fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Part 2: Goal-setting and Manifesting
By: Aleesha Suleman
Tags: 2020, 2021, Goals, Journal, Self

2021 is almost here. After reflecting on 2020, now what?

In my last post, I talked about how you can go about reflecting on this past year. After taking a long, honest look at what this year has been like, the next stage of this process is to start brainstorming and putting down different goals that you want to work on in the different areas of your life.

This can seem kind of overwhelming since you may not know where to even start. Some people might be more organised and already know what their goals are and start listing them in order and by category. If you're like me and your brain is all over the place, it’s perfectly fine! I’ll share my process with you and hopefully, this might help you.

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

I’ve been trying to work on having better habits and forming routines that I can stick to and are better for me. So, I started asking myself questions like:

What does my ideal work/week-day morning look like? What about after work?My evenings?

How do I want to spend my weekends?

What do I want to work on in these different areas: emotional, spiritual, mental, creativity, physical/health, career?

What do I want out of my relationships and what/how to I want to give? Whether it be with family, friends, or others.

Do I have a bucket list of things I want to do? Things that will make me happy? Despite the uncertainty of travel plans, as we all have found, there are other ways you can explore your world and try new things — in whatever small way.

Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

Of course, I’m no expert. I’m just sharing what I do or am doing currently. Maybe you have some better questions or techniques or can find other guides online. The important thing is to get thinking, reflecting and writing. All the best!
New Beginnings
By: Arth Tyagi
Tags: Life, Documentary, Startup, Blog, Journal

Apart from what the index tells you, the reality is, this way, maybe you guys get genuinely involved in the whole process and get to feel what it’s like giving it all in to build something.

My mind hasn’t been in the right place for the past couple of weeks. Even though I understand that time is a scarce resource and I should plan things accordingly, I haven’t been on the best terms with it, but that changes with this. Part of the reason I started this was to remind me each day how much what I’m building means to me, and you, the audience, can help me keep accountable. Now yeah, some might say that sounds weird, but Nah, I do what works for me, and if I enjoy this, I’m going to keep at it. And well, there’s your first lesson, do what suits you if it’s going to lead to what you want.

I’ll try not taking up a lot of your time or giving away mine each day, but I do plan on providing updates now and then, usually the length of this particular post.

With each update, I’ll try giving away some practical suggestions ( not advice ) on building startups or something that I learned by myself. Guess these are my notes along the way.

Here’s how to keep yourself up-to-date and in general, by visiting HN. It’s still pretty good.

P. S I’m going to keep these somewhere between low-key informal to neutral depending on how I’m feeling on a particular day.
We’ve Hit a Home run
By: Abigail Bragunier
Tags: Diary, Daily Blog, Progress, Journal, Love

We’ve Hit a Home run December 23rd, 2020 at 3:01am

I am beyond grateful for yet another day of badass women skills. I awoke to fuzzy blankets and a beautiful blue sky. My boyfriend and I mentally got ready for the adventure we were about embark on. I have incredibly difficult social anxiety. At one point, I was in cyber school and babysat my siblings a lot. Therefore, I had a crutch to avoid dealing with my anxiety. Now is no longer the case though as I went to Parkcity mall for five hours! Hell yes! That’s something my younger self would be so proud of. I got Christmas gifts for loved ones, ate an entire Whopper meal, and got to jam to some tunes with my boyfriend.

Later in the night one of my best and most loyal friends came over. I gave her my Christmas gifts for her and we all watched Rick and Morty. She used to come over every single night with her boyfriend just to hang out with me. She has pulled me out of some deep depression and knows more about some of my trauma than anyone in my life.

It’s a unique friendship with her, as most of my friendships are with men. My mother was incredibly abusive my entire life and it has given me a toxic inability to connect and trust women. However, my best friend is my lifeline some days. She’s a beautiful, badass feminist with an educated and unique mind.

I am so blessed to have friends who are intelligent and who always are proud of me.

I am so blessed to be in a home with a man who has taught me what real love is supposed to be like.

Finally, I am so incredibly blessed to have a ‘new’ mesh of family who all have key roles in my life.

I am loved. I am respected.

And I’m tired, goodnight.
Uhh… Hi, sorry for disappearing😔
By: Prily Calista
Tags: Journal, Diary

Hi. Thought writing would be a constant mood for me. I wanted it to be, but, I was focusing on doing my internship report and mini thesis proposal. So, here we go again. Wanting to train my writing skill again, cause I hope one day it will be my daily routine, I really do🥺.

Maybe for starter, I would start by writing about what’s been going on around my life? Little or big things, though I don’t know what big thing haha.

So, everyone in my class year is busy with their final academic assignment, which is the most important part in the education phase, the mini thesis. Everyone is in their final year of college, preparing everything to be able to graduate from university. Career, soft skills, hard skills, and maybe business for those who already decided for it. Me? Man, I am actually still looking. There are some fields that I am interested in, but I honestly don’t know where to start. I usually self-taught myself when I am learning something, but when I was drafting my mini thesis, I realized that sometimes my mind is just unstructured. So I went through some confusion and eventually understood. At least I found my weakness so I can work on it. Maybe I actually need mentors?

Ah, I remember something. In October, I also started trying translation for someone and got paid for it. I was amazed by how it feels like to earn money by doing something. It might sound exaggerating, but for someone who never felt earning money, I was surprised and it felt good. Maybe I would consider doing freelance translating in the future, but I gotta sharpen my skills to be able to raise the fee🥺.

Also, Covid-19 is actually getting worse. It felt like it becomes nearer because the case is increasing everyday, but everyone become more careless, like they go to Bandung which now is reported as a red zone?? Oh yeah, the Covid-19 vaccine is reported to be available for everyone in Indonesia, so I guess it’s good news? I hope everything will go back to normal.

So, I guess that’s what’s been going in my life hahaha. Stay safe! Stay healthy!

-Prily
Floating in Space (#1)
By: Lover Boy In Space
Tags: Weed, Man On The Moon, Journal, Curiosity, Marijuana

Floating in Space (#1)

I should start recording my interesting thoughts when I’m high on here, instead of on my personal Samsung notes like I recently started about a month ago. My last poem “brb.” was actually just one of my thoughts that I formatted and fixed up a little bit.
How writing in a journal can improve the quality of your life
By: Aayushi Iyer
Tags: Reflections, Mindfulness, Journal, Self, Practice

Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash

We wake up every single day to make a run at our daily routines. From rushing to the gym, to dropping the kids off at school and then coming back home to find some time for ourselves, sounds like a luxury we can’t afford. But making time, even 10 mins a day for writing down your thoughts can transform your life beyond imagination.

I have maintained a journal for almost a decade now. It’s only in recent years that I have gotten better at maintaining the practice. I now know what all I should write and how I can take time to reflect on my daily activities. The habit has impacted my life in more ways than written in a textbook.

I have made a habit of writing as soon as I wake up. I call it the “Vomit Journal”. “Why”, you ask? Because I wake up to throw out whatever clutter my mind must have had from the day before. It’s so important to release the thoughts on paper. Whether you choose a physical journal to write in or switch on any device, it doesn’t matter, as long as you write.

I think that each day throws events at us, conversations, frustrations, traumas, or happiness, surprises, or any feeling at all. And our cup fills to the brim every day. So, when a new day arrives, our cup is already full up to the brim which does not allow us to come up with new ideas or change our thought process. It is important to empty the cup and refill it with moments that make up a day. If piled up, feelings like anger, grief can get piled up and may drag us for days without realization. As Anne Lister quotes —

“What a comfort is this journal I tell myself to myself and throw the burden on my book and feel relieved.”

Having the Vomit Journal has enabled me to live more mindfully and with ease. When I wake up, I light up the laptop screen to write any thoughts that come up or anything that I feel good/bad about. It’s a clean slate thereafter. A new beginning. The best part is that the thoughts that would bother me during work or study or family time, don’t come up anymore since I have let them out. I have already given them space of their own. Thus, I am mindful of all processes of everyday life.

A lot of people come up to me saying that they don’t know what to write or where to begin. I say, “Just begin”. Write a word, a sentence, your opinion about something that matters to you. It doesn’t have to be well versed or polished. You are writing for yourself, and no one is judging you. Having that self-talk, keeping your options in the form of words clears your head and allows you to make good decisions. So, if you don’t know where to start, start by writing one sentence. With persistence, you will find the quality of your life is elevated. I’ll leave you with this —
20 Things I Wrote in 2020
By: Emily Allen
Tags: 2020, Reflections, Journal, Happiness, Growth

My two journals, with my first entry beginning on August 23rd, 2019

I grew up in South Lansing at 1748 Quentin Avenue. Since then, I have lived in Grand Ledge, East Lansing, and Detroit Michigan, Boston Massachusetts, and San Francisco California. Most recently, I’ve moved to England, where I find myself in East London. I chose to move so many times partly because I was hoping that maybe, eventually, I would find “my place.” Somewhere else, “over there,” where I would feel more comfortable, and wholly myself, wherever “there” was. Running, always running. When I couldn’t literally up and move I was finding other creative ways to “run,” by pouring myself into AP classes in high school, joining eight clubs in college or regularly working until 2am.

In late 2019 I found myself slowing down. Work was becoming more manageable, and I had a great support system of friends out in California. Counterintuitively, instead of relaxing, I desperately tried to find new ways to stay busy. I felt as if I had been pushed off a cliff and was grabbing at tree branches on the way down, grasping for something, anything, to stop the free fall. I had plans every night of the week, feeding this early 20’s alter ego of someone who loved excitement and chaos. Someone who was unpredictable and cool. Then March 2020 happened. Lockdown cut the lifeline of my trusted distractions, and the first time, my world stopped moving. When the dust settled after the initial shock, I was forced into a situation where I had to ask myself…

“… are you ok?”

Slowness forced me to painfully articulate an actual list of things I had long been running from. The more discoveries I reckoned with, the more my mind raced. To organize and humanize my mental “spiral,” I started writing in a journal. Making no promises to myself, I could write as much or as little as I wanted. Beginning by writing half a page every week or so when I was feeling upset, I would take a break for two months, and then maybe write another half page. Over time, I began to write more, until I was filling multiple pages a day with different thoughts, ideas, and gossip. The more I wrote, the more I needed to write, as if this leather bound stack of paper was the only outlet that allowed me to feel truly understood.

Today is my birthday. Today I turn 25 years old. And today I sit behind a computer screen admitting to you that I haven’t always been ok. Reading back through my journals this year has been a humbling experience in self discovery. What made me happy, what made me sad, and what made me find the courage to reach out and seek professional help for my anxiety… I wrote about it all. 2020 has not been a wasted year. This was a year of progress, in many regards, and I have the hundreds of pages written to prove it. So, with you, I’d like to share some of those things. In sharing, I hope to validate some of the thoughts you may have had in this chaotic year — I’ll call it “20 things I wrote in 2020.” Some are happy, some are sad, and some are remarkably ordinary, because that’s just how this year was… for everyone.
04 — thoughtful gifts. today was monday, and it was a good…
By: Kat Diercks
Tags: Diary, High School, Christmas, Journal, Teens

today was monday, and it was a good one! i am thoroughly enjoying my lack of school at the moment. today was a pretty relaxed, yet also pretty productive day. i got to see a few of my friends (from a distance and outside, of course) and we did part of our christmas gift exchange. one of my friends made each of us a personalized playlist and even burned it on a cd and included a card that explained why she chose each song. yeah, she definitely wins gifts this year. i’ve really been struggling to find gifts for a few of my friends this year. i always tend to get really anxious about gifts; i want everything to be perfect and really make sure people see how much i love them and care about them through the gift. i put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure it’s something that the person will actually like, and i really beat myself up if i perceive any slight indication of subtle distaste from the receiver. this year i’ve been working on my anxiety a lot in general, so i’m doing my best to do the same with christmas gifts. i need to remind myself how small gifts are and how they do not determine nor affect my worth, and 99% of the time, they won’t affect the other person’s opinion of me. and besides, i shouldn’t be so hung up on other people’s opinions of me in the first place! i’m feeling a bit down since i was really hoping to make this christmas super magical for all of my friends since it’s our last high school christmas, but some of my closest friends i haven’t been able to see for months. breathe, kat. everything is okay. work today was fun — a few of my coworkers got me little gifts and it was so sweet! i’m the youngest at the firm and most of my close coworkers are parents and grandparents, and i always love the creative things they find for me. i’m feeling really scatterbrained and excited to get organized and gain some clarity next week for new years. i smiled big today — i’ve been trying to do that more. it helps to calm me down when i breathe and smile. the week is already somehow flying by and it’s only monday. time to do a little tidying up in my room before heading to bed :)
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
By: Eric Maus
Tags: Personal Development, Journal, Album Of The Day, Music Blog, Music

Vampire Weekend an album by Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend introduced me to a whole new sound and a whole new lifestyle in 2008. The quintessential teen-punk-indie bopping album done by a band of Columbia students gave my universe a synth, smart lyrics, and a songs about school. Perfect for those high school grads in transition into college like myself at the time. “Oxford Comma” and “Campus” are the hits, but “M79” and “Walcott” come in punching. At 34 minutes, this album is best enjoyed in one dose through then multiple doses throughout the proceeding weeks.

There are albums that contain those feelings of nostalgia. Times and places linked to the rise and fall of the sounds bursting through those headphones. I can almost see the students walking to class on the UW campus or feel the cold snow beneath my lunch tray on the hill. Moments of joy, moments of despair too. Receiving my first ‘F’ on a exam, getting dumped by a girl. Those daydreams of a certain future too. The talk of falling for professors, hanging with friends who soon change, and all the simple moments in living for no other reason than to live.

Music has that way of centering us. I use it for writing (obviously) as a gateway into certain emotions. It colors time and fills the room with its evaporating meaning. The Ups and Downs, the feelings, all can be contained in 3:33 song. By writing to music, I relive the feeling even if I’m not feeling sad or angry at the moment. Songs are filled with the joy of daydreams, a time of earlier innocence, and anytime I want to feel these times again I put on Vampire Weekend and listen.

​-Eric Maus
Feeling it
By: Bhakti Gajjar
Tags: Fintech, Journal, Founder Stories, Startup Life

(In a good way!)

We had a stonker of a week. Our user survey is up to almost 100 responses, and we did our first user interview. It was booked for 60 minutes but ran well over to 90. It was just that much fun. Very much looking forward to doing more of these; the next one is happening tomorrow.

I also had the privilege of working from a restaurant with real co-working space vibes on Tuesday (Serata Hall in Old Street) and, wow. Being around other people and hearing a buzz in the background? Productivity shot right up. (Also potentially attributable to more caffeine being consumed than usual).

My proudest moment? Cobbling together a landing page on Squarespace. So now, onyx has a home! getonyx.co in case you wanted to take a look. Had some issues with it looking good on desktop and less so on mobile, but Squarespace now has a new feature where you can’t have different layouts for both formats. Desktop now looks slightly less good but is passable. Mobile had to be prioritised, of course.
A First Time Writer
By: Luna Ruiz
Tags: Blog, Journal, Blogging, Stories, My Life

Well…more of a first-time writer on a website if you will.

I’ve been writing since I was a little girl. I would write about puppies traveling to space or girls who had big families. I had a big family growing up. It became very important to me.

But I guess I would show off my “amazing” writing skills and invite whoever reads this to come on a journey with me. Through writing all my years, I’ve grown to love journaling basically about anything. Places I’ve traveled to, people I’ve met, feelings of my own, and events in my own life.

Consider this the first of many journals. Although I would like to keep who I am more private; such as names, over specific locations, and well anything that could give away my identity. But you do get a semi-profile picture of me and a nickname I was given at birth that people wouldn’t usually know me as.

I will give you this. I am 18 years old. I do go to college, just finished my first semester and passed with good grades. I am the oldest sibling of five other siblings. One of which I’ve never met, but hope to meet one day. That’s a really complex story. I can share he is not fully blood, but the other four are. But I am proud to call him family. Would that make a good story to read?

I hope I can share things like that and not give too much away about me. I found this website in hopes to share my thoughts and passions while others not completely knowing who I am. I fear judgment. It’s something I’ve dealt with all my life and wish to no longer deal with it. So here I am, trying to introduce myself the best way I can if strangers, like you, care to know.

But anyway, if you are still reading, I hope you have an amazing morning, evening, or night. Thank you for reading and I hope to catch you in my other stories and adventures.
I wrote this story for you.
Tags: Monologue, Journal, Poetry, Storytelling, Writing

If I went missing one day, who would come find me?

Actually, that’s quite a silly question. Of course people would find me. They would look hard, spreading the word. Plastering my name and a photo across social media- filling message boards and walls and stories-, across newspapers, and across those Walmart missing persons bulletins for people that feel too guilty paying and strolling on by.

I suppose the more appropriate question is: If I wanted to go missing, to move somewhere far away and start all over again, who would support me?

Because this life has worn me down. It’s woven its way into the creases in my palm, tucking itself into the notches of my spine, curling around my joints- stifling them; holding the pain. Just spin around and point at something, love, and I have a story for you. I’ve always had these stories in my hand like freshly baked bread to offer you comfort on your coldest days. Let my stories be the blanket draped over you as you fall asleep on the couch, not because you’re tired but because you don’t want to be awake any longer. Hold these stories close to you in a bouquet along with roses, and violets, and peonies. I’ve been careful to keep them just warm enough to remind you that the world isn’t always as cold as it is treating you right now. I keep them sharp and jarring to remind you that if you nod off, this world will sweep you away into a sea of hopeless faces and I’ll be damned if I watch another person swirl to dust. I write them soft. I write them heartfelt. I write them honest, painful, and sometimes uncomfortable to read. I’ve packaged so many stories and sent them to new souls just like you so you can learn from me. I’ve been through it all alone so I’m sorry there are no special characters in my stories. That these epiphanies and answers have been scrawled in hindsight through the margins. I’m sorry these notes are scattered, unbound through the pages, but take them anyway.

Take them because I cannot hold on to them any longer. And when you have learned each word, pass them on to someone else. I hope that they help you much more than I’ve helped myself. I don’t always mean to sound as cynical as you say I do. It’s just that this life of mine, long and difficult, has filled the space between all my joints, and it creaks each time I stand.
My journey in the Code Institute
By: Andrew Holmes
Tags: Blog, Bootcamp Experience, Coding, Careers, Journal

I decided to write this journal to document my experience throughout the Code Institute’s bootcamp. 2020 has been an extremely challenging year due to the outbreak and I, like so many other people, have been forced to rethink my career. I have some experience with coding but would definitely place myself in the beginner category. Hopefully this journal will inform and help others who are thinking of taking the plunge.
woww… hi everyone!
By: Hannah Knox
Tags: Keeping It Real, Spirituality, Journal, Christian Girls, Christian

woww… hi everyone! this is my first time writing on here. i love writing but i’m not big on making them organized or have a specific point. unless it’s an english paper & my grade depends on it. i kinda just vibe with my writing, which sounds immature & lazy & pointless but that’s kinda — yeah. anyways. i kinda just want to use this platform to journal?… & update you all on my life. “you all” meaning all 5 followers i’m going to get ahah. who knows, maybe i’ll grow on this app while growing in my faith in God. i know christianity is not a favorable thing in today’s day & age. and i respect you for whatever you believe! i just want to make one thing clear, my freedom religion and your freedom of speech do not have to butt heads! we can agree to disagree if that’s okay with you! or if you want to have a mature civil conversation that’s fine with me! i’m not big into conflict, and i like to avoid problems as much as possible. but on this platform, as i’m journaling, i’m going to try my hardest to count my blessings while also being real with you guys. i’m going to open up about my struggles. it’s like a little diary therapy session. i’ll keep you guys posted. bye for now.
The petty journals
By: Alesia Alesia
Tags: Thoughts And Feelings, Journal Therapy, Journal, Thoughts, This Happened To Me

Sometimes I want to live life slowly and deliciously enjoying each small part of it .Chewing each moment as to get the best taste before swallowing and letting it go forever .Just like food those moments are empowering and boost our energy so we can keep striving further.

Other times life is fast and hectic , I’ve been running towards nothing and everything at the same time ,what I need now is to gulp down water.A lot of it . Cold water. Something intooxicating and exhilarating.These are the small moments that meant a lot and caused crucial changes in my life and in me.

I believe I have had more delicious moments ,and apparently my room seems to be the table I’ve reserved .However, from now on I want more fast moments .Thirsty.

Hopefully Bon Jobi will sing the themem song durin this new chapter .I am enthusiastic but scared at the same time .I request the support of several Gods and of the singular God and I’ll try not to give up on this by tomorrow.
21/12/20 (A rainy Monday)
By: Kayla Rae
Tags: Diary, Reflections, Journal, Journaling, Christian

21/12/20 (A rainy Monday)

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to start journaling my life. I think sometimes it’s nice to reflect on the past, it makes you realise that you’ve grown into a more matured person. With this being said, I’m not the best writer or story teller so please be patient with me. :)

This morning I woke up around 8:40am, which is usually late for me but because now Im working late shifts my body clock has decided that it likes to be lazy and sleep in. I usually like to wake up early but I have more of the day to complete daily tasks and better my health. That being said, it’s sometimes nice to sleep in. I was in a rush since I had to do some last minute Christmas shopping for my Aunt. She’s doing ok, but she’s just recovering from a surgery at the moment, so my family is doing our best to help her out. I got her the doll presents that she requested, sadly there were a few items that I was not able to get, which was extremely annoying but that’s December for you. Some really good advice is to do your Christmas shopping in March. I’m telling you, the earlier the better because your going to be more organised. You seriously want to stay away from the shops in December, not the mention that everything is FULL price. Your girl is on a budget mkayyy.

I got back in time for lunch. My Dad is super awesome, he always cooks amazing meals. We had sting-ray burgers. Before you say anything, when we go fishing that’s what he catches so we eat it ;). It tasted AMAZING, I was so full after that though. Then I went to work, nothing too special. But because I work in retail and I’m fairly new to this company, I ended up learning how to print the price labels which I was super happy about. I had to make a price label for these really cool vases that look like drums :).
A Struggle to Find a Work-Life balance
By: Bartosz Konikiewicz
Tags: Personal Development, Emotions, Burnout, Journal, Suffering

A story with no happy ending.

Photo by Jordan Whitfield on Unsplash

Working 10–12 hours straight, every day, for months. Commercial work at the business days, side hustles on the weekends. Working on things that are redundant; that don’t imply any positive change. Frustration. Tears. Conceptual work in the meantime; in your mind. Constant agitation. Anger outbursts. Losing all hope. Depression. Burnout.

I don’t reach much people on Medium. I’m still new to this. Whoever reads this, I want you to know that I’m with you. That I know — and care. That you’re not alone. I’d wish I could give you hope that something can be done. Perhaps. I don’t know it yet. I can only share my limited insight. A perspective of a person who suffers.

If you are one of the lucky ones who don’t experience this all this, keep going! You have probably figured out something that I battle with every day, for years. Something that I can’t really grasp, but I desperately want to change. I wish you all the best, too. May your well-being prosper, and simply be happy. Always be happy.
Feeling Replenished after a while
By: Abishek Babu
Tags: Learning, Winner, Life, Blog, Journal

I need this everyday; me on steroids from tomorrow

I don’t make millions, yet. But i handle 4 companies at the moment each having a different biased product on a specific niche; having it’s own segmentation and userbase, heck the business vertical is different as well.

I’m not dispersing all my energy but i’m taking as much shots i can with my capacity bandwidth and learn as much as i fkin can. Because when i grow old like say 28 or 30, i want to make hell sure that i’m much better and wiser than most of my +/- 3 years segment people. If im 25, i don’t want to feel 25 and do stuff that 25 does, i will make sure i’m on to things that most avg 30 does and on their path to success.

Well as the coin has 2 sides, each have it’s own challenges too. I stumble upon everyday, if you convert my life into a graph you can obviously the lowest of lows and highest of highs on it concurrently at the same point.

Damn i wish i could portray stuff i make up in my mind it runs wild at some point, but most of the time it’s always nothing.

Yes nothing; when things go wrong we always used to say “shit happens”, well its a powerful word which gets our mind to concentrate on the next rather than worrying on the past. I always try to have all my resources on point stored with a specific function name so i can take up things when necessary; but on the mean time, i’ll make sure that i always stay calm and expect the shit that happens and clear them off the roadmap i’m pursuing ahead.

Year is about to end, planning to start few more stuff which i love and always feel happy about with much exciting people who feels the same and in sync.

Whatever shit happens, imma make sure that me and my team go ahead beat the shit out of stuff and reach our goal in someway or the other.

Not a day goes by without me thinking about things went sideways or wouldn’t happen as planned, cause when one is on track someway or the other the next one fails and it needs a gentle push.

Pretty sure most people would think working parallel on multiple stuff at the same time is hard and waste of time, i’d say it may be but damn the experience and the high you get when both things go bad or good; i can’t type those emotions in here.

Feeling happy and replenished, gonna slay this entire week just like how kratos slay ares to death.
Intro
By: Morgan Banks
Tags: Intro, Dreams, Journal, Hiking, Travel

Hi readers!

My name is Morgan Banks, I’m 20 years old and I’m a current sophomore in college studying Marketing and Accounting. Despite the I plan on writing about a myriad of topics including my ABSURD dreams which I will title under “Dream Journal” and topics I feel passionate about such as current events, traveling, and how I am keeping somewhat sane during lockdown.

A few ideas I have for future writings include a recap on my mission trip to Zimbabwe, how volunteerism can be hurtful, various studies on ACEs (adverse childhood experiences), why your plants are dying, info on the peace corps, Christianity and my personal relationship with God, anxiety and mental illness, my personal favorite hiking spots in the U.S., potential daily journaling, and anything else that people would like to hear about!

If any of these interest you, be sure to follow me for more and try to keep up with my crazy life ;)
I Want To Start A Jewelry Business… But Lost?
By: Karla Valladares
Tags: Frustration, Colle, Rant, Jewelry, Journal

Hello! This is my first time ever writing an article. So let me start with a formal introduction. I am Karla, a college student and I saw that Medium is a place where you can write articles. So I decided might as well since I want to start writing more in hopes my writing skills will improve. I doubt this will get any views/reading but I’m going to start using this for my own personal usage and hopefully to go back and see if how I have done overtime.

Now getting to business. I have always thought that jewelry can make any outfit the centerpiece. It is something I find aesthetically pleasing to the eye. To be quite honest I have never been the arts and craft type of person but for some reason jewelry craft has caught my eye like no other. Countless hours of research and finding stuff on Etsy that has given me inspiration of what I could see a potential ring or earrings to make. I also taken the time to go on Youtube university to see if this something I can actually do and it seems pretty realistic to say the least. But do you ever just think of times you have attempted to do something and it becoming a total failure? Yeah, that where my headspace is at without even buying anything yet. It is funny I say this because I have stuff on my Etsy and Amazon cart as if I am going to purchase this? I guess what I am trying to say that I am scared of failure because the Scorpio in me is having to be a perfectionist and wanting to best outcome to come.

Now, I guess is that I need to take a leap of faith? I guess another reason I decided to write this article as If someone else is going to read this and tell me “go do it, you’re not losing anything my friend”.

So I guess lost has become a leap of faith I need to take….

Wish me luck my inner readers and thank you for listening to my random rant, I do appreciate it. Even though it’s probably just me.

Have a happy holidays and a great new years! I’ll write another article/journal once I get my raw materials and actually create something. :) ❤
december 20th
Tags: Rant, Teens, Journal, Teens And Social Media

december 20th

I’m new to Medium. I’m not very interesting, but I figured this website would help me. In all reality, I am just using this as a platform to vent. I have struggles that are slowly becoming more and more common among young girls like myself. Recently, my family has been falling apart. My mom is a drunk and cheating and my step-dad is reserved and stubborn. The brain in my head constantly feels like it’s being pulled apart between social media and my well being. If when I said social media you thought of bullying, that’s not the case. Social media eats away at my body image. I am never satisfied with myself since I was allowed social media. Everyone can agree that online school sucks. Zoom meetings are repetitive and there’s no motivation for anything. Half the time, I can barely leave my bed. Thankfully, our winter break starts on Wednesday. I don’t know if I’ll continue writing these or not. They help me so much but in a way, I feel embarrassed. This entry is all I have to say today, peace.
Christmas Blues
Tags: Memoir, Holidays, Reflections, Christmas, Journal

For me, Christmas is just another day.

I swear, I’m no Grinch. I actually like Christmas season. I think the decorations are beautiful — I thoroughly love walking through city streets bathed in golden light, with LED candy canes floating on the buildings around me. I love buying gifts for other people, and giftwrapping serves as one of my therapies for perfectionism.

But like, Christmas Day is what really gets me down.

I’m not an anomaly, in that sense. Tons of people don’t look forward to annual forced, awkward family reunions. It’s not uncommon to feel dread in seeing people that you are obligated to love and be kind to, just because you share some DNA. I’m fortunate enough that that’s not the case for me. It’s not the family tension that really bother me, more so the social aspect. Again, I’m not special, but that’s how I feel.

In my family, I’m the forgotten middle child. Crushed between the responsible, beautiful older sister and the adorable, spoiled younger cousin, I was forgotten.

One of the most distinct family memories I have is from a Christmas celebration when I was in sixth grade. My Aunt Helen, whose family resided in South Korea, had flown over to the United States for that year, so it was a big deal. She entered the house with suitcases stuffed with gifts and snacks to hand out, and everyone was excited to receive their own. When it was my sister’s turn, she was handed a beautiful backpack — not one of those chunky, heavy school backpacks that get thrown around lockers and classrooms, but a delicate, floral patterned backpack that suited an outing or picnic date in a garden. My younger cousin, who was only about ten years old at the time, was gifted a sweet, pastel pink messenger bag, with anime and cartoon characters printed all around it. I waited in the background somewhat impatiently, my chest bursting and my fingers tingling, the anticipation of what my gift might be literally eating me alive.

My aunt didn’t even acknowledge me.

Sometimes I still wonder why she didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, my aunt isn’t a bad person. In fact, I now go visit her home over summer for a month, and she’s genuinely one of the most giving people I know. I owe her so much now, but this moment still stands.

Maybe she had forgotten about me that Christmas? I mean, she had 3 other siblings, her parents, and all her in-laws to tend to as well. I have other cousins that came to that family gathering. I wouldn’t put it past her to have accidentally glossed over my name in the list, only to realize on Christmas Day that she had fallen one gift short. But she didn’t even mention anything. Was it embarrassment? Apathy? I really don’t know.

All I know is that that Christmas, I was insignificant.

I know it’s immature and stupid of me to base all my Christmases based on this one, meaningless event, but I really can’t help it. Some things stick around you like the Ghost of Christmas Past, and mine happens to be the fact that I never got my own purse from my Aunt Helen.

Cheer up though, Christmas is here.
#3: 19th December 2020
By: Alexander Collin
Tags: Journal

Yesterday was probably the best day of my life. It was the day after my 18th birthday. My family, Madelaine, and I ate outside for the first time since the pandemic started 9 months ago.

Started off the day by picking Madelaine at 9 AM and ate leftover birthday cake for breakfast. Continued by quality time until lunch, where my family, Madelaine, and I ate homemade pasta. She continued to finish off her homework and submitted it. Then, we prepared for dinner. She helped me pick my clothes. Started dinner at sunset with a breathtaking view of Jakarta’s skyscrapers and glaring red sky. Ate a full course dinner, started with salmon nigiri and various sushi's, wagyu steak, and finished off with a fruit sorbet.

We took many pictures, even though my mum’s photography skills are questionable. Went home and had more quality time together. I haven’t felt this fulfilled and happy for a long time. I just felt the need to write when I’m overwhelmed — whether its happiness or sadness. I need a constant reminder that life is a wheel of ups and downs, consisting of good and bad days. On good days, I write. And on bad days, I write.

Definitely one of the best days of my life. Overwhelmed with love.
Here Comes Santa Claus, Snow, and Witches
By: Kendra Mack
Tags: Diary Writing, Diary, Life, Journal, Writing

Here Comes Santa Claus, Snow, and Witches

HOME NEWS:

Christmas Season is Extended Indefinitely

The Christmas presents are all wrapped and nestled under the tree, where some of them will remain until Aisha and I can gift them without also gifting the risk of coronavirus.

The view of beneath the Christmas tree, fuller after a curbside gift exchange, thanks Mom and Dad!

The sad news is that due to state travel restrictions and lotsa COVID happening right now, we won’t be seeing our families in-person on December 25. While we were thankfully able to do a curbside gift exchange with my parents on Sunday morning, we won’t be exchanging gifts with Aisha’s family until the new year.

The silver lining (or shall I say the Silver and Gold lining) in all this is that we get to look forward to some more gift giving in 2021, and in the meantime enjoy the beauteous (and artificial) tree for a bit longer.

HO HO NO ONE WANTS COVID FOR CHRISTMAS.
But at times…..I do get petrified…. My small world has become nothing other than a hearing a bunch of loud noises, two people screaming, a child crying and then there’s me who’s just staring and…
Tags: My Thoughts, Painful Memories, Dear Diary, Journal, Sad

I am dauntless

I am dauntless

I am dauntless

But at times…..I do get petrified….

My small world has become nothing other than a hearing a bunch of loud noises, two people screaming, a child crying and then there’s me who’s just staring and trying to get the child stop crying, but what do I do? When I myself want to run away, run as far as possible, away from this country, away from land, away from my world, away from everything, away from this earth.
You Are Here #2: My #covid19correspondence
Tags: Pandemic Diaries, Carvell Wallace, Pen Pals, You Are Here, Journal

I put it in the mailbox and patiently awaited a response. June passed by, and so did July, August, and September. I eventually gave up waiting on a letter response — also, a painstaking note about mailed letters is you’re NEVER quite sure if it was actually received by the recipient or not — and we just sent brief messages in passing via Instagram Stories a few times since. I assumed that he had way too many letters to respond to (I believe he had over 80 folks who had requested his pen pal friendship) and carried on with life. Every so often when I passed by a cyclist on my walks, I would wonder… was that Garrett?*

On October 8, I saw a post by Aaron (the other typewriter guy) regarding Garrett.

My heart dropped. Why do thoughtful, considerate, kind folks seem to pass away so quickly? I immediately did some Googling and saw an article by Cycling Magazine that honored Garrett and his kind, thoughtful, considerate spirit. I read posts by friends and acquaintances who told stories of the ways that he went out of his way to give them his undivided attention, mail them pieces (for free) that they needed for their typewriter, and how he became a humble expert in the things he was interested in (car mechanics, biking, and typewriting being a few of them). I learned that he was an engineering major in college but then switched majors to pursue English, becoming a journalist in the process (hence his feature in Cycling Magazine, one of his jobs).

I think of him sometimes when I ride my bike through town. I still don’t know how he passed away, or what caused his sudden departure. I hope he wasn’t alone when he did, or that he wasn’t left long. There’s still so much I don’t know about this person but I’m thankful that we got to cross paths, even for one letter. Even in his passing, he inspired me. He pursued what he liked and what he was passionate about. He was kind to folks who were strangers and went beyond by offering what he could to help them. He made time to share his knowledge on his passions. He found a way to connect with people during the most isolating time in our recent history.

And for that, I am thankful. Rest in peace, Garrett.
Dream Journal 1
By: Morgan Banks
Tags: Dreams, Journal, College, College Life, Storytelling

I'm a 20 year old business student who enjoys traveling, playing the guitar, dancing, God, and human rights. I probably have the weirdest dreams ever.
Day 1
By: Vivian Lamoureux
Tags: Diary Writing, Journal

Today is December 19th 2020. It’s been quite a year and I’m sure we can all agree with that statement. It’s been a pretty chill day for me, which is always something to be happy about. It’s been a rough week and having a break from the chaos before the holidays is great thing.

Started off the day by waking up to my favourite person and that is simply a wonderful thing. Groggy voices and calm snowy mornings.

I’ve never been a fan of the snow. It’s cold, wet and a pain in the ass to shovel. But he makes snow magical. Find someone who makes the things you dread a magical experience. I cannot wait to build a snowman together this year.

First semester is over and so now I have all this time on my hands. There will be a lot of baking these next few weeks. Starting with brownies on Monday. I know what you might be thinking, “brownies aren’t very christmassy” and to that I say, if you’re baking with love during the holidays, it doesn’t matter what you’re making.

With that, I’m going to end today’s entry.

Make it a great night,

VL
I created a second brain in Notion
Tags: Productivity, Notion, Notetaking, Journal, Second Brain

My journey towards creating a second brain started with excessive documentation of everyday things like Recipes, Quotes, etc.

It started with a fad, and I was barely using my “first brain” to create it. In a bit, I realized what I wanted to store and what I didn’t. Things like recipes may be good to have, but I really don’t mind searching for a new recipe when I feel like cooking. It really does not need a system because it is not something my brain wants to store and reference like everything else.

I have been using this space, creating the system brick by brick for about 4 months now, and it has finally reached a place where it has become the true Inbox that David Allen talks about in his book, Getting Things Done.

Here’s a quick preview…

I love the minimal(ish) design

Inbox

The Inbox is a quick space for me to create a quick note, without worrying about the Notebook it belongs to. It is where my brain can dump anything and everything it is currently chasing down.

Every week, during my weekly reset I just tag them in their appropriate Notebooks with a single tag. Neat, right?

Notebooks

Notebooks allow me to contain the major notes under one area of life on one page. This is inspired by Thomas Frank’s design.

Each notebook can have further sub-categories, as needed. For example, Cyber Security would have a sub-section to store notes on Computer Networking. I think two levels is the most I need my nesting to be in any notebook.

The trouble I’ve had with One Note, which is by far the best app to manage such a structure is the fact that while it is so well built for such notes, it isn’t flexible enough to include anything simpler so it still ends up leaving you with two different systems for your overall notes.

Also, did I forget to mention the feature to work within templates? It works wonders, especially when you are making notes within the same category or type, and Notion has really saved me so much time and effort on that front.
So today, my dad got pissed at me because I didn’t put a single piece of clothing in the laundry, a…
By: Carys Reilly
Tags: Journal, Diary

So today, my dad got pissed at me because I didn’t put a single piece of clothing in the laundry, a singular piece. So he thought, oh yeah it’d be a good idea to throw the laundry basket at her head.

I was crying a lot, obviously, so I went into my room and cried. Then my jerk of a dad slapped me across the face.
Refining the ideas of Home
Tags: Journal

Di antara rumah batu bata yang tersusun rapih khas Belanda, saya pun berpikir lagi,

“then again, what is my state of mind of being home?”

Well, I guess that is a life-long question to answer.