Guest Prompt Week 3, Day 3: Dan Catalin

A prompt + short interview

Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic. — Laini Taylor

Writing these lines on my phone whilst in a car is such an “out of my comfort zone” thing to do, but an interesting experience nevertheless. I mean, isn’t that what traffic jams are for?

Last day of week 3! Wow, time flies. I am so happy y’all have been enjoying the guest prompts. Many more fun initiatives alike to come!

Today’s guest is Dan Catalin, who has been submitting to KTHT for about half an year. I would let you have a guess what topic he chose, but I am not sure anyone could come close to getting this mysterious prompt right. So, what is it all about? The power of hope:

“If you knew you’d be saved in the end, would you still fight?”

I asked him where the inspiration for this prompt came from. Here’s what he said:

“Recently, I came across an experiment conducted at Harvard that intrigued me. In the 1950s, Dr. Curt Richter placed rats in a pool of water to test how long they could tread water for (you can find the study here). On average, they’d give up and sink after 15 minutes. Right before giving up due to exhaustion, the researchers would pluck them out, dry them off and put them back in for a second round. How long do you think they lasted the second time? Another 15 minutes? 10, 5? No. They lasted for 60 hours! That’s right. 60 hours of swimming. The conclusion drawn was that since the rats believed that they would be rescued, they could push their bodies way past what they previously thought to be impossible.

With that being said, I will leave you with the following thought: If hope can make exhausted rats swim for that long, what could a bit of faith in yourself and your abilities do for you? Remember what you’re capable of. Remember why you’re here.”

Thank you for putting our mind to work, Dan! 💛

I am looking forward to everyone’s submissions! Don’t forget to stay tuned for next week’s guest prompts (a.k.a our last 3 guests for the month).

Our 12 participants are:

Joseph Lieungh, Riku Arikiri, Aswin, Sujona Chatterjee, Wilfredo Resto, Vicky Prokopi, Bingz Huang, Dan Catalin, Chigozirim Sophia Emeka, Georgia Lewitt, Marcus

Everyone is welcomed to join us with response articles to these prompts, whether part of Know Thyself or not. Remember to tag the writer that inspired you so that they don’t miss your articles.

Each of these guest prompts will be pinned at the top of the pub for 48 hours so that you can easily access them. Afterwards, you’ll be able to find them all here.

In case you missed Bingz Huang’s prompt on words:

Camille Grady: Words Of Transformation

Joseph Lieungh: Navigating Inner-Workings of a Cosmic Dance

Erika Hughes: The Balm I Found Inside: Healing

Henery X: Constant “Elevation”

Spyder: My 2021 Word Found Me

Alice Floris: Stories as Interior Decoration

Simão Cunha: Adventure Calls

K. Barrett: Words Are Fuel For Purposeful Action

jules: Loving Reflections of 2021

Melanie J.: Love Lifted Me

Bingz Huang: You Gotta Dance It Out, Both Literally and Metaphorically

Rita Duponty: Create, Create

Marilyn Flower: How I Dropped the Ball on My Power Word — Steadfast

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💙Immerse yourself into my Shadow Work journal.