How small goals add up to big dreams

How small goals add up to big dreams

Author: SGI-USA December 4, 2020 Duration: 31:50

This week’s episode is about how to build the confidence to pursue a big dream. Seon Yeop Jung shares how he using chanting and goal-setting to rebuild the confidence he lost due to bullying. By pursuing one small goal after another, he discovered his dream of being a scientist and educator. Key takeaway: If you don’t believe in yourself right now because of whatever you may have faced in the past, it’s OK. Just start wherever you are with one small goal and you’ll discover your purpose along the way.


Cheatsheet:


0:35 Introduction to Seon

4:30 How bullying affected his childhood

8:29 What he realized when he started chanting

11:59 Why he set a goal of studying for 10 hours

13:50 How achieving minor goals can build your confidence 

16:58 How to apply chanting to specific goals

19:08 What if you get stuck?

23:16 How having supportive friends can help

24:53 What Seon’s dream is now

27:24 3 keys to never giving up

29:46 Seon’s advice to anyone pursuing a dream

30:44 Today’s key takeaway


It’s easy to lose sight of our own strength when life gets complicated, but what if that inherent clarity and capability never actually left? Buddhability explores that very idea through the lived experiences of everyday people. Host Cassidy Bradford guides genuine conversations with a community of practicing Buddhists from SGI-USA, who share how they navigate real-world challenges. You’ll hear personal stories that touch on everything from mental resilience and physical well-being to navigating career shifts and personal relationships. This isn’t about abstract theory; it’s a practical look at applying Buddhist principles to uncover a more confident and compassionate way of living. Each episode of the podcast feels like a thoughtful dialogue, focusing on how to reconnect with that inner resourcefulness-your Buddhability-amidst the stress and clutter of modern life. The discussions are grounded in the belief that enlightenment isn’t a distant goal, but a potential we can all access right now to improve our own lives and positively impact the world around us. Tune in for honest reflections and discover how this perspective can transform the ordinary into something extraordinary.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 244

Buddhability
Podcast Episodes
Building My Buddhist Muscle Memory [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:13
A strong routine can be crucial to getting through the day when you have a full plate. But that discipline doesn’t happen over night. Enoa Reid, of Oahu, shares how the reality of adulthood helped him develop the skills…
Who Am I After My Loved One Dies? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:39
How can one of the most inevitable things in life still be so shocking and confusing? Oona Friedland, of Berkley, Michigan, shares the story of how she navigated the pain of illness and death, eventually creating new mea…
Buddhability Short: Is Overcoming Divisiveness Really Possible? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:36
Buddhability Shorts is a monthly series where we break down a Buddhist concept or common life challenge we’ve touched on in an interview. Today we’re talking about how to overcome division in our personal lives and beyon…
Recognizing My Worth Changed Everything [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:57
If someone asked you to identify something getting in the way of your happiness right now, could you? It can be challenging to see ourselves clearly but doing so helps us change our lives. Our guest, Zoie Young, of Phoen…
Buddhability Short: How to Handle Societal Stress [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:29
Buddhability Shorts is a monthly series where we break down a Buddhist concept or common life challenge, we’ve touched on in an interview. Today we’re talking handling personal stress brought on by problems in society.To…
Being Unafraid to Change Your Career [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:08
There isn’t an expiration date for our dreams. It’s our own limiting beliefs that hold us back from pursuing them. Today’s guest, Jee Hyo Kim, of the Bay Area, set a dream aside and didn’t pick it back up until after she…
Buddhability Short: Starting a New Life Chapter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:48
Buddhability Shorts is a monthly series where we break down a Buddhist concept or common life challenge, we’ve touched on in an interview. Today we’re talking about how to start and navigate a new phase of your life.To a…
Learning to Love Myself [April 2024] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:41
It can be hard to embrace ourselves when society often makes us feel otherwise. In this episode, we’re talking about how chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo empowers us to appreciate and treasure every part of who we are.Today’…
How Living True to Myself Improved My Relationships [January 2024] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:40
Whether we like it or not, we don’t exist in isolation. The interconnection of life means that when we change, our environment changes as well. Today’s guest, Heidi Hayashi, of Stratford, Conn., shares how finding the co…
Breaking Free from Self-Imposed Limitations [December 2023] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:23
Believing that we each possess limitless wisdom, courage and compassion—what we call Buddhability—can be a daily battle. Many of us impose limitations on ourselves, believing that we’re not capable of accomplishing our d…