I believe in you and thus I believe in myself

In response to Coffee Challenge: Summary Article

I had taken part in Winston’s challenge as a portal to finally open up about my struggles. When I started on that, I only had me, myself and my words that slowly exposed me with each new one.

Then I started reading other articles, which to be honest, I was not really looking forward to.

Listen, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for reading and supporting other wonderful writers here on Medium. I do that every day and I enjoy it to the fullest.

This time, however, there was this fear in me about realizing there are much better fighters than me who ace at overcoming their struggles like a champ. I thought I was going to wear myself down by reading how others are going to create for themselves a better 2022 when I might lag behind in spite of having made plans on working towards a better year for myself in my own article.

Boy, how wrong was I?!

I am so glad I read them. These people played the role of friends who gave me advice to steady my life, by providing insights into their own lives.

Here are five pieces which I resonated with the most. I should add, every article that was entered for the contest has my heart. I am honored to be surrounded by people who are not only strong in their writing prowess but also champions in their own right.

I Choose My Purpose in 2022 by Tamil

In this inspiring write-up, Tamil implies that opinions of other people matter only when they are constructive and productive to oneself. She also shares her joy of finding her clan of like-minded people around her and on this platform, and how the shared vibe makes her find her purpose.

Amazing writers on this platform inspire her to read and write more and she plans to continue to thrive in that halo of positive energy and also to reflect it back to the deserving.

The art of giving and receiving, y’all. I am so happy for her. My takeaway from this gorgeous article is that filtering those inevitable opinions that come your way is one simple method of positive living.

To Go to the Gym, or to Not? That is the Question by Anjali Joshi

The urge to lose weight shares a very fine line with the urge to maintain our cherished food habits. Anjali, in her article, talks about the struggles she had with her body image and the failed attempt at bringing a balance of exercise and tasty food by hitting the gym.

(Honestly, I haven’t read anything that resonates with me more.)

Loathing oneself in the mirror is going to be an old, forgettable habit for Anjali for she has decided to embark on the route of body positivity and appreciation of herself. She implies that a healthy body and heart must be prioritized over losing weight to fit social constructs.

In 2022 I Will Prioritize My Time Differently by Elin Melaas

Elin’s resolution is to find her time. She realizes that prioritizing herself is long due and this year, she will do just that.

People like Elin, being the wonderful humans they are, give time and care to others and most often forget the most important person they must give love to. Themselves.

Elin understands the importance of nurturing and believing in herself and aims to realize her dreams and also find the contentment she deserves in life. There is only onwards and upwards for her now!

Aiming for Rejection in 2022 by Ellie Jacobson

Ellie writes about pushing out of her comfort zone in 2022. She aims to achieve a bunch of rejections. Did we hear that right?

Facing rejection is the endpoint for quite a few of us, including writers. It is the source of the highest degree of discouragement and can wear anyone down.

Ellie, however, shares this amazing trick of turning rejections to our advantage to help us work towards success. She attempts to assuage the fear attached to the word rejection by making the decision to welcome it this year.

Hesitation or reluctance to begin, due to the fear of rejection, is what differentiates and distances our goals from achievements.

(This thought-provoking article is full of quotable material and it’s going to stay on my saved list forever!)

Ellie says, “I’ve learned over this past year, if you reject yourself before anyone else can, you will never grow. You will remain stagnant, which stings even more than rejection.”

My takeaway from this write-up: Dare to dream big, strive to achieve even bigger.

A Resolution So Tiny It’s Impossible to Break It by Anya Klis

Anya tackles the challenge everyone goes through or fear: quitting. She explores the reason many give up on their resolutions in the first month itself and provides a solution — developing a habit.

Rather than taking up a resolution as something you must struggle to keep up, it should be cultivated as a habit or a lifestyle that later proves to be difficult to put off.

She also introduces ‘non-zero days’ which implies that you must work towards your goal every single day. No breakpoints. A single step, a mini step daily towards your goal will get you closer to the success you strive to have.

This is a very helpful tactic for me as procrastination gets the better of me mainly because I dread putting a lot of work towards something each day. Bare minimum every day, well, I could try that.

Anya wants to make progress in her writing and for that purpose, she has decided this year she will cultivate a writing habit applying the non-zero day technique. Here’s to wishing her all the very best.

I hope all of you post your success stories at the end of this year sharing with us how you made it.

We are in this together. ❤

Wishing the best to all the contestants and readers.

Love.