fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Ah, Submitted Stories!
By: Hudson Rennie
Tags: Organization, Writing, Writing Tips, Creativity

Ah, Submitted Stories!

This is such a great idea, Mary!

I am constantly (and proverbially) pacing back and forth asking myself, “How long has it been? Have they seen it? Should I submit somewhere else?”

This will put things in perspective. Thank you for this read!
4 Steps To Declutter Your House
By: Aj Anovari
Tags: Minimalism, Home Improvement, Organization, Decluttering, Marie Kondo

apple style minimalism

The art of decluttering is something that I wish I would have learned sooner. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize it, but I’m grateful for the knowledge now.

I’m sure your home is filled with unnecessary clutter and things that serve no real purpose. I’ve been there, too!

If you’re ready to get started on your decluttering journey, here are four simple steps to get you started.

Start with one small space Don’t go full-on Marie Kondo and start with the kitchen or your entire living room. Start with one small space, like a closet in your bedroom. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself. It’s much easier to start with one small space than it is to start with an entire room. Be selective Don’t go through your closet and get rid of everything. Go through your closet and only get rid of the things that you don’t wear anymore. Be selective and intentional. Clean as you go While you’re decluttering one small space, make sure to clean as you go. When you get rid of an old shirt, tie, or pair of jeans, make sure to put it in the trash or donate it immediately. Don’t leave it on your floor or let it hang out on top of your dresser. Put it in a garbage bag or donate bag as soon as you can. Keep what you love If you love it and you wear it, keep it. If you’re not sure if you’ll wear it, set it aside. Don’t be afraid to keep things that are sentimental and special to you.

Are you ready to get started on your decluttering journey? What one small space are you going to start with?
Top 6 Reasons Why Mobile Apps Fail to Make an Impact in The Market
By: Ellipsis Digital
Tags: Tanzania, Impact, Organization, Business, Mobile App Development

Although it’s rare that an app will be launched without minor bugs, always users love to use compatible apps. It’s important to invest in the questionnaire for gathering user behavior and perform app tests on various platforms before launch to ensure there are no major issues.

If an app isn’t tested properly, it will have bugs that impact user experience and is prone to crash. Users don’t like apps that crash that why the most negative reviews on platforms for downloading apps are related to apps crashing.

App testing aims to sell the vision and goal of the app which will help to improve the final app product. Testing must be done thoroughly, with a documented process in place, to ensure that your application is market-ready and feasible for operation.

Successful apps did not succeed to penetrate the market in one go. They started off small and step by step grew to a large number of users they retain now. Before the development of your app, you need to learn why others have failed and avoid making the same mistakes.

Do you have a great idea for an app project? Want to bring it to reality? Ellipsis Digital advises, collaborates and build mobile apps, websites and software solutions. Visit our website for more information.

BOOK A FREE FEEDBACK SESSION

We are offering free feedback sessions for owners, managers, decision makers and stakeholders of businesses and organisations an opportunity to review with them ways they could benefit from technology.

Follow this link to book a free session with our business analyst at Ellipsis Digital: http://tiny.cc/BookMeeting
Top 4 Enterprise Networking Magazines
Tags: Organization, Business, Solutions, Technology, Enterprise

Network World

Network World provides deep domain expertise on the modern enterprise data center, including the latest networking, storage, servers, and virtualization technologies. Focused on the decisions faced by data center managers who must build out agile infrastructure and extend their networks to embrace the internet of things, Network World is an invaluable resource in helping enterprises meet strategic business goals.

Enterprise Networking Planet

Enterprise Networking Planet a place for News, trends and advice for network managers and admins. This website provides latest updates in networking world to stay ahead of the competition.

Information Week

Information Week provides a trusted environment for IT decision-makers to learn from experienced journalists, subject matter experts, and their peers to explore new ideas, find answers to their business technology questions, and solve their most pressing problems. If an IT product or platform isn’t tied to delivering on business goals, it’s of little interest to Information Week.

Enterprise Networking Magazine

Enterprise Networking Magazine is a monthly magazine that keeps the readers abreast of the recent trends in the networking space, innovative technology solutions currently being used in the industry and profound insights from the CIOs of leading networking companies on the changing market scenarios.

To bring out the best in a business and boost operational excellence within the organization, the CXOs need to stay connected with the rest of the world to receive updates on the latest news and views in networking arena.
How to Wake Up in the Morning Energized
By: Wave Learning Festival
Tags: Habits, Productivity, Education, Morning Routines, Organization

By Christina Yao, Press & Written Media Team

Waking up in the morning can be a pain for most people, but by practicing simple habits you can be up and energized in no time! Here are some tips that will let you get the most out of your mornings.

1. Go to sleep early! This might seem obvious, but sleeping around 8 hours a night will dramatically improve your energy levels throughout the day. Waking up will still be somewhat difficult, but once you’re up, you’ll be able to get your morning going faster.

2. Do not go on your phone within the first 30 minutes of waking. When you go on your phone first thing in the morning, you set yourself up to be reactive rather than analytical. Going on your phone will also cause you to be more groggy and slow when getting ready for the day. By leaving time to fully wake up without staring at an electronic device, you will definitely set yourself up for a productive day.

3. Drink lemon water. Starting the day with a cup of water with some lemon (or orange, strawberry, pineapple, cucumber, etc.) squeezed into it allows you to be hydrated and energized. It can be difficult to remember to drink water during the day, so getting into the habit of having a glass in the morning will give you a head start!

4. Stretch your neck. Waking up with a stiff neck or back is a recipe for disaster. Just taking five or 10 minutes to do some basic neck stretches will drastically improve your focus and motivation after you wake up. Plus, stretching first thing in the morning can eliminate headaches that you might get and thus increase your productivity.

5. Immediately change into your “work” clothes. This is a sure way to signal to your mind that it is time to be up and about instead of wrapped up in your blanket. When you change into work clothes (or clothes different from your pajamas), the temptation to jump back in bed and sleep will be much weaker!

6. DO NOT stay in bed after your alarm rings. Even if you didn’t sleep well the night before, sleeping in for another 10 or 15 minutes won’t help you get up any easier. A sleep cycle is when all the four stages of sleep go by:

NREM 1 (a transition between being awake and asleep)

NREM 2 (body temperature and heart rate lower)

NREM 3 (deep sleep occurs and muscles relax)

REM (dreams occur and eyes are rapidly moving).

This entire process takes around 90 minutes. Waking anytime during a sleep cycle will likely cause you to feel drowsy, so resting those few extra minutes will only make getting up more challenging!

Personally, waking up in the mornings has been difficult for me as school, meetings and work, all mainly take place in my bedroom. Using the listed tips has made mornings less miserable, and they will definitely help you if you decide to use them!

Wave Learning Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free, live seminars, tutoring, college application help, career mentorship, and more. If you would like to learn more about Wave Learning Festival, check out our website or contact us at hello@wavelf.org.
Digital Hoarding: a simple File & Bookmark organizing technique
By: Abhra Biswas
Tags: Files, Organization, Bookmarks, Hoarding, Type A

I confess to being a digital hoarder.

Illustration by Jim Cooke

As of this morning I have 8,908 bookmarks in my browser and 516,842 files on my hard drive. And I can find anything I need quickly and easily!

This is because when things started getting out of hand I started organizing it according to a system I devised that made sense to me. In pursuit of forging a legacy that will overshadow every invention of the last century, I am naming this organizing technique ✨ The Biswas Technique ✨.

How does ✨ The Biswas Technique ✨ work?

My approach is basically syncing the folder structures used by your bookmarks, with the folder structure used by your files. Here is a glimpse of what I am talking about:

You can see how the two trees mirror each other.

This is at the top level, within these you nest away and away. The two remain in sync forever, so you know where to find stuff in either tree.

That’s it.

Pros and Cons of the system

Pros

- Files and Bookmarks are located in identical spots

- Items are located alongside/below/above related items

Cons

- Initial setup is time-consuming

- Requires occasional maintenance
Logo himpunan pelajar mahasiswa Nduga (HPMN) Di kota study Makassar 2020
By: Albert Giban
Tags: Hpmc Capsules, Logo Design, Papua, Organization, Mahasiswa

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On Finally Tossing Out Praise and Criticism from Three Decades Ago
By: Jim Dee
Tags: Life Lessons, Organization, Cleaning, Life

Today, I went through a five-pound stack of papers that had been occupying my office desk drawer, untouched, for a solid decade. Prior to that, they occupied my life, untouched, since 1991.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching Marie Kondo shows lately, but I had a strong urge to declutter — and to ask whether the things I’ve kept truly “spark joy” as she puts it. Turns out many of them do not.

While pursuing an MFA at George Mason University in Virginia (an awful story), I was made to participate in a “thesis roundtable.” Only, I was a first-year and had no thesis. (Chalk that class assignment up to the infinite wisdom of university administrators.)

Anyway, I assembled 20-odd poems and eventually got my turn in the hot seat. The pile of papers mentioned above was the stack of my marked-up manuscripts I received back from everyone — three decades ago! I’d kept them all this time because I always figured I’d return to those poems and revise them someday, taking the valuable feedback into account.

Flipping through them, though, I found little of much value at all — just the three-decade-old, often rushed, and not always legible reactions of others (zero of whom I knew well then or have kept in touch with). Some offered high praise (sometimes deserved, sometimes not), some offered scathing criticism (also sometimes deserved, sometimes not). Often, the praise and criticism was in response to the same material.

The whole thing — keeping that crap — just seems pathetic to me now, for a number of reasons. First, I know what I know; I’ve learned a thing or two in the three decades since, and I no longer especially want anyone else’s opinions on what or how I write. (I’m not saying I’m perfect, or have nothing left to learn. I just know my preferences much better than I used to and am satisfied with my own internal faculty for judging quality.)

Another way for me to think of it is this: What if I were my dad? I’m 51 years young now. My dad was 51 in 1994. So, my keeping a bunch of papers right now from 1991 is like my dad, in 1994, keeping a bunch of papers from 1965 in his desk drawer. If I were my 1994 self, looking at a situation where my dad had a bunch of old-ass papers from 1965 in his desk drawer, I’d probably think he was nuts. Ergo, I must (and do) think *I* am nuts for keeping these papers.

The bottom line, though, is that I prefer to rewrite on my own terms or, in specific cases, perhaps with thoughts and/or suggestions in mind from only very select people — certainly not the reactions of a room full of strangers. I’m not entirely sure why I allowed them to occupy my personal space for so long. Arguably, there’s a psychology at play there, and I suspect the purging reflects a positive direction.

So, off to the trash, old paperwork! Now, what else can I get rid of?!
How I was raped by the system
By: Bonjour De Coeur
Tags: French, Public Storage, Systemic Oppression, Organization, France

In spite of what others like to pretend, not to show off, but I got a pocket protector for my passport, I kept my IDs and other important stock in another velcro geek pocket, and I crowned this whole endeaver with a dispositif much like an accordian pictured below. Importantly, it held all my papers. Before exploited as an au pair, an undocumented worker I had no papers nor did I have anywhere to keep important photocopies. I never vacationed once in France but I did bow to the French influence and I became as meticulously organized as any French person if not more so…

The categorical violence of the system is to undo any such organization perfectionist as it is.

Trump World is the epitome of this violence, its hateful effacement of such care and proper attention.

I stored this accordion with all my papers from France at Public Storage.

They sold it then said they threw it away. Danielle the manager had lied to my face on multiple occasions. She lied about the cost of the unit. She did not say how much the lock would cost. Over and over, a cheat she was. The first thing she said of course was that my papers were thrown away. It is protocol if they sell your things for them at least to refund the cost of the unit.

To say Danielle added insult to injury is blasphemy.

She is more evil than any person who ever lived. More evil than Judas for Jesus at least had papers intact. She is that special kind of enemy who lies to your face every time with a smile on her face. I wish she knew what it was like to have someone undo all your organization and throw away all your important papers and then bragg about throwing them in the trash.
Wow. This is great… Ram sir is such an inspiration… I hope YEF does great in future…
By: Mohit Kumar Sahu
Tags: Ngo In India, Empowerment, Founders, Organization, Non Profit Organization

Rambabu Sharma and what he did for our society: Empowering the Youth

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A newbie experience with a web application
By: Mariana Yañez
Tags: Team Collaboration, Agile Methodology, Web App Development, Organization, Pair Programming

Hello readers!!✨👋 Want to know a newbie experience in a real web application project? You are in the right place!!💖

These last four weeks have been challenging. Learning from zero how to be part of a real work team and learning React. Which was difficult, but not impossible. I went through rough days of being in front of the computer the whole day searching and studying and still not being able to solve the problem I had. But, the key was working as a team and with a lot of communication. I had the trust of going with my team for help and fix it together. I felt multiple times, but i got back on my feet and kept pushing harder.

You need to fail to get to success -Nassim Taleb

When I was having these blockers of not being able to fix something as fast as I wanted, I started lowing my expectations of what I was able to contribute to do not feel like I was failing to my team or myself. Big mistake to do that, after I realized I was taking the wrong path I started changing my game plan and elevating my expectations. The trick was trying to maintain optimism and realism.

Low expectations don’t mean not getting disappointed when good things happen. -Tali Sharot

Once I set these new goals and a new mindset, I started understanding the way of working as a team and how important is to have the organization with every single task related to the project. We made a board on Asana with all the tasks divided between front-end and back-end and we were taking new tasks as the old ones were completed. We mapped everything we needed to do and due dates. Of course, we had some problems and blockers but having this organization helped to get back on our feet. Also, we started the project by implementing continuous integration. It was one of the best decisions we could have done.

Checklists are tools to make experts better -Atul Gawande “Anything fragile eventually breaks and, anything robust would survive.”

-Nassim Nicholas

To conclude this post I want to emphasize how doing pair programming helped me. I am so thankful for the people I had the opportunity to share this experience with because every each of them left me an apprenticeship, both technical and personal.
How To Plan Your Day (Without Your Phone)
Tags: Planning, Life Lessons, Organization, Smartphones, Life

How To Plan Your Day (Without Your Phone)

The reality is, there is so much more freedom when the phone is just a phone and a planner is a separate entity. Instead of making everything more complicated, separating the two gives so much more piece of mind.

How will I remember my appointments?

Whether using a bullet journal or a traditional planner, writing down the appointment and what time that appointment will occur will ensure that every time you open up your planner, you will see that appointment.

How will I let my family/boss/[insert important person] about the things that I have going on that day?

Leaving notes on the fridge, having a family whiteboard, texting family about upcoming changes, and communicating at dinner are all ways to let family know what kinds of obligations are coming up. Also, having a family calendar in a visible place where everyone can write in their appointments is a great way to have month at a glance of what everyone needs other people in the home to know about.

With regards to colleagues and bosses, emailing about changes and specifying about meeting times will leave them to decide how they want to best keep track of that information.

Can I even remember to do things without my phone reminding me it has to get done?

Setting aside time in the morning and evening to go through the plans of the day ahead will allow for you to be familiar with what is going on beforehand. After that, instead of pulling out your phone for everything, check your planner. Chances are there will be less time wasted because a planner only carries plans and to-do lists, not distracting apps.

Isn’t having a planner only going to make me carry with me more things?

For a planner to be effective, all you need is a pen/pencil and the planner itself. If you want to get fancy, there are highlights and colored pens. Chances are, if you’re trying to keep track of your day and not going full out in creating an elaborate bullet journal, you won’t have to carry around a whole pencil pouch of supplies.

What about calendar blocking my day?

The below method allows for time blocking in any notebook, takes up very little space, and still allows for the same type of flexibility as Google Calendar (aside from getting to move things if plans change). Here is a sample of what time blocking would look like, which can be replicated in any notebook or scrap piece of paper. Personally, I would recommend having a separate notebook for time blocking or incorporating it into a bullet journal system.

A sample of what time blocking on paper would look like.

But why would I ever want to go back to paper planning?

You could easily be wasting more time on your phone than actually planning. Not everything needs to be written down in a phone, and not everything needs the convenience of a phone notification. Getting the chance to live more offline will allow for more lived experiences, compared to wasted time being glued to a smartphone. Even one simple check of a calendar can lead to minutes of scrolling because of new notifications that come up.
B2B SaaS Organization: How To Build Your Team as a Founder
By: Dan Martell
Tags: Growth Hacking, Organization, Leadership, Team, Structure

Many founders throw money at new employees hoping their business will grow…

Only to find they don’t know where to ‘put’ their new employees, and they end up wasting cash on salaries for an under-utilized team.

Ever experienced this before?

I definitely have.

See, I believe a successful founder doesn’t just build a business…

A successful founder builds a team of people and then the people build the business.

That is my mantra. And as a founder your responsibility is to find, inspire and level up the right people.

That’s where your time is best invested…

But what’s equally important is structuring your organization so you can fully utilize your team’s time and skills.

And that’s where having the proper organization chart comes into play.

This helps you grow from a startup of 2 or 3 co-founders… to a team of 12… then to 25… then 100… then 250…

It shows you where people fit in. Who reports to who. And what’s the chain of responsibility…

And in today’s video, I’m going to share with you an organization chart that’s SO simple, it’ll take you all the way from a fumbling startup to a scaling corporation ready to go public (if that’s what you want).

Exclusive Download: High Octane Team Technique™ — Break Down Your Organization Structure by Function & Create An Environment of Results, Not Excuses

In this video, you’ll be able to identify where your SaaS is, and where you need to be next. You’re going to learn:

The 6 core functions of a software business

The 5 levels of leadership to aim for

Who your key ‘C’ level team should be

How to divide your functions into teams that make sense

Expected revenue bands per team size

What $0K — $120K — $500K MRR looks like

How to cap your direct reports

Ultimately keeping your business goals manageable

I like to think of SaaS revenue in terms of the talent it can afford.

$1M in ARR might sound nice, but after you factor in costs (let’s say 30%), the rest is just salaries for your team.

Suddenly all that $1M gets you is 7 employees on $100K salaries without a dollar left.

It becomes extremely important to hire the right people at the right time to make sure every dollar spent grows your business to the next revenue band.

Take 10 mins to prepare a simple org chart with this video.

See you in the comments.

P.S. Prefer audio? Subscribe to the Growth Stacking Show directly on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and make sure to leave a rating and review if you find the show helpful.

—

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. (Get access to all my latest business hacks.) He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited three tech companies: Spheric, Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on Twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.
Now Is the Time to Sweep for Open Loops
By: Amy Shearn
Tags: Getting Things Done, Productivity, Stress Management, Organization, To Do List

Photo: martin-dm / Getty Images

You know what’s less sustainable than survival mode? Pretending to live in survival mode, telling yourself that everything non-essential can wait until less stressful times, and then fretting over those non-essential things anyway.

Recently, I woke up in the middle of night worried about some old classics: Is it time to renew my car’s registration? When is that doctor’s appointment I pushed back 72 times already? Did I ever respond to that email about a collaboration I’m actually really excited about?

Individually, none of these unresolved issues is that big of a deal. And none is urgent enough to go on my daily to-do list. But our brains tend to focus on incomplete or interrupted tasks — it’s a phenomenon called the Zeigarnik Effect. And having all these open loops, as the writer David Allen calls them, does create some psychic stress.

As Allen writes in his productivity bible Getting Things Done: “An Open Loop is anything pulling at your attention that doesn’t belong where it is, the way it is.” It’s hard to ever reach a state of flow or deep work when part of your subconscious is constantly flitting around back there going “Wait! Did we ever return that library book?” It’s like having an app running in the background that you don’t notice until your phone emits a “low battery” death rattle.

And as creativity coach Sam Chilcott writes:

If many obligations are left resolved in your mind, they will keep battling for your attention throughout the day and even until you go to sleep. Having all these open loops can lead to overwhelm, which leads to stress, which means you can’t concentrate on the task at hand due to knowing there are others out there.

It’s a good time to take a collective breath and gather ourselves. Take an hour today and close as many loops as you can. You’ll be surprised at how stress-relieving it can be just to sweep a handful of tiny tasks clear out of your consciousness.
False Christian Prophets Owe God and Their Followers An Apology
By: Dr. Deborah M. Vereen
Tags: Prophecy, Religion And Spirituality, Forgiveness, Christianity, False Prophet

Introduction

I am a Christian who believes that God speaks to His children in various ways. People who call themselves a prophet are among those who receive messages from God. It becomes the mission of the prophet to share the words that the Lord speaks to other individuals.

Even though a prophet embraces faith when they receive messages from the Lord, sometimes their self-will overrides their capacity to hear from God with clarity. There are times when their personal desires interfere with their ability to discover the perfect will of God. Unfortunately, some who declare that they have the gift of prophecy use manipulation to get what they want.

Several Christian prophets publicly declared that God exclusively told them that Donald Trump would win a second presidential term. These false prophets misled their devoted followers. They must provide a sincere explanation to their supporters for being wrong. They must also apologize to their followers as well as the Lord.

Prophets
The Same Matter
By: Nilla Chen
Tags: Poetry, Taiwan Poetry Translation, Forgiveness, The Same Matter, Written From The Heart

The Same Matter

The Same Matter by Ann Dai

draft by translator

When I decided

to take action

the night opened its eyes

Stretching its limbs

to hang the lamp

at the cave entrance.

They are the same matter:

the drops and ripples

that we tranquilly hear.

In front of the collapse

and the falling rocks

They are the same matter:

the comes and goes

of sounds of windswept grasses.

Gradually transferred

love, or without love

we were separated

by that disproportionate

sorrow. Separated in-

to two matters.

Time was being marked.

I was reproached by

time, saying that it’s my

crime: We shall forget.

They don’t know

and could never know

that the query should’ve stood

along with the answer.
America is in deep pain because we have a deficit of empathy, but empathy can be learned. Hall and Leary write, “The coronavirus pandemic, racial injustice, economic insecurity, political…
By: Loren A Olson Md
Tags: Betrayal, Relationships, Forgiveness, Life Lessons, Life

Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash

America is in deep pain because we have a deficit of empathy, but empathy can be learned.

Hall and Leary write, “The coronavirus pandemic, racial injustice, economic insecurity, political polarization, misinformation, and general daily uncertainty dominate our lives.”

Empathy is what makes us human.

Research suggests that empathic people are more charitable and concerned about the welfare of others. They also are happier in their relationships and have a greater sense of well-being. Empathy is also associated with leadership and effective communication.

Empathy is an essential ingredient for forgiveness.

Take these five steps to increase your empathy:
Be gentle with your spirit
Tags: Forgiveness, Acceptance, Spirit, Forgive Yourself, Accepting The Hard Things

It is hard to be thankful for the hard things. I am a first generation child of an immigrant family, and I’m sure, as you have heard, there are struggles in that alone. There is a culture you are given and a culture you are born into. It’s hard to say which one is the American culture and which one is your native culture. It’s hard to figure out which one to follow.

Although, this is just an example of a hard thing. And I am learning, slowly, that there can be silver linings to the hard things. Our lives have shaped us dramatically to the point we are at now, and what we’ve learned from our experiences matters. What we choose to believe from our experiences matters. Sometimes we have to believe things happen for us, not to us.

I am also learning that some hard things we did not deserve, point blank period. Life has shown us scars we will carry with us forever and to that I say I’m sorry to anyone who’s had a truly traumatizing experience. You deserve to be healed.

From what I’ve seen and heard from the people I’ve talked to, real healing happens from within. We are surrounded by circumstances — and people — that don’t serve us. We need to learn to handle our hearts with care.

Forgive yourself for what you think you put yourself through, and be gentle with your spirit.

This includes, refraining from being painful towards others. You cannot heal with the same behaviors that hurt you.

So just. sit.

breathe.

Recognize, that you are human.

You are human.

You are not perfect and,

guess what?

You shouldn’t be.

There is beauty in failure.

breathe.

You deserve to be happy.

Everyone goes through something,

so recognize your pain.

It does not define you.

Who you are, despite your pain, does,

and I can already tell you that what you are,

is beautiful.
GOING FROM HATING TO LOVING MY DAD.
By: Maple Dappa
Tags: Love, Family, Forgiveness, Relationships

GOING FROM HATING TO LOVING MY DAD.

When I called my Mum that afternoon to tell her what had happened, my voice was shaking and I could barely utter any word.

"If you have impregnated a girl, just say and let's face it" she quipped. She was worried and eager to know what it was that made her boy tremble that much over the phone.

It was a fight with Dad. In my university days.

I remember when I wrote him a letter as a JSS2 student, it took four foolscap sheets. My Dad refused to believe that I wrote such an articulate letter that even stated I was going to change my surname to my maternal grandfather's. He was convinced that the letter was dictated to me. I wrote it all by myself, seated all alone in my classroom in secondary school after everyone else had left because school was over for the day.

I was a hurting child with so much hate and resentment.

My relationship with my Father is one of the experiences of life that has fundamentally shaped my life and how I approach issues. I went through the tough learning curves from resentment to affection, hate to love, and learned what it truly means to forgive.

It's been a long journey but together we have been rebuilding what was broken because walking towards the light that we saw became a better choice than staying stuck in the darkness.

My Mum initially could not understand where the love was flowing out from towards my Dad, but I pressed on against the odds and she has also come around. Holding on to the hurt keeps us bleeding. Healing is a better choice, even when it requires you to move on forever.

About four years ago he passed out after being knocked down by a reckless driver. Passersby watched until a police officer rushed him to the hospital and managed to put a call through to me. I have forever been grateful to God for the chance to connect deeper with my Father.

He loves me and I love him.

I have not seen anyone I know personally persevere and stay believing against all odds like my Father. I have learned resilience and faith from him.

He turned 64 yesterday and I thank God for mercy and grace on this day.

Happy Birthday, Dad Tuboteinm Dappa

"If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." - Romans 12:18

As much as lies within your abilities, if and when possible, mend those broken fences.

You need more peace in your heart. Life is short.

Your Co-Traveler,

Mister Maple 🍁
Remembering God‘s Forgivenesses as The Meaning of Christmas
By: Kiane Hill
Tags: Holliday, Christmas, Life Lessons, Forgiveness, Christianity

Remembering God‘s Forgivenesses as The Meaning of Christmas

This blog is my grateful response to the following screenshot of a text from a friend amid a 17 member, ongoing group text. And though I normally can’t stand ongoing group-texts, this one is proving to be a phenomenal blessing, amid such times as these — especially during a very COVID Christmas…

Here is the screenshot:

Here is my response:

“Well said, Eyah. I cannot tell you the number of times that the Lord has to take this sobbing child, and gently lift my downcast chin.

I’m often bombarded with memories of shame for what was done to me as a child, and also with the devastating remembrances of my own past evil words and deeds… I’ve said and done things that are so horribly unspeakable in my own eyes…that to me, it’s humanly unfathomable that I’m actually forgiven…

But it’s true — praise God!!!

And this is especially difficult for me, because with every set of parents — biological and foster — all the welts, bruises, black eyes, burn scars, etc… and the neglectful rejection…were ALL my fault…

So now,

Abba God and Jesus — via the Gorgeous Holy Spirit — lift my tear-soaked chin, and remind me instead that, “The Cross has paid it all!!!”.

And when I think of Jesus there…

…i sob with Him amid empathetic pain, of what He had to bear in order to experience what I chose; in order for HIM to take away my shameful punishment!!!

And then I sob with Him in unearthly gratitude…and praise Him with all my passionate heart…

“He who is forgiven much, loves much”, as Jesus said. So, both Luke 7:47 and Romans 8:28 are thereby proven again…

Thank you for that reminder.

Forgive the candor. I’m quarantined for Christmas. But so are many of you. So the meaning of Christmas for me, is:

EVERYDAY is a day of FORGIVENESS, because Jesus is my Perfect High Priest! He is fully God and fully Human.

And now, after His sinless death and actual resurrection; He’s in the perfectly glorified form of that Baby that was born in Bethlehem!!!”
Dear Future Me,
By: Jennifer Lynne
Tags: Mindfulness, Letting Go, Forgiveness, Future Me, Letters To Myself

Dear Future Me,

I want you to be happy. I know a utopia of sunshine and rainbows and dancing flowers isn’t realistic, but I at least hope you can be peaceful. Let go of the chains that weigh you down. If you can’t find the key to the lock, look for the bolt cutters. If those are hard to come by, fight with fire. Even if you die trying, never accept the ugliness as a piece of you; always be searching for the means to release it.

You have been through so much. Some may say you’ve been through too much, but here you are. You wanted to give up sometimes. You wanted to give in. You wanted to let your world break you because it was easy, but you made it. I don’t have to tell you how bloody amazing that is because somewhere, however deep down, you already know it.

You know that even though you’ve been ripped down to the last string of thread, the thread held. It held long and strongly enough for you to be sewn back together.

You can forgive the ones who hurt you. You can forgive the ones who crushed those you love. Forgiveness isn’t handing power back to the demons and telling them it’s okay, it’s you letting go and taking the power back for yourself.

The right thing to do is often the hardest thing to do, but that’s exactly why you have to do it. Don’t take the cheap, simple shortcuts. Very rarely will those allow you to actually grow and breathe. The most stifling routes will incur the most freeing journeys.

Be peaceful. Take happiness from that peace. It’s all you can do and all I wish for you.
How to Forgive Yourself for What You Have Done Wrong | Stop Self-blaming |
Tags: Self-awareness, Motivation, Self Improvement, Self Love, Forgiveness

If you blame yourself right now for what you have done wrong in the past or recently that you couldn’t let it go, or even forgive yourself because you feel it’s your fault, this post might be a helpful thing for you to know. The reason I write this article to share this to all of you who need this, is because I have recently experienced it myself, and now after a few months I become better, and I figure that it’s not easy to let it go, and here are some of the things I do to improve the awful feeling I have felt along the way.

So, let’s get started:

1. YOU’RE JUST A HUMAN BEING

When you did something wrong, I know it’s a terrible feeling because you feel like it’s your fault. It also means that you could have done better, but you didn’t. You think it’s because of your stupidity or something, so you wake up early every morning to think about the damn mistakes, asking yourself why you did that.

I know all of the feelings, as I was saying, I experienced that lately. Therefore, I am going to share this with you: first thing you want to do is to always remember that you are a just human being, and every human did wrong thing. No matter how good a person is, they always make that dreadful thing called ‘ mistake’. So, guys, you are a human being like us, please don’t beat yourself up too much because it’s natural to make a mistake as a person.

2. EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES

That’s connected with the first point I made. It’s really important to remind yourself that most of the people in the world make the same mistakes as you or worse than you. That’s why I want you to know and let some of the burden off your chest and try to forgive yourself from now on. It’s not good for your health, and it’s not good for the people around you. They care for you, and you don’t want them to pity you too much for that. They have many things to look after and take care of after all.

3. USE YOUR MISTAKES TO BECOME A BETTER PERSON

One thing that my mom always says to me when I blame myself for what I have done, which is recently, is to think that my mistake will make me become a better person. More importantly, I will remember this mistake for the rest of my life, and will use it as a yardstick to prevent myself from doing the same mistake again even though the result of my wrong doing is brutal that I lost something I value the most.

JUST DON’T GIVE UP!

That’s all for today.

Hope you enjoy this post. If you love it, please subscribe to my blog. You will be cared and loved and you will get any assessments to become the best version of yourself in this very blog, the most inspirational blog to keep you alert, confident, and self-developed.

Always smile and try your best,
Perhaps your shopping is finished, but you can still give the gift of forgiveness to someone who…
By: Loren A Olson Md
Tags: Betrayal, Relationships, Family, Forgiveness, Marriage

Photo by Gus Moretta on Unsplash

Perhaps your shopping is finished, but you can still give the gift of forgiveness to someone who has denied you something you think you should have.

When betrayed by someone, anger and bitterness bleed into all of our relationships. We weaponize our anger by dredging up old hurts. Anger is only constructive when it solves a problem.

Emotions cannot be shut down selectively. By shutting down our anger, we shut down caring.

If you are the betrayer, to re-establish trust you must take several steps:
LETTING GO!
By: Sana Hasan
Tags: Character Development, Personal Growth, Letting Go, Forgiveness, Personality Development

We all face hard situations every now and then on a daily basis. There are arguments with friends, family or relatives which we have to deal with. Remember that there will always be a difference of opinion as we all are individuals from different family backgrounds, values and cultures. We have been brought up with a different mindset by our parents, thus making every person a disparate individual.

We have to learn to respect the difference of opinion for a healthy discussion. It is also important to let go of any negative comment, remark, attitude or emotion of people. Letting go is not an easy task but when you train yourself to IGNORE such negative comments then you will have a stress-free life, low anxiety level and a healthy mind.

Learning to let go of people’s comments especially when you are angry and want to take revenge, will be a blessing in disguise for you. When you take revenge, it simply means that you don’t want blessings from your Lord. When you let go and believe in your Lord who will give you a precious reward for your suffering then you will not only learn to control your emotions, but you will master the key to success.

Remember, successful people have control over their emotions which is their key to success.

If you want to win people’s hearts, maintain good relations with others, have a good social circle then you need to have a good reputation which is build with a strong character.

The stronger your character, the more attractive you will be!

Your character is the sum of all the qualities that make you who you are: your values, your thoughts, your words and your actions.

LEARN TO BE:

- Humble

- Polite

- Forgiving

- Helpful

- Grateful

- Respectful

- Reliable

- Sincere

- Generous

- Communicative

- Observant

- Patient

- Optimistic

- Tolerant

- Disciplined

- Honest

- Focused

- Compassionate

- Cooperative

- Courageous

- Diligent

- Enthusiastic

- Fair

- Loyal

- Motivated

- Trustworthy

- Responsible

- Resourceful

- Tender

- Accommodating

- Adaptive

- Changemaker

The baseline for all these positive character traits is to learn to LET GO!
Give Yourself the Gift of Forgiveness This Year
By: Krista Bauer, Online Presence Strategist
Tags: Emotional Healing, Mindfulness, End Of Year Review, Forgiveness, Life Lessons

One of my favourite books I’ve read this year was Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty. In his book, he draws on his time in India, where he lived life as a monk, slept on ashram floors, and meditated between four to eight hours a day. After a few years, he hung his robe for good to follow his true purpose — taking the Monk mindset mainstream and distilling the lessons he learned into practical wisdom that helps us clear the roadblocks in our lives so we can reach our highest potential.

It was his chapter on negativity and forgiveness that resonated most with me. As my intention this time of year is usually centred around clarifying my vision and setting stretch goals for the upcoming year, his book has turned my focus inward toward something more essential for my dreams and growth — forgiveness.

Intellectually, I understand what it means to forgive, but emotionally I’ve always struggled to let past anger and resentment go.

Holding resentment towards someone is holding onto toxic emotions. If we don’t cleanse ourselves of the destructive thoughts and feelings, they manifest as illness in our minds and bodies, making us sick. As I listened to this Ted Talk by Sarah Montana, a woman who forgave her family’s killer — she said: “our anger keeps us bound to the people who’ve hurt us and forgiveness is the only real path to freedom”.

For most of us, thinking about forgiveness is difficult. The emotional wounds left by the painful actions of others can be so raw that it can be hard to conceptualize. But if you feel ready to reclaim yourself, then letting go of the pain you carry is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others. It’s one of the highest forms of self-love and compassion.

Forgiveness can be tricky, though.

You may not realize how deeply you’ve been affected until you’re triggered unexpectedly. Suddenly you’re flooded by an emotional wave so intense, you experience the pain as if it’s happening all over again. The trauma that’s nestled deep within your cells can resurface at any time holding you captive in your mind, and for you, it may be too soon to forgive.

What I’ve learned, however, is that when I cling to my anger — I’m deprived of the energy I need to reach my dreams and be my best self. Shetty’s book is a reminder that when you forgive yourself and others — you get something back far more significant in return — the life you’re meant to live.

Instead of focusing on what you’d like to achieve this coming year, I invite you to think about who you want to forgive.
The Offering — a task from Source
By: Giulia Viti
Tags: Parenting, Source, Forgiveness, Signs, Father And Daughter

Tapping into the 12/21 portal, I started pulling cards in the morning: a practice that I had left during my (third?) dark night of the soul this year.

First day’s reading: reassuring, loving, you’ve put in the work and you’re loved and protected. Yay!

Second day’s reading had a card that left me perplexed: The Offering

It is from the archetypes deck, at it is the only one that has a clear call to action: there’s something to give up, to offer, to gift…do it.

And it felt so true in my core.

I have been receiving a lot more money lately, and my first thought was that I had been slacking on my charity, so I hopped on it real quick, buying meals for Rumi’s Cave in London. I have witnessed their work and it is truly amazing by the way, in case you want to do that too!

I also regularly donate my work to young people, which makes me incredibly happy, and I had the opportunity to do it more during that day so I gladly accepted to do so.

And then this morning came…and I didn’t feel like pulling new cards. I felt that my Offering hadn’t been given yet, and while I am absolutely glad I have done all the other things, I knew that I hadn’t gotten my message yet.

Source, as you probably know, speaks in puns and lessons.

And, come lunch time, the lesson came too.

My father had been complaining of a neck pain for a couple of days, and even though I am a healer I have always refused to work with him, the reason being that he perpetrated most of the trauma that I have been working on for years and I have no desire to come in contact with his energy.

Although…

Source is telling me, I’ve grown.

Source is telling me, this is the ultimate stretch. To serve the only person in this World I find hard to not judge.

Source is telling me, I am being called to step to the next level of forgiveness — and that will ultimately be a gift for myself.

I haven't done that step yet. If you are interested, tune in again to know how this will turn out.

My question for you in this moment is: what is your stretch? What will have you level up in humanness, compassion, love and service?

Feel free to let me know in the comments.

Love,

Giulia