Meet Sharmine Park

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sharmine Park. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sharmine below.

Hi Sharmine, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
I used to be more anxious about what other people would think of me—especially if I did things that might seem out of character. As I get older and gain more experience, I’ve learned that we are all complex beings and don’t necessarily play one character or remain one way. Some people might, but many of us adapt to and reshape ourselves to fit into a specific situation. With that and a keen sense of mortality, I find I have more confidence in myself and my choices now, and get up a bit of courage to just go for it! Opening a small business was scary, but I’ve remained determined to achieve my goals. Singing for audiences can be nerve-racking, but my passion overpowers any anxiety as I belt out the songs to my heart’s content!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I own English Park, a small language school in Torrance, and celebrated its 10th-anniversary last year! I’m honored to hit this milestone despite challenges along the way (for instance, a decrease in students when a major client moved to Texas years ago, and the pandemic of course). Fortunately, business is ramping up this year! We’ve been busy welcoming many new students from Japan. But of course, English Park wouldn’t have gotten to this point without the support of our wonderful teachers and faithful students—and I’m always so grateful for them. My manager, Kristine Torres, and I recently published several simplified American classic novels for ESL learners which are now on sale on Amazon, and we’re very excited to launch our bi-monthly newsletter in the summer!

I’m also a vocalist for a couple of bands – The New Originals, and The Brass Roots Initiative – LA. It started out as just something fun to do, but now I’m excited that I do it semi-professionally. It’s a real blast performing at our South Bay and Orange County gigs! I’ve met some great new people and even gotten the opportunity to sing some local musicians’ original songs, working in recording studios. Hearing the final product is very exciting and so fun and fulfilling!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Self-discipline, openness, and appreciation. Self-discipline, because without it, accomplishing goals could take forever. Once I’ve committed myself to achieve something—whether it be coming up with new promotional ideas for English Park or learning a new song for my bands—I do my best to stay focused on my target, figure out the steps to get there, take action, and ensure progress as consistently as I can. Openness because it leads to rich life experiences and a deeper understanding of people and subjects which help me grow as a person. And finally, appreciation towards all things small or big, including just being alive and healthy. As someone who worked through depression a few years back, one powerful habit I picked up is spending a few minutes at the end of the day just thinking about all the things I’m appreciative of. It truly helps make difficult days less daunting. Small things, like being thankful for my thoughtful students who make me smile or for my family and friends sending me messages to say hi, help put things into perspective. It’s easy to dismiss these things and get caught up in the bad stuff, but when I make daily reflections and focus on the good, I feel motivated waking up again the next day to do more for myself and others.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
I’ve been diligently practicing Buddhism for ten years and chant every day. This has undoubtedly helped me in many ways and taught me how to keep things in balance so that I can avoid feeling overwhelmed. It can be difficult, as life always brings surprises from the unknown. It can take years of practice. Through it, I’m able to stay mindful and am learning to be kind to myself when things go awry. I would tell a friend dealing with stress: take deep breaths, give yourself a chance and time to process, and even try chanting to figure out the best actions to take in order to move forward. And a reminder: remember to appreciate what you can – no matter how small it may seem.

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Image Credits
Profile Photos by Heather Boucher

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