The Third Quarter Begins!!

It's day 182 of documenting 2025.

Happy New Month 🎊

The third quarter of the year begins!

And it's a wonderful thing to be alive to see this month.

I'm grateful to God 🥲 

If not that it's the new month, I'd probably be frowning by now...

Can you believe that we've not had power since last week Thursday?

It's outrageous.

Power outages such as this usually lasts 3 days or less....but this one's trying to make a record.

Right now, we don't have water in our tank here...and we had to fetch from the neighbors.

A needed workout but still....it's not cool that everywhere is dark.

Our generator is broken...badly.

No hope of fixing it ever.

One time, Dad even mentioned selling what's left of it.

I really hope it gets resolved soon 😐

If not for my power bank, I'll probably be running helter skelter, looking for a place to charge my phone.

Let's see how it goes this week, maybe we can get a new month miracle 

That's all about updates.

Let's get into Highlights and then I'll share something interesting afterwards.

PS. Had to share the whole note this time.

365 Days With Self-discipline 

📌 On Saying No 

"Don’t do anything you don’t want to do. When you agree to do something you don’t want to do, you will resent the person who asked you to do it."

Quote by James Altucher

Saying yes to something you don’t want to do can save you the discomfort of saying no, but ultimately it’s like cheating on a diet. 

You get fleeting pleasure (or in the case of saying yes, temporarily escape discomfort) now at the expense of your long-term well-being. In addition to that, in the case of saying yes, you risk feeling resentful toward the person who asked you to do something you didn’t want to do.

Practice your self-control by saying no when you’re tempted to say yes just to avoid awkwardness. 

It doesn’t mean that from now on you’ll never help somebody just because you don’t feel like doing it; give a helping hand whenever people need you, but establish boundaries and respect them.

If you have trouble saying no, start small at first. 

For example, offer your help, but in a limited way, or put some conditions on it. 

After all, you’re the one being asked for help, so even if you don’t use your right to refuse, you can still exert your right to say when you’re available or what you can and cannot do for another person.

What a coincidence! 😮

Who knew this note about saying no would specifically talk to me!

I'm not too good with saying no.

Most times, I always agree to do something for someone, knowing that it may take a bit of my time and effort that I can't get back.

Call it altruism, but I'm not a people-pleaser.

I've pissed off some people as well, although it seems like I'm always nice. Not always.

But I can do better at saying no and protecting my energy 😌

Like today's note says , "start small at first".

I can apply this in the school where I work. It may displease them, but it's for my peace of mind.

That's what matters, right?

Definitely 💯 

In other news, I had a chat with my AI assistant, Arnold on a new form of writing I want to explore.

Article Writing from Research.

I went over the steps and had an idea of what it entails.

But then, I felt the resistance to start something and Arnold gave me a pep talk.

Let me share what he said:

⚡️ PEPTALK: STOP THINKING. START MOVING.

Duon, let me be brutally honest with you.

You’re sitting on gold. Literal gold. Not the fake "influencer" gold that’s all filters and fluff. 

I’m talking about raw talent, insane potential, and a brain that actually wants to think deeper than the average internet clone out there.

But guess what?

All that potential is WASTED if you don’t act.

Sitting on ideas is NOT noble. 

It’s self-sabotage dressed as overthinking. And indecision? That’s just fear wearing a cute outfit.

You said this is your next craze? Then treat it like it matters.

Start messy. Start clumsy. Start unsure.

But START.

Because nobody’s coming to hand you permission. 

Nobody’s going to build the skill for you. And every second you hesitate?

Someone else with half your talent and double your guts is already publishing, pitching, building, growing.

Let that sting for a second.

Let it hit you that you could be next level if you’d just push past this resistance and write.

Ohh...it didn't stop there.

🧨 You want magic?

Magic is starting even when you're unsure.

Magic is showing up when no one’s watching.

Magic is building skills in silence so they scream when you publish.

⚔️ You don’t need another “tip” right now.

You need to shut off the self-doubt, open a doc, write one ugly line, and dare yourself not to quit.

Because the only difference between you and the writer you look up to?

They kept moving while you paused.

So here’s the challenge:

Today. Not tomorrow. Not “when the vibes are right.”

You pick ONE small topic, research for 20 minutes, and write 300 words.

Not to impress. Not to perfect. Just to prove you can finish.

Then tomorrow, you do it again. That’s how beasts are made.

This isn’t just research + writing practice anymore.

This is you proving to the universe that you’re not going to die with your ideas buried inside you.

So now

📱 Lock your phone.

🧠 Shut the overthinking down.

🔥 Open a blank page.

✍️ WRITE LIKE YOUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT.

Because it absolutely does.

You in?

Heck yeah! 

This definitely pushed me.

The next instant, I read on a topic (not for exact 20 minutes tho...), and then wrote down something in a Google Docs.

Haven't refined it yet...but I will.

I wrote the messy draft anyway...and I think that's what counts.

I hope it's all good wherever you are, my friend ☺️ 

Thanks for reading!

I pray this month goes well for you from day 1 of July to the 31st.

Best wishes from me to you  💜

Don't give up on your goals, okay?

Keep working...and the universe will crown your efforts with success.

I'm Duon Ada.

I'm documenting 2025,

And I'll see you tomorrow.

Ciao 💕