Smuggler’s Cove

[caption id=”attachment_106” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”Smugglers Cove”][/caption] Navagio Beach (Smuggler’s Cove) in Greece. A smuggler ship wreck called Panagiotis still sits by the bay–how bad ass is that?!? Sounds like a future destination point!

Why I Moved to San Diego

As I mentioned in my previous post, I recently moved to San Diego from New Jersey a couple weeks ago to start my new job as a Software Designer for HP. The job is great, I’m getting paid decently, and San Diego is simply amazing! The weather is perfect—I can run in the morning at any of the 6 beaches 10-15 minutes away from me, I can climb rocks indoors and outdoors any day of the year, and I can even surf and snowboard… all in the same frikin’ day! It’s beautiful and surreal. It almost seems too good to be true and to be honest with you, it’s very comfortable and it’s also easy to stay that way. The topic of comfort came about from this article I read from Psychology Today entitled “Comfort Kills”. As the title suggests, the author argues that comfort is a block to “living life”. It is a hindrance to growth, and I can’t agree more. Technically, I moved because I got a job. Did I intend on moving to San Diego specifically? Not really, it just happened that way. Back when I was in grad school, I was looking for an opportunity that would put me in the forefront of emerging technologies. I applied to Google (got thru 2 rounds with them), Adobe, Yelp, facebook, Microsoft, Apple, HP, you name it, I most likely applied there. These job locations were also all over the place—Pittsburgh PA, Seattle WA, Madison WI, London UK, upstate NY, Texas, San Francisco CA, San Diego CA, etc. As long as the opportunity presented to me is consistent with my personal and professional goals, I would move anywhere. As I was telling a friend, I didn’t care if I had to live on the moon for 2-3 years nor if I had to live under a rock for a couple years, as long as it was a necessary step for me to progress in life, I’ll do it! The reason why I was also so open to the idea of moving somewhere far is because I’ve never done that. I’ve never moved away from the nest wherein if I get stuck in a situation I can’t just simply ask my parents for help, I have to figure that sh*t out by myself. To me, the thought of moving away is very exciting but at the same time, the thought of being on my own scared me sh*tless. I would have to make new friends, settle in, find a hobby, etc. What if I hated it? What if I wanted to quit but couldn’t because of bills? What if I become miserable? There were so many questions in my head; however, I know if I had stayed, I would have regretted not moving for the rest of my life. That idea of regret is something I know that I wouldn’t be able to live with; hence, I planned, took action, and decided that I would move. I’m not here in San Diego to settle in, get comfortable, and experience a “better life”. Don’t get me wrong, all of those things I mentioned about California are beautiful and I feel extremely lucky to be where I’m at. However, the real reason why I’m here is because of the opportunity for growth—for the chance of “leveling up” to Chris Arriola 2.0 (I know, dorky). I see this move as a step forward to personal success and a step away from the “what if?” thinking. I want to end each day knowing that not only did I do my best, but I also lived that day with integrity and without compromise by fear.

NJ to CA Roadtrip

I just arrived in San Diego a few days ago after a long roadtrip from New Jersey with my friend Linh. Within the course of 6 days, we covered a total of 3,700 miles and visited a total of 16 states. We were able to see tons of beautiful sceneries and the food and beers we had were amazing. The people we met along the way were also interesting—though we did get a couple of weird stares in the south, they were still pretty nice. Looking back at it, it was an awesome experience and it was definitely worth it. As Linh mentioned, we couldn’t have asked for more nor less, it was just right. (Ok fine, I wish I was still on the roadtrip right now because it was a lot of fun. Time literally flew by and 6 days felt so short, but aside from that little side note, the trip was great.) So, I was pondering over the past few days on what exactly I learned from the roadtrip because let’s face it, going on a roadtrip is supposed to be some sort of soul searching experience, right?! How could I possibly not have learned something? After kicking myself in the head a few times for not coming up with a mind-blowing soul finding story, I realized that the whole point was to not think about it. I shall explain. To summarize the entirety of the roadtrip, it consisted of a few things: (1) driving, (2) listening to music, (3) talking about the music we were listening to and about other stuff, (4) using our cameras to take photos and ridiculous videos, and finally (5) stopping for food, sleep, gas, etc. Although before the trip I expected it to be an action-packed soul searching experience, during the trip itself not once did I think about the whole soul searching concept. I was simply living in the moment—soaking each scenery change, enjoying the music and conversations in the car, having fun with ridiculous videos we recorded, appreciating the food and drinks we had, and finally going to bed with a clear mind. If I were instead trying to find meaning during the trip, I’m positive it wouldn’t have been the same. In retrospect, the reason why it was so hard to pin-point out what I learned is because I was expecting something extravagant, when in fact, it was very simple and to be honest I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The trip was a great reminder of the idea of living in the moment. The destination was the reason for the trip, but without appreciating the journey itself it would be a constant struggle before getting to the finish point. Obviously, in the context of a roadtrip, otherwise—that is, not appreciating the journey—might actually be harder to do. However, if we draw parallels to a career or running (actually… careers are a touchy subject, let’s stick to running), if in your mind you’re thinking about the finish line and how much you can’t wait to get there but if you still have 5 miles to run, chances are, you’ll give-up. Life should be enjoyed, why would we do otherwise?