You're stuck in a filthy cycle of frustration.
A never-ending series of ups and downs. Highs and lows.

Every time you think you're getting ahead, making progress in the right direction, a new challenge creeps up on you from behind and throws a spanner in the works.

Work obligations. Personal responsibilities. Friends and family too.

Mix them all together, like some sort of avant-garde recipe, and what do you get? An attack on your productivity.

You can spend days, weeks, even months cultivating a routine.
Building on your consistency, gaining traction as you pursue your hopes and dreams.

Then, in…

Picture the scene;

It’s a quiet summer afternoon. Let’s say a Saturday. You’ve got the house to yourself; no friends or family or housemates hanging around as a distraction. It’s just you, your thoughts, and a crisp blank white screen.

Outside the birds are chirping but inside, excitement runs through your veins.

Why?

Because you have an idea for a spectacular piece in mind. A topic that’s gonna stand out from the crowd, blow some minds and get the people going!

Your fingertips glide over the keyboard and hairs on the back of your neck stand on end as you…

Here we go again.

It’s a brand-new month, a clean slate, and another chance to revise your goals for the near future.

A Recap of May

Last month was an exciting time for some Medium members with the unexpected $500 bonus, but for others, well, it was a month of frustration.

For me, it was a period of quiet contentment as I landed smack bang in the middle of the happy/frustrated spectrum— I never received the bonus but I’m pleased, for the most part, with how my Medium progress went over the past few weeks.

I kept my goals for May short, sweet, and…

I've been doing some sort of martial arts/self-defence training since around the age of 13 - mainly boxing, Krav Maga & now Muay Thai.

Those few hours per week at the gym training are the best. You could be having the shittest day, week or month but as soon as you step foot in the gym and start your training all those worries fade away plus, almost always you leave the gym feeling ten times better than you went in.

Martial arts training not only benefits your physical health but also does wonders for your mental wellbeing.

Thanks for sharing this post, Tom and good luck for the rest of 2021.

P.S - I love how you take note of the Jiu-Jitsu techniques and how they are performed. No doubt this has been a huge aid in helping you progress.

Cycles of dread haunt you throughout the day. At times, you can almost feel the apprehension coursing through your veins.

“Why do you sign yourself up for these things? You already know the novelty wears off after just a few days. But here you are again, stuck in the same old predicament as before.”

With each tick of the clock the inevitable approaches. Eugh!

You don’t want to but you know you should. It’s in your best interest, ‘apparently’, and once you get done you know you’ll feel much better for it.

But goddamn you just don’t wanna go.

Time To Switch Things Up

Hitting…

In a world full of niceties, walking on eggshells, tiptoeing around people’s feelings and doing your best not to get cancelled, it’s easy for that aggressive drive needed to succeed to get lost.

Success Leaves Clues

Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Richard Branson. They all have one thing in common. Each of them is ruthless when it comes to achieving their goals.

There’s no pussyfooting around, no hesitation, they set their targets and get after it. Allowing nothing to stand in their way. Not friends nor families nor relationships. Nothing! …

Burnout. Stress. Fatigue. Call it what you want but the fact of the matter is it exists and it hits some people harder than others. Luckily though there is a simple solution to counteract such feelings of lethargy. Rest.

But, is there such a thing as too much rest? Can kicking back with your feet up for too long actually prove to be a hindrance rather than a help to your progress?

I took part in an unplanned experiment to find out.

Caught in The Comfort Trap

We’ve all done it.

After experiencing a wave of burnout, decided it would be wise to take some…

Your writing will never be perfect. The time will never be right. But all too often we allow the myth of perfectionism to hold us back from taking action.

Hit The Damn Button

When it comes to your writing no one really cares how precise or perfect it is as long as the message is clear and it provides some sort of value to the reader.

You could spend hours, even days mulling over a five-hundred-word piece (a three-minute read) only for:

1. Nobody to read it, or,
2. Nobody to remember it.

All that stress, anger and rewriting basically for nothing. It’s not worth it.