<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[@itsjohnkim]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sup]]></description><link>https://www.itsjohnkim.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!psQd!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90801e97-f27e-4b22-b649-d5ce9154e625_1280x1280.png</url><title>@itsjohnkim</title><link>https://www.itsjohnkim.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:39:37 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.itsjohnkim.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[John Kim]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[itsjohnkim@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[itsjohnkim@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[John Kim]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[John Kim]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[itsjohnkim@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[itsjohnkim@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[John Kim]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Give Me Your Tired, Give Me Your Poor]]></title><description><![CDATA[So is the American Dream.]]></description><link>https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/give-me-your-tired-give-me-your-poor</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/give-me-your-tired-give-me-your-poor</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Kim]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 18 Mar 2025 07:13:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!psQd!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90801e97-f27e-4b22-b649-d5ce9154e625_1280x1280.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So is the American Dream.  We build.</p><p>Our flag has red stripes upon white stripes because America was built upon layers; red brick upon concrete, with an ever rich tapestry of different patterns of stars adorning our blue skies.  Despite bombs bursting in air.  Imagine all the people.</p><p>Together we&#8217;re beautiful.  By the camp fire we find peace.  Orbiting calm confidence let&#8217;s us relax our shoulders down in ease.</p><p>America was never better through division.  Our best has always came through assembly and discourse.  The best outcomes are when we can cordially work towards resolution.  We can all win.</p><p>Freedom is in the choices we make.</p><p>Thanks,</p><p>John</p><p>P.S. - A.I. ain&#8217;t writing this shit yo.  It&#8217;s me.  Hi!</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Faded Brilliance]]></title><description><![CDATA[Talent is an earned skill over years of diligent training.]]></description><link>https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/faded-brilliance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/faded-brilliance</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Kim]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2024 22:07:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!psQd!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90801e97-f27e-4b22-b649-d5ce9154e625_1280x1280.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Talent is an earned skill over years of diligent training.  We sometimes lose the spark.</p><p>Genius is young.  But genius is not by age.  It&#8217;s the youthful creation of inspiring ideas.  If they raised the bar, maybe I can reach it too.</p><p>How we think can either dim the lights or brighten them.  The time has never passed and the time is never prepared.  Life is but a moment.  Whenever, take a moment to adjust the lights to feel, think, and be as far as you need to see.</p><p>Burn out is just frustration.  Some lose all light and then only see dark roads ahead.  </p><p>Forests burn to fertilize the soil.</p><p>I always remember to find fuel.  Who do I love?  Where is their fire?  It only takes a single spark to light a flame.  A single pit can warm everyone.</p><p>Thanks,</p><p>John Kim</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.itsjohnkim.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.itsjohnkim.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Cost of Writing]]></title><description><![CDATA[Memories.]]></description><link>https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/the-cost-of-writing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/the-cost-of-writing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Kim]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 02:39:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!psQd!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90801e97-f27e-4b22-b649-d5ce9154e625_1280x1280.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Memories.  I remember you.  Writing means saving every bit of you.  Where ever, when ever, thank you.  In stone, you have chiseled every part of my heart.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don't Pinch Me]]></title><description><![CDATA[People always comment that I&#8217;m not wearing green on St.]]></description><link>https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/dont-pinch-me</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/dont-pinch-me</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Kim]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 04:46:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!psQd!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90801e97-f27e-4b22-b649-d5ce9154e625_1280x1280.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>People always comment that I&#8217;m not wearing green on St. Patrick&#8217;s Day.  I always give them a dull look and let them know&#8230;I&#8217;m Korean.</p><p>Sure, I&#8217;ve grown up eating Lucky Charms.  I&#8217;ve youthfully chased the end of rainbows.  People may have even noticed me lurking under shadowy bridges.  I love Yoda too.  I just don&#8217;t spin dreidels.  I eat Kimchi.</p><p>All humans want to share their likes and interests.  We propagate our culture.  America is unique in that we all share different ancestry.  Here we live together to collect each history into a better future.</p><p>Life is a definition, not a destination.  Chasing distance leaves dissatisfaction.  Comparison is the theif of joy.  The reason we measure is to simply know where we currently are.  Get lost and then find yourself.  </p><p>Enjoy the journey.</p><p>Alice fell asleep alone and traveled down a rabbit hole discovering wonderous others.  Curiouser and curiouser we find where we belong.</p><p>Step into others&#8217; shoes.  Don&#8217;t just plop yours onto others.  Play.  Go back and forth giving the best of yourself as well as accepting the best of relationships.  Too often we are blinded by our self-centered obsessions.</p><p>My luckiest days are with friends and family.  I&#8217;ll drink green beers with anyone even though I won&#8217;t wear it.  Festivities are times to be a good neighbor.  These are invitations to taste the tribe. </p><p>Knock knock.</p><p>&#8220;Ohhh&#8230;hi-dee-di-dee-di&#8230;&#8221;</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.itsjohnkim.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading @itsjohnkim! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Have You Ever Met Someone with Gravity?]]></title><description><![CDATA[We struggle to clearly explain it, but we&#8217;ve all met that one person gifted in shifting our feelings. Charisma.]]></description><link>https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/have-you-ever-met-someone-with-gravity</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/have-you-ever-met-someone-with-gravity</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Kim]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 23 Feb 2024 02:16:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!psQd!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90801e97-f27e-4b22-b649-d5ce9154e625_1280x1280.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We struggle to clearly explain it, but we&#8217;ve all met that one person gifted in shifting our feelings.  Charisma.  When we&#8217;re near, they set the stage.</p><p>Science, religion, philosophy, psychology&#8230;are all explaining the same thing.  Energy, qi, spirit, mind, thoughts&#8230;all different descriptions of the same flavor.  Everyone has their ways of describing life.  Some just seem unshakable.  </p><p>I see life in gravity.  We connect and orbit.  We love stable paths.</p><p>Imagine standing still on a trampoline with a bunch of friends.  The most centered and stable one draws the crowd towards them.  They are the warm sun with the strongest gravity.  We want to be close and forever rotate along them.</p><p>Static shocks are reminders that we are always affecting the atoms and Addams close enough to feel our gravity.  Rub your feet on carpet and tap someone.  People can feel you near.</p><p>Wellness is misunderstood.  It&#8217;s not jubilant.  Well is how far down we can dig to find water to provide to our community.  Wellness is the single hole we sweat to surface a dependable nourishment for those we love.  We don&#8217;t get well.  We are wells.  Dig.</p><p>The truth is that the first person you&#8217;ve ever met with gravity&#8230;is you.  The universe needed your orbit so much that you out-swam millions of sperm to be here.  Life was chosen for you because we need you.  </p><p>What you say in the mirror sets the stage.</p><p>Thanks,</p><p>John Kim</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.itsjohnkim.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption"></p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pigeon Letters]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dear John,]]></description><link>https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/pigeon-letters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/pigeon-letters</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Kim]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 11 Feb 2024 00:55:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!psQd!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90801e97-f27e-4b22-b649-d5ce9154e625_1280x1280.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Dear John,</p><p>You are good to everyone, except yourself.  There is no best.  You don&#8217;t have to soar in greatness.  John, you don&#8217;t have to earn people&#8217;s love.  Love is free.  Say, thank you.</p><p>Life is complicated&#8230;not so much in medleys of connections, but complex in the mix of all life&#8217;s colors.  We can&#8217;t change the past; We can only change the way we feel about it.  The reason we hit rock bottom is to find a solid foundation to stand on.  No one walks on water.</p><p>Here.  I give you my shoulder.  You may rest your head, or you may stand upon me and marvel at the horizon.  Every distance starts with a single step.</p><p>A phoenix must first die.  Beauty is watching one rise from their ashes.  If you&#8217;re hurt, then hurt.  If you&#8217;re mad, then loathe.  If you&#8217;re sad, then dress in all black.  Suffering is to live in the past; Anxiety is to live in the future.  Live in the now.</p><p>I begin writing again with you.</p><p>Thank you.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/refer/johnkim?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_context=post&amp;utm_content=undefined&amp;utm_campaign=writer_referral_button&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Start a Substack&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Connect your publication with @itsjohnkim</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/refer/johnkim?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_context=post&amp;utm_content=undefined&amp;utm_campaign=writer_referral_button&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Start a Substack&quot;,&quot;hasDynamicSubstitutions&quot;:false}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/refer/johnkim?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_context=post&amp;utm_content=undefined&amp;utm_campaign=writer_referral_button"><span>Start a Substack</span></a></p></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Coming soon]]></title><description><![CDATA[This is @itsjohnkim, a newsletter about Sharing thoughts for growth.]]></description><link>https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/coming-soon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.itsjohnkim.com/p/coming-soon</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Kim]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:32:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!psQd!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90801e97-f27e-4b22-b649-d5ce9154e625_1280x1280.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>This is @itsjohnkim</strong>, a newsletter about Sharing thoughts for growth.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.itsjohnkim.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.itsjohnkim.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>