November’s Best — Editor’s Picks: Seek Rejection to Be a Better Writer

Submit your stories to major publications regularly

Seek rejection. Inspirational author Robert D. Smith gives five reasons why you should seek rejection, including how it’ll make you fearless and force you to do something.

Kiki Schirr shared her ‘Rejection Goal’ on Twitter. Mia Mercado, in her Bustle article, shared the story. Kiki wanted to get rejected 100 times during 2018:

Her first rejection letter, in January, was easy. But her confidence melted away in May:

This tweet went viral. Kiki wrote a story on Medium, on the May 29th, admitting she had failed at failing:

“I started to apply to opportunities that I considered beyond my reach. I suggest: Take more chances. ”~ Kiki Schirr

In an NBC story, Guy Winch, Ph.D., a psychologist, in his book, Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure, and Other Everyday Hurts, says, “Even very mild rejection can really sting.”

By consciously changing your attitude about rejection, you can increase your chances of getting published by a major publication.

But how can you overcome the pain of rejection, that sting? Alix Spiegel tells the story of Jason Comely, a freelance IT guy from Cambridge, Ontario. Jason made it a game and sought one rejection every day by a random person.

Alix writes, “Without knowing it, Jason had used a standard tool of psychotherapy called exposure therapy. You force yourself to be exposed to exactly the thing you fear, and eventually, you recognize that the thing you fear isn’t hurting you. You become desensitized. It’s used in treating phobias like fear of flying.”

“Just get out there and get rejected, and sometimes it’s going to get dirty. But that’s OK, ’cause you’re going to feel great after, you’re going to feel like, ‘Wow. I disobeyed fear.’”~Jason Comely

These top writers are ready to put themselves out there. Here is the list of top stories for November:

56. Why You Should Never Let A Boy Come Between You And Your Pie

Geri Shumer is a travel enthusiast, dog lover, and a freelance writer. In this excellent story, she shows us some do’s and don’ts when it comes t eating pies. Don’t miss this one.

I LOVE pecan pie, but I stopped eating it for 30 years. Why, you ask?

Funny story.

Well, not funny at the time, but funny now that I look back with my 50-year-old brain.

You see, when I was 15, I was dating a boy. He was my first serious boyfriend and we were inseparable. He and I shared a lot of common interests and one of them was food.

55. This Is Why They Didn’t Want Blacks to Vote

Vanessa Robinson is an Electrical Engineer and a writer. She likes to write about justice and politics. If you read her story, you’ll fall in love with her writing voice.

The states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia are hot spots right now. Well — perhaps not as much as it was since Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan have certified their electoral votes for President-elect Joe Biden as of today.

There were three other states in contention; Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. (Nevada recently certified its electoral vote.) But the protests for President Trump in those states were muted; the fervor was not as strong. There are a few reasons for this. It’s not that these three states aren’t diverse, but they are less diverse, at least in regards to Black people. Arizona’s black population is 4%. Nevada? 8.6%. New Mexico is 2.6% black.

54. The Ignorance Phase Faced by Every Budding Social Media Influencer

Swati Suman writes to share her opinions and evolve in the process. In this great story, she wants to share her ideas on ways to increase the number of views and get noticed. Don’t miss it.

Many who believe that Confidence is ignorance, it might be to the ones who ignore it. But what about the situation in context to the ones being ignored? For instance — A Creator, An Influencer, A Blogger, or A Marketer.

The question one asks when getting ignored —

Why am I not getting enough engagement,

What is the reason behind not getting views,

When should I post to get enough traction, or

How may I help resolve the issue?

53. Why Biden Should Not Forgive Student Debt

AJ Krow is a writer, editor, and teacher. If you enjoy reading this story, you should definitely check this excellent writer’s other work.

As of this writing, the student debt in the U.S. is a whopping $1.7 trillion. As each week drudges on, tuition goes higher and higher.

On average, college students graduate with a bachelor’s degree and $30,000 in debt. College graduates have to hunt for a job to pay off their debt while saving money, buying a car to get to and from work, take out a mortgage to live with their significant other while paying bills, and raising their kids.

Some have suggested the Biden administration should forgive student debt. Is this the answer? What are the intentions behind doing so, and what would be the result?

52. It’s Time to Focus on Anticipation and Pleasure

Tree Langdon is an excellent writer. Her poetry will help you connect with our collective self. She is an editor of Illumination and Illumination-Curated as well. Do check her other work.

We willingly connect our lives to bevelled gears that move in sync. They keep precisely measured time. A counted life, allotments made.

51. A New World Order

Stuart Englander writes to inspire. He loves to write film reviews. If you choose to read this story, you’ll become a fan for life.

They arrived as a group of two dozen adventurers to find a barren and desolate plain, and there was no turning back now. Within a few years of sweat and toil, they turned the soil into a burgeoning landscape, and ultimately, it became a fully functioning ecosystem. This group of like-minded pioneers had much to be proud of, not the least of which was the creation of a new community, a garden of prosperity.

Marvin Stafford perched on his favourite boulder, a pinkish-red block just outside his door. He stared across the still, rough landscape outside the compound, reminiscing over the past fifty years. He’d been here from the beginning, an unlikely leader who became the driving force behind the village’s success.

50. How To Shift Your Writing Into The Big Leagues.

Tree Langdon is an excellent writer. She is talking about the different stages a writer has to go through to become a great writer. She is an editor of Illumination and Illumination-Curated as well. Do check her other work.

Every business goes through many stages, from inception to success.

It can be a struggle for the owner to adapt as things change over time. Growing pains occur, as what began as a small one-man show expands into a larger shop with employees to manage.

There are stages every business goes through. Becoming aware of what they are is part of the solution.

These stages can be applied to your writing business.

49. Making Sense of the Pro-Life Movement

Dr. Dion is unbothered, unapologetic, and unashamed. Her writing voice is confident and sane. This masterpiece is about abortion rights and explains the difference between the terms Pro-Life and Pro-Choice in more detail. If you haven’t read it already, go ahead and read it.

Pro-Life and Pro-Choice have been the terms of record for the abortion movement for decades. Pro-life means no right to an abortion — except in certain circumstances usually beyond the woman’s control. Pro-choice means the woman gets to decide to terminate a pregnancy or not and — for the most part — other people butt out.

Many — perhaps even most — of the members of the no-abortion group tie their position on the issue to their religious faith, whether Christian or some other religious tradition. They often say it is their faith that causes them to vehemently oppose the taking of a human life.

48. Why Are Some Women Still So Afraid Of Personal Power?

You’ll love Nicole Chardenet’s style. It’s simple yet compelling. And hopefully, you’ll remember the Bonobo females before casting your vote next time.

It seemed the perfect visual metaphor for an article on the pervasive female fear of personal power. There’s strength in numbers. Did you know that, ladies?

Er, no you don’t.

Pigeons and songbirds are smaller and weaker than a mighty hawk but banded together, they can chase his ass halfway across Ontario.

When there’s a threat to another woman, too often we react by telling her to back down because ‘You could get hurt!’

47. Ways to Re-Envision the Traditional Thanksgiving Day Celebration

Kristy Lynn’s masterpiece will provide you a unique perspective on Thanksgiving this year when 4 in 10 Americans are experiencing food insecurity.

We need to be honest about Thanksgiving. Especially this year. The problems are confounding and hard to deny.

First, there’s the obvious: a deadly pandemic that continues to spiral out of control. It doesn’t make much sense to travel and have intergenerational gatherings indoors this year. That’s a potential recipe for illness and death, not cranberry sauce.

46. How My Best Friend and I Gamed The World With Her White Privilege

Rebecca Stevens A. is a fabulous writer. If you read this, you are probably going to want to read more.

My best friend and I met at work. She had grown up in a white-only environment and hadn’t met many black people in her life. We hit it off immediately because we were similar: young, easy-going, vivacious, energetic, and kind-hearted.

We traveled often together, and I would ignore instances of racism because I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. I did realize that she seemed oblivious to racism. Whenever someone would treat me poorly, she would attribute it to that person being stupid, being a sexist, or an upper-class snob.

45. So You Want to Be Happy

Amy Hartsough has written this masterpiece. Once you see her simple and elegant style, you would want to write like her.

I actually gave up on happiness several years ago. I just assumed that life is hard and that many people (including me) would never really be happy. I assumed it was normal to be unhappy.

I don’t feel that way anymore. Not even close. In the past few years, I’ve found a roadmap to happiness. In books.

44. Your Relationships Have An Energy Vibration

Tree Langdon’s masterpiece is a masterful execution of a feeling so complex that most of us quit before trying to put them into words.

When you create something new, pay attention to your intentions:

Whether it’s a new business or product or a new relationship, your energy will affect how your creation is viewed by others.

It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.

Everyone’s soul has a unique energy vibration:

There are gifted people who can read soul records (called Akashic records). These records are energy imprints. Each one contains information about the unique gifts, energy vibrations, rhythms, talents, and abilities of that soul.

43. Why Stoic Philosophy is the Secret Ingredient for Happiness During the Holidays

Sebastian Purcell, PhD explains Stoic practices and activities to enjoy the coming holidays.

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude and indulgence — as are most other holidays. What Stoicism offers us is a toolbox to do these activities well.

In this piece, my practical purpose is to explain the top four Stoic “spiritual exercises” to help you along.

My philosophical purpose is to show that even professionals have missed these Stoic practices for indulgence because they haven’t recognized the way in which good company is crucial for our best pleasures.

42. Are Books Getting Longer?

Jason Ward wrote this gem. If you missed it, here is an opportunity to undo that.

According to a survey by the publisher Flipsnack, books have been growing fairly consistently.

The survey looked at 2515 books that had appeared on the New York Times bestseller and notable books list as well as an annual survey of Google’s most discussed books. It found that between 1999 and 2014 the average book length grew from 320 pages to 400 pages.

41. Advice that changed my Writing style

Muda El Masry’s brilliant advice is an asset to be bookmarked. You have missed it, but once you read it, you’d want to read more from Muda El Masry.

As much as I have internalized inspirational messages like “write the book you want to read” and “believe in your writing”, I still procrastinate and feel down about the quantity and quality of my stories. Change is easier said than done. But on rare occasions, I find a piece of writing advice that triggers a metamorphosis. My entire mind shifts and I become an altogether different type of writer behaving in ways I had never tempted before, these are three pieces of writing advice that changed my life.

The image is not blank — there is a pen to the far left that is not visible in the thumbnail.

40. A Feminine Way to Productivity

Desiree Driesenaar is a fellow editor at Illumination. Here is a unique approach to productivity. Don’t miss it now if you didn’t read it already.

The feminine way to productivity is a smoother, easier way for me. I’m on a path of rewilding my soul and it works way better than the masculine pushing, pulling, and forcing. I used to have that in my life when I was still working full-time in my corporate jobs.

39. 5 Steps to Financial Independence Without Giving Up on Dreams

The Maverick Files wrote this gem. If you missed it, here is an opportunity to undo that.

Most people mistake their dissatisfaction with their current jobs and professions for the desire to retire. As a result of this, they end up chasing the inaccurate goal of “early retirement” than trying to cure the fundamental problem — finding what you love and spending your life doing it.

38. Struggle to Wake Up in The Morning? You Don’t Have to be a Morning Person to be Successful

Thomas Oppong is the author of this masterpiece. He is extremely productive and he is talking about productivity.

New research, published in Nature Communications, confirms that if you struggle to be a morning person, it’s not anything you’re doing wrong — it all comes down to your genes.

The authors linked more than 300 genes to your inability to be active in the morning. In other words, there are many reasons you can’t feel more productive in the evening if you are a morning person, or on the contrary, get up very early, and there isn’t much you can do about it, because it’s all genetically predefined.

37. Seven Myths and Misconceptions About Your Brain

Simon Spichak is a neuroscience and science communicator. His masterpiece can help you separate myths from knowledge about your brain.

“The brain is irrational, often relying on a set of cognitive rules as shortcuts. When oversaturated with data, it is particularly susceptible to misinformation. Worse yet, this misinformation can anchor our ideas of a specific topic, even influencing how we think about it when presented with new evidence. Did you grow up thinking that we swallowed eight spiders a year in our sleep? I did. This titillating tidbit about the world is downright false, but it hasn’t stopped the myth or variations of it from propagating through our culture. A writer in a magazine fabricated the spider swallowing fact to show how easily false information spreads.”

36. Quest for The “Best Jokes Ever” and How They Can Heal Us

Joe Moody wants you to enjoy the hidden benefits of jokes. If you haven’t read it already, now is a good time to go for it.

To learn about the power of laughter, I went on a quest for the “best jokes” out there.

I already had glimpses of how laughter benefits us. Sometimes, when something outrageously bad happens, the only thing left to do is laugh. “If I didn’t laugh, I’d have to cry…”

Sure, we can react with anger or frustration, but that usually just makes matters worse. Laughter shines a bright light on a negative incident, helping us both accept it while downplaying it.

35. Golden Tips To Have More Confidence In Yourself

Amanze Collins is passionate about his writing. You must have missed it, but this piece will help you boost your self-confidence.

To tell the truth, I haven’t found the perfect recipe for self-confidence yet… perhaps because recipes don’t exist in this field (and when they exist, they don’t work for long).

However, I understood one thing with certainty: believing in one’s abilities is something that grows inversely proportional to our desire to please everyone.

34. Life Isn’t Fair

This one minute read by John Ross is more compelling than my own 6-minute take on the topic.

There’s a quote I love from Naval Ravikant in Tim Ferris’ Tribe of Mentors which says “Ignore the unfairness — it is not fair. Play the hand you’re dealt with the best of your ability.”

33. The Left Still Doesn’t Understand Trump’s Appeal

Steve QJ’s superb insights that you have to read to know why Trump got so many votes.

“As I watch America wrestle with the task of un-electing an orange-tinted ball of insecurity and pettiness, I’m trying to figure out how to sum up my feelings in a way that does more than express frustration and/or despair. Try as I might, I don’t think I can do it directly. So let’s try an analogy or two.”

32. Why Consciousness Is the Ultimate Frontier of Human Evolution

If you enjoyed this story by Shivendra Misra, chances are that you’ll read every other story written by this master writer. He is fond of bending the reality through his work.

“According to what we call science today, the Universe appeared out of nowhere. Everything fell perfectly into its place — the matter, the energies, and all the laws that govern them.

While only a few of us take time to question this hypothesis, it’s worth contemplating. Whether this statement is true or not will determine what kind of lives each one of us leads.

To give you an analogy, thinking that the Universe came out of nothing would be like saying that the device you’re reading this article on also appeared out of nowhere — where all the hardware and the batteries running the device fell into a perfect position governed by the laws of circuits that were also defined out of nowhere. Seems crazy, right? Thought so.”

31. Why You Should Write Your Story, Even If You Think Others Won’t Get It

Roger A. Reid, Ph.D. is telling us to write what we have to. I know I’ll be writing much more after reading this article.

“Every reader is different, with different levels of experience, education, and intelligence. And each person will evaluate the quality of what they read based on what’s going on in their life at that moment in time. For some, it will be precisely what they need to read. Others will be bored to tears.”

30. A Priest Called Me Promiscuous and I Cried Tears of Joy

Tracy Stengel is a writer and a freelance fiction editor. Her beautiful style will keep you interested. She is telling us a story about her confession.

It wasn’t the first time I had come to talk to this priest. We’d met privately a couple of times before. I was going on my fifth consecutive year of pain, fear, and misery. There was no end in sight.

I clung to my torso with my arms crossed as if giving myself a much-needed hug. My ribs stuck out. I was malnourished — both nutritionally and spiritually.

29. The Curious Case of the Man Who Ate Nothing For Over a Year

Maria Cross is a registered nutritionist and a nutrition writer. Her story will shock you. But it is a true story — and a part of medical literature.

In June 1965, a 27-year-old Scottish man weighing 456lb (207kg) decided to stop eating until he reached his desired weight of 180lb (82kg). Angus Barbieri ate nothing whatsoever for 382 days, achieved his goal, and lived to tell the tale.

Morbidly obese, Barbieri certainly needed to lose weight, but no, this is not one to try at home. His approach was potentially life threatening, which is why this superhuman feat was achieved under strict medical supervision. Before embarking on his fast, Angus checked into the Maryfield Hospital in Dundee, returning regularly for evaluation and occasionally staying overnight.

28. The Death Road, Bribery and Swimming With Crocodiles in The Amazon Rainforest

You’ll love Paul Abela, MSc’s writing voice. He is a brilliant writer and he wants to share his experiences.

For the last few days, I had been scanning the murky Amazon River for the enigmatic, elusive, majestic pink dolphin. Our guide, Carlos, kept on telling us if we were fortunate enough to see pink dolphins we could jump in and go for a swim. At first, I thought he was joking. After all, we were in crocodile-infested waters.

But, the pink dolphin is the crocodile’s sworn enemy. And, if you’re lucky enough to see them, you can ‘safely’ swim in the water, with the comfort that the dolphins have your back. So Carlos kept on telling us, anyway.

27. She Encouraged Me to Share on Stage

Liz Porter is a solopreneur who wants to inspire her readers. She is talking about a serious topic. Don’t miss it.

Deciding on the soft pink blazer, I slid my bare feet into grey strappy sandals to pull the outfit together.

A nervous wreck, I ran back to the bathroom for the third time. That’s when I knew I’d be skipping breakfast.

It was still early, but I couldn’t trust the traffic, so I gunned it out of the driveway and took off. I considered bailing several times that morning, but Elizabeth counted on me, and I couldn’t let her down.

26. The English Filter Teacher, Mrs. Marilyn Monroe

Tooth Truth Roopa Vikesh’s style is simple and direct. I hope you enjoy the story she wants to share.

Her name was Marilyn Monroe. Born Marilyn Paul, she had fallen for a handsome sportsman called Terry Monroe, and so she was now Marilyn Monroe.

In any other part of the world, it might have incited comment. In the Hindi-speaking town of Tatanagar, nobody had heard of the actress, and so the joke-cracking opportunity went unused.

25. My Farewell to Being A Smith

Tracy Stengel is a writer and a freelance fiction editor. Her charming style will keep you engaged. This story is an exciting take on a popular topic.

I married into the Smith name in 1998. I kept the name much longer than I did the husband.

At first, I was relieved to score a common name. It could have been so much worse. I don’t think I’d have done well with being Ms. Weiner, Ms. Schmuck, Ms. Cummings or Ms. Cox.

Forgive me, I’m not that mature of a person.

24. Watch Again What The Very Best Of Film Offers

Stuart Englander writes to inspire. He loves to write film reviews. If you choose to read this story, you’ll become a fan for life.

The genre that’s known as ‘Film Noir’ came to prominence in the post-war era with the emergence of stars like Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson. Some still argue that film noir isn’t a true genre at all. Regardless of its name, however, there is one film that blazed a trail of artistry in cinema that can never be denied.

While Ansel Adams was busily displaying his photographic work as a bonified artform with the study of shadow and light, there was one young filmmaker that drew on similar principles to usher in a new era of cinematic excellence.

23. Are The Star Wars Prequels Better Than The New Films?

Isaiah McCall is a brilliant writer and a great storyteller. I believe his story about the evolution of Star Wars is both entertaining and informative. Don’t miss it.

Before Star Wars: Episode 9 came out I decided to go through all the movies again; from the original trilogy to the Star Wars prequels up until the 8th movie. I didn’t do it for me, I did it for my little sister. She had only seen the newer movies and felt lukewarm about them. So, it was my duty as her older brother to show her the rise — and harsh fall of Star Wars.

22. A Senseless Murder Of An Innocent Young Couple In Utah

Floyd Mori is a prolific writer and generally writes about politics. But here he is telling you a gruesome murder tale.

It happened in April 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic was becoming a huge problem. Businesses had closed, and people were staying home. There was a senseless murder of a young, religious couple in a small city fifteen miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah. They were apparently awakened from their sleep in a home invasion. They were robbed and then killed.

21. Dave Chappelle’s “Unforgiven” Is A Masterpiece Of Persuasive Writing

At number one, Steve QJ is telling us about Dave Chappelle — a famous standup comedian. His work is an inspiration for all of us. Writing killer sentences comes naturally to him. Enjoy.

It’s easy to forget that comedians are writers first. Before they get up on stage in front of thousands of people and make us laugh, they sit in a room, alone, and figure out how they’re going to do it. The good ones do it so well that it feels like they’re up there just getting things off their chests.

Dave’s Chappelle’s Unforgiven is no exception, but he takes the concept to a whole new level. What feels like an impromptu set, casually thrown up on Instagram in the middle of the week, is really an eighteen-minute and twenty-eight-second declaration of war against the corporations he feels have wronged him.

10. Want to Improve Your Writing?

MaryJo Wagner, Ph.D.’s piece is about William Zinsser’s writing advice. MaryJo is somebody you would love to read again.

Zinsser tells you how to write without being rule-bound, stuffy, and boring. And he tells stories along the way so you’re learning while being entertained. (More writers should follow this style!) He gives you basic principles and methods in addition to how to write in specific genres: interviews, travel articles, memoirs, science and technology, business writing, sports, the arts, and even humor.

9. Why I Will Never Share Edit Histories In Writing Gigs

John Teehan writes in a simple and sweet voice. He is angry because one of his clients wanted to discuss a discount after he saw his logs. But he chooses the right words to show the right amount of anger. Don’t miss it.

I did not respond immediately. I couldn’t. That message was just too much to handle at the moment with the heat I was suddenly feeling.

An hour or so later, I wrote back (as opposed to calling — I wanted an e-mail log of the conversation) and informed her that I don’t charge by time but by project or word count. The Google Doc reflected only a part of the work I’d done on the assignment.

I mentioned that what I bring to the table is experience and ability developed over the years. I politely declined to discuss discounts.

19. 6 Tips By an Amateur(ish) Writer To Create Your Routine

Haucem Sadki’s writing style is absolutely honest. He is not pretentious or condescending at any time. His simple tips are very practical. He is going to be a pro writer very soon.

Maybe I am not qualified to give you advice about writing as I am a beginner — writing has always been my passion but I never had the courage to share my thoughts about anything online, everything I wrote before is kept in notebooks buried in my closet and that will probably never see the light of day but I should never say never.

While, as I said, I am still in my beginning when it comes to blogging and writing online, one thing I never gave up, was writing.

18. Death, The Choreography Of Guernica

You are going to like Drama Llama’s article if you are interested in understanding the big picture of our society.

In 1934 three former members of the Martha Graham Company, Jane Dudley, Sophie Maslow, and Anna Sokolow joined the ‘New Dance Group’, they aimed to make dance accessible for all through low tuition fees and dance works based on socio-political concern. (Au, 2002, 128–130)

Initially, the school gave classes in the Holm and Wigman technique and by 1940 also included the Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey techniques, as well as ballet, composition, ethnic and modern dance classes. Later Merce Cunningham and Lester Horton’s techniques were added to the curriculum which can be still seen to the present day.

17. Are The Star Wars Prequels Better Than The New Films?

Isaiah McCall is a brilliant writer and a USA Today reporter. If you read this story, you are definitely going to read his other stories.

Before Star Wars: Episode 9 came out I decided to go through all the movies again; from the original trilogy to the Star Wars prequels up until the 8th movie. I didn’t do it for me, I did it for my little sister. She had only seen the newer movies and felt lukewarm about them. So, it was my duty as her older brother to show her the rise — and harsh fall of Star Wars.

16. 7 Ways to Be a Hero Without Doing Anything You Don’t Want to Do

I wrote this piece. It’s about your journey to discover your hidden hero.

Whether it is Nietzsche’s superior human or Jerry Siegel’s Superman — who first appeared in American comic books published by DC Comics in 1938 — the idea of a super-human has been here for a long time now. To be a hero, you have to understand what it means to be a hero — and unlearn the popular meaning of the word.

Superhero movies, in our modern world, are a magical part of our childhood. A study suggests that even infants recognize heroic acts.

15. 7 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Social Media Engagement

Crystal Jackson is a former therapist. She is an accomplished writer and a wordsmith. If you decide to read her story, you may learn about social media as well as writing well.

Social media has become an inextricable part of our work. While we might prefer to disengage, it’s often necessary to maintain an active presence online. Finding a balance between an active social media presence and an actual life can be challenging.

For many, social media is where we share our photos, funny memes, and updates about our lives. When we use social media for work, we have to be more intentional about the content we provide and the way in which we engage with the public. Inconsistent posting can hurt our views and limit the audience for future posts.

14. Bitcoin Will Make You Richer And Here’s Why

Another big one by Isaiah McCall. Read it to learn the secrets of writing well and becoming rich.

Bitcoin is going to change the world — and if you take a second to learn about it, you’ll understand why. After an abysmal 2018 to 2019 stretch, Bitcoin is nearing an all-time high. The price is up 166% this year and big-name investors don’t think it’s going to stop.

Why is Bitcoin rallying right now? Because more people are starting to accept, and trust it as a currency.

13. A New Revolutionary Self-Love Social Media Photo Challenge

Crystal Jackson is a former therapist. She is a great writer — someone you should follow. She is going to teach you to love yourself — if you allow her. Don’t miss this one.

While we can all lament about the downsides of social media — trolls, cyberbullies, our constant preoccupation with it, a veritable onslaught of bad news — there’s much to be said for how social media can provide us with a more extensive network of support. Take the photo challenges for instance. Nearly every day, I see some photo challenge — celebrating motherhood, relationships, and even just days when we feel good about ourselves.

12. Lessons Learned from a Government Agency that Posts Surreal Memes on Social Media

Simon Spichak is a brilliant neuroscience and science communicator. He has a perfect case study to share with you.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission in the USA is an important government agency responsible for keeping the public safe. Often, these messages are boring and unengaging. After all, how do you make advice like wearing helmets or replacing batteries in carbon monoxide detectors fun? I stumbled on the strange, wonderful, and surreal Twitter account for this agency. Pivoting to memes, their Twitter account has almost 90 000 followers. It provides the perfect case study for learning how to craft your message and grow an audience.

11. Embracing Tsundoku — How a Library of Unread Books Can Expand Your Mind

Zachary Minott is an avid reader, athlete, and a philosopher. He is here to teach you an impossible lesson: ‘Why the books you don’t consume provide more value to your life than the books you do consume’. Don’t you want to know more?

An abundance of knowledge and books leads to expected behaviors that you, my curious friend, might identify with:

* Buying more books than you have time to read especially when you have a collection of unread books in your personal library still waiting to be read

* Saving yet another article to read later on Medium to go along with your collection of the other 100 articles that intrigued in the past

* Adding another lecture or video essay to your watch-later playlist on Youtube.

In Japan, the term best used to describe this is Tsundoku.

10. Why Science Should Take the Soul Seriously

Paul Thomas Zenki’s style is deep and thorough. It’s your soul he is trying to find with his words, knowledge, and ideas. But when you’ll read this story, you’ll see how superbly he explains the concept of the human soul — using simple events of human life.

In the spring of 2005, the Woodside Hospice in Pinnelas Park, Florida, became ground-zero of a national debate over life, death, human rights, and the soul. The storm was sparked by a clash between the husband and the parents of Terri Schiavo (pronounced shave-oh), a woman residing at the hospice, and grew to encompass the state governor, the American Congress, a US President, national and international media, and the Vatican.

9. LinkedIn Isn’t Facebook or Twitter, and Surely Not Tinder

The Maverick Files is a thinker and financial professional. He is a wonderful writer and an editor of Illumination and Illumination-Curated. He is disciplined and a doer. If you haven’t read this story, here is your chance to read his work.

Facebook, Instagram, Tinder, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Quora. Most of you reading this probably have accounts on at least 5 of these 7 platforms, don’t you?

Well, I gave up on these a long time ago. I have some of the most basic accounts, which I also barely use. I’ve got a Facebook, that I barely spend anytime on, and a Linkedin where I update any promotions/job changes but have a very incomplete profile on.

8. New Politics Are not Left nor Right. They’re Human

Desiree Driesenaar wants to align the economy, ecology, and human spirit. You would love this masterpiece. She is telling us about a new type of politics — that is more human. Read this smart piece to know more. Don’t miss this one.

The world is changing fast now. Thundering waves are eroding our rocks. And most of us only see the negative excesses. Destruction, inequality, and oppression. Politicians are trying to force limited routes out of the mess. They have different worldviews. And we currently categorize them in left and right.

The Left wants a big government. Curtailing free markets. Controlling businesses so they do as little harm as possible.

The Right wants the free market to be left alone. They say the market will solve all problems in the end.

Let me tell you, both of them are wrong. The eroding wave that will save us all is made out of collaborating, compassionate human drops. Not left, nor right, just human. And regenerative.

7. 3 Underrated Habits That Can Help You Get More Done in a Day Than Most People Do in a Week

At number seven, Thomas Oppong is telling us about getting more done in the smartest way possible.

“Your time is limited and precious.

If you want to get more things done, do your best work every day and crush your work and life goals, you have to make time for habits that may seem like lazy but actually help you get more work done.

Everyone aspires to get things done in the fastest, smartest ways possible. No one wants to waste time on low-value tasks.”

6. What Kind of Man Turns Down a Willing Woman?

Edward Robson, Ph.D.’s story went viral and it has been viewed more than 80000 times. Edward Robson is a retired psychologist, wordsmith, and a teacher.

A comment on one of my recent articles caught my attention. A young man expressed appreciation for my advice about letting friendship grow before deciding whether to explore a sexual connection.

The problem was, he said, sometimes women he went out with were ready for sex before he was.

Now, I can’t say I’ve wrestled with that problem. When I was that man’s age (half a lifetime back), I would have laughed at such a statement, maybe even asked him, “Are you bragging or complaining?”

5. My Good Travel, Bad Sex Story

Britni Pepper’s story is at number five. She writes to amuse you, to make you laugh, to let you be yourself, and to live a little. She enjoys telling stories that readers enjoy reading. If you haven’t read it already, go for it now. Satisfaction is guaranteed.

4. Why The Buddhists and Aztecs Insist That Happiness Follows The Words You Say

At number four, Sebastian Purcell, Ph.D. is talking about how your words pre-frame your mind. I wrote about this topic in one of my articles.

The noted psychologist, Robert Cialdini, relates a story that changed his mind about the impact of small words. He was invited to give a talk at SSM Health, a non-profit in the medical industry renowned for its stratospheric performance. Yet he was told that in his presentation he would have to replace specific words.

3. How Tony Hsieh’s Death Is A Reminder Of How To Build A Great Company And Life

When I was a college business adjunct, I had many discussions with my students about startups and what makes them work.

I also had a penchant for talking ad nauseum about how startups fail since most of them do. I felt people ought to brace themselves for difficult times.

Startups are odd beasts and there is no perfect formula. Of course, value creation is very important. We also love billion-dollar markets and low saturation. Dozens of things can make or break a startup.

2. The 3-Stage Model For Acquiring New Skills Very Quickly

At number two, Thomas Oppong is telling us to new skills very quickly with a 3 stage model. Don’t miss it.

The ability to acquire new skills quickly is an important skill in a rapidly changing world. If you are at an important stage of your career, there are probably more skills you want to learn than you have time for.

As information becomes more readily accessible online, it’s important to focus on a few approaches that can accelerate your learning.

1. Tales of Nāgārjuna

Mac Daniels is at number one with this masterpiece. I wish I could write like him. This story was also featured on the front page by Medium staff.

He is taking you on an unusual journey. I know nobody recommended it to you, but here is your chance now. Listen.

“Come on a journey with me. Suspend your traditional notions of cause and effect. I will reveal the one cause of a billion negative effects. The idea is not my own. Its truth is not new. In fact, it is very old — to be found under stones left unturned, in quiet places, away from the hustle and bustle, in niches and nooks where truth can hide.”

Final Thoughts

If your story was selected as one of the Top 10, please share another one of your stories in the comments with a brief introduction and a short review that can convince a reader to read your piece. (Please write the review in the third person and start it with your name.)

I must have missed something today. I cannot read every story on Illumination and Illumination-Curated. Dr Mehmet Yildiz, the Chief Editor and Founder of Illumination and Illumination-Curated, read, highlighted, and applauded every good story when he started his publications. He still reads almost all of the good ones. I try — and fail daily — to read all of the masterpieces.

So, help me. Help me to find and rank the best work of the writers of Illumination and Illumination-Curated.

Happy reading.

To improve your chances of success as a writer, read these highly recommended curation guidelines:

You can read my curated stories here.