“From Saint-Denis to the world stage: Rugby Sevens lit up the Stade de France during the 2024 Olympics. All images shot on an iPhone 15, capturing the intensity on the pitch and the pulse of the Olympic crowd.”
Camera: iPhone 15
Location: Stade de France – 2024 Summer Olympics, Multiple Men’s Rugby Sevens Matches; Saint-Denis, France
“In a world where everyone has an opinion on every imaginable topic, but very few people have genuine self-awareness, that quality now feels like a rare mineral. True self-awareness is valuable, hard to find, and even harder to refine if you do not cultivate it like copper or silver.”
In a world where everyone has an opinion on every imaginable topic, but very few people have genuine self-awareness, that quality now feels like a rare mineral. True self-awareness is valuable, hard to find, and even harder to refine if you do not cultivate it like copper or silver. At its core, self-awareness is simply understanding your thoughts, emotions, habits, and personal blind spots without flinching or ignoring them. It’s the ability to see yourself honestly instead of through the fog of ego, insecurity, or willful ignorance. That sounds simple, but anyone who’s confronted with their own emotional patterns knows that simple isn’t easy. In terms of personal traits that will serve you well at home, in the workplace, or in public, exercising self-awareness makes a huge difference and is a net positive in one’s life.
Self-awareness is rare today for a few reasons. First, distraction is the default setting of modern life. Between social media, nonstop notifications, and the pressure to perform instead of looking inward about their behavior, most people never slow down long enough to reflect or contemplate who they are or how they act. Secondly, ego protection kicks in for many of us. It’s uncomfortable to recognize that you might be wrong, inconsistent, reactive, or stuck in old habits that drain you or other people. Thirdly, our individualistic culture rewards projection over introspection and putting on an act over being yourself. Being loud, visible, and “on brand” is praised more than being grounded or honest with oneself. The result is a society full of people acting on autopilot, repeating the same behavioral patterns, and wondering why life keeps giving them the same lessons. Introspection is hard to do but it could help get you off an autopilot setting.
When life turns upside down, that’s exactly when self-awareness becomes most valuable. When the world is chaotic, clarity becomes a superpower. The more you understand yourself along with your triggers, your strengths, your weaknesses, your values, the better decisions you will make. You react less to external circumstances and respond more from a place of self-assurance by knowing who you are and what you want to be. Your relationships improve because you’re paying attention to how your behavior affects others. Even your career trajectory changes: self-aware people take feedback well, adapt quickly, and build trust, which quietly but consistently pushes them upward.
The good news for us all in this? Self-awareness isn’t fixed and it’s a muscle you can train. It’s a skill you can cultivate intentionally but you must make a consistent effort to do so successfully. At work, start doing quick “post-project or post-task reviews” for yourself: what went well, what drained you, what you’d do differently, what could be better next time, and how well did you work with others. Ask trusted people for feedback and instead of defending yourself, listen to what they have to say first and what they are genuinely telling you. Notice your stress triggers and learn to pause before reacting, whether it’s in meetings, emails, or elsewhere in your workplace.
I’ve had my own moments at work where I reacted prematurely instead of responding thoughtfully, only to later realize that having self-awareness could’ve saved me a headache. Instead of interrupting, acting abrasive, and preventing a real discussion, think about where they are coming from and why they think of you the way that they do. Focus on the ways that you can improve when they have legitimate critiques and suggestions for improvement in your work performance.
In your personal life, carve out time for your own reflection. Making that kind of effort will pay off tenfold by turning inwards to discover more about your mindset, your thought process, and your personal habits, good or otherwise. Even five minutes of journaling can reveal emotional patterns you never noticed. Try also meditation or silence at the beginning or end of your day and in just ten uninterrupted minutes, it can be surprisingly revealing. Pay attention to your relationships and friendships as well: where you feel energized, where you feel defensive, and where conflicts repeat with the people in your life. Life is too short to be around people who avoid self-awareness. If you are making the effort to be introspective and try to be a better person with self-awareness, you should gravitate to those people in your life who are making that effort too, friends, family or acquaintances especially.
Ultimately, self-awareness isn’t about perfection; it’s about alignment with who you are and how others see you. The more honest you are with yourself, the easier it becomes to make choices that fit the life you want. Know yourself deeply. Pause often for self-reflection. The world will stop dictating your path and you finally begin choosing it.
“Standing inside Parc des Princes during the 2024 Summer Olympics felt like being plugged directly into the heartbeat of world football. Spain vs. Uzbekistan wasn’t just a match, it was a collision of styles, chants, and raw Olympic energy bouncing off the old Parisian stands.”
Camera: iPhone 15
Location: Parc des Princes – 2024 Summer Olympics, Spain vs. Uzbekistan; Paris, France
“What I enjoyed about ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ (directed by Scott Cooper) is that for a biographical film, it really does dive into the effects of fame, expectations, struggling with one’s past, and reconciling it with a future very much unlike where you once came from.”
Everyone knows who Bruce Springsteen is by now, the Rock superstar and legend who has produced over twenty studio albums, won dozens of awards, and sold out shows over many decades. He is the extrovert’s extrovert on the stage producing marathon 3 ½ – 4 hour live shows with the powerful energy and stamina of a man half or one third of his age (Springsteen is 76 as of this writing). What I enjoyed about ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ (directed by Scott Cooper) is that for a biographical film, it really does dive into the effects of fame, expectations, struggling with one’s past, and reconciling it with a future very much unlike where you once came from.
‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’, the film has excellent source material in the book of the same name mostly due to interviews with the man (i.e. Springsteen) himself in the book, previously released in 2023 by author Warren Zanes. I highly recommend reading the book before seeing the movie to get a fuller picture of how Springsteen’s unlikely first solo album came to be in 1982. While the movie takes some time away for some side plots not related to the album’s making, it does do justice to how ‘Nebraska’ came to be and how it almost got completely derailed. The romantic subplot, while competently acted, feels tacked on and somewhat distracting from the core narrative. I found myself wishing the film had dedicated more screen time to the mechanics and mindset behind Nebraska’s creation as the book had done that it is based on; its stark originality is one of the most fascinating aspects of Springsteen’s career, and the film sometimes glides past that too quickly and not deeply enough.
Commercial success puts a lot of pressure on any musician and even Bruce Springsteen was exhausted both mentally and physically from ‘The River’ tour with his first taste of super stardom. It’s hard to top that kind of album so his decision after the tour to seek some peace and quiet at a rental home in Colts Neck, New Jersey seems like a good step to get the writing process started again. In the film, Bruce seems introverted almost to a fault when he gets off stage, must sit by himself to have some quiet and enjoy the peace of his dry towel hanging over his head.
While he responds warmly to fans and to his love interest especially during his guest set at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, you still sense he’s caught between who he was and who fame is forcing him to become. I enjoyed how the film shows that he is battling himself at times in terms of what direction to take his life on top of his unresolved issues of his past highlighted by his turbulent relationship with his father (played by the great Stephen Graham). Even when you’re popular and famous for your music, sometimes anyone would want to do, including Bruce, is to isolate oneself for a while and be somewhere where you aren’t recognized or don’t want to be recognized. Bruce wants to focus on his musical range and channel his creativity away from the record executives’ wants, away from the band, and perhaps away from everyone.
Jeremy Allen White nails the role, embodying Springsteen’s physical stillness, haunted expressions, and the restless mind of a young artist wrestling with ideas he doesn’t yet fully understand. Being able to master guitar playing, the singing, the panic of not knowing who he is at times and searching for lyrics and the meaning behind them are tall tasks for any actor to convince an audience of and Jeremy nails it throughout the film. White’s performance works because he understands Springsteen not just physically but emotionally: a rising star caught between inspiration and uncertainty, trying to decode the meaning of his own lyrics as he writes them.
Coming up with an album different than anything you’ve ever done before takes time, effort, and introspection, which helps Bruce to look for movies, books, and stories that help create the theme for what Nebraska becomes. While Bruce and the E Street Band are shown in the film as a tight band, hitting on all cylinders, and creating great music for their own album, Bruce feels passionately about making something of his own and letting it not be changed or influenced beyond what he put together in an upstairs bedroom of his rental house on a simple four track cassette. Even in the early 1980s, technology could have given Nebraska a cleaner, more polished sound. But Springsteen refused to smooth out the edges. He believed the atmosphere, imperfections, and claustrophobic intimacy of the demos were the very thing that made the album special.
In both the book and the recent film, Springsteen is not afraid of Nebraska failing or his other music not being well received. Rather, he is afraid of how not to crack up from what is haunting him internally. Money, fame, and a bright future do not make him whole, and being able to carve out your own identity, deal with your past wisely, and find a way to deal with depression in a healthy manner takes time, support, and sometimes admitting when you need to seek help.
Luckily, Bruce has a loyal manager, Jon Landau (played by Jeremy Strong) who is more than looking out for making money off the next hit Springsteen album. He shows that he cares for Bruce as a person and more importantly as a dear friend and wants what’s best for him, even if Nebraska is not the album he would have hoped to promote or the kind of musical direction, he wants from Bruce either. Landau wants Bruce to find inner peace and happiness more than just fame, success, and wealth, which not every manager wants for their star.
Bruce, like the characters in Nebraska, are imperfect people in an imperfect world, and even if the stories are ghostly, gruesome, or unpolished, like the album, they must be told and given room to breathe. Even from great solitude and from introversion, Bruce’s personal struggle in that time led to one of his best albums and is still being covered and listened to over forty years later. Nebraska wasn’t built for radio or for Top 10 charts, even if it did outperform expectations, but it was built for truth and showed the underbelly of hard lives and harder circumstances. Bruce’s childhood and dealing with his past are covered in the film and you get the sense that there would be no Nebraska if the artist hadn’t any struggles in life or not been tested by family or by fame or by his search for the next song.
‘Deliver Me from Nowhere’ isn’t just a book or a film. It’s a reminder that even legends hit that crossroads where success, identity, and truth collide. It’s a thoughtful, beautifully acted portrait of an artist wrestling with his past to shape his future. For Springsteen fans, it adds new insight into one of his most daring albums; for newcomers, it’s an unforgettable introduction to the man behind the myth. Nebraska was never meant for radio or music videos; it was meant for honesty and truth-telling. More than forty years later after this album first came out, that honesty still cuts through all the noise.
“The Albert-Kahn Museum and Garden is one of Paris’ most photogenic escapes. This peaceful oasis blends Japanese gardens, French rose alleys, and English-style lawns, creating a living reflection of Albert Kahn’s vision of global harmony through nature and photography.”
Camera: iPhone 15
Location: Albert-Kahn Museum and Garden; Paris, France
“Invasive, resilient, and growing back sometimes stronger if not pulled out or removed completely, corruption is a weed that is not easily removed from society. Corruption has occurred throughout human systems at different levels throughout history since the dawn of mankind.”
Invasive, resilient, and growing back sometimes stronger if not pulled out or removed completely, corruption is a weed that is not easily removed from society. Corruption has occurred throughout human systems at different levels throughout history since the dawn of mankind. It’s a recurring feature that comes up across the world with examples ranging from post-Soviet oligarchies to Latin American caudillismo to modern lobbying culture without imposed limits or oversight mechanisms.
Corruption has different forms that emerge depending on the permissiveness of both the individual culture and its society. While corruption can’t be permanently eradicated, it must be confronted and diminished as much as possible by both citizens and leaders. A mature society recognizes the existential risk involved in how corruption can permeate a community, a society, a government, and how it must be pruned as much as possible with legal and rule-based consequences.
In my definition of corruption, it’s more than just outright bribery, grift, or stealing, it’s systematic decay in the forms it can take such as persistent favoritism, nepotism, cronyism, apathy, and moral erosion when there are no consequences for breaking the law or not obeying the rules of society. There are psychological roots involved in how corruption first gets planted as a root when greed, survival instinct, permissiveness from the society, and peer pressure takes hold since “everyone else is doing it” and “there won’t be any consequences for me” for flouting the rules or laws on the books that are supposed to stop it. There is fertile soil in any society for corruption to grow and spread as a ‘weed’ when institutions are weak, unresponsive, or don’t push back, transparency is low or non-existent, and accountability is rare for leaders and citizens.
Some examples of corruption digging in are when local or national officials enrich themselves from public projects or are enriched personally from private or backroom deals. They are involved personally in these same deals when they hold public office and do not separate their public role from their private life, which causes obvious conflict of interest issues. In the corporate world, when lobbying is not curtailed or regulated where it turns into legalized bribery. Unlimited money from a company given to a politician or a community leader to influence their decision-making is corrupt in nature, especially when this kind of ‘donation’ is not disclosed to the public. This kind of pervasiveness can spread to everyday life where the average citizen sees that those in power or who have wealth are getting away with the corruption and are not being held accountable. Possibly, you can see certain citizens cutting corners, committing nepotism, or looking the other way in response instead of pushing back and calling for accountability.
There need to be constant ‘gardeners’ on watch who need to get their hands involved to weed out the corruption in their society. Whether it’s civil society actors like journalists, whistleblowers, or reformers, they have a role to play especially when leaders or public officials do not hold themselves accountable. Backlash, burnout, and even threats to their lives are constant risks for these ‘gardeners’ but in a corrupt society, their role becomes increasingly important specifically when dismantling civil society becomes one of the goals of corrupt leadership. However, if society keeps rewarding or ignoring corruption taking place and the soil for it is fertile, then there is only so much that whistleblowers or journalists can do to stem the tide of corruption. The best the ‘gardeners’ can do is bring the corruption to light and to release the papers, reports, and evidence so that the public, likely unknown to them, just what is being done behind closed doors.
Sometimes, corruption is not limited to one leader but rather they can spawn a cascading effect as once it takes place with one central leader, his or her influence within a cabinet, an agency, or an entire government leads to the ‘hydra effect’ where it’s becomes beyond just one person and is institutionalized. Corruption becomes more than just a one-off event or about one leader, it becomes part of the culture itself, and this is when it becomes hardest to bring to light or to remove it easily from the wider society. Societies sometimes are complicit in their comfort with the level of corruption they are willing to tolerate and prefer the “devil they know” to how the system could be possibly change for the better. When you think of some examples here, the Italian mafia interlaced with the politics of the country post-WWII, when you hear of past political leaders in Colombia or Mexico who had known ties to drug gangs and cartels, or when lobbying becomes a revolving door between government and industry in the United States, that’s when it becomes embedded in the institutions themselves and is hard to remove like a cancer.
Technology can both help and hinder corruption as a double-edged sword depending on how it is used by the individual and the institution. It can either lead to more transparency by sharing instances of corruption more widely with citizens and being able to gather evidence to share with more reporting outlets. It can also lead to more digital forms of corruption that are becoming common like crypto scams, online pyramid schemes, and surveillance tools used against whistleblowers and activists. Also, illicit money including use of bogus cryptocurrencies can move faster and be dispersed faster than laws and regulations on the book can track or pinpoint the money laundering origin. Corrupt actors will also use online sources of information to promote disinformation, attack opponents with false information, or flood the zone with different orders and actions that could be considered corrupt, but for which takes time to track, to respond to, and to bring a case against in a court of law.
Nations can still control or minimize corruption through using their institutions’ digital systems in the modern age to counteract the growth of corruption because of the cyber world with their own digital tools. Whether its transparency laws on the books, or secure data regulations (the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), these institutional tools recently developed can help assist in the fight against corruption online. Strengthening an independent judiciary or legislative body is also key to push back against overreach by executive power.
Legislating for stronger whistleblower protections as well as removing threats against civil society are other ways to stem the tide of corrupt actors from lashing out against accountability measures. Another key component that relates to preventing corruption from reaching the average citizen is encouraging more civic education about how to prevent or remove it from society by focusing on trust-building within different communities including having town halls, open hearing and sessions by government officials, and encouraging public input on referendums, propositions, and leadership matters such as term limits for politicians. It’s no secret that more developed nations in Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway), Singapore, and in Oceania (Australia, New Zealand) have strict enforcement measures against corruption. In these countries, there is high trust in institutions, transparency in government actions, and social shame for citizens who engage in corruption or encourage corrupt behaviors.
The roots of corruption are there in each one of us and it’s not just out there as a distant term that applies to only the rich and powerful who are affected by its presence. How we conduct ourselves and how we relate to others has a direct impact on the kind of society you live in. When small personal compromises like lying, favoritism, or abuse of power take root, they spread throughout society little by little. “Weed management starts in your own garden” so if you want to fight corruption, hold yourself to a high standard and don’t engage at all with those people you may encounter in life who have acted corruptly or encourage it in your society.
The fight against corruption is also about the fight against one’s ego or greed or appetite for power or influence. Corruption, while it can’t be 100% eradicated, it can be minimized and kept under tight controls with constant vigilance by both the individual and the institution. It’s not just “liberty that requires our constant vigilance” as abolitionist Wendell Phillips once wrote in 1952 but also about maintaining our integrity and preventing others from falling into corrupt practices. Societies that understand the existential threat of corruption and how endless yet necessary the work of ‘weeding’ it out will be are the ones that will prosper, be just, and keep the weeds at bay.
“My first visit to the Pantheon – one of France’s most cherished monuments and a mausoleum for some of their most cherished cultural and political figures. You can’t forget the famous Foucault’s Pendulum as well, a centerpiece of this Pantheon.”
Camera: iPhone 15
Location: The Pantheon; Paris, France
“There’s a saying that’s been repeated so often it’s lost its bite these days: “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” However, what most people forget is the full quote: “…but oftentimes better than a master of one.” That second half hits home for me as someone who likes to consider myself a man of many interests and likes.”
There’s a saying that’s been repeated so often it’s lost its bite these days: “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” However, what most people forget is the full quote: “…but oftentimes better than a master of one.” That second half hits home for me as someone who likes to consider myself a man of many interests and likes. I’ve been a jack of all trades most of my life, by design, and not by accident. I’ve always had too many interests to narrow myself into one lane, from teaching English and managing international projects to running side businesses, writing, and exploring new skills like photography and video creation. In 2025, this flexibility isn’t a flaw but rather its survival and adaptation in an ever-changing and acceleratingly fast world.
Let’s be real here too: the world doesn’t reward loyalty to one craft the way it used to in my parents or grandparents’ generations. The days when someone could spend thirty years perfecting a single skill at one company and retire with a gold watch are long gone. Industries move at the speed of AI updates and quarterly market shifts. The specialist like the surgeon, the dentist, the coder, the data scientist still has immense value, of course, and they should be commended for their craft and their dedication to their field.
Those are the people who go deep rather than wide, mastering one corner of a field to the point where they can innovate within it and do so for decades luckily. However, the specialist also lives or dies by their niche or calling. When that niche collapses, loses favor in terms of employability, or evolves faster than they can adapt to the changes to the industry, their expertise in one area can quickly become a liability.
On the other hand, generalists or ‘jack of all trade’s types, people like me, tend to thrive when change is the only constant in life. We’re used to juggling multiple domains, learning on the fly, and connecting dots others don’t even see or don’t wish to see. When AI starts writing code or generating content faster than humanly possible, the jack of all trades doesn’t panic; they pivot to adapt to that change and to see how they can go with the flow. They find new intersections where creativity, management, and soft skills still matter in a world that is increasingly tech-first, question later. In 2025, the ability to synthesize ideas across fields like education, technology, business, culture is arguably more valuable than mastery of just one skillset.
Still though, let’s not sugarcoat it: being a generalist or ‘jack of all trades’ comes with tradeoffs. You’re rarely the “go-to” expert in the room. You may not command the highest salary, or you may constantly feel spread thin, working to keep up with several evolving interests instead of going all-in on one interest. There’s a sense of restlessness built into the generalist’s DNA. However, that same restlessness is what keeps us generalist types adaptable and flexible. We’re built for the gig economy, the hybrid or remote workplace, the new industries, and the unpredictable career paths that define this modern era.
Specialists, for their part, enjoy a kind of depth that the generalists envy. They can focus, dig deep, and master a single language, whether that’s the language of law, medicine, finance, or engineering. Their work can bring a deep sense of purpose and respect that comes from being the person that people rely on when things get complex or challenging. Specialization can be a trap too though as it can make you resistant to change, or worse, blind to possible opportunities outside your comfort zone. The moment your expertise or your sole skillset is no longer in demand, your value can plummet unless you reinvent yourself and to do so quickly.
The reality is that 2025 doesn’t belong exclusively to either camp of ‘generalists’ or ‘specialists’. It belongs to the hybrids instead, who the ones who know enough across different professional disciplines to connect the dots and have enough depth in one or two areas to back it up with credibility and experience. The future as I see it will reward those people who can learn fast, adapt faster, and translate knowledge across industries.
Also, if you know how to communicate well, can solve problems, and meet deadlines consistently, you will always be in demand in my view to work for a company, organization, or other professional body. Whether you’re a generalist who’s learning to specialize or a specialist learning to broaden your scope beyond your field, the key remains the same as you should stay curious, stay humble, and never stop evolving.
Yes, I’m a jack of all trades and I don’t see that changing anytime soon in my own life. If anything, I’ve learned to wear it as armor in a world that’s constantly trying to box people into a corner. I’ve been told I should “pick a lane,” specialize, and double down on one thing alone but that’s never been me or my personality. My curiosity doesn’t fit neatly into a job title or a sole industry. I like moving between worlds, connecting people and ideas that weren’t supposed to meet in the first place.
I’ve realized that being a generalist isn’t about doing everything halfway; it’s about mastering having adaptability itself. It’s about knowing enough across fields to spot the patterns others miss and having the guts to reinvent yourself when the winds change direction. Specialists might thrive when the road is straight and predictable, but I thrive when the map is being redrawn in real time. So no, I don’t apologize for my curiosity or for the eclectic path I’ve taken in life so far. Being a jack of all trades in 2025 isn’t a weakness, rather, it’s an operating system for the modern world. In a time when rigidity gets punished and reinvention gets rewarded; versatility isn’t just a skill; it’s a survival strategy to get by. Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
After nine years since my last trip to Paris, I returned in the Summer of 2024 to enjoy some sights like Musee d’Orsay but also for the Summer Olympics!
Camera: iPhone 15
Location: Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France
“Just like keeping a clean house or organizing your closet is what helped American homeowners create joy in their home lives, I fully believe Kondo’s asking of “does it spark joy?” can be reframed for our friendships, relationships, and our hobbies.”
I’ll be honest in that I never really watched Marie Kondo’s famous show, “Tidying Up”, and while I do respect her commitment to reducing clutter and helping hoarders get rid of their extra junk, I am going to focus more on who or what sparks joy for you beyond just household items. Just like keeping a clean house or organizing your closet is what helped American homeowners create joy in their home lives, I fully believe Kondo’s asking of “does it spark joy?” can be reframed for our friendships, relationships, and our hobbies.
You should never want to exert too much effort into someone or something that doesn’t provide ‘joy’ or at least ‘contentedness’ and while ‘joy’ like any feeling is ephemeral, we should work to maximize the ‘joy’ we feel in life. If you are not getting that ‘joy’ at all from that relationship, that friend, or that job, you got to do some soul searching to see if it’s worth the effort involved to keep it going. You can’t choose your family, your coworkers, or even where you live at times so instead of finding ‘joy’ only there, find those things and people that are voluntarily in your life and where you can better evaluate if they are worth your time.
If you find you are spending your limited time with people who are as dull as dishwater or are even putting you down, you need to cast them aside like old clothes that Marie Kondo would want you to discard from your closet. Now, this does not mean being mean, cutting off contact without a reason, or just straight up ending on bad terms, it’s rather about letting them know that the relationship, the friendship, or the hobby you’re doing isn’t worth the effort anymore. Very few things in life are permanent and if it does not spark any kind of joy for you, you should not keep pursuing it to no fulfilling end.
Instead, I believe it is key to find those people or those activities that continue to give you some joy or happiness. I would classify it as giving you a ‘real shot of life’ and making you feel more alive. It’s not an easy thing to be conscientious of but you’ll often know when someone or something is breathing life into you rather than leaving you drained of it.
Not everything or everyone you interact with in life will give you that ‘spark of joy’ or a ‘shot of life’ but your job is to work hard in those interactions that you do control such as a friendship or a relationship to choose wisely and to do so discerningly. Your boss or your tax attorney is rarely going to spark that ‘joy’ but you’re going to have to interact with them regardless because it’s necessary in life. What you can do instead in your free time is to maximize ‘joy’, ‘happiness’ or just ‘fulfillment’ with people, places, and hobbies that make you feel most alive.
It really is a rare thing in our technologically driven, profit maximizing, socially shallow, and standardized daily routine to find those people who leave a big impression on you, but you got to put yourself out there to receive those kinds of connections. Build a life around trying to find interesting people who inspire you, who make you laugh, who you want to learn from, who you enjoy being around, and for you to be the same to them.
Life is too short to be around ‘joyless’ people who you could choose not to be around instead and to commit yourself to prioritizing those people who make you happy or joyful because of how they make you feel. The same can be said of those activities, hobbies, or interests that brighten your day and that you can look forward to. Routine in adulthood is monotonous, contrite, and not joyful, but you can still find those moments, those hobbies, and those people who make your life that much richer and more colorful.
At the end of the day, Marie Kondo had it right. Joy should be the filter through which we decide what stays and what goes in our life. The difference is that life’s clutter isn’t just found in closets or drawers of hoarders whose houses are too full; rather, it’s in the people we chase, the jobs we keep, and the habits we cling to long after they’ve stopped serving us. Maybe the real act of tidying up isn’t just folding shirts; it’s clearing out the emotional junk that keeps us from feeling alive and fulfilled. When you ask yourself what sparks joy as Marie Kondo does to her clients, don’t stop at your wardrobe or your closet. Ask it instead about your world, your personal life, your hobbies and don’t be afraid to get rid of the extra clutter.
