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Welcome to the PAD Lifeletter where I authentically share monthly updates, stories, resources, and insights along my journey of Pure Aloha Dreamalization. If you are new here or missed last week’s edition, you can read it here. First-time reader? You are warmly invited to subscribe to be added to the mailing list for these monthly letters (every fourth Saturday).

Pure Aloha from Honolulu ☀️

“Happy Father’s Day”.

Those were the first words I heard last Sunday as I woke up next to Katie after nine hours of glorious sleep. “I can feel baby’s heartbeat. It’s strong. Feel…” she said.

Lub-dub… Lub-dub… Lub-dub… My fingers could feel the subtle pulse of our 37-week-old first child in Katie’s beautiful belly. Breathing in the quiet moment, I whispered, “I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful that you’re the mother of my child, and so I can be their father. And I’m very grateful to get to enjoy sleep like this while I still can!”

To all the fathers (amongst the nearly 100 friends and family who kindly decided to signup after a personal invitation - thank you SO much and for all your messages!), I’m wishing you a very happy belated Father’s Day. I decided to consider myself a daddy from the day of conception, yet I can’t wait to officially join the club, literally any day now (11 days to expected due date)!

Let’s dive into the second issue of the PAD Lifeletter.

✨ Key Updates

🥳 Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha turned 11

• It’s hard to believe it, but it’s true. The original Uncle Clay’s HOPA is now eleven years old. I recorded an impromptu video to celebrate and honor our anniversary and to share about the bright future of HOPA with our revised mission statement. As a PAD Walker who is also likely connected with HOPA already, I invite you to watch the video here.

🏡 HOPA Together is LIVE: HOPA Journal now available!

• The HOPA Journal is now available for presale and the doors are now open to everyone (which includes you!) to join HOPA Together: a global movement and community inspired by the best of Hawai’i to nurture the intentional living of Pure Aloha and to encourage the realization of One World ‘Ohana in this 21st Century. If you want to learn more and join in, then definitely check out this 1-minute video.

• Producing this creative video with Jonah and Marlene of Small Hour Films was such a delight. They are the same amazing couple who were pivotal to capture and co-create the video of my proposal to Katie, which by the way was six years ago on June 5th (another update from the month!).
• As you might recognize, there’s a shot or two of yours truly (and even Katie and baby - baby’s first HOPA gig). It’s been special to integrate family and work through the HOPA Journal, including Katie’s co-authorship of the journal…and belly modeling.

🚼 Love from the village

• It’s said that “it takes a village to raise a child”. These past eight months on this prenatal pregnancy journey have certainly proven the validity of this aphorism already. Katie, baby, and I enjoyed six baby showers - virtual and in-person. We received many registry and surprise gifts. Childbirth classes are fascinating, and my notebook is bulging with notes. All in all, we’ve been mentally equipped with knowledge and care from health providers and materially, emotionally, and spiritually supported through the generosity and love from family, friends, and strangers. We are so grateful.
• A special event of note: Katie and I did a guided session with my coach Chloe Good to prepare for the birthing experience. We touched on so much: sensing the reservoir of unconditional love that exists in me and feeling the countless hands and that are holding Katie and baby up in light as she pushes through life’s most challenging, beautiful, and transformational moments.

👨🏻‍🍼 I’m officially on Paternity Retreat (leave)!

• I’ll be taking 100 days to enjoy Paternity leave, or as I’m approaching it “retreat”. For the first 40 days, I’ll be 100% off from work/social activities to be 100% present with myself, Katie, and baby. For the last 60 days, I’ll take on minimal asynchronous work (i.e. 10% the usual) and some social activities.
• I’m committing to one single creative project during my my retreat. I’m calling it “52 Days of Wise Fatherhood” or #52DOF for short (and hashtag lovers). This project is multiple Pure Aloha Dreamalizations wrapped up into one - it’s simple, beautiful, and powerful. I’m excited to see how it goes and to share it with you, one tweet at a time. If you’d like to follow along, visit the Twitter thread.

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🗣 Talking Story

To keep with the Father’s Day theme, I’m dedicating this section this month to my dad: Rodney “Pygoya” Chang.

An essential pillar of my healing journey these past couple years has been through my dad. In my Annual Review, I shared what transpired between us, including how I asked him for a hug for the first time. We’re flexing our creative muscles fully now and co-creating some special projects. Speaking of the Annual Review, here’s what my dad said in response to it (unedited):

As I’ve discovered, one’s relationship with our father is so fundamental. I don’t know what yours is like, but I invite you to reflect on it. Is there anything you desire for yourself or him? Is there something you want to better understand? Something to express? As I’ve discovered, as challenging and complex as our relationship with our father can be, healing is simple, possible, and profound. It starts within you. Sometimes it just takes remembering the inextricable bond that is shared, appreciating the indisputable fact of your life, and returning to the essence of love always there.

Finally, here’s a beautiful example of one of the literally several hundreds of paintings my dad has completed in just the past year. He truly is what he likes to call himself: an “Art Machine”!

Want to see more of Pygoya’s work and our latest co-creative project as it happens? Then follow my “52 Days of Fatherhood” Twitter thread.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad. Thank you. I love you. And I’m so grateful to be a father like you now.

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📓 From my notebook
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A key theme of 2022 for me is “sabbaticalizing”.

I tweeted my story on discovering this back in December. As my key updates above show, I’ve been extremely active with work activity - as planned. As a creator and entrepreneur, I enjoy lots of activity, immensely. But my wiser self now recognizes any activity, even if in service to deeply meaningful and gratifying work, requires expending energy and willpower.

Especially as an (Asian) American, high-achiever, and dragon, it’s too easy for me to just keep charging ahead especially in the direction with momentum. Just stop working when HOPA ‘Aina Haina is in the middle of its busiest most critical three months of the year AND you’ve just launched a new venture (HOPA Together) and product (HOPA Journal)?! No way!

Yes way, Bronson. This is the true test of applied wisdom, and I’m choosing to be wise by sticking to the right plan. As I indicated in my Annual Review, now is the time to transition from a Spring season defined by launching and executing, to a Summer season of quieting, harvesting, and savoring. Time for my inner dragon to rest and inner turtle to just be.

One more related note: I wrote this in my Zettlekasten on May 30th, 2022 about sacred rest:

Thank you to my friend Brian Chung (co-founder of Alabaster) for gifting me Towards Rest: Discovering the Qualities of Rest for Our Lives of Faith which provided the reference note to this permanent note and will be perfect reading material to enjoy during my paternity retreat!

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🧰 PAD toolbox

Last month I highlighted ”Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential”. I will briefly do it again because it’s now AVAILABLE - and already a New York Times bestseller!

It’s been so exciting and educational to learn and cheer on Tiago as he takes personal knowledge management to the masses and experiences his dreams turn into reality. Tiago is everywhere these days sharing the BASB gospel in interviews and talks. An interview I particularly enjoyed was between Tiago and Scott Young, author of “Ultralearning”. As a fan of Scott’s as well, it was fun to see two brilliant minds and universes of knowledge collide. You can watch it here.

As time goes on, I further appreciate the wide-reaching influence of my Second Brain. It’s empowered my creative potential, ushered my personal self discovery and healing, supported the growth of my entrepreneurial ventures, and most practically and relevantly accelerated the level of my learning and ability to enjoy (and manage!) the thrilling ride of first-time parenthood.

Furthermore, the BASB community is incredibly talented, generous, and rapidly growing. In fact, I have the BASB community to thank for allowing me to meet the wonderful Jen Vermet (via Erik Newhard). Jen moved to Hawai’i last year and is fellow Second Brainer. She’s been extremely helpful in supporting me to take the leap with launching my newsletter. Furthermore, she is leading community efforts and more with HOPA Together/Journal, so if you want to link up with here there, contact jen@HOPA-together.com.

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📷 Capture of the Month

“Portrait of a Wise Father” 😂

Taken: June 7th, 2022 at 10:24pm

From my First Child Journal: “Your due date is now officially 30 days away. Your mom and I are so excited for your arrival. I’m currently encircled by books that I’ve wanted to read before you arrive and have barely scratched the surface of. I’m seeking to apply some just-in-time rapid learning of what’s most important with the limited time available. -Your Dad”

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I appreciate you reading this Lifeletter. If ideas resonated, I’d love you to leave a comment, reply to this email, or send me a message by email at bronson.chang@gmail.com. If you want to read more, visit my online website.

Mahalo 🤙

Bronson

PS - I’ll be going on paternity “retreat” now to early October, but don’t worry. I will publishing writing the PAD Lifeletter during it. Stay tuned for the next month’s which will include the story of the arrival of the little one 😊

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