#MakingPositivityViral
- Resources
- …
- Resources
#MakingPositivityViral
- Resources
- …
- Resources
An ordinary night...
It's the night of April 7, 2019. I am a first-time father and a mid-career executive. It's a few nights before my son turns three months old. My son is my biggest fan and greatest motivation, and together we're recreating a different father-and-child relationship, the one I had always wanted. And then, my wife and I hear an unexpected scream in our bedroom. I run to our room:
"I held up my son. Foam started coming out of his mouth. He was choking, fighting for oxygen. His body colour changed to blue-ish purple. His limbs went motionless. He looked past me and closed his eyes. It was the longest 5 minutes of my life."
Growing up in Hong Kong and Australia, I was an introvert. A quiet boy who did not know how to commnicate, stand up for himself. I felt inferior because I fell short by societal expectations. I was an underperformer.
Sports were my outlet. I spent a lot of time playing basketball. My dream was to play in the NBA.
I don't know what I did that saved my son that night. After he suffocated in my arms for five minutes, I experienced waves of negative emotions. I felt guilt. I was anxious and ashamed of himself for six months. I felt like I had failed. Every day, I asked myself these existiential questions but I did not know how to answer them.
- How can I become a better father?
- What is my purpose?
- Why am I here?
There was a void in me that I couldn't shake off. The life that I thought I knew. It came crushing down.
One day
I put pen to paper and
stepped into the unknown.
I locked myself in my room and wrote about what happened. It was the beginning of my first 8,000 words.
I started to write and reflect more on my negative thoughts. I made everything that I do about 'making positivity viral'. Follow your heart and clarity will come later on was my hope.
Writing and podcasting help me to become a curious child again.
"The gap between where we want to be and where we are now comes down to
having a clear purpose, mindset, system and habits."
I thought back to some of my up and down life moments:
The suicidal thoughts I had as a teenager which I never told anyone. Being booed by 1,000 people in a sports stadium at a new school. How painful it was for me to listen to and observe familial conflicts and me evasdropping through the bedroom door in the middle of the night.
This is a picture of me after I was diagnosed with facial paralysis again at age 32.
At age 35, I had no purpose. If you are looking for clarity in life, here are 3 things you can focus on to build a purposeful life:
1. Do something that you love.
2. Focus on becoming 1% better day after day.
3. Show up and be relevant to others.
"In life, you will hear all sorts of things from different people. Don't be afraid to go a different direction. Getting stuck is a temporary moment. Feeling stuck is an impermanent emotion. They are our reminder in life that we have outgrown the known path."
Professional BIO
Aaron Pang is the author of Unstuck - Think Like a Kid and Free Your Mind.
He is a motivational speaker, 3-time book author and podcast host. Founder of Transformative Purpose - an inspirational platform to share inspiration, ideas and authentic conversations to help people transform and become better at work and in life.
He hosts a top 3% globally ranked podcast, Transformative Purpose. Aaron was recognised by Australia China Alumni Association as the Winner of the Australia China Alumni Award in 2022.
His honest insights on success, motivation and mindset —as well as his ability to develop authentic conversations—have made him a thought leader in personal development. Aaron works with corporates and schools to help professionals to embrace changes. His experience in entrepreneurship and business has given him a rare breadth of perspectives spanning across business transformation, management consulting, and entrepreneurship.
Aaron is a passionate father, he lives in Hong Kong with his wife and two young boys.
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