November 2023

We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to-do’ list.

Michelle Obama, former First Lady

The personal sometimes the PERSONAL which overshadows all the other work in our lives. So how does one maintain a balance so it remains Personal but not so overwhelming? I wish I knew.

I don’t want to downplay the importance of the personal, whatever it may be. It can be our health, family, finances, etc. It can be overwhelming because life happens. So the question we need to ask, “Is the personal something important enough that we need to put a pause on everything else in our lives or are we allowing the personal to unnecessarily take over our live?”  I sometimes don’t know because when we are in the midst of it, we have very little objectivity and sanity.

As I care for my mother with mental health issues and dementia, I am having to put a pause on everything, I mean everything: physical and mental health, hobbies, friendships, and my work here at Platform. It is really impacting me in ways that I know will have serious ramifications down the road. I definitely will not be able to continue my work here at Platform and my greater fear is that I will be bitter and alone and psychologically damaged.

So how do we put everything into perspective? We are all very human with simple needs but such complicated journeys. Right now, I don’t know how to put it in perspective and what I will need to do to give me the space to really engage our Platform audience. Or maybe I just need to put a longer pause until things settle. But in my experience, things don’t settle in ways that benefit us unless we force people to give us the space to put ourselves first. Making that possible will take serious effort since I am not familiar with putting my needs first. I am first to offer myself to help people but lately, I don’t have anything within me to help anyone.

We shall see what unfolds as my journey as a caretaker continues. It ain’t going to be pretty but I need to prioritize my needs and growing Platform is one of those needs.

Sam Joo

CEO and Founder

November 1, 2023