The truth does not change based on your ability to accept it.
I do my best to live life in a way that I am aware of what I do, while also trying not to chase things that are outside of my control.
Here are some of those truths that help me stay in control of my life.
Alexander the Great. Even though he lived on this Earth for only 33 years, some 2,300 years ago, we have yet to forget his name and legendary battles.
During his short life, nothing stopped him. Nothing. Huge armies with elephants, impregnable fortresses, vast distances over mountains and rivers and deserts, hunger, thirst, the sea itself, the uttermost extremes of physical hardship and war. His body was littered with scars; everywhere that is, except his back. That’s because the world’s greatest commander never retreated, and he never lost a battle.
Most of his portraits, sculptures, and coins reflect a kind of upward gaze as if he were staring into the very heavens, yearning for something unreachable.
He dedicated his life to the struggle against insurmountable odds. And he became great because he surmounted them all.
“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” ― Winston S. Churchill
For those of you who don’t know much about me: my name is Cristian Mihai, I am 27 years old, live in Constanta, Romania, and I have been writing for over fourteen years. Also, I do enjoy long walks (on the beach or not) and I have been blogging for more than six years.
But how did I become a writer? How did I decide to be one? What steps did I take? What happened along the way? Why didn’t I quit? What made me keep on keeping on when all hope seemed to be lost? Continue reading
Disclaimer: this is going to be a long and (somewhat) harsh post about certain realities of life most of us are trying to evade by all means possible.
I am not writing this post out of empathy. I am not writing this post because I read some articles and now I am trying to pass along the knowledge.
I am writing this article because I understand.
I understand the difference between the burning pain of suffering deeply and the general apathy and hopelessness of depression. The emptiness. The lack of interest, joy, passion. I understand the despair, the loneliness, the reluctance to discuss about it all, the very fatiguing job of hiding it all behind a smile, or an “I’m fine” delivered in the worst way possible. Continue reading
Five years. Five years of daily blogging. Five years since I decided to never give up, no matter what. To keep writing, to keep blogging, to just keep at it for as long as it took.
And what a ride it has been. Around the world, indeed. 200 or so countries. Lots and lots of people, lots and lots of stories… Continue reading
Hi guys,
As you probably know, I am a full time blogger, which means that I make my living through my blogs.
That being said, I am setting up a budget for 2020, and selling advertising space for the entire year at a heavy discount.
If you become a sponsor for 2020, you will get:
The cost? Well, usually, 12 reblogs would cost at least 720 dollars if purchased separately. The sponsored posts? Add another 360 dollars. That’s 1,080 dollars if you were to purchase a reblog and a sponsored post each month.
But what if you purchase all of these right away by becoming a sponsor for 2020?
Well, the cost would be only $349.99. That’s it. Yup. Pay only $349.99 for an entire year of advertising, and save over 65%.
Isn’t that a great deal?
If you want to become a sponsor for 2020, help me keep this blog alive, and also get more readers, you can purchase one of the five spots available (three spots left) on my e-store here.
As usual, payments are secured via PayPal.
The following is an excerpt from a book I am writing, tentatively entitled Salty Dog: A Pearl Harbor Survivor’s Journey through Letters and Memory, about Elmer Luckett and his experiences during the war. The writing is a bit rough still, since the manuscript is in development, but it is close to what his Pearl Harbor story will look like in the final product. This chapter, entitled “All Hell Broke Loose,” also includes the history of what led up to the attacks, as well as a discussion of their aftermath (including Japanese internment) in the United States. My end goal is to blend grandpa’s story with narrative history about the war itself. Anyway, please let me know what you think! – Matt
Sunday, December 7th was a workday for Elmer. After a week of patrolling the harbor entrance, the Chew pulled into port on Saturday, when it was then relieved…
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“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” – Carl Rogers
Most of us struggle with the issue of identity. We struggle with gaining enough self-confidence and self-esteem in order to properly navigate through life.
And we struggle because we somehow feel inadequate. There’s a voice inside our heads that constantly tells us about flaws and quirks that we’d better keep hidden from others, should we want to be accepted. The negative traits that we try to hide, repress, or change are the ones that end up harming us a lot more than others. Continue reading
Modern day technology allows us to access information faster than ever. More information than ever. Keeps us connected. Keeps us in touch with people half a world away.
But there is a dangerous side effect to such a high level of media consumption.
We forget who we are. Continue reading
“The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves.” – Eric Hoffer
Others: a simple word used to describe people. A lot of them. Every single human being on this earth besides yourself. Others. At times they seem too many, too angry, too bitter, too selfish. Too stupid. Other times, it just seems they just packed they’re gone.
It depends on you, actually. Continue reading
“It’s at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.” – Emil Zatopek
Everybody wants to eat, but few are willing to hunt. Everybody’s got a plan, a goal, a dream, and they give up on it as soon as there’s an obstacle, a defeat…
The man who fears losing has already lost. The man who is afraid of getting punched in the face will never live life on his terms.
I used to be the archetypal nice guy. Trying to play nice, because I didn’t want to get hurt. Afraid to ask questions because I was afraid of being told “no.”
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, adverbs, regrets, and all sorts of people who never had the guts to do what they knew in their hearts was right.
Fear is such a debilitating disease. Continue reading
Most people wish for safety and comfort, and they wish their lives away. The more they want comfort, the more discomfort they seem to get. In fact, it is their minds that grow bitter, weak, frail.
