Tag Archives: how to

He has the formula to being memorable

“If you could have one superpower, what superpower would you choose?” she asked. I thought about it for a moment. What would you have answered?

I was expecting the usual interview question like “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” or “What makes you the best candidate for this job?”. Out of all interview questions I’ve ever been asked, the superpower question is one of the most memorable ones.

I wonder, what makes a thing or a person memorable? Is there a formula to being memorable?  

David Sedaris is a very memorable, interesting person (in addition to being a humor writer). The first time I watched David Sedaris being interviewed, I was hooked with his persona and wanted to learn more about him.

I watched one of his interviews because I heard that he’s a funny writer. I was actually in search for another formula, the how-to-be-funny formula. 

In an interview, Stephen Colbert asks David what life wisdom he’s going to share with a graduating class. David’s life wisdom: be cautious of the scented candles you buy because only a couple scented candles are worth buying. (Both are French brands which I’d never heard about.)

Before he answered, I was expecting a serious message of wisdom. Then I realized that despite his answer not being serious or expected, it’s true advice. It reminded me of candles I’ve bought in the past that didn’t live up to their expectations.

David has the formula to being memorable. He gives out-of-ordinary answers and asks out-of-ordinary questions. If there’s a formula to being memorable, it’s to be unexpected + different.

What’s the most memorable question that you’ve ever been asked? If you’ve read David’s books, do you have any recs? I’m still deciding what book of his to read first.

Your amiga, 

Andrea

You know you can do better

She crumpled the paper without a care. “I don’t like it,” she said. Just like she crumpled the first paper, she crumpled the next.

You are right if you guessed that those crumpled papers ended up in the trash.

My friend crumpled her drawings every time she didn’t like them, in our high school art class. Her drawings were waaay better than mine. Even the art teacher reminded me of the fact when he said, “How do you feel sitting next to the most talented student in the class?”

She crumpled her drawings and threw them out because she knew that they didn’t compare to the best pieces of art she’d created in the past. Which I get because when it comes to talents and skills, you experience doubt or frustration from time to time when you know you can do better.

Like my high school friend, I also had the artistic talent growing up. I painted portraits and sunsets, and I drew intricate mandalas. But unlike her, I didn’t continue putting the time or practice into my painting and drawing skills.

What skills and talents have you stopped practicing?

Just the other week, I dedicated some time to painting something really simple. I painted bright pink flowers and leaves. It felt nice to paint in solitude and to get the watercolor paints out from the plastic storage bin. I thought, I should do this more often.

What skills and talents are you an expert on? How do you further develop your skills and talents?

Your amiga,

Andrea

You can spend your time worrying about a problem or

I wanted to answer the phone call. However, I was scanning groceries at the self checkout. Me: Do I answer, finish checking out, or multitask? 🤔

I decided to finish checking out, and then return the call. Turns out it was a very important call, and as much as I was grateful for it, I was also left in awe at the opportunity God had granted me. The call was about a job offer at my previous place of employment.

You see, I’d chosen to have faith that God would bring job opportunities my way. I’d never experienced this much faith before in regards to finding employment. As opposed to last year when I spent some time worrying about whether or not I’d find a job.

When I got the job offer, I thought about how growing in faith helps one trust in God’s plan and timing. I’ve been growing in faith the past year for multiple reasons. And as a result, I’ve been learning how to apply God’s word in my life.

To help me further understand how God wants me to put my faith into practice, I’ve been reading a book called The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I learned that God uses one’s circumstances to transform one’s character and that I have power to choose my reactions to everything going on in my life.

For example, when I head into my impatient mode, I remind myself of the things I am grateful for, and I thank God for them in that present moment. I’m also reminded of how I can turn my self-centered attitude into a considerate one, such as by putting more interest on what’s most important to other people.

I’ve learned about the importance of meditating on God’s word. According to Rick, if one can spend their time worrying about a problem, one can learn to focus on God’s word throughout the day. The difference is what we choose to focus on. To put this into practice, I wrote down a bible verse that I wanted to meditate on. I reflected on that verse throughout the day for a week.

This practice isn’t perfect (to my dismay, I realized how easy it is for me to not follow through with God’s teaching…and do the entirely opposite). But it did challenge me to keep God’s word in mind throughout the day and to find ways to apply it. Challenging myself to bring my thoughts and focus back to God throughout the day is something that’s new to me.

With practice and dedication, I hope that it’ll help me continue choosing faith over worry. What has helped you the most in strengthening your faith? How has God used your circumstances to transform your character? How have you been practicing the word of God lately?