Deeper Than The Meaning of Life

JUKY CHEN
8 min readDec 26, 2021

Intro

👋Hey, game-changers! Juky here. I am a TKS innovator, BCI, and Biohacking enthusiast. Currently, I am working on a BCI project, using your brain to control a robot. It is not remote control, but brain control! Here is more about what I am doing: https://rootsaid.com/mindflex-arduino-mind-controlled-robot/

📖Stories

  1. I feel like a kid again opening a gift on Christmas.

Long time does not feel worry less and innocent.

Long time does not feel that burden and pressure.

Long time not felt fantasy and surprise.

Long time does not feel the excitement from little things. Long time not enjoying the present.

Long time not appreciated what I have already. I just realized that I had been procrastinating on all these happiness generators.

2. Experiencing the before-bed reflection exercise, I had would say that I am 10x more aware of myself. I realized that my happiness level increased significantly and my day was actually unique somehow. I talked to more than 5 old friends. Worked out with Christmas songs in the background. Helped people around me. Got insights from crazy legit people. Completed some tasks.

🎙 3 things I learned from “What You’ll Wish You’d Known”

Most people in their adulthood would say that they had wasted so much time while in their high school career. Is it because I am young that I am incapable of doing anything meaningful? How can we as Gen Zers fully take advantage of our most precious adolescence?

  1. What they mean by “do not give up your dreams” is to let you know not to demoralize. Keep learning and growing because there is no downside.
  2. The world changes fast nowadays. 10 years later we will have completely different jobs and outlooks toward the possible and impossible. High school is designed for industrial workers who have a pre-set system to follow. Nowadays we have an unpredictable world with no guidelines.
  3. The choice is now!! Make rational choices that increase your options (opportunities). Working at something as a day job doesn’t mean doing it badly. It means not being defined by it.

“I let myself believe that my job was to be a high school student. And so I let my need to be good at what I did be satisfied by merely doing well in school.”

💠Epiphany

  1. The power of asking questions. Do not be a sheep or dogma. Questions generate ideas. Here is my formula for having incredible ideas:

EXPERIENCE → QUESTIONS → GOOD QUESTIONS → GREAT QUESTIONS

  1. People who do great things look at the same world everyone else does, but notice some odd detail that’s compellingly mysterious. find a way to make it interesting.
Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash
  1. Be intentional about your leisure time. I used to just scatter around end up feeling so meaningless that I spend chilling. Recently, I decided to set goals for my breaks. I noticed significant stability in my mental health and self-esteem.

🧬How to find meaning in life?

I had been questioning profoundly “what is the meaning of all these?” I certainly know that this is the right path to take; however, isn’t morality based on the consequences of actions? How do I know if the result of all these will be positive and not regretful? Please! Universe. Give me a system to follow!

These are the following possible solutions that I came up with:

  • Relationships: Family. Friends. People or communities that you care about.
  • Progress is what gives meaning not achievement:
  • Working on something bigger than your→ Goals Setting
  • Common beliefs: Religion/ camaraderie
  • Pleasure(Novelty): Constant seeking of new experiences.
  • Suffering → Seeking something better. Having hope in the future that could be better.

🦃Shout Out

  1. I want to be amazingly grateful for my aunt, Mark Gray(Our neighbor), and the world. My aunt gave me a rep envelope. Mark gave me a Christmas gift(headphones). Last but not least the world gave itself to me. The world is filled with gifts and miracles. What it takes to own them is only awareness and appreciation. When awareness level can feel other’s miracles, there is an embracement of the world’s gift. Feel free to challenge your awareness!!
  1. A delighted shoutout to the BrightBrain community for being awesome and pushing through barriers to make an impact in the world. Shoutout to Kevin Wong, BrightBrain Co-founder. We had a blast yesterday about exploring passion and time management. I am intrinsically thankful for my 2 BrightBrain Co-founders. A jubilant shoutout to Justin & Kevin. They are deeply ambitious and have vivid vision. Even though sometimes we do not know the path for success, we do know the path that we do not want to take. Keep looking for your North Star and use selective ignorance to avoid the meaningless.
  2. Shoutout to Steven ten Holder for being a joyful director. He always enlightens me with new insights and perspectives.

⁉Questions To Philosophy

  1. How can I have soul-friends who are working on awesomeness?
  • Create something that we both could be working on and that is meaningful in a way that adds value.
  • Open up, be vulnerable and authentic, then they will follow your rhythm.
  • Go deeper into your perspectives, curiosity, and obsession.
  • Tell your WHY
  • Follow up and schedule another meeting if you see the value

2. What is the difference between an adult and a high school student?

The only real difference between adults and high school kids is that adults realize they need to get things done, and high school kids don’t. That realization hits most people around 23. But I’m letting you in on the secret early. So get to work. Maybe you can be the first generation whose greatest regret from high school isn’t how much time you wasted.

You start being an adult when you decide to take responsibility for your life. You can do that at any age.

3. How can you make today worth telling? What are stories that you are going to tell your grandkids when you were young? How can you make this very moment of your life worth telling? What value does it provide?

✍️Productivity

The Panic Mode & Parkinson’s Law

Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time allocated to it.

By setting a self-imposed deadline and combining it will the panic mode, what is important feels urgent. Urgency is what is needed to achieve flow. Try it out and let me know!

Vision Alignment & At least on antelope per day.

A lion is fully capable of capturing, killing, and eating a field mouse. But it turns out that the energy required to do so exceeds the caloric content of the mouse itself. So a lion that spent its day hunting and eating field mice would slowly starve to death. A lion can’t live on field mice. A lion needs antelope. Antelope are big animals. They take more speed and strength to capture and kill, and once killed, they provide a feast for the lion and her pride. A lion can live a long and happy life on a diet of antelope. The distinction is important. Are you spending all your time and exhausting all your energy catching field mice? In the short term, it might give you a nice, rewarding feeling. But in the long run, you’re going to die. So ask yourself at the end of the day, “Did I spend today chasing mice or hunting antelope?”

Another way I often approach this is to look at my to-do list and ask: “Which one of these if done, would render all the rest either easier or completely irrelevant?” — Tim Ferris

🆘HELP

Recently, I realized that I lacked a more sophisticated Brain-Computer Interface headset for my brain control robot project. With the Mindflex headset, it does not provide accurate data for my experiment. If anyone could have a chance to find a headset, please let me know. I would jubilantly appreciate it!

❤️ My Favorite Things

🧠Mindset

Kid curiosity is broad and shallow; they ask why at random about everything. In most adults, this curiosity dries up entirely. Curiosity turns work into play. Once they get started, interest takes over, and discipline is no longer necessary. Novelty spikes curiosity and vice versa.

For Einstein, relativity wasn’t a book full of hard stuff he had to learn for an exam. It was a mystery he was trying to solve. So it probably felt like less work to him to invent it than it would seem to someone now to learn it in a class.

Most high achievers find it almost impossible to make themselves do anything they’re not interested in.

🎥 Movie

“In ‘Encanto,’ the odds are a little better, more songs fare better than others, but there’s still a sense that these musical numbers are the reheated leftovers from other projects. They sound like his work but don’t offer anything new or exciting to get stuck in our heads. Isabela and Luisa’s disposable pop songs “What Else Can I Do?” and “Surface Pressure” are cloyingly repetitive. “The Family Madrigal” is a less effective version of the opening song from “In the Heights.” Only Carlos Vives’ rendition of Miranda’s song “Colombia, Mi Encanto” sounds like a memorable stand-out.”

Overall, the movie tackles Imposter Syndrome, family burden, perfectionism, and not being special enough.

🔗HyperInsight

The world is filled with gifts and miracles. What it takes to own them is only awareness and appreciation. Awareness & Gratitude is the key to happiness. Joyfulness is all around you. Open up to embrace it.

✍️ Quote of the Week

Living is to create meaningful experiences. Build unforgettable relationships. Achieve your maximum potential. Make an impactful bend on the trajectory of humanity. — Juky Chen

Do not let school ruin your education.

— Jim Kwik

⚓Challenge

Comment on one of the questions above and start a conversation with your friends by sharing this article. Remember: We learn the most by sharing and teaching. Keep up with that mindset🧠!

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JUKY CHEN

Hey people! Juky is here sharing optimism, and inspirations that I had learned while exploring the world. I hope y'all enjoy my stories and follow for more!