I am most excited to announce you I have decided to invest in this blog and our community. As far as I can remember, I have always liked writing, considering the logical follow-up to reading. As this blog is growing, I find it more and more enriching and rewarding to write. Sharing my work every day, or even every week, has been a life-changer and I thank you again for giving me this opportunity.
Changed Theme
The first change my blog has gone through is a change of theme. I switched from Brompton to Canard and I admit this theme fits my needs much more. First of all, it is aesthetically more pleasing to look at and, second of all, it makes my content more accessible, more visible. Do you like this change of scenery ? Drop a like if you do, or tell me in the comments if you liked it better before (so that we can agree to disagree LOL)
Changed Plan
As I wasn't happy with several things the free plan went with, I decided to upgrade to WordPresspremium plan. I wanted this site to look more professional, and that started with getting more options and features in terms of customization. I also wasn't satisfied with WordPress ads. To wrap it all up, I just felt too limited.
Changed DomainName
Thanks to the decision I mentioned up above regarding my plan, I now have a custom domain name (madlibrarian.xyz). With a bit more work, I hope Google can find me more easily than before.
I did have some doubts regarding this domain name, as I am familiar with some services such as epik which are far less expensive than WordPress, but switching plan erased my doubts. If you still are enjoying the free plan however, I recommend https://www.epik.com/ If you only wish to change your domain name, it's probably your best bet.
Added About page
I also published an about page yesterday. There may still be a bunch of things to tweak but, overall, I'm satisfied with the way it looks. I see this page as a possibility for you to know some more about me and, if you should desire to, contact me.
Have you checked it out ? What do you think about it ?
Collaborating ?
I'm not sure a blog post is the best place for this but I've been thinking about collaborating with fellow bloggers for some time (such as you reading this post). It'd allow me to learn more about the blogging community and (this I'm sure) grow 2 communities at the same time. 2 birds with one stone, right ?
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If you want to read more from me, feel free to subscribe. I always remain curious to read your opinion in the comment section (there's a lot to discuss with that change, right ?) but a like would make my day just as well :D
Time. Such a great frightening beast... Despite the fact that it is nothing but an illusion, it rules over us, lives with(in) all of us, destroys us one millisecond at a time. It would be so easy to give in to it, to keep pretending nothing can be done. But the fight is not over. No! There is still time to fight on and stop wasting the most valuable resource of all! There is still time to value your life like your value money! There is still time to open your eyes, every day, and live your best life!
Make the time
Let me repeat myself : time is an illusion. It does not exist and, thus, should not be governing us. Who decided 12 months in a year made more sense than twenty, anyway ? Ahem... I'm getting ahead of myself. What I truly mean is, time is extremely flexible because it is unreal. Which also means, we are free to organize it as we please.
Let me ask you a quick question :
Do you want to do something about this ? For real ? You sure ? Then do something about it ! Stop procrastinating and make time in your day to actually do it. Be in control !
A Personal Story
When I was in Oxford studying hard to get my CELTA certificate, I was living with a man whose name I will not write down. He was older than me and, in countless ways, much wiser. He gave me great advice regarding my wellness when my only preoccupation was my efficiency. I would get up at 5 a.m every day and fall asleep around 10.30 p.m-11 p.m and he noticed how hard I was working.
Every day, he would tell me to take some time for myself and not forget to take a few hours off when the weekend came. I listened to his advice. Not that I had a lot of time to chill during the week but I would take 3 to 4 hours off on Saturdays and Sundays.
3 to 4 hours off ? ISN't IT A LOT ? It is. And how did I do it ? I organized myself. I made time. I would get up extra early, work as hard as possible in the morning, when my brain was fresh and reactive, and then get out around 1 or 2 p.m to have lunch with a friend. I am not saying you should organize yourself the same way I did, but find something which works for you. It will make you much happier (if you aren't already doing it).
I learned a lot from that experience. My host asked me once if I had gone out to relax. That day is the last time I said "I don't have the time", because he answered : "No, you didn't make the time" and something clicked inside of me. We ALWAYS have the time, whether we are aware of it or not. The question then is : do you want to take it ? Do you want to organize yourself differently so that you can do this one thing ?
Small is better than none (Sorry, it doesn't rhyme)
If you do something 10 minutes a day, you'll move much faster than if you do it zero minute a day. True story. Now, would you dare say you don't have 10 minutes to dedicate to yourself in a day ? If your answer is no, I am sorry for you.
In 10 minutes, you can meditate, you can learn a foreign language, you can stop and listen to the wind...
Stop making excuses & be honest with yourself
Perhaps you don't want to take the time to learn a foreign language and would rather spend that time doing some other activity.
If you are honest about your goals, you won't feel guilty anymore. If you say to people you have been dreaming about learning to play the guitar for so many years and you have never done it, chances are you don't really want to learn to play it.
I am not saying you should take 5 hours every day to do whatever you like. We don't all have that luxury. I am saying you should turn your mindset around and stop lying to yourself. There is time. But it's not about time, really. It's about you. It's about your volition. About your desire to be honest with yourself.
If someone asks you "do you have the time for this ?", you should really understand this question this way : "DoI want to do this ?"
It's All About Being Organized
Organization, self-discipline... these words aren't fun, I know. They can really change your life though. What if they became your friends ? What if they could be fun ? I intend to make a longer article on that topic, so I won't say too much here. I encourage you however, to begin thinking of a way to organize yourself, a way to make time for what truly matters for you.
Perhaps you can take your eyes off your smartphone, put it back in your bag and open a book. All of a sudden, you can read in the bus, in the train, during a flight...
You don't have time for an extra-curricular activity and would like to meet new people ? Just take the earphones off for a second, and become available to meet others.
Small things... Aren't they just the best ?
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I hope this article can be of some use to you. If you know someone who needs a push or isn't very organized, it may give them some motivation. Feel free to share it with them (or not), and do the usual liking, commenting and subscribing (if I am worth your time).
I have yet another announcement to make today. I have been thinking about committing more time to this blog for a few weeks and I have finally decided to do it. As I am a fervent believer in small steps, I have decided to first be more involved this week.
My challenge will simply be to publish one post a day for every week day. Some may call it a tiny step, rather than a small one, but everyone needs to begin somewhere and move forward at their own pace.
Not so small after all
If I were comparing myself to other bloggers who have a much broader audience than me, it would probably be a laughable challenge. I am not, however, and I encourage every one writing online or just publishing content to stop comparing themselves to others. That's not a healthy way of living. No, a good way of bettering oneself is to compare yourself to yourself.
Don't you find it ridiculous to compare yourself to others anyway ? Wouldn't you find it ridiculous if the student sitting next to you in the classroom was copying the content of the student next to him when they actually aren't taking the same exam ? I would. All our lives might be similar in some ways, but we still are very different. And for this our decisions are going to be different, and so will our challenges.
All that to say that everyone gets better at their own pace. Last month, I wasn't very active on this blog, so an entire week of blogging will be a major improvement.
What I realized blogging is
I didn't realize promoting your site was so important when I published my first few posts. I only thought I was going to throw my texts out there and check out whether they had any success.
If I had been told self-promotion took so much space in the life of a blogger, I might even have seen it as a problem. Now I rather see it as an opportunity. Actually, I am striving to change my mindset and see all issues I am dealing with as opportunities to grow. I've had a growth mindset for many years but this is a life changer. I am not saying I will see all problems as miracles from one day to the next but it's the long-term goal.
Today, I see self-promotion as an opportunity to meet great people who spend hours doing the same activity as I am. Isn't it the best opportunity to learn, and help others learn too then ?
In a few bullet points, I'd sum up blogging like this :
Listing ideas
Picking an idea + writing a blog post with it
Proofreading / Polishing your work as long as necessary
Publishing
Checking out other's blogs, spending time helping them grow as much as they're helping you/me grow.
Do stats matter ?
Yes, but not so much. I recently read that you should write the best content you can offer whether you have one person reading you or one million. It's all a matter of mindset. If you believe you are successful on the path you've chosen, then you are.
Stats illustrate your evolution and they can be motivating, but they should not become the end goal. Just like money shouldn't be. Stats and money are but the means to a much more honorable end, in my opinion : sharing ideas, having fun today and, hopefully, tomorrow.
What's your take on this ?
As usual, if you liked this article, feel free to like, comment, and/or subscribe (if you didn't, feel free not to). I'd be curious to read your opinion in the comments, if you have anything to share.
I hope you're having a great weekend ! It's 7:30 here (French time), and I can tell you the sun is up in the south of France, ready to enlighten this day ! I have just finished translating my poem Paix and I thought I'd publish it so that my English audience (which is a majority here I believe), can enjoy it. So here it is, and may your Sunday be as sunny as mine.
Do you feel it ?
That peaceful plenitude
of an appeased soul
which has embraced
a calm for so long
hunted down.
Do you feel it ?
If your eyelids
finally close,
delightfully giving in
to this power so
desired.
Feel it then!
Open up entirely...
Let the flow of your thoughts
entirely run.
Ignore that cursed
negativity.
Yes, finally feel
that feeling calling you,
that exhilarating hope,
that exotic whisper,
that sweet comforting word :
freedom
If you liked it, feel free to squeeze the like button, follow me (to be notified every time I post some awesome piece of writing) or comment (or the three of them, in any order).
I didn't really know where I would be heading as a blogger. I am passionate about many a thing and I have never been great at picking just one of these things. As this blog is growing, I see it more and more as a way to combine all these activities I love and skills I have mastered or keep sharpening (let's face it, mastering a skill is but the beginning of the journey).
My online presence
Before beginning blogging, I assumed it was similar to having a social-media account. Having a blog changed that mindset. It couldn't be more different, in the sense that you can be productive when you blog. You aren't just swiping on a screen, you actually have to create and give value to the people who read your blog posts.
Quite recently, I also experimented with a second blog on a completely different topic (GNU/Linux), which I named todayilinux but it wasn't as satisfying as I believed it would be. When it comes to Linux, I reckon I am more comfortable with the video format. This doesn't mean I am experienced with it but I am even more excited to learn. Somehow, starting this blog gave me the courage I needed to also start a YouTube channel (I'll put a link to it at the end of this post) and I am grateful to all of you for that (and blogging in general)!
This is why I decided to delete that second blog. I kept the blog posts, in case I ever choose to publish them somewhere else (like here, perhaps?), but the blog itself is gone. One blog is enough, I believe, to share with you all that drives me and, hopefully, inspire you.
A general blog ?
I've been thinking about traveling lately. Just packing up and go on some big journey with a mere backpack. Not yet certain whether I'll do it or not but I seriously consider this possibility, among others (like finding the typical 9-5 job). If I went on such a voyage, needless to say I'd keep you updated. I'd also like to shoot more videos, not necessarily only about Linux (as most of you aren't familiar with it, I assume) but whatever comes to my mind. Have you ever done something like that ? Packing up and go without knowing when you'll be back ?
I want to have a general blog, even if it's a huge risk. I know people always tell you to find a niche and stick to it but the truth is, I just can't choose what I like most. Plus I don't really believe in this niche thing. Not for me. It does work when you want to have a business (we've all seen the result on YouTube) but I don't see my blog like this. I see it as a way to share my passion with you (and get to know you as well, in the comments section?)
Perhaps some of you can relate. Have you ever felt torn because you couldn't just pick one path out of the myriad of possibilities you had ?
So much to learn, I have...
I guess we're all in the same boat. We never feel ready. We don't know enough. That's how I feel about my YouTube channel. Less so with my blog, because I've always been more comfortable with writing. Not that I'm sure about what I'm doing but still more than with my YouTube channel ^_^
Anyway, as promised, below is a link to my latest video if you're curious to see (and laugh). Your feedback is welcome, of course, as you probably have more experience than I have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TBL1EXT5Cs
My latest video about the Qtile window manager
Even now, as I am about to press the publish button, I can't quite figure out whether I have proofread this post enough... Feel free to share your opinion in the comments and click on the like button if I deserved it. And don't forget to have a great weekend !
