juliana ong

Clichés are just a cynic's characterisation of timeless and essential wisdom.

I often joke that I make life incredibly difficult for myself, and these days I do genuinely say this in good humour. But there was a time when I often wondered why I couldn't just be happier with less—doing less, having less, being less.

There’s this old Yiddish proverb that says, “Der mentsh trakht un Got lakh.” In English, it translates to: Man plans, God laughs.

We seem normal only to those who don’t know us very well. In a wiser, more self-aware society than our own, a standard question on any early dinner date would be: “And how are you crazy?”

And indeed, that IS the question: whether to float with the tide, or to swim for a goal. It is a choice we must all make consciously or unconsciously at one time in our lives.

choosing a little life is an act of defiance. it’s a way of saying, i will not measure my worth by how much i achieve or acquire. i will measure it by how deeply i live. it’s about valuing presence over productivity, connection over competition, depth over display.

In the age of being extremely online, comparison is at our fingertips and low self-esteem can be temporarily cured with a quick internet applause. What I’m getting at is, I don’t think we’re talking enough about the importance of getting really, really quiet.

Generic ambition will give you anxiety. Specific ambition will give you direction.