The June Review

Unfortunately, this month I am breaking structure and tradition once again. Instead of highlighting three highlights, I thought it would be more pertinent to discuss my current struggle, which involves an inverse happiness problem.

Inverse Happiness

Currently, I find myself at an equilibrium in my life—not necessarily happy, but not unhappy either. It’s a peculiar sensation largely governed by my dual existence: one professional and one personal. Lately, my professional life has been thriving. I received my first conference paper acceptance at ICML, secured a research fellowship, and have made valuable connections with faculty and other Ph.D. students that I admire. These accomplishments indicate that this aspect of my life is progressing well. However, my personal life has markedly suffered. I broke up with my girlfriend, lost contact with many close friends I made this year, and overall, things have been spiraling downward due to my inability to balance both aspects of my life.

In my last post, I mentioned that balance was essential, and I acknowledged my lack of it. Yet, I’m now entering this strange state of equilibrium where my feelings are ambiguous. It’s wonderful to have success in my academic pursuits, considering I spend 60-70 hours a week working. However, I am uncertain about how to balance these positive developments with the losses I’ve recently experienced. This situation seems unsustainable, and I think I might be trying to suppress these mixed emotions by immersing myself further in work. Thus, I’m left unsure of my feelings, simply hoping that things will improve moving forward.

Quote of the Monthly

In order to win, you must lose first - Michael Jordan

Contact

Simon Lee

simonlee711@gmail.com

simonlee711@g.ucla.edu