Nostalgia
It's day 240 of documenting 2025.
Mid-week already!
Wasn't it yesterday I talked about this week being the last week of August?
(Just kidding 😅)
My point is, August ends in 4 days.
Where have the months gone, really?
It's literally 125 days to 2026!
Yeah...I'm counting.
And it's 10 days to day 250.
Wow! I haven't stuck to anything for this long before.
This is definitely a first.
And I must say, the journey has been....
(Can't quite find the right word 🤔)
I still remember the time I almost wanted to stop writing.
It was in the ending of June, when I decided to go offline again.
The overwhelm and emptiness got to me...again.
I say "again", because I've done this before.
Last year, I went totally offline in September and October.
Two months, 61 days.
Then, I told my friends and contacts that I was going on a break.
And then went off all social media.
I even wrote a "mini blog" during that time.
That was when I first started documenting....what was going on, as well as how I was feeling.
I remember calling it, "Thinking Out Loud", because then I would just type whatever was on my mind.
So, think of this one as a bigger version of it. It actually is!
Oh! the memories... 😌
(Slight nostalgia)
I still remember thinking of a bigger blog, when I finally got back online in November.
I had written for 61 days straight...so why not write for 365 days straight?
In those moments, this blog was born...and here we are.
(Feeling proud..)
I really digressed, didn't I? 😄
I was trying to tell you about when I almost stopped writing!
Okay, let me continue....
It was the ending of June.
The thought was,
"Since I want to withdraw from online activities, doesn't this blog also count as being online?"
After publishing the post on 30th of June, that was all I thought about.
This time around, I didn't tell anybody I would become inactive, I just ghosted.
And I believe I've lost some friends.
July 1st
I was hesitant to write the post.
Then I remembered what happened on my birthday.
On the 4th of February this year, I posted my blog link on Facebook as usual.
But then, I saw a comment.
It seemed ordinary, but I didn't think of it that way...
Someone said something along the lines of,
"I would like to know more about your book".
I saw it and I was like, "book?" 🤨
Then I replied that I was just writing a blog, not a book.
But I remembered it on July 1st.
The thought was,
"What if I'm to write a book later and I'm slowly building up the pages?"
If I stopped, the story would be incomplete.
Sounds like I was delusional.
But that "delusion" pushed me to keep writing, knowing fully well that my analytics and views would suffer.
I published the post anyway.
And so far, I've been my only reader....as it seems no one is interested in my blog.
I'm good with it...as long as I complete my challenge.
I hope you enjoyed my story 😉
Let's now dive into the usual section for today....Highlights.
And the book of the moment is none other than a book written by Martin Meadows called....
365 Days With Self-discipline
📌 On Separating Yourself From the Pain
"Elite runners feel pain and discomfort during their hard workouts, but they react differently. Rather than panicking, they have a calm conversation:
“This is starting to hurt now. It should. I’m running hard. But I am separate from this pain. It is going to be okay.”
Like meditation, choose how to respond to the stress of a workout."
Quote by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness
Pain isn’t you, and you aren’t your pain. Separating yourself from temporary pain is a crucial ability if you want to put yourself in uncomfortable situations for the sake of bigger and better rewards in the future.
Whether it’s exercise, dieting, work, or virtually anything else requiring
effort, pain is sometimes inevitable. Depending on how you react to it — with panic or a calm inner conversation — you’ll either let it hinder your progress or you’ll defeat it and progress further.
Whenever you feel temporary pain or discomfort, remind yourself that you can make the pain partly fade into the background when you mentally refuse to associate yourself with it.
Obviously, make sure that the pain you feel isn’t a sign of an impending injury or that it can lead to an accident.
I actually tried something like this today...
You know how real the hunger pangs get when you're fasting, right?
Well, it was quite real for me...but I told myself,
"This pain is separate from me. I can feel it, but I'm still me and this pain is on its own".
I guess that's the lesson here.
You know what you want to achieve, but you have to isolate the pain you will feel on the way to your achievement.
Then the pain becomes irrelevant.
Moving on....
I'll share a poem or two, from my newest poetry collection, Lanterns For The Lost.
And then I'll think about and give my own answers to the reflective questions at the end.
Here we go:
Stand Straight
Act without pressure.
Not because they told you to.
Not because you’re scared.
Not for applause.
And never while second-guessing yourself.
Strip the thought down.
No glitter, no noise.
Let your spirit speak for you
as a citizen,
as a human,
as someone called to live with honor.
Stand like a soldier waiting
for the final signal
not panicked,
but ready.
You don’t need their peace
to be at peace.
You don’t need their light
to walk in yours.
And if just once you find
something purer than justice,
something stronger than courage,
something more satisfying
than doing the hard thing
because it's right…
then take it.
Hold it.
Give it your full yes.
But if nothing trumps that inner fire
the part of you
that serves without needing reward,
that resists comfort when it costs you your soul,
that thinks clearly,
loves deeply,
and lives aligned…
Then stay loyal.
Refuse to be bought.
Resist the slide into anything less.
Because the world has many hooks.
Not all temptations look like sin.
Some come dressed
as recognition,
as wealth,
as opportunity.
But if they pull you off the path,
let them go.
Make your choice.
Make it clean.
Make it loud in your own mind.
And live like someone
who meant it.
Something to think about
What have you said yes to that doesn’t truly belong in your life?
Hmm, that's deep 😌
Let me think we'll about this...
I would say, distractions.
And by distractions, I'm talking of opportunities and connections.
Don't get me wrong, they're good....but at this point in my life, they don't belong.
I often have the "shiny object syndrome", and it takes a strong reminder that I'm working on myself first.
I told my friend I was doing the "inner work", when I let go of my communication with him.
I'm still letting go of a lot of things, for the sake of where I'm going.
It's painful and very lonely here....but my roots are getting deeper.
Yep! I'm comparing myself to a seed in the soil that hasn't germinated yet.
(Here she goes with crazy talk 🙄)
It's all going to be worth it in the end, I believe so ♥️
And if you're reading this, I hope you don't stop working on yourself.
Keep making the necessary sacrifices, every single day.
Later on, you will thank yourself.
Right now, I want to thank you for reading till the end 🎀
Don't forget to check out the various content on my store.
And of course, the story I was working on for a while, Ursula's Roots.
I'm Duon Ada.
I'm documenting 2025,
And I'll see you tomorrow.
Ciao 💕
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