he is remembered as the most critical figure in the Revolutionary War. In fighting for the ideal of liberty and freedom, imposing restrictions and threats upon his army would have quickly dispirited his men and lost the war. It was only through commanding respect through 'leading from the front" - showing the example of self-sacrifice and dedication to the cause as the inspiration for those under his leadership.

The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia (during IYLA USA 2014, August 16th)

This was displayed to me in a vivid image depicted in the book "1776". At the critical battle for Princeton, New Jersey, on Jan. 1st, 1777 George Washington lead the frontal assault on the enemy. Why would he place himself in such a dire circumstance when he was in a post of such importance? Because he firmly knew that the cause of freedom and liberty was at stake in this decisive battle. In that moment, Washington clearly demonstrated that he valued the cause of America more than any institutional position of authority or artificially construed reputation. If this battle could salvage what little hope was left in the American cause, he would not spare any available resource, including his own life, in determining its victory.

And thanks in large part to Washington's noble leadership that day, victory is what resulted.

Leading from the front

There is nothing easier than being a follower. But what the world needs is people who lead from the front, on uncharted territory.

I feel like I'm give a choice every day to either be mediocre and follow the crowd, or take the risk, put in the extra effort, and take the uncharted course.

The second choice is where innovation happens and real value is created, and I want to choose that path daily.

Ingenuity is forged in despair

In the book "1776" by McCullough, I was fascinated to hear about the timing of the completion of the Declaration of Independence. In the midst of the most frantic war preparations America had seen, delegates gathered to draft the most defining historic document of our time. The whole country knew that the full wrath of their enemy would any day be unleashed upon their ill-trained militia-men, yet the assembly in Philadelphia went ahead and signed a statement that made it as clear as day not only where they stood but why. Two days after, as word was being sent throughout the 13 colonies of the nation's consensus on independence, a British fleet of over 100 ships had positioned outside the New York harbor, outnumbering the colonists about seven to one. One can only imagine the distress and urgency of the time.

August 2014: I visited the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed
on July 4th, 1776 with my friends from Pakistan and Indonesia

How is it then, that such a profound piece of literature was able to be authored in a circumstance that would rattle the nerves of any man trying to write a sensible statement, let alone an unprecedented assertion of innate human rights that broke through all prior concepts of governance and civilization? It was only possible with the spirit and ardor of a people so committed to a cause that they turned the distress of the times into fuel for their passionate endeavor to establish their ideal nation.

Imagine if we could have the same attitude in our daily life, taking any setback or adversity as a test of our resolve and commitment to our ideals? Ingenuity and profound achievements are always forged with this kind of mindset, and this can be our lifelong habit if we determine it.