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Alvin Soon

Writer & Photographer

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Archives

This is where you’ll find all my writing on the search for wisdom and the practice of creativity. Read the most popular posts, topics, search for a post or browse through the entire library.

Most Popular Posts

  • How the US Navy SEALs Get Through Hard Times
  • Be Real: 7 Life Lessons from Bruce Lee
  • Standing on Groundlessness
  • Kanazawa: One Day Too Long
  • Awakening
  • The Madness of “If Only”
  • 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before the New Year
  • The Resiliency Advantage: What It is and How to Get It
  • Finding Meaning in the Most Terrible Times
  • What Buddhists Do When Things Fall Apart

Read More About

Buddhism
Creativity
Flourishing
Minimalism
Personal Journey
Photography
Productivity
Resilience
Review
Travel
Writing

All Posts

Here’s the full list of my writing, grouped by date.

2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006

2018
  • 3 Things That Made Me Cry, Laugh and Grow in 2017
2017
  • The 7 Best Books I Read in 2017
  • Travel is Not the Point
  • My Dog and I
  • Visiting the Steve Jobs Theatre
  • Break Your Smartphone Obsession with the Smart 10 Challenge
  • Why Is It So Hard to Let Go?
  • The Secret of Simplicity
  • Why Minimalism Won’t Make You Happy
  • The Art of Overwhelm
  • Write a Strong Story by Growing a Spine
  • Find the Words in the Writing
  • Focusing with OmniFocus
  • There Are Two Writers Inside You
  • How Do You Know If You’re a Writer?
  • Why Create?
  • Portrait of a Grungy Fighter
  • How I Decluttered My Amazon Wish List from 1,451 Books to 47
  • Photographing the River Night and Muara Festival
  • Things I’d Tell My 27-Year Old Self
  • 2016: Letting Go
  • Acceptance
2016
  • Lessons Learned from a Year of Saying “No”
  • So Many Books and So Little Time
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Resilient People
  • The Melancholic Man Who Became President and Changed the World
  • The 7 Deadly Thoughts That Destroy Inner Strength
  • Becoming a Conscious Minimalist
  • How to Overcome Shame and Feel Worthy of Love
  • Why Chasing after ‘Best’ Makes Us Unhappy
  • Hard Wood Grows Slowly: Lessons from Jewel’s Memoir Never Broken
  • Flourishing
  • Wide Open Spaces
  • The Pleasures of Going Offline
  • The Master Key to Resilience
  • How and Why to Meditate
  • In the Kitchen with Michelin Starred Chef Giovanni D’Amato
  • Standing on Groundlessness
  • I Won a Photography Award!
  • The Madness of “If Only”
  • Awakening
  • Awaken
  • My Baby Niece is Three Months Old!
  • Getting Real with New Year’s Resolutions
2015
  • 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before the New Year
  • What Buddhists Do When Things Fall Apart
  • One day in Phnom Penh
  • Baby Niece’s First Photographs
  • Be Real: 7 Life Lessons from Bruce Lee
  • Why Resiliency?
  • Why Our Heroes Aren’t Perfect and That’s Okay
  • The Award-Winning Chef Who Couldn’t Taste
  • How the US Navy SEALs Get Through Hard Times
  • Airbnb’s ‘A Night Through Time’ at the Esplanade
  • A Navy SEAL’s Guide to Resilience
  • The Resiliency Advantage: What It is and How to Get It
  • The World Breaks Everyone
  • Strength in a Sea of Sorrows: The Exile of the 14th Dalai Lama
  • 10,000 Hours and 100,000 Steps
  • The Remarkable Fall and Rise of Steve Jobs
  • Finding Meaning in the Most Terrible Times
  • Bruce Lee and The Beginner’s Mind
  • Tteuran, a Teahouse for the Soul
  • Choon Kiat and Vanessa’s Pre-Wedding Shoot
  • The Tiger and the Rabbit
2014
  • Wuzhen: A Sleepy Mix of Old and New
  • Fear and Creativity on the Nakasendo
  • Korea: Autumn Leaves Ablaze
2013
  • 2013
  • There’s Something Inside You That Made You Keep Trying
  • Tokyo: Tsukiji
  • Tokyo: Shimokitazawa, Daikanyama & Kagurazaka
  • Kusatsu: Onsen in the Mountains
  • Kanazawa: One Day Too Long
  • Shirakawa-go: Walking in a Winter Mountainland
  • Takayama: A Taste of Old Japan
  • Vulnerability & the Work
  • A Story for Tomorrow
2012
  • 2012
  • I Wrote a Book
  • Shooting ONE Fighting Championship: War of the Lions
  • Struggling in Tokyo
2011
  • 2011
  • Focus is Saying No
  • My Friend the Monk
  • There is No Reason Not to Follow Your Heart
  • Back from Wat Pa Don Hiay Soke
  • The Rainy Season
  • Why You Stay Inside Your Comfort Zone
  • Announcing Project Monk
  • The Gap Between Frames
  • To Travel is to Change
2010
  • Looking Back: 2010
  • Life is Short, and Therefore I Will
  • Within the Frame by David duChemin
  • Against the Voice of Should
  • Above the Clouds
  • Photographing Tokyo, Autumn: Lessons Learned
2009
  • Two Kinds of Quality
  • The Benefits of Low-Fi Holidays
  • The Muse & The Work
  • Lessons Learned at 30
  • East Coast Night
  • To Write Like Nobody But Yourself
2008
  • Moving Towards Wisdom, Beauty & Strength
  • Personal Atrophy for Foolish People
  • Book Review: Personal Development for Smart People
  • Book Review: Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen
  • Keep Going
  • What is Simplicity According to Zen?
  • Book Review: Ready For Anything
  • The Getting Things Done Way to Getting Things Decluttered
  • An Ex-Marine Captain Speaks: What It Means to Be a Warrior
  • Just Walk
  • Decluttering for Chinese New Year
  • Thai Sojourn: Vipassana Part 3
  • Thai Sojourn: Vipassana Part 2
  • Thai Sojourn: Vipassana Part 1
  • 3 Simple Ways to Get the Right Things Done in 2008
2007
  • Thai Sojourn: Forest Monastery Part 4
  • Thai Sojourn: Forest Monastery Part 3
  • Thai Sojourn: Forest Monastery Part 2
  • Thai Sojourn: Forest Monastery Part 1
  • Take the Time to Just Be
  • Just Do That One Thing Today
  • Are You Trapped in a Thought Virus?
  • Be Willing to Change Everything in Your Life
  • How to Save Money & Time on Personal Development
  • Restarting a Blog
  • Back from Korea
  • The Difference Between Being Alone and Being Lonely
  • The Key to Being Happily Alone
  • How to Lead Horses and Men
  • Book Review: Driven from Within
  • Reunion with Paiboon The Monk
  • Wisdom from the Ninja: Keep Going
  • Book Review: The Way of Wyrd
2006
  • The Hero’s Journey: Conclusion
  • The Hero’s Journey Part 9: The Journey Home
  • The Hero’s Journey Part 8: Claiming Your Treasure
  • The Hero’s Journey Part 7: The Supreme Ordeal
  • The Hero’s Journey Part 6: Into The Innermost Cave
  • The Hero’s Journey Part 5: Meeting Your Helpers & Challengers
  • The Hero’s Journey Part 4: Crossing The Threshold
  • The Hero’s Journey Part 3: Meeting The Wise Mentor
  • The Hero’s Journey Part 2: The Call to Adventure
  • The Hero’s Journey Part 1: The Ordinary World
  • Anything Worth Doing is Worth Doing Badly

Copyright © 2018 Alvin Soon. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram.