August 2025 Reflection

Ok, let’s start.

I’m reading Building a Second Brain, which suggests me write more instead of only reading as input. I have experienced the effect of writing something about two or three years ago. But this year I is almost writing something shallow. One of possible reasons is I am changing slowly that results me thinking not hard. I try my best to insist on the journaling habit. Another reason is I think writing is wasting my time that means I have another high-priority assignments, even though it’s just what seems like. So why don’t I write more? Don’t care what to do is the best. Don’t care the perfectionism. Just follow what I like to do. At least, I can feel good and I believe it’s absolute worthwhile in a long-term way.

So what I will talk this month in August?

First, I want to talk about to be alone.

Actually, that’s my state this month. I’m alone and socialize little. On the one hand, I wanted to find someone to have a long talk. Selecting one topic then having a deep conversation. But one the other hand, I was reluctant to build friendship because I have a strict standard for friends. So that can be seen as one of my disadvantages.

However, I meanwhile enjoy this state. The time totally belongs to myself. I read, watch video and movie, do workout and cook. I don’t need to consider other’s schedule.

To be honest, I think we have a requirement involving in social activities. Always keeping one person is prone to cause psychological problems. We need to align or catch up the current state of whole society that’s why we need to connect with others. But in a lot of biographies many writers and scholars force them to be alone, such as Steppenwolf, Carl Jung and the author of Walden—Henry David Thoreau. They think very hard. You can’t identify the feeling of lonely. The reason they stay alone is that they need to focus on other, more important aspirations. But when I try to be alone I was not focused, in contrast my productivity declined. So far, I don’t know why.

Second, I want to talk about the impact of setting a deadline.

I planned to enroll the IELTS exam in the end of this month. As the left days decreased steadily, I felt anxious that even interfered with my daily life. When I went to bed I always thought about the exam time. In the end, I realized I can’t reach the satisfied level that I am confident to pass the exam. So I decided to delay the exam time. And I breathed a sign of relief.

What I learnt from this experience? That is to be honest for ourselves and don’t be too radical. I steadily realize that we can’t change ourselves in one night and all achievements rely on accumulating tiny changes. That also applies to business. We must be familiar with quantity of small innovations then create an breakthrough product. So don’t be too rigorous for ourselves to set a goal that is how much progress we need to make. Although it’s wonderful to motivate ourselves, it also can be overwhelming.

Last, I want to talk about courage.

We are afraid of what we don’t know. We add a lot of imaginations on them so that we think it is hard to learn, overcome or accomplish them. It’s fake. If every time we learn a bit about it, in the end we will find we have been in the border of mastering it. First do it, then do it right, then do it better. I always believe this sentence. So keep moving rather than stay the origination negatively. When we look back, we definitely have come a long way. Be positive!

Goodbye August!