I’ve been called ‘stupid’ for about a decade — for making trivial mistakes, for being a disappointment, for asking for help — by someone who once cared about me.
And the unimaginable part is, I tried to take it all in. I convinced myself that being told so was a good thing because if anything, it’d be a lesson to not make the same mistake again.
“Brush teeth. Go to work. Come home. Eat dinner. Sleep.
Brush teeth. Go to work. Come home. Eat dinner. Sleep.”These were the words of someone mumbling under his breath as he brushed his teeth in front of the mirror — a mantra he has recited over the years to keep himself sane.
“So what motivates you to put in your greatest effort?”
If I ask this question to people, their response usually revolves around money or passion or people they admire.
For me, it’s this:
“Don’t ever change.” Those were the words written from one seventh-grader to another. As I looked at what my friend had written for me in my yearbook, my heart was filled with a strange sense of warmth. The words, “Don’t ever change,” was short and sweet, but confusing all at the same time.
Whenever people go on a date, they often book the fanciest restaurants, buy tickets for the hottest events and visit the most interesting places for the most exciting experiences. They hope that these kind of experiences will give them a good time and add ‘sparks’ to an otherwise boring date — a way to help set the mood, similar to how alcohol helps people relax.