Hoop Dreams 2020 (#11)
10 Minute Read
Headed to NYC a month after surgery
Looking back on 2019:
Moved to Los Angeles
Graduated from Northwestern University with my MS in Marriage and Family Therapy
Obtained my Associate MFT license in California
Signed with 2 modeling agencies 10MGMT and LA Models
Experienced heartbreak and was still able to be vulnerable and date again
Working in private practice for therapy
Traveled to Turkey for 2 weeks with close friends
Tons of visitors making the LA transition easier
Kevin’s Reflections:
This year for me was all about focusing on the bigger picture, navigating romantic relationships, and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. While not making a high salary after graduate school, I remind myself that once licensure happens I will feel confident about my career choice. I suffered heartbreak in 2018, and it took a lot of guidance from friends and my therapist to help me through the loss. I never knew that social anxiety has kept me from a lot of different career opportunities.
New Year’s Resolution for 2020: This year’s resolution is to dunk a basketball
GOALS FOR 2020
There is a huge part of me that struggles to not be influenced by what other people might think about me. After making this goal, I found myself already discrediting any future success because I’m 6’2” and people shorter than me would probably say that I should be able to dunk already. However, this goal carries so much weight for me personally, due to my hip surgery in April 2017 with femoroacetabular impingement - the same injury Isaiah Thomas suffered from while he was in the playoffs with the Boston Celtics. The recovery process was truly difficult and I was not able to walk for an entire month. After a year and a half of physical therapy, I finally graduated from ATI where a high-school friend was my physical therapist. After pushing myself to complete a triathlon and getting in the best shape of my life (probably), I want to remind myself that walking and my physical health cannot be taken for granted. When I feel down or tired, I look back on the days post-surgery that I had to rely on my mom to get me medication, food, and even help me go to the bathroom. I want to dunk for myself and the community of Asian men playing basketball, especially when there are barely any Chinese basketball players that I have seen play in the NBA. Representation matters, not just for the community, but also myself.
Money Moves 2020 - Shannon Chien AMFT
Looking back on 2019
Applied for PhD programs → Didn’t get into any
Graduated from Northwestern University with my MS in Marriage and Family Therapy
Obtained my Associate MFT license in California
Got my first job out of graduate school
Moved back in with my parents
Started dating one of my best friends (NOT KEVIN)
Was the maid of honor for one of my friend’s wedding
Cried, and cried, and cried a lot over lost dreams, changed plans, and missed opportunities
Shannon’s Reflections:
I think this year really demonstrated the therapeutic adage of “this too will pass.” We often remind our clients that no matter how chaotic, broken, and pained their internal organization might be, it always shifts. It might not change at the speed we would like it to, but when we allow ourselves to sit in the here and now, we open ourselves up to noticing the subtle growth that happens.
New Year’s Resolution for 2020: Be financially responsible towards my future. I have specific goals for paying my parents’ mortgage and saving to get married.
GOALS FOR 2020
Looking forward to the new year brings me a lot of excitement, but also that familiar sense of “oh, I’ve been here before. You’re going to get super pumped and then by week 2 it’s all going to fall apart.” Growing up in the Christian community, financial success was always one of those goals that people refrain from discussing because it can come off as “worldly” or “prideful” to desire material comfort. As much as I have wanted to learn more about financial literacy, I have always pushed it aside because I thought I would never make enough money for it to matter anyway, so why bother. Going through the questions helped me to remember that I do best when I can track small changes, so that is something I can focus on this year. Ultimately, I have to remember that I miss 100% of the shots that I do not take, so if I am the person killing my own vibe, no amount of success will be significant.
Questions to ask yourself:
What makes this goal important?
What makes you feel successful?
What usually gets in the way of your success?
Who are you trying to please in your life? (Are you doing this for you or others?)
How bad do you really want to do this? (Percentage, if less than 100% then new goal)
Would you still do this if you found out you only had 6 more months to live?
Who is supportive of you achieving your goals? (Who can hold you accountable?)
Have you set this goal before? What was the outcome? Or why now?
How long do you think it’s going to take?
What can you do when (not if) setbacks happen?