The Night Experience

It's day 284 of documenting 2025.

81 days to 2026!

Happy Weekend my friend 😊 

I hope your week went well...and I pray that this coming week turns out even better!

Word is, I might get admitted this coming week.

It hasn't been confirmed yet tho...

At this point, I surrender 😂

There's no set date for the trip...so it can happen at any time.

My dad wants to make sure we're going with the admission letter, and it's a good thing we didn't go this week.

I still have a couple days (or weeks) left here and I'm going to make the most of it.

For the record, I stopped teaching at the school.

It's just the evening home-tutoring gig now....and I'm okay with that.

I can explore other opportunities to set myself up for success when I get to school.

Anyways, before I go any further...let's get into Highlights for today.

For the whole of this year, we've been following the highlights of a particular book by Martin Meadows.

Fun fact, it's a 365-day book, which is what inspired me to start this challenge in the first place 🙂

365 Days With Self-discipline 

📌 On Habits as Handcuffs

"Don’t let your habits become handcuffs."

Quote by Elizabeth Berg

Few, if any, self-help authors would challenge the opinion that habits are of key importance to a person wishing to improve their life. 

Most would agree that good habits unlock success, while negative habits are destroying you.

Yet, sometimes even positive habits can act like handcuffs that limit your life and choices to a preselected set of routines that you’ve decided are most optimal for you.

Is waking up early generally a positive habit? It is. 

It can become like handcuffs, though, if you assume that now you need to wake up early every single day, even if there’s a special occasion to celebrate the evening before, such as your spouse’s birthday.

Is eating healthy a positive habit? 

Of course it is. 

However, it can act as shackles if you never let yourself lower your guard for a while and enjoy (preferably in great company) whatever food strikes your fancy.

Is being highly productive and always working on something new a good habit to have? 

It is — but if you never relax or get a little lazy, you’ll miss out on some valuable experiences in life and eventually burn out.

Whenever forming new habits, establish rules as to when you’ll allow yourself to temporarily forego them. 

Self-discipline and positive habits are important, but life isn’t about living like a robot that always follows the same routines, no matter what.

Note for the day:

Don't be so rigid in your lifestyle.

You know who's rigid?

The robot 🤖 

And I'm sure you're not a bot.

Every once in a while, do something other than your routine.

Watch a movie or call a friend...just enjoy yourself.

Even Christ gives us the liberty.

But don't overdo it...like I sometimes do 😏

I always call myself to order tho...and I get serious.

My point is, find a balance between rigid routines and freestyle flexibility.

Okay, let me share a "behind-the-scenes" moment that happened last night.

I was up until 1am...I think almost 2am actually.

What was I doing?

Studying the Word of God.

Before doing that, I was in prayer...tears and all.

I felt like I was slipping and I asked God to hold me...to not leave me.

I told Him that I didn't want to go back to my old way of living.

The torment and darkness I felt then was hell, and I covered it up with a smile.

No one knew what was going on with me. Only God knew.

This is a lady who hasn't been to a church for close to 10 years now...no fellowship with others except family.

No close friend, no one to confide in. 

(That was back in 2023.)

Until one day, I decided to change.

It happened through an outburst from my dad and now looking back, I realize that it was God telling me that if I continued on that path, I would truly be alone.

That decision to make it right seemed very small...and I still struggled afterwards, but God helped me through it all.

I've lost friends and opportunities.

I've lost interest in a lot of things, most of which would shock people of my age.

I've lost the "courage" I had then, and the need for validation is no longer there.

But all that is nothing compared to this peace, this relationship I have with Christ.

It's the most wonderful 😊 

With each passing day, I'm learning to depend more on Him than on my own ability. He has never disappointed me.

So, you probably see why I cried that I didn't want to go back.

And I believe that God will help me, as He always has.

I don't know how your relationship with God is...but I tell you that it can be as real as your relationship with a loving parent.

Don't lose that...because if you do, you lose everything 😌

God drew my attention to a particular chapter in the Bible.

And the second verse was just like a principle that He wanted me to recognize and apply in my life.

The verse is:

"Set your affection on things above, and not on things on the earth"

(Colossians 3:2)

Simple but powerful.

Nothing to add or subtract.

Just do it.

I have to admit, the doing part can sometimes be hard for me 😔

I just have to depend on God to make me apply this principle, because I can't do it by my own willpower.

Believe me, I've tried...

Well, let's end this post on a hopeful tone, shall we?

I hope the new week favors us all.

And I hope that God helps us to be more aware of His presence, so that we can live in peace and not stress.

Thanks for reading 🎀 

God bless you 

You can always read more posts on the main website, Documenting 2025.

I'm not even promoting this website, so it's like you're gaining access to a private documentation.

See you in the next post 💜