The Gentle Burn

It's day 215 of documenting 2025.

Happy Sunday 😊

Here's a thought...

It's amazing how much time flies when you're fully engaged in something.

You don't even notice it...because of the novelty of the experience.

It's a new week...

The second in August, if I'm being specific.

For me, everything just feels still.....and quiet. I know it's where I need to be, but sometimes I just reach for the window to let in the noise.

Then I stop myself....

"Not now, Duon....get clear first".

I know this season will pass and I have to learn all I need to now....so I can withstand certain pressure later on....and probably get back what I lost. 

The thoughts tho....😔 

Let's get into Highlights for today and I'll share one of the stories featuring a fictional character in an upcoming series....Ursula.

365 Days With Self-discipline 

📌 On Self-Determination

"The most successful people, the evidence shows, often aren’t directly pursuing conventional notions of success. 

They’re working hard and persisting through difficulties because of their internal desire to control their lives, learn about their world, and accomplish something that endures."

Quote by Daniel Pink

Take a cue from the most successful people and figure out how to link your goals with the desire to control your life, learn about the world or accomplish

something that endures.

How can your desire to build a business play into your need for autonomy, learning, or contribution? 

Easy. A business will give you financial freedom and let you control your life to the fullest extent. Growing your business will help you discover the parts of you that you’ve never known existed. 

And finally, building a successful business will leave a mark on the world; even if it’s a small one, it’s still a big accomplishment to build an organization of any kind.

What about dieting? How can you link something as mundane as caring for your body to such high desires? It isn’t that hard, either.

Only a healthy person can control their life. A sickness can quickly remind you who’s the boss. 

Self-discovery? Go on a diet, explore how you feel when temptations arise, and you’ll get to know a lot about yourself.

Accomplish something that endures? Change your body permanently and you’ll not only build something that hopefully lasts for a long time, but also discover how powerful a physical change can be for your mental state.

Now, think of your own goals and go through the same thought process, which will increase their significance to you and boost your determination.

Take the cues 😌

Think of how your goals can benefit you in different ways...and write them down to become a source of motivation later.

Up next....fiction.

This is one of the stories from the book I'm writing called Ursula's Roots: The Set-up For Success.

More details on the book in later posts....or when it comes out.

For now, enjoy ☺️

The Gentle Burn ❤️‍🔥 

The sun was barely up when Ursula slipped out of bed. 

The world outside her window glowed in soft hues of gold and lavender, the quiet hum of the morning stirring but not yet fully awake. 

Her feet touched the cold floor, grounding her. There was no rush. No push. Just rhythm.

She moved through her morning slowly; not sluggish, but mindful. The kettle whistled softly in the kitchen. 

Steam curled up from her mug as she stood by the window, sipping tea and watching the sky bleed into light. 

The familiar tug to reach for her phone came…and passed. She let it go.

By the second week of the new month, her days had started to form their own shape; a kind of sacred scaffolding. 

She’d wake up early, pray before sunrise, write in her journal, go for a walk, return to her desk and open her Bible. 

Then she’d sit in stillness for a while before tackling any work. Her heart, once frayed with the noise of everything and everyone, was slowly knitting itself back together.

But in the silence, something new had emerged. A heat…subtle, low, and steady. 

Not the fiery panic of anxiety, nor the sharp sting of regret. This was different. This was the burn of rebuilding. 

Her muscles; emotional, spiritual, creative…were sore. Like a woman training after years of idleness, her soul was feeling the ache of use.

And with it came temptation. Not loud. Not obvious. Just a quiet voice in her head whispering: 

Isn’t this boring? Don’t you miss the rush? The thrill? The chaos?

Somewhere inside her, old habits stirred like shadows under a locked door.

But Ursula didn’t run.

Not this time.

Instead, she took a deeper breath and stretched the ache. 

The discomfort wasn’t a warning; it was a signal. She was no longer breaking down. She was burning off what didn’t belong anymore. 

She was holding a different kind of weight now; her consistency, her self-trust, her discipline.

There was no applause. No visible reward. No instant high.

Just this quiet burn.

And a knowing deep inside her bones:

This is the work that lasts.

What do you think? 

There's a whole lot more from the main book, which I'm still working on.

I'm aware that there will be critics....and non-readers of this kind of fiction.

I'm okay with that 😌

I wish you a wonderful week ahead and I hope it goes well, or even better for you.

Thanks for reading 🎀 

Remember to pay less attention to things that don't matter in the long run.

I'm Duon Ada.

I'm documenting 2025,

And I'll see you tomorrow.

Ciao 💕