Top 100 Stories of 2020 — Use These Best Practices for Writing on Medium
These stories created an impact in the lives of the readers

Medium encourages smart thinking on things that matter. It is a medium for moving ideas from one brain to another.
Anyone can write and publish articles, stories, and poems in Illumination and Illumination-Curated. Everybody with writing potential can find readers. Readers who can become fans.
But Dr Mehmet Yildiz wants the writers to follow established best practices and quality guidelines. Medium’s algorithm, staff, and curators try to separate the best work from other work. Medium regularly features stories that they think are great.
These best practices were designed to help readers in deciding what they may like to read. If you follow them, the chances of your success can increase:
- Write a crisp headline. Readers decide in a fraction of a second to read your story or discard it. Use a good, clear title and subtitle on your story.
- Original insight, ideas, or perspectives in your story. Try to say something of your own. Don’t plagiarize and don’t paraphrase content from other writers.
- Edit to remove unnecessary words. Edit without mercy. Check typos and grammar before hitting the publish button. Use proper formatting.
- No calls to action — or CTAs. Don’t ask readers to clap, comment, or signup for your newsletter repeatedly. Let them decide.
- Don’t sell anything. Don’t use ads. Don’t paste links to tell readers to buy things.
- No clickbait. Internet has become a fishing ground to waste readers precious time. Medium promises good content without clickbait — respect this best practice.
- Nice feature images. Choose an appropriate image for your article. Always provide links to the source of the image. Don’t violate the copyrights of photographers.
- Avoid pseudoscience and bad health advice. Your readers don’t want non-sense in your articles. Bad health advice can harm someone.
If you do your best work, your readers will like to read your stories. The more you love your work, the more it will love you back. The quality of your work shows how much attention you paid to the details.
Let’s read the top 100 stories of 2020. You can learn how to implement the best writing practices from these writers:
100. This Will Change How You Think About Eggs
Emily Kingsley is an excellent writer. She is humble and honest. You’ll love her story. Several of her stories have been published in Human Parts — they publish your stories only if they like them. Don’t miss Emily’s unique perspectives.
When think about eggs, you probably picture the pastel cartons in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. Pay a few bucks and you can take home a dozen for baking, frying or scrambling. Eggs are a food that spans centuries, continents and cultures. We tend to think of eggs as their end use, which is as an ingredient. But it’s just not fair to think of them in such simplistic terms.
Eggs come from birds. Female birds make them, molecule by molecule, calorie by calorie. They are tiny self-contained spaceships, carrying bird babies into existence. They are engineering miracles, with perfect symmetry and geometry that balances structure with function.
99. Who Are We Behind Our Masks?
Beth Bradford, Ph.D. is a former TV person and a current college professor. She is an excellent writer. Her style is infinitely engaging. Please follow her and check her other work. If you like her style, you’d be waiting for her future writing.
One of my former students, a popular Instagram figure, had painted beautiful murals on the walls of her apartment. When it was time for her to move out, she had to repaint the walls white.
Although it somewhat pained her to cover her beloved lion mural, she gave her viewers a lesson in non-attachment. “The lion is still there, knocking around,” she said. “He’s just wearing a mask.” However, we do this ourselves throughout our lives, painting various layers over our true selves.
98. 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.
97. I’m 60 — And With Each Passing Day Getting Closer to the End Than the Beginning
Cristo Lopez, Ph.D. is a dreamer, thinker, and excellent writer. Do read this fine story and don’t forget to check his other work.
This morning, I read an excellent article by Joe Duncan titled It Took Me a Year to Make Nearly $10,000 a Month on Medium. I recommend the article to you, my friend, not because Duncan reveals technical secrets or templates to write viral articles on Medium.
Rather, Duncan teaches us to take chances, be authentic, dig deep into “…the depths of myself, unearthing the dark stuff we don’t usually talk about and put it into a story.”
Joe Duncan is a successful writer on Medium with almost 11,000 followers as of this writing. He became successful by being authentically Joe Duncan.
96. Why Uber Isn’t Built to Last
Matt Stevenson is a superb writer. It seems he has discovered a flaw in Uber’s business plan. Would you like to know more? I think you would. Don’t miss this masterpiece.
Uber has been so successful because it doesn’t sell car rides, it sells time and convenience. Just open the app — almost anywhere — and you’ll be able to find a ride. And for the most part, they’ve found a way to keep prices low.
Uber’s way of calculating the ride cost is really quite simple, they start with the regular base fare, add the per-minute rate multiplied by the time spent in car, plus distance times the per-mile rate. All of this is — of course — dependent on the city.
95. Get Out Of The Dark Place And Start Taking Responsibility For Your Healing
Esther George is a writer and a dreamer. In this masterpiece, she is guiding you to take responsibility for your wellbeing.
Healing. Restoration. Growth.
These are not outcomes of knowing more. These are results of acting upon the information you know. It’s about getting up and putting what you know into practice.
Everything sucks in the beginning. It all takes time. The trick is to let it suck and do it, anyway. Your mind will scream ‘No’. Of course, you still want to think about that person. You want to relive that horrific moment. You want to wallow. You want to cry a river and then float yourself downstream. You allow the lyrics of those sad songs to pierce into you, inch by inch, creating unbearable pain, draining out every bit of mental and physical energy you have left.
94. 4 Stoic Concepts to Help Manage Anxiety
Austin Harvey is trying his best to make sense of life. His writing voice is inspiring. He is an excellent writer and you should not forget to read his other work.
“I made a prosperous voyage when I was shipwrecked.”
Zeno of Cyprus found himself devoid of his Earthly treasures, all lost to the sea, on the shores of Athens. With nowhere else to turn, he sought solace in the library and discovered the works of Socrates which altered the course of his life forever.
Enthralled by the writings, Zeno began teaching his own philosophies from the steps — or the stoa — of the Athens marketplace.
93. What a Caged Lion Can Teach You About Freedom
Dayton Parks wants to inspire you. His style is simple yet full of suspense. Don’t miss this excellent story.
Lions are among the most popular zoo exhibits. As a child, I loved going to the zoo. I wanted to see these enormous creatures lounging in the sun. And sometimes I was lucky enough to hear one roar. It was exciting. They’re called the king of beasts for a reason.
Visiting a zoo’s lion enclosure is exciting for children and adults. But there are downsides for the lions.
92. No, Your Mind Can’t Be Uploaded to a Computer
Paul Thomas Zenki loves to mix neuroscience, Buddhism, physics, and literature. His writing style is relaxed, informal, and engaging. In this great article, he is answering a question all of us are interested to know. Don’t miss this one.
Like the song says, “everyone wants to be on a postage stamp, but nobody wants to die.”
And lately, one of the hottest topics for those who’d like to keep the party going forever is mind uploading, the notion that we can transfer our consciousness to machines. But like all immortality schemes that have come before it, there are fatal flaws in the plan.
91. If You Don’t Have a Dream, Consider Yourself Lucky
Viki Hines is a “free-floating anomaly of the female persuasion” — isn’t that delightful — and a writer of inspiring stories. She is an excellent writer and you should read her angle about chasing your dreams.
We see it every day. Our social media feeds are bombarded with ads on how to make a crazy amount of money doing this trick or that trick. Twenty-something-year-olds showing everyone how they achieved financial success, making six figures in a year’s time. Everyone is doing it. Everyone wants it.
Where’s your marketing video? How about your YouTube channel?
The pressure to achieve some level of success within a certain timeframe has been a part of life for generations in the U.S. We’re supposed to chase our dreams and know what we want to do with our lives straight out of high school, or at least before we’re thirty. Right?
90. Please Don’t Tell My Daughter She’s Pretty
Krista Mollion is a business owner and a writer. Read her excellent story about how teenagers exaggerate the importance of looks. Don’t miss this one.
It’s a Saturday morning and I hear from my teen daughter’s room: “Do you think these jeans make me look fat?” She is on a video chat with her friend. Teenage girls are notoriously obsessed with their looks. They spend hours scrolling through their social media feeds, liking and commenting on images, and countless hours at the mall shopping for clothing and makeup.
Why are looks so important to them?
89. How to Stay Positive When Dealing With Negativity
Adebayo Ijidakinro’s story is related to a topic that every one of us faces at some point: effectively dealing with negativity.
Negativity is everywhere. We all have to deal with it. Some of us have to deal with it more than others. Growing up, I always struggled with dealing with negative people. I always felt like I had to defend myself against people who looked down on me or viewed me negatively. And it was difficult because I had a very negative view of myself. So dealing with so much harmful criticism would cripple me mentally.
It was very difficult. And there were times when I honestly felt I couldn’t go on. But a few years back, I decided I needed to figure out how to deal with this. Not just for myself. But for the many people who have the same struggle.
88. My First Day of My 30 Day Yoga Self Challenge
Jennifer Geer likes to write about wellness and running. In this excellent story, she is sharing a personal experience.
Asa health and fitness writer, it’s rather embarrassing to admit that I have been falling into various bad habits since March. When the pandemic first began and almost everyone went into quarantine, stress was high, and I decided to let some things go.
But we are now five months into a global pandemic with no signs it’s letting up soon. We’re also in the midst of an extremely contentious election season. It’s a tough time to be an American, and if I want to eat an Oreo cookie now and then, I’m going to do so.
87. 5 Reasons to Let Go of Your Niche
Jennifer Geer is a superb writer. In this masterpiece, she is trying to convince you to write about anything you like — don’t restrict yourself to a niche at all times.
You have heard all of the reasons why freelance writers should have a niche. I am not here to disagree with any of those reasons. Those reasons are sensible and most likely correct. When you have a niche, you are the expert, the specialist, the go-to writer in that field. You can charge more for your writing as an expert. And you will spend less time writing because you are familiar with the topic. It’s a winning situation.
Yet, there are several reasons you may not want to stick to one niche.
86. Doomscrolling
Julie Nyhus MSN, FNP-BC is a nurse practitioner and writes about health. She is trying to warn us about a dangerous trend in this excellent story. Don’t miss this one.
The urge to consume negative story after negative story has its own word: doomscrolling.
For months now, the world has felt like it’s on the verge of collapse. Worldwide corona virus infections with mounting death tolls, increasing unemployment rates, drastic economic downturns, persistent protesters in the streets, and a never-ending US election.
85. Can Smoking Cannabis Damage Your Brain Cells?
Viktor Marchev loves to write about psychedelics, mental health, and self-improvement. He is an expert on what he is talking about. Don’t miss this one.
When Matthew went to the local Stop & Shop that warm summer morning to buy a couple of avocadoes and a Doritos packet, he returned home only with the tortilla chips, completely forgetting about the other product he went to the supermarket for. The week after, for a couple of days in a row, Matthew kept completely forgetting his appointments with his friends, his girlfriend, and his dentist.
He had always considered himself a daydreamer, which sometimes, he said, was a problem, as he wasn’t really able to fully focus on his daily tasks. However, his forgetfulness and absentmindedness had become a “glitch in his system.”
84. From Multimillionaire to FBI’s Most Wanted to Charitable Christian
Kevin Buddaeus is on a mission to grow and learn with his readers. He is an editor of Illumination and he is a professional editor. His style is simple, direct, and informative. If you haven’t followed him already, here is your chance to read and follow him.
Seldom does this idiom provoke a life story like the one you’re about to hear? Florian Homm was once known as one of the 300 richest Germans alive. He was managing his own Hedge fund worth over $3 billion. His private wealth was estimated at around $700 million.
He became a person of public interest when he saved the German football club Borussia Dortmund from bankruptcy, investing $20 million into the club when all other investors kept a safe distance. At the pinnacle of his success, he had it all: Women, wealth, cars, houses, yachts, private jets.
83. Lead With Kindness
Randy Wolken writes to educate and inspire. He is the President & CEO of MACNY — The Manufacturers Association with over 300 company members in New York State.
He is also an outstanding writer. His writing style is pleasing, direct, and extraordinarily engaging. If you read this story, you would definitely like to check his other work as well.
Business and kindness are not often put together in the same sentence. However, good leadership and kindness are often related. Good business leaders will be known for being kind in the future if they want the best talent to perform well and stay at their organizations. The COVID-19 crisis has only accelerated this trend.
In company after company, I have seen a trend toward employees wanting caring employers.
COVID-19 has heightened the fear and concern of employees for having a safe work environment. They also wish to work for employers who help them consider the demands of work and home, especially if they have school-age children in school only part of the time.
82. How The Phrase “I Will Try” Keeps Us Away From Achieving Our Goals
Laine Kaleja is a mindset and life purpose coach. She likes to learn more about psychology and personal growth.
She is a superb writer. Her writing style is full of wisdom and it is very engaging. She tells you new things about topics that affect your life. Don’t forget to check her other work.
What we think, we say, and what we say we do. Our results come from our actions. Before we take action, we have a thought, or we say a word.
One of the wisest steps in our growth process is to pay attention to our words. What are the words we use when we talk about ourselves, our dreams, goals, other people, our circumstances, and our commitment?
81. What Is Wrong With Living an Ordinary Life?
Zul Bal writes to collect, capture, and curate ordinary beautiful ideas. She is an exceptional writer. Her charming style is conversational and highly engaging.
It is stories like these where I use these words: Well-written stories take less time to read.
This 3-minute read seems like a 1-minute read. Don’t miss it. And don’t forget to read her other work.
These past few weeks, I’ve been dealing with feelings of fatigue and burnout. I have struggled to be productive. I came across an article with productivity advice and, instead of helping, it made me feel angry. I mean, not like raging mad angry; I was just a little irritated. But it was enough for me to start asking questions that led me to see my struggles in a new light.
I see now how my feelings of guilt about failing to be productive stem, in part, from my buying into incessant BS slogans perpetuated by these productivity advocates. It is only when I put aside my guilt and focused on respecting my life as it is that I felt recharged.
80. What Barack Said About Michelle
Dr. Dion is an outstanding writer. Unbothered. Unapologetic. Unashamed.
Her writing style is direct, informative, and very engaging. Some of her stories have gone viral in recent days. Follow her. Read her. Try to learn from her style.
Former President Barack Obama recently released his nearly 800-page memoir detailing the time from his first run for the White House nearly 14 years ago until the current day. Many notable excerpts from the memoir spilled into the public conversation as Obama made the perfunctory rounds of book-release interviews. Among those were his trip to the inauguration with his predecessor George W. Bush, his thorny relationship with Senator Mitch McConnell, and the role racial resentment of his presidency played in the rise of Donald Trump.
79. 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.
78. 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.
77. 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.
76. How Early Reading Skills Contribute to a Child’s Development
Gayle Kurtzer-Meyers is a positive thinking freelance writer. She is a wonderful writer. If you read this story, you’ll probably check her other work and then you’ll become her lifelong fan.
Gayle thrives on intellect and spends extensive hours researching, interviewing, and documenting articles so that they stimulate and engage the minds of all readers. This article provides the reader with a heads-up revealing how vital reading is with young children’s expanding minds.
If you have young children or know of a young child, you certainly want to spend a few minutes reading this article.
Teaching your child how to read from an early age can be a challenge. Parenthood is overwhelming in itself, and it can be easy to lose sight of your child’s personal development in the process. However, research suggests that engaging with young children by reading, talking, and singing can stimulate cognitive development, bringing a host of benefits.
As per The American Academy of Pediatrics, children proficient in reading by the third grade are more likely to graduate high school and have a successful career. Unfortunately, 1 out of 3 children begins kindergarten without possessing the language skills required to read.
75. How to Spot a Preemptive Strike
Barbara L. Ciccarelli, Ph.D., is a teacher and lifelong learner. She is an extraordinary writer. Her writing style is informative, thought-provoking, direct, and exceedingly engaging.
Don’t this masterpiece of writing. If you like her piece, follow her, and check her other work. I believe you’ll love her style.
Remember back in early 2000 when Bush came up with the Bush Doctrine regarding the Middle East to counter terrorism and justify the invasion of Iraq (remember the threat of mass destruction?)? The Bush administration had stated previously that the
“greater the threat, the greater the risk of inaction — and the more compelling the case for taking anticipatory action to defend ourselves” (The White House, 2002).
It was a strategy of “preemptive strikes” as a defense against an “immediate or perceived future threat to the security of the United States.” But Bush didn’t invent this maneuver. It was probably operating in social relations long before he came along and has been long since.
74. Do These Key 5 Minute Tasks to Double Your Productivity
Alyssa Atkinson writes about food, health, and lifestyle. She loves to run. She is an excellent writer as well. You’ll definitely like her very engaging style.
I was in my junior year of college, taking 17 credit hours, and playing a division one sport when I realized something needed to change. Many nights were spent sitting alone in my little apartment for hours struggling to get through my course work.
One evening it was twenty differential equation problems. Another, it was hours of C++ programming. While the homework varied, one thing remained constant — I was incredibly unproductive.
73. Bitcoin Will Make You Richer And Here’s Why
A 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.
72. Neuropsychology Reveals Where Our Idea of “Self” Comes From
Simona is passionate about sharing insights from science to help bring more mindfulness, joy, and self-compassion into the lives of others. She is a brilliant writer.
Her writing style is simple, direct, and engaging. Follow her, read her stories, and wait for her future work. She needs your energy.
Can you consider the thought that right now, in this very instance, everything is ok? You are alive. You are breathing. Nothing is missing. If something vital to your survival was missing right now, you wouldn’t be here.
Yet there is a voice in your mind that may be wanting to explain everything that is apparently going wrong in your life — right now. You may be observing yourself thinking how silly this exercise might be. But who is the one noticing these thoughts? Could you imagine that the only thing keeping you from peace is the thought that something is not as it should be?
Neuropsychology is helping us understand where in the brain these thoughts come from.
71. 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.
70. 7 Truly Bizarre Books that Changed My Life
Valerie King’s informal style is absolutely charming. I think you’ll become friends with her in a minute. You can read it to know about the 7 bizarre books.
I’m obsessed with listicles, but one of my pet peeves, as a lifelong reader, is reading a million book listicles that all have the same generic classics in it. We get it, Heathcliff is your fictional crush. You relate to Jane Eyre. You managed to get all the way through Moby Dick.
I want to share 7 weird books with you. Books no one talks about. These are books that disturbed me, but changed the way I look at the world.
69. My Migraines Led To A Near-Fatal Overdose On Prescription Medicine
Jennifer Friebely is a writer, editor, and coach. She is sharing a personal experience that all of us have faced at some point in our life. Read carefully and follow her advice. Someday your life, or the life of someone you love, might depend on what you are going to read today.
I began to write this, hours after being released from the hospital from a near-fatal accidental overdose from one pill of medicine I take to prevent migraines. I am finally well enough to finish writing four days later.
Please don’t make the same mistake I did. And please, do not ever think that “just one extra pill by mistake” is nothing. It’s holy sh*t not.
68. 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.
67. Stages of Language Acquisition
Chelsea Mandler MAT is an everyday mortal, person, human, eccentric, unconventional, and educated. She is an exceptional writer and an editor of Illumination as well.
Her writing style is thought-provoking, elegant, and very engaging. If you like this article, do check her other work.
The very essence of being human incorporates language. Language is the catalyst for humans to connect and understand each other. Without communication, limitations of human understanding would place invisible barriers that could jeopardize intimacy and closeness that humans crave. Fortunately, we are born with a hard-wired ability to learn a language (Denahm & Lobeck, 2013). And while learning language is paramount to civilized communal living, the acquisition of language is acquired in stages. (Denham & Lobeck, 2013).
66. 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.
65. What to Do if You’re Tired Without Having Done Anything
Incantations by Shirin is a Thought Catalog contributor. You have probably missed her masterpiece. Her style is entertaining, informative, and she makes you aware of who you are and what you can become. If you read this story, you’ll wait for her next piece. Enjoy.
You haven’t done anything that is line with a vision of an idealistic future you want for yourself. An activity that moves you one step closer to that dream that sets your soul on fire — the goal you would unabashedly pursue if you were guaranteed to succeed at anything in life!
I’d be willing to bet that even though it feels a helluva lot like fatigue in your body, what you’re experiencing is actually just a lack of motivation.
64. Black Men Have Tears
Lemy is a storyteller. He is a wonderful writer and he is ready to shatter some stereotypes today. Don’t miss it.
The conversation surrounding mental health is never an easy one. This is especially true amongst black men. There seems to be some sort of unwritten rule that a black man that is vocal about their feelings is weak.
For as long as I can remember I have always had the impression that I can handle anything. I lived through situations whereby in my eyes, things could not possibly get any worse. Whatever else comes my way I could easily shrug off. In my language, Sesotho, we have a saying, “Munna ke nku ha a lle!” Loosely translated, “A man is a sheep, and so he does not cry!” This is because as you kill a sheep it does not make a sound, it merely kicks, closes its eyes, and drifts to death. I am almost certain that you are familiar with phraseology along the same lines. Maybe “Don’t let ’em see your tears champ” or maybe even “shed blood before you can shed a tear.” This is how we approach pain, grief, and mental health but unbeknownst to most, the wounds cut deep.
63. 5 Unexpected Ways Working Out Daily Changed My Life for the Better
Shannon Hilson is a full-time writer and a language nerd. She is an excellent writer. You’ll love this story.
Pretty soon here, it will be three years to the day that I made one of the best decisions of my entire life. Three years since I got up one morning and decided that I was actually going to work out on the stationary bike my husband set up in our shared office area instead of just thinking about it. Three years since I made up my mind to do the same every weekday morning after that, even if it killed me.
62. The Most Underrated Writing Tip That Beats ‘Write Every Day’ and Improves Your Writing
Boateng Sekyere is a photographer and an excellent writer. His writing style is charming, direct, and very engaging.
I read if I wanted to become a better writer, I had to write every day. In response, I had written at least one 1000-word article each of the last 18 days. After conquering my fears, I submitted one of those pieces for review.
Three days later, an editor gave me some good feedback on it. He apologized for leaving thirteen comments on my article, while he pointed out what I did wrong. Valuable feedback. But even better, a real turning point.
61. A Priest Called Me Promiscuous and I Cried Tears of Joy
Tracy Stengel is an exceptional writer and a freelance editor. Her style is gentle, charming, engaging, and heartwarming. Don’t miss this one.
It wasn’t the first time I had come to talk to this priest. We’d met privately a couple 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.
Depression had a way of dulling hunger pains and twisting my stomach into a knot of hopelessness and grief. I wasn’t suicidal, but if something “happened” to me, I wouldn’t have cared. Maybe I tempted fate. Back then, I took a lot of unnecessary chances.
60. The Spacebar Is the Secret to a Solid Relationship
Aurellia T. Elisha is trying to inspire you to figure out life with her. This 3-minute read says a lot. When she writes, she is on fire.
Most of us associate space with relationships as a bad sign. But we all have heard the advice that space in any relationship: platonic and romantic is healthy.
Regardless, we are still scared of it. We see couples taking a break and ended up separating. We see friends expanding their individual social circles and ended up breaking. It’s worse if it’s long-distance.
Space is like a spacebar. Once you master where to put space, your relationships will flourish.
59. Running & Writing — The Mantra for Success Isn’t Too Different
The Maverick Files has written this wonderful piece that asks questions and explores possible answers to achieve success in writing.
This is the biggest reason why the first step towards any new skill or hobby is the hardest one to take.
Why should I even do this? Is there any benefit to doing this? Will I be good at it or am I even cut out to do this? Am I missing out on anything by not doing this? Why change?
Countless questions that have no real answers. The only answer is: If you never try, you will never find out.
58. How To Develop Open-Mindedness
Amanze Collins wrote this masterpiece but you must have missed it.
A study conducted at the University of Melbourne revealed that open-minded people perceive a completely different reality from that experienced by those with a closed mind. Through a binocular rivalry exercise in which several images are presented per eye, the researchers found that people with an open mind can combine both images, while those who are not sufficiently open-minded can only process one image at a time.
57. You Need To Change How You Value Talent
Jessica Donahue, PHR is the author of this great story. You must have missed it but this piece gives you a distinct perspective of the employer and employee relationship.
In a recent white paper, the World Economic Forum detailed this shift and said, “a resetting of strategy and metrics that value talent as an asset rather than an expense is critical for companies under pressure to operate more efficiently, build resilience and create value from their workforce investments.”
56. Why You Need to Know About Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation comes from within you. Markus Skårnes’s brilliant advice is something to be bookmarked. You have missed it but once you read it, you’d want to read more from Markus Skårnes.
What would you rather your motivation be dependent on; your own joy in the process, or external rewards? In this article, I’ll teach you about different types of motivation and what you can do to ensure your motivation doesn’t rely on anything but yourself.
55. How to Be a Great Writer — Learn from Great Musicians
Gary McBrine presents a thoroughly enjoyable comparison. Don’t miss it now if you have not read it already.
I remember when I first started to learn the guitar. Other siblings in my family also wanted to play, so they too bought guitars. Unfortunately, they didn’t continue. They didn’t practice enough. I continued to work through the sore fingers and learned to play. My guitar has been my life-long friend ever since.
54. Why Negative Thinking is the Worst Form of Self-Sabotage
Dawn Bevier is a teacher, thinker, and lifelong learner. She is a great writer as well. Her writing voice is very engaging and thought-provoking in this story. If you want to learn to write well, you must follow her and wait for her future stories.
There’s a game going on in my brain, and right now, I’m on my way to a crushing defeat. It’s my self-esteem versus my inner voice, and my inner voice is a bitch. She’s ruthless and she doesn’t play fair. And before I even hop on the playing field to work towards my dreams, she’s convinced me I need to save my time and forfeit the game. Her secret? She gets into my head and whispers wickedly:
“You’re a loser”
“Who are you to think you can (fill in the blank)”
“Why waste your energy on something you know you can’t achieve?”
“You’re stupid to think you can be a success like (fill in the blank)”
“You just don’t have have it takes”
53. How to Get More Out of Social Media as a Content Creator
Kevin Lee is a lover of life and coffee. You must have missed this piece, but it will help you optimize your social media experience as a writer.
After spending some time on all the social media outlets, I’ve come to the realisation that they don’t serve me equally. Perhaps the same is true for you.
To me, most of them are pure distraction and noise. And a select few are more targeted and focused on the type of content I want to create. The differences and nuances of each platform make some more appropriate than others.
52. 3 Ways To Decolonise Your Bookshelf
Shaheen Hashmi wrote this masterpiece but you must have missed it.
Each book we read transforms us in subtle yet radical ways. Leaving a small imprint on us, our thinking and perceptions of the world shift and grow with reach read. It’s like finding something new in a familiar picture, something you cannot unsee. Or like adding a new lens to your perspective glasses. Whether you agree with this new perspective or not, it inevitably becomes a part of you.
51. 6 Proven Ways to Generate Article Ideas
Kristina Segarra is the author of this brilliant story. You must have missed it, but every writer is looking for such pieces.
As a writer, I’ve been there. I knew I wanted to write. But what will I write? Every time I sat down at my desk, I felt frustrated because I wasn’t able to write anything. Not even a word. I knew I had ideas somewhere in the back of my mind, but I didn’t have a magic wand to let them out.
50. Improve Your Chances of Getting Into a Big Publication By Editing Like a Cambridge Exam Student
Alexa V.S. wrote this piece in a way that totally makes sense. I am sure most of you missed it — here is an opportunity to learn more about editing from someone who knows what she is saying.
I am, though, an English teacher specialized in the Cambridge exams. Following the official rubric, I’ve corrected hundreds of student essays, letters, reports, proposals, reviews, and articles. Considering four points — content, communicative achievement, organization, and language — I’ve helped countless learners achieve their goals.
49. 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.
48. 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.”
47. 6 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.
46. My Technique to Have Something to Write About Every Day
conny manero is an author and a contributor to various magazines. You’ll find her friendly style very engaging. She is a superb writer and you should follow her. You’ll enjoy reading this story.
I received an email from a friend the other day stating ‘I haven’t posted more than one article in the last month. What can I do to get going again?’
I’m sure my friend is not the only one who is short on inspiration. I’m sure that all writers, at one time or another wake up and wonder what to write about that day. Perhaps they lay there looking at the ceiling or the wall and draw a blank. Or they sit at their computer, wanting to write something, needing to write something, but nothing comes to mind. If you try my system you’ll have something new to write about every day, even two or three times a day.
45. 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.”
44. Our Father’s Words Shape the Way We See the World
Dr Jeff Livingston is an excellent writer. If you are not following him already, here is your chance. After you read this story, do check his other work.
His stories have been published in Elemental, Medium Coronavirus Blog, The Startup, P.S. I Love You, and more.
“Drink a glass of water and go walk around the block.” These words were my father’s solution to just about any childhood ailment. Water replaced medicine. Walking replaced surgery.
If I had a stomach ache, then drink a glass of water. When my sister had a headache, water was the remedy.
Flu, diarrhea, fever, poison ivy — water.
43. Are You Hitting the Stores for Black Friday This Year?
Rose Bak is a writer, author, and yoga teacher from Portland, Oregan. Her style will teach you to knit words into interesting sentences while she explores the shopping frenzy on Black Fridays.
The term “Black Friday” initially was coined to mark the devastating stock market crash in 1929.
It became associated with the day after Thanksgiving in the 1950s, where the police department in Philadelphia started using the term to describe the chaos of Christmas shopping. The combination of crazy crowds, brazen shoplifters, pickpockets, and the requirement to work on the day after Thanksgiving was a dark day for those in law enforcement.
42. Ten Tips for Writing Better Articles
Amy Chamberlain’s style is simple and elegant. If you read her articles, you’ll definitely like to read more from her.
There’s a lot of competition in the writing industry, so your content has to be of high quality; otherwise, you’re not going to make it because anybody can write things and publish them.
But good content isn’t that difficult to create, everybody has exciting stories, but the technique to write them down correctly can be an issue sometimes, but this is mostly the thing that makes or break an article.
Your article has to be interesting to read and have quality, but that doesn’t mean it must be difficult to read.
41. The Only Way Out if Self-Criticism Is Killing Your Work
I wrote this piece. I hope you like it.
When you start doing some work, a stream of thoughts starts simultaneously to tell you that your techniques are not good enough. After some time, you do not even have to criticize yourself; the inner critic runs in the background — like a state of mind — forever telling you that you do not have what it takes to be the chosen one, the liked one, or the preferred one.
You cannot get rid of this feeling. I used to think that some people had it, and others didn’t — as if it was a bacterial infection or a genetic mutation.
40. Debunking Three Myths About Raising Bilingual Kids
Vic Bowling’s intriguing style will definitely hold your attention. She engages you with her deep understanding of the issue. Invoking emotions in this way is difficult for most of the writers.
I started feeling like I was losing a battle that had barely begun.
Both my partner and I wanted our child to grow up bilingual. But it’s easier said than done. Because I — myself and I — would be the parent responsible for our little one’s bilingual skills. And it’s kind of daunting.
I also realised that I had a lot of fears associated with trying to teach my child two languages at the same time.
39. Europe’s Regional Languages Risk Dying Out
Roxana Azimi’s take on this issue is noteworthy. She is a good writer. Try to keep track of her future work.
The EU currently boasts 24 official languages, but this region is also home to numerous regional languages beyond the likes of our beloved Spanish, French and Italian. From Sicilian to Silesian, Gaelic to Galician, Venetian to Valencian — there’s more to the European language story we are often told…
Often pushed to the side-lines, some of these regional vernaculars — the hipster equivalents of languages, if you will — have even been threatened with extinction because, quite frankly, people aren’t speaking them as much.
So what can we do to ensure these less prominent languages live on? Should we bother at all?
38. Going for alcohol-free beer: A silly experience
Enzo M. Battista-Dowds PhD. RD. is a registered dietician. He is sharing a personal experience. Please do read it.
The date was October 31, which is not only Halloween and the birthday of one of my best friends — shout out to Panny — it’s also the final day of ‘Stoptober’. If you’re unfamiliar, Stoptober is a public health campaign in the UK that encourages people to quit smoking for the month.
I don’t smoke, alcohol is my vice. So, as a personal challenge, I decided to be alcohol-free for 31 days. On October 31, I had a bright idea, genius, really. Why not celebrate going alcohol free for a month by having an alcohol free beer on the final day of the challenge? It’s poetic — and I’m guessing a tasty experience too. Win, win.
37. On Becoming Tina
Tina Olson’s story will grab your attention instantly. You’ll feel compelled to read it to the end.
Humans are only one of the many colonies that inhabit the Earth. I bet ants think they are hot shit too.
On a summery Fall day, when the sun hung low and the leaf dust picked up easily in the breeze, I walked along the winding empty road leading from the Casino to the TV Station. These are old boots, the buckle on one side waves awkwardly after being ripped from rage and the other boot is too tight on my broken toe nail.
36. Be More Creative. Think Like Goldilocks
Neil Pavitt is an author, speaker, coach, and teacher. He is a Fast Company contributor as well. Read his work to learn more about writing and creativity. If you like this story, you’ll read every other story he has written.
The unconscious mind plays a very important role in coming up with ideas. But you need to create the right conditions for this to happen. There’s no guarantee ideas will pop up from your unconscious, but it’s like planting a seed; if you plant it in a sunny spot in good soil and give it plenty of water, you’ve given it the best chance to grow.
One of the most common misconceptions is that “creative” people have these “light bulb moments” that just pop into their heads as if from nowhere. But no one has great ideas without thinking about a problem for a long time. It only seems to come out of nowhere because it comes from your unconscious. They never just appear without a lot of hard work.
35. The Real Reasons People Resist Change (But Won’t Tell You)
Jessica Donahue, PHR is a talent management consultant. She is a talented writer. If you have missed her masterpiece, please read it now.
Imagine this — You’ve come up with a brilliant new idea, technology, or way of doing things that has the potential to do tremendous things for the team, the business, and the company.
You jump up and exclaim, “Great news, everyone — I found a better way!” expecting the team to applaud your innovative thinking and rally around you to make your idea a reality.
Instead, you’re greeted with blank stares and variations of, “No.” Why?
“Now’s not a good time.”
“It’s been done before.”
“That’s not the way we do things around here.”
“It’s complicated.”
34. The Currency Of Time
Nikhil Dhawan is a story-listener and a story-teller. Here is an interesting take on receiving notifications. Don’t miss it.
On a recent Fall evening, I was out for a stroll in the crisp weather. The clouds in the sky were scattering, crunchy leaves sprawled the ground, and a distant lake reflected the setting sun’s orange. It was a moment I was content soaking in.
Meanwhile, a friend was walking near me, texting and catching up on his phone. He was actively focusing on his messages, which might have been his only opportunity to do so. My instinct was to understand his situation and why he chose that moment to engage in said activity.
33. How The Right Volunteering Experience Can Change Your Life and Remind You That You’re a Person.
Aaron Nichols is an excellent writer and a teacher. His style is simple, engaging, and he has a message for us — perhaps the most important message of all. Don’t miss this one.
Most of what I know to be true about love and our capacity for change came to me as I stood on a hillside in Thailand, digging a grave for a dog I’d never met.
Do I have your attention? Good. This is a story about hope.
Last year (when things like this were still possible) I took a three-month backpacking trip through southeast Asia. Before we left, a friend and I signed up for Workaway, a fabulous website that can connect you with amazing volunteer experiences across the globe (when pandemics aren’t happening).
32. Why is TikTok is so Addicting?
Kate Cohen writes about life. She is a talented writer and you are going to fall in love with her simple and direct style. If you did not read this, here is your chance.
POV: You downloaded TikTok as a joke and now you are here reading this article about why TikTok is so addictive.
Congrats and welcome to the club!
Before COVID, TikTok just seemed like a Gen Z app with teenagers doing random dances. However, as people are craving escapism from all that is going wrong in the world, many are starting to understand what makes TikTok so unique.
31. Why I Quit Social Media for A Year
Insaf Ali is sharing his personal experience of social media addiction.
From January of 2018 to January of 2019 I quit using social media. Mainly Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. But I was still doing things like watching the occasional YouTube video and using email.
This is a topic that often gets people quite worked up. You have people that demonize social media and applaud anyone who quits. Then you have other people who say that social media is amazing and quitting is stupid, or that you should just use it less.
I’m not trying to convince you that social media is the devil or that everyone should quit. This is just a reflection on my own life about why I quit, what I learned, and how I use social media now.
30. Why Electronic Voting Is Still a Horrible Idea
Matt Stevenson is a superb writer. He is trying to explain why electronic voting might still be a horrible idea.
You’d think by 2020 that electronic voting would be a feasible reality, but this is far from the truth. Here’s why electronic voting is still a horrible idea.
Elections have some very unusual requirements. There are two key features that are almost opposed to each other — anonymity and trust.
29. I Wouldn’t Have Survived My Teenage Years in This Age of Social Media
Daniella Mini wants to help us know ourselves. Her style is simple, direct, and engaging. If you read her story from start to end, you’d want to read all her stories.
In addition, the hormonal and brain changes that come with puberty hit me mighty hard, as they do a lot of people, girls in particular. Add the brace and a strong genetic predisposition for depression and you’ve got yourself a real confused teenager.
I channeled my acute sense of inadequacy by withdrawing and becoming — and I mean this in a descriptive, not negative, way — a shy nerd. I lost my two best friends since the second grade and had no real close peers to talk to, call, or go out with for nearly three years.
28. The Relationship Of Millennials With An Early Midlife Crisis
Kashish Mehta’s style is simple and elegant. His questions are great and he is pointing out why we may be pursuing the wrong objectives in our lives. Please do read this great story.
We spend all the time and effort in the world trying to figure out everything around us but seldom put in half of that effort and time in figuring ourselves out. The lesser time we invest in knowing ourselves, the harder it gets for us to cope with the changing times and their relevance in our lives. Millennials like me fit into this description perfectly.
We compete with everything and everyone around us and make the external environment and its stakeholders our holy grail. In a way, our fire is fueled not by our own innate abilities and desires to grow and get better, but by the accomplishments of those that we know and hear of.
27. Tricks In The Medium Editor You Didn’t Know About
Puck is a curious microbiologist. But in this article, he wants to tell you about Medium Editor’s built-in features. You’ll enjoy reading it.
Sometimes my fingers have their own minds and press different keys than I intend to. So, one time when typing away, in the Medium Editor, this box on the bottom of the page popped up.
Chock full with keyboard shortcuts — a cheat sheet. Who would have known? Well, I am going to spill the beans and tell the world about it.
26. Flee to the Desert
Richard J. Goodrich is an author and a history professor. He is a wonderful writer. Don’t you want to know why sane and sensible people starting living on the rim of the Sahara desert? How could it benefit them? Intrigued? Go ahead and read the story.
In the mid-fourth century, the Roman world witnessed one of the strangest phenomena of its 1,100-year history. Men and women — Christians, who were to all outward appearances sane, sensible, and sober — began to abandon their towns and villages, families and friends, vocations and careers to make their way to the harsh deserts of Egypt. Some settled in newly-established colonies along the Nile river; others chose to live alone, away from the river, in isolated stone cells concealed in the arid wasteland along the eastern rim of the Sahara. Here, living beneath the scorching sun, these men and women devoted themselves to a single-minded search for God.
25. 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.
24. Three Japanese Habits That The World Could Benefit From Right Now
Tom Matsuda is a British-Japanese writer from London. He has been published in OneZero and Human Parts. Don’t miss this interesting take on how Japanese culture saved the people from the pandemic’s impact.
During my year abroad in Japan, I realised how my upbringing as a person of British-Japanese descent imparted onto me certain traits. Previously, I thought that these were my own idiosyncrasies but as time went past I began to see these reflected back to me in Japanese culture. I’ve been back in my birth country of the UK for less than two weeks now and immediately found myself in reverse culture shock.
Whilst Japan and its people are diverse in character and ways of thinking, there are certain habits and ideas that offer guidelines on how to live. Ones that perhaps people raised there aren’t even conscious of.
23. How To Instantly Create Better Content
Jim Woods has published more than 1000 articles on Medium and he writes books. He is not only an excellent writer but also a wonderful human being. To get writing advice — that can help you deal with the initial phase — he is your mentor.
The bar for posting content online is at an all-time low. If you have a phone, you’re posting content. It’s that simple. So how can you create great content that grows your business or builds an audience when EVERYONE is posting content?
It’s not as hard as you think.
22. How Tony Hsieh’s Death Is A Reminder Of How To Build A Great Company And Life
[arlie] PEYTON helps brands to grow — through his writing and SEO skills. Tony Hsieh has left behind remarkable leadership advice. If you haven’t read this story already, do it now.
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.
21. This Is What I Would Do If I Had White Privilege For A Day
Rebecca Stevens A. is a global nomad-Sierra Leone-Switzerland-Canada-Sociologist-Philosopher-Writer-Swimmer-Paraglider-Dog lover-Passionate-Kind-Impatient Optimist-Pro-Democracy-Brave.
She is an extraordinary writer. Follow her. Read her. Wait for her next story.
As a black woman, I’ve often dreamt of what I would do if I had a bit of white privilege for a day.
I would wake up first thing in the morning and take a long jog. I know that no one would eye me suspiciously. I know that the local police that usually patrols my small village in Geneva, Switzerland won’t think I was trying to get away after robbing someone’s house.
I would jog freely without a worry in the world, knowing fully well that no one would ever stop me, or give me “the look” that unequivocally means, “What are you doing here?”
20. The Difference Between Toxic Micromanagers and Leaders
Paul Myers MBA is a top writer in business, leadership, entrepreneurship, startups, and innovation.
He is somebody you should follow if you like to learn about business and leadership. I have selected many of his stories in the Top 10. Do check his other work.
Have you ever worked for a micromanager? If so you know how ineffective it can be, for all. It’s a motivation killer in the long run. A leader, on the other hand, can be an inspiring, a truly educational experience.
The problem with micromanagers is that they don’t trust others. “They’re typically narcissistic, two-faced, egomaniacal and controlling” (Umoh, 2018).
Micromanagers don’t empower followers to make decisions and drown out independence, whereas leaders are all about autonomy.
19. The Left Still Doesn’t Understand Trump’s Appeal
Steve QJ writes about meditation, content creation, and personal development. He is an excellent writer. His commentary is easy to read and engaging. Don’t miss his stories.
A few years ago, I attended a lecture about alternative therapies. The doctor giving the talk spent a lot of time explaining that while many alternative therapies are no more effective than a placebo, many patients are convinced that they work miracles.
The medical community wanted to understand why this was, so they spent years trying to figure out what these practitioners were doing that doctors weren’t. If it wasn’t the treatment that was making the difference, what was?
18. His Secret Girlfriend’s Girlfriend Wrote Me a Letter
Liz Porter is a corporate girl gone solopreneur. She wants to inspire and entertain her readers. Her style is charming, educating, and delightful. Don’t forget to read his other stories as well.
The guests piled in at a mad rate as I scrambled to pull all the last-minute details together.
A wonderful aroma of garlic and fresh bread filled the room, promising a delightful meal.
The caterers were asking me a thousand questions, the DJ was running late, the cupcake tower got set up on the wrong table, and people were asking me, “where’s the man of the hour?”
17. How to Get Unstuck in Your Life
Bill Abbate is a leadership coach and author. He is an excellent writer. His writing style is informative, direct, and engaging. If you like reading this article, follow him and check his other work as well.
What do you do when you find yourself in a situation where you feel stuck in life? You sense there’s something more, something better “out there” somewhere, and you have no idea what it is or how to get there.
Finding the Right Answer
To get the right answer, you must simply ask yourself the right question. Just how you may ask, do I do that? Where do I start?
16. 5 Things I Learned In My First Year + Of Intermittent Fasting
Lynn Dorman, Ph.D.; is a writer and a teacher. You’ll like her writing style.
I started Intermittent Fasting [IF] over a year ago and this is my take on it: me, my body, and my issues. Your results may vary :)
Intermittent Fasting, or as I tell others, “I changed my eating schedule” is a way to schedule eating and not eating times. I almost never tell anyone I am doing Intermittent Fasting as that too often leads to an “I know more about that than you and let me tell you why it’s bad and won’t work” kind of interaction….UGH! I don’t see myself as one who fasts, but rather as one who stops eating at certain times — and those times are subject to change.
15. The Magic Scarf
Tree Langdon is a merchant of dreams. She loves to connect the specific to the universal in poetry and fiction, exploring worldview plots. She is an outstanding writer. Follow her, read her, and wait for her next story.
The phone rang as she fumbled with the key, trying to beat the answering machine. She knew she’d lost the race when she heard her roommate’s voice say “please leave a message” so she slowed down and took her time, listening to the caller.
“Hi, it’s me,” said a familiar deep voice and her heart reacted with a yearning that she thought she’d left behind. It took all her willpower to stay where she was and not run to pick up his call.
14. Have You Encountered a Significant Soul Connection?
Kim Petersen is a bestselling author. She is from Australia and she loves humor and sensual people. If you like this story, do check her other work.
“We think we meet someone with our eyes. But we actually meet them with our soul”― Mimi Novic
The reality of love is that it is difficult to articulate, define, measure, and rationalize. You might be able to feel it once it appears in your life, but you might not necessarily be able to put your feelings into words. Love is very subjective in the sense that the experience can vary from person to person, but the impact it has on our lives is astonishing nonetheless. Especially when meeting those profound souls destined to influence our life journey in a meaningful way. That special person who shows up in your life to blow love right out of the water — a significant soul connection.
13. The Taboo Topic Men Are Afraid to Discuss and Women Don’t Want to Hear
Piper Steele is a Journalist, author, and editor who specializes in money, relationships, food, and health. She is an exceptional writer.
Her breasts were fantastic. Round and perky, these breasts did not belong to someone who had been through two pregnancies and an attempted breastfeeding. They were the breasts of a young, child-free woman.
I sighed. He would love those breasts. I am not a jealous person. I don’t like competing with other women (or anyone, really). And my amazing boyfriend has never given me any reason to question his loyalty or devotion.
But thoughts like these now frequently interrupt my days…as I drop off a package at UPS, pump gas, roam the aisles of Target. I can’t help it. It’s like I’m in a constant state of shock and anxiety, but in slow motion.
12. I Shed 15 Pounds In Four Weeks By Making Simple Changes In My Life
Lindsay Brown is a mother, writer, and user of too many hashtags. She is a splendid writer. You’ll love her style.
Several months ago, my doctor sat me down and told me I had to lose weight. If not, I’d be in for some serious trouble down the road. At the time, I was 5'1 (still am, no amount of diet and exercise will help me grow taller, unfortunately) and weighed 190 pounds. According to my BMI, I was morbidly obese.
To have your doctor tell you you’re morbidly obese, that’s rough. I didn’t feel obese. I play with my kids, walk an average of 5–8 kilometres a day and am generally an active person. I like vegetables — how can I be an unhealthy person? But the numbers weren’t lying.
11. The 6 dating rules that helped me meet my husband — They might not be what you expect
Erin King is a writer and a musician. She is an outstanding writer. If you are not already following her, it is your opportunity to keep track of her future stories.
Many of her stories have reached thousands of views and earned her a reputation for writing well. Do check her other work.
This all took place 15 years ago after I’d recently gotten back on the dating market. I was coming off of a long stretch of being alone. I’d had a bad break-up and vowed not to date again until I figured myself out. It had been about six years since I’d been out there.
My sister, who’d been dabbling in online dating, talked me into joining.
I had a solitary job and was a recent transplant to the area. I hadn’t made many friends yet and wasn’t meeting any men, so why not.
10. The Stages of Sexual Grooming Every Parent Should Know
Toni Tails is a published author. She is an outstanding writer and a wonderful human being. You’ll love her style.
I have experienced grooming as an adult and a child. I am a co-parent to a child who was sexually groomed. I was also sexually groomed as a little girl. There are many misconceptions about sexual grooming. One of the most disheartening responses I see is those blaming the child’s caregiver/s or even the child for the abuse.
Oprah said it best when she told her audience that if a sexual predator is good at grooming, he or she will make the victim think it was all their idea. What she didn’t hit upon is the way a sexual groomer grooms the caregivers as well.
9. Dark Matter and the Dalai Lama
Mac Daniels is an artist/scientist with a penchant for words. It took him a long time to begin to see through his eyes — and longer still to imagine a reason to try.
He is an outstanding writer. His style is frank, informative, and absolutely engaging. Don’t forget to follow him. Read him. Bookmark his stories and wait for his next story.
When I first heard of Dark Matter I thought, this must be a joke … those physicists are at it again, conjuring up more fantastic tales. Turns out, it’s no joke, though it may contain approximately 90% humor.
The Physicist: I had some physics in college, not Physics Major physics, just the run-of-the-mill, chem-major variety. But I always admired the physics guys, and loved talking to them. They would hang out in the lounge next to my physical chemistry class.
They were all philosophers — could’ve been philosophy majors, but they chose physics — because they were interested in the grand scheme of things, what made things tick. They were some of the smartest dudes around. They wanted to know.
8. The Hardest Stoic Spiritual Exercise and Why It’s Crucial for Happiness
Sebastian Purcell, Ph.D., is an excellent writer. He is a philosopher and a happiness researcher as well. Don’t forget to read his stories and don’t forget to follow him.
Zeno, the founder of Stoicism in ancient Greece, is said to have begun his studies in philosophy by tutoring under Crates, a cynic. One of the first things that Zeno learned, as a result, was to practice not being ashamed of things that were not shameful.
To reinforce this lesson, Crates apparently had Zeno walk around with a pot full of lentil soup in public places. When he saw that Zeno was embarrassed and tried to keep the pot out of sight, Crates broke it by striking it with his staff. Zeno ran away, mortified.
7. How to burn fat overnight
Maria Cross is a registered nutritionist, nutrition science writer, specializing in diet and mental health.
Everyone knows that weight loss is about what you eat and what you don’t eat. But there’s another critical element to consider. Losing weight is also about aligning your eating and sleeping habits with your internal biological clock. Find out how to set this clock to maximum fat-burning mode.
Buried deep within your brain is an ancient biological clock, one that functions with extraordinary, near 24-hour precision. Recognising this clock (aka the circadian rhythm) is your weight loss superpower.
6. We’ve Known How to Combat Dementia For Years — We’re Just Not Listening
Kylie Fuller is a student and a researcher. She is an exceptional writer as well. Do check her other work.
When I started working in my first lab researching Alzheimer’s Disease, I was idealistic, determined the field would find a cure for the insidious disease in my lifetime. And I still hope we do. Alzheimer’s runs in my family like it does in many families. But my time working in the field has forced me to realize that we already know how to fend off the debilitating effects of dementia. It’s just not the answer we were looking for.
5. What Kind of Man Turns Down a Willing Woman?
Edward Robson, PhD, is a retired psychologist, wordsmith, and teacher. He is an accomplished writer. His story went viral and it has been viewed more than 80000 times.
You should definitely follow him and really all his work — to learn how he writes.
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?”
4. Democrats Need to Learn from Trump’s Reality TV Presence
Ryan Fan is a believer, special ed teacher, and 2:40 marathon runner. He is an outstanding writer. Follow him, read him, and wait for his next story.
It seems logic-shaking that so many people could still support Donald Trump despite his appalling behavior and outrageousness.
I thought that way back in 2016, and now, I believe it makes complete sense — which is why liberals and Democrats should take Trump very, very seriously as a formidable foe that they did not see in 2016.
I voice this unpopular opinion among my predominantly liberal friends a lot, but Donald Trump is a very smart guy in ways that I can’t put into words. He is extremely manipulative. He knows how to get people’s attention, and then keep their attention, and he has built a cult-like following because of his intelligence.
3. My Good Travel, Bad Sex Story
Britni Pepper has always enjoyed telling stories. About people, places, and pleasures. She is an accomplished writer. Do check her other work if you like this story.
They say that the best travel stories are the ones that go supremely wrong. The train that leaves the station with all your stuff aboard while you get a gelato on the platform. All you have left is a handful of kopecks and a mango ripple cone.
The toxic tummy bug that strikes you down when you have three flights and a complicated transfer — Milan has two international airports, what poor planning! — and you are down to zero clean laundry. Just a pair of flight socks to hold the tide.
2. How I Upgraded My Home Office During The Pandemic
Sinem Günel is an entrepreneur, coach, and dreamer. She writes about personal growth and business. She is an excellent writer. You’ll love her style. If you are not following her already, here is your chance to correct that mistake.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, my partner and I spent a little more than $700 to upgrade our home office.
We’ve already been working from home before the pandemic, so our daily working patterns didn’t change much. Yet, what changed during the lockdown is that we started working much more than we used to.
Due to the travel bans and restrictions on social activities, we decided to make productive use of the time we had to spend at home.
1. Elon Musk’s Rule For Learning Anything Smarter And Faster
At number one, Thomas Oppong is telling us about learning anything in the smartest and fastest way using Elon Musk’s Rule.
I’m a huge fan of self-directed learning — there’s so much you can know and apply that can improve the quality of your life and career.
The information age makes it incredibly easy to access the best knowledge from anywhere in the world — if you know where to look.
Learning is one of the most underleveraged tools.
This post is part of the Top 10 Series:
1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11–12–13–14–15–16–17–18–19–20–21–22–23–24–25–26–27–28–29–30–31–32–33–34–35–36–37–38–39–40–41–42–43–44–45–46–47–48–49–50–51
Final Thoughts
If your story was selected as one of the Top 100, 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.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz has kindly allotted the top 10 series a full shelf on the front page of Illumination-Curated and Illumination:

If you find any mistake, typo, or other error, please leave a private note for correction. Thanks.
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