#changethenarrative

I like the freedom that comes with travelling to a place where no one knows you or what you are usually like, and so they don't expect you to act the way they're used to. You can completely reinvent yourself-- just for a day, you could be a confident, outgoing person, and no one would bat an eye just because "ooh, the quiet one is dancing."

I like the feeling that comes with being among strangers. They haven't labeled you yet. They don't have a certain image of you in mind, they don't expect a certain behaviour from you. You can choose to be anyone. Or, you could finally start being yourself.

People continually grow and change. But when we know someone for a long time, there is a sort of resistance to them breaking out from the box we put them in. Supportive surprise is okay, but saying things like "huh, I didn't know you could talk," or "So what, you're a big-city person now? Our town is too small for you?" just forces them back into their shells.

I realised, when I went on vacation, that I was a much more confident person than I acted like at school. It's just that my classmates were used to one version of me... the shy, hidden-in-the-shadows me. And breaking out from that mould is what was scary. So, I didn't. I waited till school was over and I could go to College and re-introduce myself to a brand-new group of people.

Yesterday I started reading The Flag and the Cross and emphatically recommend it, especially if you want to be able to influence the narrative that is pushing America toward White Christian Nationalism by a terrified minority to retain power. Jemar Tisby’s foreword compels the reader to absorb and embrace the facts presented and use them in our daily lives to recognize and confront the historical myths being used to control the masses.

20% of your work is responsible for 80% of your success. Therefore, all you have to do is put your best effort into 20% of your work to become successful. Easy peasy?

So, how can you identify the 80% and 20% of your daily tasks that keep you occupied the entire week and by the time weekend comes, you're trying to escape your reality by following the endless cycle of Weeks and Weekends. Here's how:

1. Make a to-do list of your most important tasks

2. Rank them from most to least important

3. Cross out 80% of your tasks from the bottom so you're only left with the top 20%

There you go. You now know what will make you successful fast and with least possible effort. Don't get me wrong, "least" effort doesn't mean you slog your way through life. All I'm saying is: focus all your energy on to that one task that is actually going to yield maximum results. Don't get pulled in multiple directions. Don't be submissive. People will love to have you on their agendas. You got to choose your battles. Concentrate and laser focus on one task that is most critical to you, holds most value, one that makes you instinctively feel attracted. Everything else should be secondary.