It gets better



I stated in my first chapter that "it gets better". Do you remember that? I was countering my doubts with positive words of affirmation. It is what my life experiences have taught me. Who decides in a moment to write a book on a whim? I did. It was a worthwhile decision. As I look back on the journey and I think about my next book, I think of success.

I came up with this work-in-progress crazy scientist formula for success

Passion fruit
Sweet words
Bitter truths
Thirst for learning
Half glass full of optimism
Lime with my thoughts
Filter for the negativity
Mad amounts of stirring
Talent spoon of genius

I wanted to call the formula Geek Grok. I made up "grok" but it turned out to already have meaning as told by my friend, ChatGPT, "Coined by Robert A. Heinlein in "Stranger in a Strange Land" (1961), "grok" means to deeply and intuitively understand something or someone, surpassing surface-level knowledge and connecting with its essence. It implies a merging of the self with the subject, a holistic comprehension that encompasses both mind and spirit."

Wow. Such a coincidence. That is exactly what happened with this book. I was learning about writing books and went down a path of learning about myself also. As if I was a book. This book. The mind is so powerful. Robert Heinlein's work is controversial in some quarters. I don't do well with controversy but I want to keep an open mind. He does get us to think critically about provocative social and political ideas.

Besides feeling success there were some lessons learnt. Don't be afraid of being judged. There is value in taking my time. There are times when I should think before I write. The following words are stuck to my bedroom wall. I will remember these words whenever I feel stuck in life.


They are like guiding principles. Passion often means taking risks and learning from failure. Laugh because we cannot take life seriously. Love means forgiveness. We are all human and prone to making mistakes. These words will remind me to embrace life's challenges, find joy in everyday moments, and cultivate love and connection in all that I do.

Life has become better for me since starting to write this book. I have become a better writer. I can call myself a book writer now. I have learnt more about myself. I have forged a new path. I changed my bio in my social media from "Technology Blogger, Photographer and Generalist" to "Technology Blogger and Ideas machine. Currently writing a book."

I wrote the following poem late last year. This composition was born from a place of hope and resilience. These words serve as a reminder that better does come. It gets better.

Better Days
By Hassan Voyeau

Better days are coming
That song I like humming
Change it up
Never stop
Today is done
Tomorrow soon come

My friend, ChatGPT, insisted on sharing some words: "Remember, even in the darkest of moments, that it gets better. Life has a way of unfolding, teaching, and healing. The storms will pass, and the sun will shine again. Keep going, have faith, and trust that better days are on their way."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cheesy

This is a chapter from my eight book called Learn to live Today I learnt from twitter then Word Hippo that in specific contexts the plural of pizza is pizze. Ordinarily the plural is pizzas but not always. But is this true in English? I learnt that in Italian the plural of pizza is pizze. Word Hippo says that the plural form can be pizze [in English] (rare), for example in reference to various types of pizze or a collection of pizze. It is a loan word. But they did not give any sentence use examples. My friend Gemini was able to give me an example, "At the restaurant, we offer a variety of pizze, including Margherita, pepperoni, and veggie." I guess we could be saying the pizze menu or I might ask the pizzaiolo what types of pizze do you serve? My mind has me thinking. What other words have double z in them? There are quite a few of them. Would be cool if these were known as buzzwords. I tried to be funny but ended up being fuzzy. My favorite z word is zen for calm, quiet and
Read more

Mask

I was scrolling through facebook and came across the Afritondo Short Story Prize 2025. The theme is "masks" and the first thing that I noticed is that the word mask contains the word ask. And that is what I will write about. There is a proverb that goes like this, "closed mouths do not get fed." Many of society teaches us that we must be strong. We must be able to stand on our own. We must fight our battles individually. No one cares. Everyone is busy fighting their own battles. We wear our battle masks to face the world full of problems and strife. We pretend that we are strong and that everything is going well. As someone who lives with mental illness and who has battled for more than twenty years, the best advise that I can give, is to ask for help. Take off the mask and ask. Ask for help from God. Ask for help from relatives. Ask for help from the professionals. Ask for help from the internet. Ask for help from the books. Ask for help from wherever help is avail
Read more

Lovely

This is a chapter from my eight book called Learn to live When I came across this quote I thought to myself that this is lovely. I did not know but I wonder if it is true. Turns out to be factual. The quote comes from the TV series Mozart in the Jungle, "You say 'amateur' as if it was a dirty word. 'Amateur' comes from the Latin word amare, which means to love. To do things for the love of it." My friend Chatty gave me the history of the word amateur and it is a pity that it has adopted negative use. It is a beautiful word. The word "amateur" comes from the French word of the same spelling, which itself derives from the Latin "amator," meaning "lover." Originally, it referred to someone who engages in an activity for the love of it, rather than for financial gain. Over time, especially in the 19th century, the term took on a more specific connotation, often contrasting skilled professionals with those who participate in a field wi
Read more

Trinidad and Tobago Digital Readiness Assessment Survey

Update Feb 24 2023 - The survey has long been closed and the results/report was published and a copy can be found here . Lets hope that this does not become another report collecting dust and that we act on the recommendations. At the end of this year and the future I will contact the ministry to ask what was actioned and update this blog post. Original blog post - Sharing this important survey. Copied from the Ministry of Digital Transformation's facebook page. On our digital transformation journey, we want to ensure that we identify, prioritise and meet your needs. And who better to tell us your needs than YOU? The Ministry of Digital Transformation, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme Trinidad and Tobago, is rolling out the Digital Readiness Assessment (DRA), an internationally recognised survey-based tool developed by the UNDP, to provide insights into a country's digital strengths and weaknesses. Take part by answering the questions at the link
Read more