THE SECRET OF THE STEERING WHEEL EFFECT One More Way to Never Run Out of Ideas and Write Happily Ever After Open the inspiration portal to write with passion and find joy in the writing process When I’ve started writing on Medium, a big part of my reading here was dedicated to “How to” articles. Some about the writing process, but many about shortcuts. How to make money fast (in my defense, the pandemic left me without a job…

I give voices to stories to live by — I choose the pen-name Story Taller because it best reflects my philosophy. And emphasizes the place stories have in our lives. We do not live in an objective world, we live in a multilayered story. My name is Ana and I am a Romanian. I live in Portugal since 2016…

Awesome strategy for confidence — After joining Medium, it took me a month to find the courage to publish. Even the thought of writing was too much for me. My heart was racing. I was projecting a future of mean comments, and my hands were getting sweaty. “When in doubt, go to the library” is…

The victim-blaming trap and its disturbing effects — There was a period of time when it took a force of will for me to not look at every man I met as a possible abuser and every woman as a possible victim. This is not the way one wants to walk through life. I knew that. I know that…

Here is a strategy I believe it will work — I love a good challenge. Raising the bar each time I reach a goal makes my life more interesting, regardless of whether I achieve the goal or not. The journey is the reward. So, when I read Mike Lewis` post “Do You Want to Make $1,000 a Month Writing on…

I don’t like dogs. I am overwhelmed by their perfect-victim glance. I don’t like dogs. I am overwhelmed by their perfect-victim glance. In their eyes I see the same memory over and over again: us sitting at the table, father having a full glass in front of him. …

Conflicts are not the problem, they are the symptoms. It is worth unwrapping the hidden gift they bring. Have you ever been in a conflict so profound that it initiated a perspective shift? Long after everything was said and done, you are still replaying what happened, trying to make sense…

The Upper Limit Problem: what it is and how to overcome it — Are you suspicious about the books or methods that claim that there is just one problem? Me too. I don't believe in one-solution-fitts-all-approach. Except when Guy Hendriks's book, “The Big Leap” told me the same thing: “There is ONE PROBLEM that holds me back” and I BELIEVED it. Why? Because…

Why it pays to be a little less logical — “The conscious rational brain isn’t the Oval Office. It’s the press office issuing explanations for actions we’ve already taken” My grandmother was a healer. Luckily, she was living in gentler times, when even the priest in her village was willing to support her: “Ioană, this is your gift from God, he…