Why Moxie Monologues?

Who the hell is Moxie? What does it even mean?

Moxie, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a noun that means three things:

1. Energy or pep
2. Courage and determination
3. Know-how

 

While “monologue” means “a long speech monopolizing conversation”–which I’m in the habit of doing a lot (sorry, friends who have had to suffer through my conversation monopolies). But I also have conversations with myself a lot, which you can say qualifies as a monologue. And since I’m the only person speaking in this blog, addressing an invisible (or possibly non-existent!) audience, I guess you can say that this is a monologue too. But that doesn’t exactly tell you why Moxie Monologues.

Hi! My name is Lai, the author of this blog. And let me begin to tell you why this is called Moxie Monologues.

As a true-blue 30-year-old late bloomer working alongside other people my age who are also stumbling in this life-stage we coined “adulting”, I realized (with the help of “Boomers” like Dr. Jordan Peterson and “Gen X’ers” like Simon Sinek) that millennials and even the Gen Z’ers are actually over-coddled children who are far too sheltered from the harsh and complicated cruelties of the world. Not only that, but we have also been ill-equipped and mal-educated to deal with its challenges. By our parents? By our schools? Maybe both! I’m not even going to get into that. For now, at least. But that’s the unforgiving truth. And I find that incredibly ironic because in this age, a vast majority of us have easy access to free and useful information, and we are so intensely connected to each other, having endless conversations about literally anything we want to talk about on social media.  

So, if we have access to information, and if we’re free to talk to each other about life’s cruelties, why aren’t we collectively solving global problems? Now, take my perspective with a grain of salt (or a lot of salt, up to you), but so far, what I have observed personally is that we’re not having conversations about difficult things that we actually really need to think about and talk about—like

• how unhappy we are with work and how it’s slowly killing us, or
• the conflicts within our families that are taking away hours from our sleep and our peace of mind, or
• perhaps the nagging feeling of aimlessness—the lack of direction and purpose in our lives leaving us wandering astray.

 

Perhaps because we’re too preoccupied with things that don’t add up anything to our lives? Or we’re preoccupied with attempting to solve problems that we have no business dealing with. If we can’t even accomplish anything impactful for our jobs, much less fix our beds and clean up our rooms consistently, how can we have the arrogance to believe that we know the exact solution that will make this world a better place?

 

I’ve also observed on social media that what many young millennials and Gen Z’ers believe about life is actually so intensely out of touch with reality. And that’s the exact accusation our generations are throwing against the Boomers and the Gen X’ers, the people who have walked their talk and paved the way for us to work in organizations that:

• makes sure the lights are on when we step into our offices
• we have clean water to use for our day-to-day activities
• prevents us from having to hunt for our food and have them actually packed for us to be readily consumable

They built the systems and technologies that improve our day-to-day life, giving us something to build on and making it possible for us to work and live comfortably. In saying this, I’m by no means glorifying the older generations, or painting them to be flawless in their ways—they are the reason why we are weak and ignorant. They raised us. Maybe their fault is that they wanted to protect us way too much. But the truth is they know more than us about how this thing called “living” works because they’ve been around longer in the world than we have.

 

Perhaps this blindness to our weaknesses and ignorance, and possibly the belief (whether conscious or unconscious) that we are utterly powerless over the harshness of the world, are what could be making our generations anxious about every little thing. I could be wrong, but perhaps we’re so deathly afraid of the possibility that there’s nothing within our power that we could do to make our lives better.

So, what are we going to do? If we’re too weak in our current state to fight the important battles that will fix the world and too ignorant to know what is needed to make it a better place to live in, do we just quit, then? Do we throw our hands in the air and say, “That’s it for me! I’m helpless anyway, I’m checking out of life!” As someone who will inherit the world, knowing the current state it’s in, I say HELL NO. 

And that’s why this blog is now called Moxie Monologues.

Moxie, meaning courage, determination, and know-how, and

Monologues, a conversation with self—

We’re going to have honest conversations—although one-way for now with just me talking—about the tough things we need to think and talk about. In this process—

• I hope we can learn together the know-how of thriving in this harsh world.
• I hope that by the end of each entry, everyone who joined in the “conversation” will be armed with a new perspective to consider, and with tools that will allow us to contend with the world successfully.
• I hope that we will all gain a renewed sense of hope and determination to thrive, especially in difficult times. 

What’s my authority on the matter of conversations? Well, not much. To be honest, I might just be a little bit ahead of the curve from the 20-something young men and women who are only just beginning to figure their lives out. But I can share with you my experience of the world. Perhaps you’ll find a kindred spirit here who has gone through or is going through what you’re going through right now. 

 

What I can share with you that’s true with my life right now are:

• From being a “powerless victim”, I’ve learned what it truly means to be empowered. I’ve stopped being a victim of my circumstances or of whatever perceived powers are in authority. In the last five years, I’ve been able to wield the power of my choice in everything I do.
• From a hopelessly clueless naïve who intensely loathed herself, I now have a better sense of who I truly am. I understand my strengths and weaknesses, my victories and defeats, my goodness and evil, and I can live with myself without spiraling into self-hate. I know there are things about me that still remain to be discovered, but I’m more than willing to walk the path of self-discovery, even if it means finding out what makes me such a terrible human being.
• What used to be a chaotic relationship between me and my brother, and me and my dad, have significantly improved to the point that we can have an actual caring relationship with each other. And though we may have disagreements in our conversations, it no longer ends in screaming matches and walk-outs, but in simply agreeing to disagree about our opinions, and to get on with our lives.
• From complete aimlessness, I’m now on the path of living out my personal mission and vision, although stumbling like a baby who’s just learning how to walk. It’s not an easy feat to commit to something bigger than who we are today, much less sit down and take the time to grapple with what these things really look like for me. Consequently, I’m grateful that the job I have today is what I freely chose for myself. And because my vision is clear for me, I have the power to choose a career that is aligned with the goals that I’ve set out for myself. 

 

I can’t take credit for this life. I was not born out of my mother’s womb clearly knowing all the things I have to work on so my life can be better. Who is, anyway? But I’ve had many difficult conversations with people who showed me how doomed I was if I didn’t straighten myself up. These people had no obligation to help me out but decided to speak into my life so I can grow and get better. I’ve been given many opportunities to explore my strengths and weaknesses and learn more about how the world really works. But more importantly, I’ve had to wrestle with God about all these things that are happening in my life! And I still am wrestling with Him! In accepting the new things I’m finding out about myself, and learning how to thrive in life despite my inadequacies and the world’s chaotic state. 

So I invite you to be a part of this conversation, especially if you’re on the journey of wanting to thrive in life, just like me. I’m sure I’m not the only one who desires a better living these days. Different and opposing views are welcome too! Now more than ever, we need to see and understand each other’s perspectives so we can come up with solutions to life’s challenges that will really work.

Please share your thoughts about my entries, and use the hashtag #MoxieMonologues on any social media platform so I can find you and include your perspective in the discussion.