fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Skip Lists — let’s make it simple!
By: Sweta Barman
Tags: Leetcode, Skip List

What are skip lists? The idea is actually quite intuitive. Let’s look at a real life example : You are travelling from Algoland (an imaginary city) and as a tourist, you would like to visit different places and cover as many spots as possible.

As seen in the image below : there are two subway lines — the pink one and the green one. Sheryl would like to visit queueland from algoland. Which subway line should she follow? Should she jump between subway lines?

One way could be — to take the green line, go through four stops — algoland, array land, stack land, trieland -> queueland.

The other option could be to take the pink line — start from algoland, travel to trieland, switch lines to the green line and travel to queueland from trieland.

Which one would be faster? Just looking at the number of nodes stopped at would tell us that taking the pink line, then jumping to the green line will be faster.

Algorithm

Let’s assume we have a linkedlist of sorted nodes :

2 -> 4 -> 23 -> 32 -> 41 -> 57 -> 68 -> 89 -> 91

If we have to search a number in this list, we would have to traverse through this list with a linear time complexity. Now, what would make searching for a number easier/faster? Maybe binary search? But, how do we do binary search on a linked list? Maybe, if we pulled up the nodes that we need to traverse — and then will it make our search faster? Let’s try it out!

2 — — — — —— — → 41 — — — — — —— ->91 (list A) 2-> 4->23 -> 32 ->41 -> 57 -> 68 -> 89 -> 91 (list B)

Say, we had to search for 57 in the linked list. What if we searched for it in list A, arrived at node 41 — then moved to list B through the node 41 and traversed right and hit 57! That’s way faster than navigating through all the nodes in the list. This is the fundamental concept of a skip list.

How do we choose which nodes to pull up to the next level?

Let |La| be the number of nodes in list A. Let |Lb| be the number of nodes in list B.

If we have just two level, the total time to search for a node will be :

Time to search for a node (Tn) = |La| + (|Lb|/|La|). We need to figure out a way to minimize Tn. If we differentiate it, we can see that :

|La| = (|Lb|)^ (1/2)

Since |Lb| = n, which is the total number of nodes. |La| = n ^ (1/2).

Time taken to search for a node = n ^ (1/2) + n ^ (1/2) = 2n ^ (1/2)

If we had to move to 3 levels :

2 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — → 91 (list C) 2 — — — — — — — → 41 — — — — — — — ->91 (list A) 2-> 4->23 -> 32 ->41 -> 57 -> 68 -> 89 -> 91 (list B)

Time taken to search for a node = 3n ^ (1/3)

How many levels do we need to go up to? What if we went up (log n)[base 2] levels?

Time taken to search for a node = (log n) n^(1 / log n)

= (log n) n ^ (log 2 / log n) = 2 log n.

Hence, this is the idea for skip lists -> create `log n` levels. Promote some nodes to different levels (by a certain probability — usually 0.5) and then your skip list data structure is ready for search, insertion, deletion!

Here’s java code for the same : https://leetcode.com/problems/design-skiplist/discuss/393499/Java-Solution-beats-100
DON’T STOP PARADISE
By: Petter D
Tags: Passion, Poetry, Poem, Love, Sexuality

The first time

I met you

I fell in love

So deeply

With no difficulties

You glued yourself

On me

Now I’m playing

With the flames

Of your sparkling eyes

I’ve always made

Stupid mistakes

I want to get this one

Right

I can’t lie that

I am afraid

But I can’t run away

It’s a risk the pain

I can sense

The danger

My heart’s with

A stranger

If something is

Going to happen

I just don’t know

But I’m with you

I’m falling in love with you.

But don’t

Take me for granted!

Because I did

Break some hearts

Before

So, if

I’m letting you

Take the control

This is all

You need to know:

I don’t want you

To think about it

Twice

Only take me

To paradise

Wherever

You need to go

I’ll be there with you

I know they’ll

Talk about us

But I’ve waited

Too long for this

We both know

Love is dangerous

But I’m outrageous

You know me

Forget about

These conversations

Focus on our bodies

So we’d never

Stop doing this

And doing that…

Don’t stop the paradise.
Take Aim at Life: Learning From Ansel Adams
By: Kristopher Coulston
Tags: Passion, Learning, Life, Inspiration, Life Lessons

Nurture Passion

Ansel Adams was raised in a house at the edge of San Francisco, amid the sand dunes of the Golden Gate. The wind-shaped dunes just beyond his home helped shape and form his passion for the natural world. Ansel regularly hiked the dunes and took long walks along Baker Beach. These early experiences were seminal, leading him to hear the voice of photography calling his name.

Adams also had a deep love for music. He taught himself to play piano at the age of 12. Music took the place of formal schooling. He intended to make music his profession, and for many years he dedicated several hours a day to learning and crafting music. Eventually Adams gave up music for photography. But there is no doubt that his love for music played an influential role in his passion for photography.

Adams parents gifted him with a Kodak No. 1 Box Brownie camera. This was his very first camera. He began using the camera while on a trip to Yosemite National Park with his family. Ansel Adams discovered his passion through the lens of this camera, and it was through the lens of this camera that a legend was birthed. This little box devoured all of him, incubating his craft and leading him down the path of greats.

Ansel Adams once said,

“Life is your art. An open, aware heart is your camera. A oneness with your world is your film. Your bright eyes, your easy smile is your museum.”

The ability to nurture passion requires synchronicity with yourself and the world around you. Greats such as Ansel Adams, John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, and many others are evidence that a harmonious relationship with yourself and the natural world is a pre-requisite for overcoming obstacles and birthing creativity. Don’t let the mundane-ness of this life keep you discordant with yourself and your passion.

Final Thoughts

There is not one without passion. But there are many who are closed off and unaware of their passion. There are many who are disconnected from the beauty of the world. There are many who are out of touch with themselves and their own unique beauty. To take aim and take hold of all that life has to offer, you must arrive to embrace your uniqueness, and in turn you will receive the wisdom necessary to nurture your passion.
Do Your Boring Stuff
By: Cepy Hidayaturrahman
Tags: Self Help Books, Kreativitas, Follow Your Passion, Passion, Boring

I write about design, pop culture, and lessons learned. Host of Keluar Rumah Podcast.
Wearing My Heart on the Stage
By: Brielle Sanders
Tags: Theater, Passion, Musical Theater, Theatre, Musicals

Photo of Brielle Sanders at the Paramount Theatre taken by Jen Heim

While the music played, all of us ran to center stage to take our final bows. It was over — another successful run of the show was finished! We pointed up to God (as we do every show) and watched the lights dim and the curtain fall. My family had already seen the show, so no one I knew was coming to this one, which I understood. Into The Woods is a long musical to watch once, let alone twice.

Thinking there was no one waiting for me on the other side of the stage door, I simply planned to follow my friends like a lost puppy. I would stand to the side, awkwardly smiling at the friends of my friends, hoping they enjoyed the show. This time, however, I was stopped by a little girl and her grandmother. The little girl, no taller than my waist, looked up at me from behind her grandma’s hip. I knelt down, naturally, as one does when talking to a small child. The girl suddenly ran out from behind her grandmother and latched onto me, burying her face into my neck as if I were a long-lost toy. I felt her already broad smile grow. The hug felt like it would never end; I would have been okay if it hadn’t.

When she loosened her grip, I finally got a chance to see the awe etched on the girl’s face. I asked her one simple question: “Did you like the show?” I already knew her answer. She shook her head up and down rapidly, unable to contain her joy. That night, I left the theater with a slightly bigger heart. I left with a better understanding of why I love performing.

Performing is storytelling. Stories guide our decisions, expose our passions, and forge our connections with others. Musical theatre forces people to confront the underlying emotions performers plaster on a well-lit stage. Somewhat paradoxically, theatre can also be an escape. It creates a place to disconnect from the realities of life through loud, flashy dance numbers or perfectly aligned, blonde chorus girls all dancing as a singular unit. Whatever the heart needs in a moment of struggle or happiness can be provided on a stage. The divide between the audience and the actors is merely a physical border; sure as the sun rises, so will the curtain, revealing the hearts of those on stage and those in the seats. I am immensely blessed to be able to serve people in this unique and often forgotten art form.

Meeting that little girl reminded me that, no matter my role, as long as I show my heart on stage, I’ve succeeded. People could shower me with admiration, but I do not perform for personal glory. I perform for the one person in the audience that needs a vacation from reality. I perform for the one person that needs their heart moved. I perform for that little girl. We all feel, we all struggle, we all have joy, and we all have stories. I would not trade the opportunity to help others experience a true connection for anything. Ultimately, it is because of these connections that I cling to this art form like the little girl that clung to me, and I never plan on letting go.
How to unlock your potential
By: Iskandar Kurbanov
Tags: Passion, Mental Health, Potential

Photo by Vincentiu Solomon on Unsplash

In one of my previous blog posts I wrote about the difference between using the phrase “need to” versus using “want to”. This post is a continuation to that.

It is no doubt that our upbringing and education has a great influence on our thinking patterns. Thinking back on the last 20 or so years, my life has been filled with urgency, catching up, and not trying to fall behind. This has now revealed itself to me as “need to” mentality.

A big portion of the time, when we say or think that we need to do something, it is usually caused by external factors. These external factors can include other people’s opinions, other people’s expectations, our need to fit in, and our need to survive. No double that all of these are valid reasons to do something. Not long ago, our survival depended on all of those factors actually. Not even 100 years ago, standing out from the crowd could have severe consequences. It is difficult for us to imagine but duels were still a frequent occurrence in the 19th century.

Our brains have learned to adapt to such environments by implementing the “need to” mentality. In reality that means that we have a healthy brain that is functioning well to keep us alive, so we must thank ourselves for it. The problem is that we are no longer under much danger in the 21 century. So we need to work with our brain and show it that there is no danger lurking around the corner. It is alright if someone doesn’t like us. It is alright to sometimes disappoint people so that we can look better after our own needs. It is not selfish to look after our own needs first.

In reality, you don’t “need” to do anything…

The First Step

To break free from impure motivations, we must first be aware of our motivations. Next time you notice yourself saying “I need to do (something)”, try to understand why you said that you “need” to do it. Why didn’t you say that you “want” to do it?

This can be something as easy as “I need to finish the report by tomorrow”. Realizing these thought patterns can be a huge shift in reframing your motivations. Ask yourself, “Why did I feel that I need to finish the report?” Are you worried about disappointing your boss if you don’t? Will you lose your job if you don’t? And if you lose your job, you won’t be able to afford your apartment, your car, etc. This is all true. But does it make you feel empowered thinking of it that way?

Saying “I want to finish the report by tomorrow” puts you in a much better position. “I want to impress my boss because I think we make a great team together”, “I want to be able to get the promotion so that I can have more autonomy in my work”, “I want to do my best on this report because I know I am capable”. Doesn’t that sound much better than “needing” to do something because of all those consequences. By rephrasing your thoughts, you are putting yourself in a much better mental position and giving yourself the control over the situation instead of feeling obligated to do something.

We all feel more energetic from feeling empowered and in control of our lives.
My 2021 New Year’s Motto
By: Butterfly Story
Tags: Meaningful Life, Passion, Life, Life Lessons, Meaning Of Life

Spend your time wisely on things meaningful which either foster personal growth or improve the health mentally or physically

Working from home for almost a year and not meeting with friends much, I’ve saved a lot of time which was spent on transportation and unnecessary gathering. However, I have wasted quite some time on meaningless stuff or doing nothing. With the new lifestyle, I believe there will still be plenty of free time for me to allocate and I am not going to waste it anymore. I’m someone who loves to plan things and will list out tons of tasks to achieve the goals. However, my key weakness is poor execution, which makes me sometimes not highly focused on the tasks and will tend to perform ineffective multitasking. In the new year, I am going to make sure, while having a plan, I will be able to spend my time well, understand the meaning of the tasks, and fully focus on achieving the final goals. When I can effectively work on the tasks ahead, I will also be able to free up my time to do whatever I’m excited to explore in any area.
Yes this is so true. People want to do nothing but results should come without toiling for it
By: Dr. Preeti Singh
Tags: Passion

Most people want the results without the effort. They want passion to fall in their lap. You shouldn’t chase or seek your passion because that means it’s trying to evade you. Often, you’ll end…
Three Lessons I Learned from So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
By: Matthew Peck
Tags: Passion, Self Improvement, Cal Newport, Career Advice

Lesson #1: Do not follow your passion

This was the center point of the book, as emphasized by the title. For the last few decades, there has been this idea in our culture that we all have a passion and that we must pursue it to be happy. While this message has kind intentions, it simply is untrue. One study cited in the book from “The 2010 Conference Board Survey of US Job Satisfaction” found that only 45% of people were satisfied with their jobs, down from 61% in 1987. This idea has surprisingly made people on average less happy than before. The reason is that most of our passions do not make much money and people get caught up in trying to find out if they truly are following their passion, which leads to feelings of anxiety and sadness. Going forward it seems safe to say that you should follow what you’re interested in, but don’t spend too much time worrying about finding your passion.

Lesson #2: Adopting the craftsman mindset is the way to go

The craftsman mindset focuses on what you can offer the world, as opposed to what the world can offer you. It means that you need to really get good at what you do and gain that career capital, no matter how hard it is going to get (because it will get extremely hard). It may sound weird, but I feel like this mindset makes it a bit easier for choosing a career. I think the fact that you need to focus on other people a bit more, fulfilling a need, and knowing that I am going to have to put in a lot of work no matter what means that which specific career I choose is not going to matter as much.

Lesson #3: There are some key guidelines to when you should actually do a different career

After finding out that you should not follow your passion, and that putting in the time and effort to get good at a skill was the way to go, I was a bit confused about how I should choose my career. Luckily, Cal comes to the rescue. In the book, he lists out the traits that define great work, which include: room for creativity, the ability for you to have an impact, and the feeling of having control. On the converse, here is when you should probably choose a different career (and not use the craftsman mindset): there is little room to distinguish yourself through providing unique skills, the focus of the job is on something useless or harmful, and you have to work with people you dislike. Having a list like this really can help narrow down career options, and whether or not you should leave where you are currently working.

Conclusion

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is needing career guidance, no matter if you’re 16 or 60. This book provides great lessons, such as not following your passion, adopting a mindset to work very hard to gain career capital, and when to choose a different job. On top of this, Cal Newport has an amazing writing style that will keep you hooked. The amount of research put into this and his other books are truly incredible. You can click here and here to visit his blog and buy So Good They Can’t Ignore You on Amazon.
Work for your passion
By: Arun Avanathan
Tags: Passion, Engineering, Business

Merry Christmas!

We all get default advice from our mentors/teachers that follow your heart/passion. But then we get derailed by our connection with technology. Oh, I like backend/frontend OR I like Java/C++/Ruby/Python or React/Javascript.

We rarely give some thinking about the business domain we like. For eg. I am working for FinTech for last x years. Now I have some knowledge about how financial transactions happen. But then, I like problems Small business users go through and I want to help them. Suppose if I work on a problem that gets data from Small business transactions from Amazon/Shopify and analyze them, I may still like it because of the engineering complexity. But I cannot give my 100%, because my passion is towards fixing the foundation of Small Business — which is how to survive my business in the time of pandemic.

Suppose if you want to focus on a specific business problem — find a way to work in projects solving that problem. Engineering problems are good, but rare to find heart pounding engineering problems, as most of the common engineering problems are solved.

If your passion is engineering problem — then find something new — eg. Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Blockchain OR something ground breaking technology.

End of the day if technology doesn’t solve a business problem — we are not focussing right!
Follow Your Passions
By: Unnati Gupta
Tags: Passion, Unnatigupta, Failure, Success

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” — Oprah Winfrey

1. REGRET IS THE WORST

You don’t want to be seventy and laying on your bed, regretting that one decision you didn’t take. you don’t want to think about all the what ifs — what if I followed my passion? what if I followed my passion and succeeded? you don’t want to be stuck in a 9–5 job and feel like a failure. if you don’t follow your passion today, there might be a part of you tomorrow which will regret this forever.

2. UNHAPPINESS

Would you like risking your happiness for the fear that you might fail? what if you succeed? what if it’s everything you hoped for? see, you might work hard yet not achieve that goal but you’ll still fail with respect for yourself and no regrets.

3. LOSER OR WINNER?

So you might fail in achieving that goal but that won’t make you a loser. not trying and whining will make you a loser. but trying and failing will make you a winner. there’s no greater winner than the one who never gave up.

4. LIFE IS TOO SHORT

Your dream, your goal might just be your divine life purpose. life is too short to have regrets, it’s too short to not do the thing you love. in the end, chasing your passion will always be worth it.

Written By: Unnati Gupta at Amino Apps for Studying Amino.
Identity Crisis-How do I discover my identity?
By: Gelson Lii
Tags: Self Esteem, Identity, Depression, Passion, Adolescence

No matter what emotional situation you are in, you will always find your identity in the end. A herd of cows, they may not be with their shepherd during the day, but at the end of the day they always end up returning to the corral where their place of peace and suck is. A boy lost in the supermarket can get lost and not find his mother and when he is shown all the mothers who are in the supermarket he will know how to recognize his mother among more than 87 mothers.

There are millions of teenagers and young people, who are constantly searching for their identity, looking to be like musicians, models, actors, artists, writers, or other people, sometimes they experience many of these personalities, it is common to see many young people and teenagers are looking for something that identifies them and that they are remembered for their deeds. The search for a personality is a constant struggle, in which the person tries to find himself in a crowd.

The adolescence phase is crucial because it will define what kind of adults we will be.

How do I discover my Identity?

The human being is constantly evolving socially, emotionally etc … But even so, it is necessary that each one knows who HE is in the midst of MANY, naturally you already have an identity just because you were born, because you have a mother, a father, for being born in a country, for liking someone. But even so, we try to know “Who am I” that means that we still don’t know each other even living with ourselves for years. Now ask the question, how to discover my identity:

1-Know My Origins:

Discovering your origins is the most important part of knowing who you are. When we talk about origins, we mean first education (good or bad), first friends (good or bad), first family etc.

2- Who I would like to be:

The desire to become someone reminds us of the obligation to fight for it, we want to be smarter, but famous, more successful socially, emotionally, we must live as if we are already and practically practicing habits that make us better people.

3-Know ahead and behind:

The fact that you do not have a good education, a good family, good friends, does not make you a bad person, but different from others, our origins do not define who we are, our dreams do not define who we will be, but what we do with Origins + Dreams it defines who we are.

Take a sheet and write:

“I must look to the past to know where I went wrong, why am I not famous? Intelligent? model? Where did I go wrong? Or why am I a depressive person? Intavel? Without self-esteem? Sad? Alone ?, and decide who I would like to be, more confident? Successful?. “(Gelson Lii)

Asking these questions already helps you to know yourself and discover your identity.

Author-Gelson Lii

Date- 26. December 2020
The moon (updated)
By: My Lipstick Under Your Bed
Tags: Lovestory, Passion, Lust, Love Letters, Love

She was the moon in the day sky.

Sometimes around, and never full.

The shadow on the moon wasn’t even hers, yet it somehow made it dark for her.

He took her to meet herself and said “We are not what we show, but what we hide”.

From breaking cycles of human nature to learn the nature of the universe and how everything is a circle of repeated cycles.

Like the shifting phases of the moon in a month, and then the next, and then another…

He was like the sun in the night sky.

Never around, but always shedding light on her.

Spreading light to all the world. And who would leave as soon as the moon

came up to life — in the night sky!!

For you can never see the sun in the night sky, but you can sometimes see the moon in his world — the day sky!!!





You overwhelm me, he said. You make me find meaning to everything, I said.

You are an inspiration to write, I said. You hold me in very high regard, Stop That! He said.

So I ask: Tell me does the moon like the sun more or the earth.

He said: The Sun & the Earth both are necessary for the moon’s existence.

Exactly my SUN, Both are necessary. I don’t hold you in high regard, you are just you (the sun), and I am just me (the moon).

In your life, it’s not just the earth and the earth’s moon. You have other planets like you have other aspects of your life.



You are the Sun because you look at things from a bigger perspective. And it’s mostly: respect that I have towards you, more than fascination to be with you.

And love. It’s just a symptom of respect, trust, care, affection, anger, lust, and multiple other feelings felt at once!

So listen to me when I say, don’t be flattered when I express myself through poetry, instead, I want you to sit there, look me in the damn eyes, smile that good fucking smile you have, my SUN!!!
Where Do I Begin
By: Patrick M. Ohana
Tags: Passion, Illumination Curated, Poetry, Muse, Love

Where Do I Begin

Pic CC0 from Pixy

This time I’ll begin at the halfway point

Many treasures await me around there

Accessible no matter the flip side

Heaven in front, a bootleg on the back

Yet as part of a muse each part’s sublime

In its own right and left on every chart

If her body is like Bora Bora

Her mind is like a love-only guru

Her blood is pure love-oxygenated

Her face is the last thing I want to see

Whenever I close my eyes and the first

When I open them to her heartfelt smile

Her feet can rest upon my stomach and back

I’ll never let go of her hands and thighs

Patrick M. Ohana
Supernovae Nights
By: Bradley J Nordell
Tags: Poety, Passion, Longing Love, Desire, Love

Supernovae Nights

Photo by Jesse Collins on Unsplash

I want to remember you

etch your smile into my neurons

burn your smell

into my soul

I want to run my hands

through your hair

like a lost soldier in the Elysian Fields

I want to kiss you,

as the sunset does this land

upon the breaking of night

I want to undress you

just like winter strips these trees bare

and blankets wrapped in metaphoric fire

warms even the coldest of fears

I want eternity at this moment

for it never to stop

never to seize

I want to listen as you moan

thunderclaps in spring

and wrap your legs around me

a wanderer in an oasis

clings to solid ground,

a waterfall spring flows abound

I want to listen as you whisper

those incantations in my ear

like those Siren’s Odysseus fled

but I am not here to make it home

for home is in your arms and lips

home is that nectar

pouring forth from our entanglement

I don’t desire the finite anymore

nor clocks that hold illusions called time

only this warmth without heat

only this unending

Burning

Star-forming cotillion

desire and carnal chance

For as you near a supernova state

I know I have done my duty

in the multiverse

of our inevitable metamorphosis.

© Bradley J Nordell 2020
Saudade is the memory that doesn’t die
By: Ivandro Neto
Tags: Passion, Love, Miss You

It’s funny how longing is a feeling

Homesickness is what remains of what has left, of what is no longer. Saudade is absence, it is the feeling of emptiness that remains of what is gone. But sometimes, homesickness is such a void that it takes up a lot of space inside the heart, and it tightens so much in the chest that it ends up overflowing and trickling through the eyes.

If we miss something or someone it is because the object of homesickness brought us happiness, it was something or someone we love. That’s why homesickness hurts. Longing is the insistence of memory to keep what we no longer have alive, present and close to us. Longing makes the end point become a comma in life.

There are longings that can be killed, there are others that are capable of making us die. But longing is always a memory of love that does not die.
I’m Thinking on Writing a Book on How to Select a Career
By: Dr. V.
Tags: Passion, Career Advice, College, Careers, College Life

I’m Thinking on Writing a Book on How to Select a Career

Photo by Alejandro Escamilla on Unsplash

Here is the thing, I’ve been thinking about this for the longest time. And, given that the new year is coming approaching fast, I’m thinking that perhaps this is the year to do something big (or at least something that I haven’t try).

To me, selecting a career is something beyond a selection. It’s a decision that you could see the benefits (or regrets) of this decision for the rest of your live.

Some people approach it like: “what type of coffee will I drink today, or what movie will I watch on Netflix this weekend?”

The reality is that is decision is very consequential. It can make or break your future and there is a lot of missed information out there.

That’s the reason that I think it might be of value to the high school students that are evaluating one of the biggest decisions in their lives: what career to choose?

Some of them will hear: just do what you love, or do what you are passioned about. When I was in high school, I was passionate about hanging out and go to the beach with some frends. I didn’t know better… It was only though the counseling of my father that I chosen a career that I’m grateful for.

I want to write about how this process is and all the insights of friends and colleges I know underwent with their decisions.

I really want to put on paper what I learned so that could help others as it did to me.

So, what you think, would something like this might helped you (or could help you) selecting a future? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
This human need for connection and joy resides within us.
By: Mauikai Gold D'Ala
Tags: Life Lessons, Passion, Self, Community, Fyf

This human need for connection and joy resides within us.

All we have to do is remember 😉✨
Success Is a Subject I Have Always Been Passionate About
By: Rachel Salzberg
Tags: Passion, Success, Successful, Believe, Motivation

I have strived to live my life believing, and coaching others that success comes naturally when you are truly believing in yourself, know your self-worth, and are aligned with your values, and natural strengths. Oftentimes, we can get caught up comparing ourselves to others, equating material positions to success, or self talk saying,

“I will be successful when…..”

Unfortunately, this mindset depletes our self-worth, and clouds our ability to know and act upon what we truly value in this life. True success comes from within you. Your true self-worth is not tied to external factors. When you know this, you have confidence and focus to take action on what you truly value in this life. You make choices and seek out situations, and people who can help you play to your natural strengths. People are naturally drawn to what makes you unique, and you make an impact on others, whether you realize it or not. This is the beautiful exchange of the energy of success, people appreciating, and valuing what you have to offer. There is a deep sense of peace and satisfaction realized. Comparison, and fear of being your true self, dissolve because you are doing what you believe in, versus what you think you should be doing.

Having support along the way to develop the key ingredients for natural success are hugely beneficial, and can get you from here, to there. These are key areas that I have found to be foundational in determining success, and I would love to:

• Help you develop the discipline for developing the mindset for resilience, growth, self-worth, and success so comparison stops, you move forward with positivity and inspiration

• Help you to articulate your values, purpose and natural strengths so you can be your true self and make a positive impact naturally and supports you financially

• Help you develop the confidence to take consistent action to live your best life, personally and professionally

I can help you get from here, to there. As I found my path, I am passionate about helping others find theirs.

Let’s Partner.
Something Unmentionable
By: Terry Trueman
Tags: Sex, Passion, Poetry, Love, The Sacred

Something Unmentionable

Image courtesy of Akexander Krivitskiy, Unslash

What is so unmentionable about

The pine needles

That clung to Ona’s

Old fur coat

As we lay together

Back in the early days of our loving

Five feet from a forest path

Over which no one was walking?

And what is so unmentionable

About my cock pressed into Ona’s pretty cheek,

And her laughing, hot wine breath

Until I came

All over her fur coat covered in pine needles?

Is it something of the shape of pine needles?

Something of their scent?

Or of her scent as my tongue

Tapped over clitoris

And she hummed, sighing love?

Image courtesy of Akexander Krivitskiy, Unslash

Is there something else out there

That wants unmentionable status?

The dampness of green moss?

The light moving through the trees?

The mud that made our

Wine-soaked walk hard as I got

In her hot, slick fist?

Somehow, somewhere, something of this

Seems unmentionable,

So I’ll only mention the safe part:

Ona,

It was great fun fucking in the forest.

Next time

We’ll take more time to truly

Make love

On your coat

Out there in the pines

Where the glory of it all

Merits loving and sacred mention.

**********************************************

Wikipedia & Encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Trueman

http://www.encyclopedia.com/children/scholarly-magazines/trueman-terry-1947
Making Love
By: Patrick M. Ohana
Tags: Languages, Making Love, Passion, Poetry, Muse

Making Love

Photo by cains on Pixabay

It sounds straightforward making love to a muse

Almost nothing can be further from the truth

The first thing I noticed were her words

Mine started in French followed by some English

Catching me by surprise a muse who’s bilingual

She even knew Czech but I don’t speak it yet

Next I was caught unarmed by her eyes

My heart began to melt as she touched my mouth

With her sweet lips and mesmerizing breath

If this was a battle I was already buried

Dressed in red you’d think she was a rose

She was love all around and deep inside

She helped me to sit down seeing my love

Bursting out from both my mind and my heart

Can one withstand such powerful feelings

It seems that a muse is also a medic

She patched my heart with some of her love

Letting me suckle on whatever was protruding

Around her skin from high below her eyes

To her beautiful petite feet each with five toes

I was in heaven if ever there was one

I slept like a baby after all that top-to-bottom love

Details of her beauty abound like the stars

But a muse’s love is highly personal

The words allowed to paint it can only include

Red blue white but some other colours of the rainbow

Can be perceived when she takes off everything

I am still recuperating from our making love

Luckily words are unaffected as I

Type them here for you to read and perhaps wonder

What the fuck does it take to get a muse as well

Apparently it takes good long sexy words

Preferably in French as was my case

Though I am sure that a muse can contact

The one whom she loves just with her true heart

Patrick M. Ohana
darkness
By: Nicole Locke
Tags: Dark, Depression, Passion, Poetry, Poem

sometimes its comforting, the dark

its like a veil

its like a fog

it surrounds you, and although its cold in a weird way its,

familiar

like its always there,

but sometimes you get too comfortable

fall in too deep

and feel safe where you shouldn’t

its hard to get out when it feels right

like its where you belong

where you deserve to be,

in the dark

in the fog

in the cold

and after the light is always too bright,

the air too warm

its too perfect,

and you were right

because you know what comes next

it always comes next,

the darkness

so why not accept it?

why not stay?

since it always comes back,

the light always dims

the warmth always leaves,

it gets smothered by the wind and the rain

and now the matches are wet

so

you cannot relight it,

when all you need is a spark but

you cant get one,

but why not wait for them to dry

because the rain never seems to stop

it just keeping going

washing away everything

making you blank,

making you empty,

it blends the days together

when there is no light, no way to tell

how long its been

or

how much longer

and then one day

it stops

and the light is back,

the warmth fills you up until you overflow,

but your so scared to lose it again you don’t even care,

it’s almost scary how much you missed it,

but even in the most perfect moments

its always there

making you wonder

how long will it last

and its hard to enjoy it when you know

one day the

darkness

always comes back

so the rain starts, the cold comes and

what’s the point of putting in the energy

when it will always fade, will always dim

because the cold days get more

and more

and more

frequent,

until you cant remember the warmth

until you don’t even want it

because,

the cold becomes comfortable

and that’s all we want,

right?

to be comfortable

to feel safe

to feel something

to feel the cold is better than to feel nothing,

right?

at least the cold reminds you you’re alive,

that you still are here

until one day you aren’t

because the darkness gets us all

and in a weird way its almost

nice,

to know one day we will all have the same fate,

no matter how hard we try

no matter what

the darkness always wins

so,

why not find comfort in it?

the darkness.
How I Found My Well-Paid Passion During a Devastating Pandemic
By: Julia At
Tags: Pandemic, Copywriting, Passion, Freelancing, Writing

But can I do it?

I’ve been writing blog posts on all kinds of non-sense, societal teenage issues. That’s because I was a teenager. In 2013. Just imagine how horrible my blog posts were.

But I did it. And then I deleted my blog and started another one on WordPress. And then on BlogSpot (the new Blogger). And then I deleted them all.

My point is: I’ve had writing in my blood ever since I can remember. I’ve been writing as a hobby all throughout my sad and happy moments. I’ve written for myself, but I’ve always wanted to inspire others, too.

But I never thought of myself as any sort of writer. I always thought that you’d have to be a famous author to make money out of writing — there was NO other way possible. I couldn’t support myself and my parents like that, so I pursued other professional interests.

Keep in mind: supporting my parents is extremely important to me. I want to make money relatively fast and abundant. Especially in a scary pandemic that might take them away too soon — a thought that, honestly, made me even more anxious.

But then I found that being a writer is now a sought-after thing.

It’s crazy, isn’t it?

You realize you have a gift in life, but you choose to think of it as a “hobby”. You jump to a conclusion that you couldn’t possibly achieve success doing it professionally.

Ok, but I was only writing blog posts and essays. Does that count?
Unkind Love
By: Nelson Vessey
Tags: Sex, Passion, Desire, Love, Kissing

Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash

When love invades your vacant heart;

Makes it full right from the start;

Infatuation forged in fires

Gives permission to mad desires,

Ardor seems sure to endure,

Ever perfect and ever sure.

Such passions may resolve to chill;

Erode belief against your will,

Wet summer heat then dry winter cool,

A genius lover, becomes the fool.

Love ever brings those ties that bind,

Some are tender, some unkind.

Nelson Vessey
Where is your Treasure?
By: Pracchi Parihar Saxenna
Tags: Passion, Spirituality, Mindfulness, Careers, Mental Health

“Remember when you are afraid of anything, you are acknowledging its power to hurt you. Remember where your heart is, there is your treasure also”.

By: A Course in Miracles

So, where your heart is? Is it in your passion or is it in your profession? For most of us, our professional journey reflects the qualifications which we have earned in our lifetime. Our journey is in accordance with the pressures we faced from our parents or the mile posts that we were told by the society that would ensures us a successful career graph. This positive career chart would reflect our successful and a joyful life. The word passion is something which we all try and look for in our professional lives for our professional path is something that occupies the major productive time of our day or our active being! For how many of us our passion and profession are the same? In fact, how many of us are even aware about our passion. If we cannot find our passion, how do we find our treasure?

Gardening, singing, dancing, painting, sport or serving the society might be your passion. I feel that more than pursuing your passion, it’s about knowing your passion. It is about being aware of your own self. For once you have identified it, it pulls you towards it like a magnet. For many years, I thought that all my hard work that I put in my career is because of my passion into it. My work is my passion. But after some time, when the same work did not provide any meaning to me or looked like a repetitive cycle, I thought to look carefully into it. Well, there is no age limit, no time limit to identity your passion. I was able to pinpoint my passion only when I turned 35! One can find it when they are young or in their childhood or any age that they become aware of it.

Passion is something that hooks you on to it. When you are perusing your choice activity, time does not matter to you. You are not your past and neither you are your future. You are in the moment. All surrounding noises fade away and the chatter of the mind snoozes. In that moment you are out of your egoic perception of your body and into the oneness with your task. It gives you a complete sense of joy and fulfillment. You feel as if you can contribute to yourself and your growth. Remember, only when you fully contribute to your own self, you can contribute to the world out there. You are like a cup holding a world of joy and happiness and only when you flow you can make others life surrounded with immense joy, happiness, and laughter.

Love

Pracchi
How to Answer the Question ’What Do You Love Doing?’
By: Wang Yip
Tags: Passion, Career Advice, Questions, Reversal, Life Lessons

How to Answer the Question ’What Do You Love Doing?’

Photo by Eunice Lituañas on Unsplash

Have you ever asked yourself ‘What do you love doing?’

I have asked myself many times over the course of my career and life. These are all of the things I have enjoyed:

Writing books

Sharing advice with young professionals

Writing and delivering speeches

Playing badminton

Reading

But I only arrived at this through a careful examination of my life, and doing a lot of small experiments.

Maybe you are trying to figure out what you love doing so that you can make a career out of it. Except you don’t know what you love doing because you don’t have enough experience. So here’s a trick I learned from Derek Sivers in his book Hell Yeah or No, which I think will be helpful to you.

Instead of asking yourself “What do you love doing?”, ask yourself “What do you hate not doing?”

In my experience, that question is infinitely better because:

You often do not know what you love doing, but you can easily identify the things that you hate not doing

Career advice like ‘follow your passion’ is awful because you don’t become passionate about a career and then start being extremely successful. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, you pursue a career, get better and better at it, and then begin to like it as a result of the success and mastery of that line of work. In other words, if you wait to ‘love’ what you are doing, it will never happen at least early on in your career.

Finding out what you hate not doing examines your life and the activities within your life. Instead of asking “what do you love doing?”, which is, what activities you are doing that you love, you ask yourself “what do you hate not doing?”, or what is missing from your life that you should be doing.

Asking myself what I hate not doing led me to developing my ‘happiness’ routine, which I write about in the four things I do each day to be happier. It leads me to catch up with friends and family on a regular basis, because every time I look back the past few months, I hate that I have been out of touch with close friends and loved ones for months.

Final thought

Don’t ask yourself “what do you love doing?”, instead, ask yourself “what do you hate not doing?” I think you will find the answers to be much more detailed and interesting.
Vankleek Hill Vineyard: Family, Community, and Wine
By: Bryan Gagnon
Tags: Passion, Inspiring People, Small Business, Vineyard, Wine

Nestled in between Ottawa and Montreal is Vankleek Hill Vineyard, a hidden gem run by new owners Teresa Bressan and Scott Lambert.

Years ago the couple was hunting for a property with the idea to do Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) but were drawn to the vineyard instead.

Standing at the entrance to the vineyard it’s easy to understand the appeal. Greeting you as you enter is an imposing piece of local art. A large painted Raven — part of the popsilos project — looms tall over the 55-acre property.

For the entrepreneurial couple whose main goal was to be together working outdoors, the vineyard checked off all the right boxes and more. The potential in taking over and improving an existing business was also appealing.

They took ownership in 2018 and spent their first year restoring the crops and rebranding the business.

Their physical and marketing efforts have paid off, turning the Vankleek Hill Vineyard in their first year and in spite of a global pandemic, into the United Counties of Prescott & Russell’s hotspot location of the summer.

A Place Like Home

In September my wife and I made the trip to see the Vineyard and to taste their wines for ourselves.

When we arrive we first enter a small storefront where we happily browse through a range of local products and an assortment of the vineyard’s wines. As we browse a young sales associate proudly describes to us a selection of their wines.

It’s about this time that owner Teresa steps into the store and greets us. She is immediately disarming and welcoming. She’d tell you being Italian, making people comfortable just comes naturally to her.

And sure enough, in no time at all, she’s offering us a glass of Chardonnay and any awkwardness on our part quickly dissipates as she guides us outside and seats us around a fire.

We’re met by Dawn and Doug, local ex-pats from South Africa. Teresa makes the introductions and once she knows we’re comfortable, attends to her clients.

Maybe it’s the settings or just their nature but Dawn and Doug appear to be in no hurry. They lean into the conversation (like good listeners do) and are completely invested in the ongoing conversation.

At this point, we’ve been here no more than 20 minutes and already it feels familiar. It’s hard to feel anything but content while sitting in a vineyard, with the sun shining down and a glass of Chardonnay in hand.

Around us, people must feel the same. Spread out across the property groups are sitting around tables, wine in hand, laughing, smiling and having a good time.

As closing hour approaches, no one shows any signs of winding down. Content in their temporary oasis no one wants to leave.