I was checking some emails and social media notifications when I saw a memory that coincides with my Headspace reflection this morning. It was from 2010 - a high school friend quoted our conversation when I told him that he doesn't have to be "cool" to be in. Something that I still believe in. I think we all deserve to be in places and be surrounded by people who accept and appreciate our individuality. There is no need to pretend to like something or engage in an activity that you do not really value just for the sake of feeling a sense of belongingness. I think the right crowd will love you for who you are and for what you love or who you choose to love.

On a different note, I think that the diversity of interests in a group keeps it alive. Although commonalities attract us, learning something from someone you care about is a great step to discover yourself even more and deepen the relationship.

I start my day early. My body clock wakes me up between 3:30am and 4:30am, no matter how late I sleep.  I usually find it hard to go back to bed so I'd rather start my day than force myself by counting sheep.

​Before, my routine starts with a prayer, then meditation, then a home exercise, before going through the chores and responsibilities for the day. Now, I'd wake up, pray and then check my emails and messages, immediately going to my work mode.

As the day progresses, I'm usually looking for something I can't define or at times have some sort of irritation for something I cannot control. I realised that this is because I'm no longer giving myself time, again. Wanting to finish as much as I could within the day, I'd rather work than engage in other activities such as conversing with other people. Yes, my days are filled with meetings (tons of it), but having real conversations, where you explore the depths of life or the shallowness of it is something that I miss. I also miss writing, writing for the sake of it, not because it's part of the job. After all, writing copies, editing texts, making reports, and what not is what I usually do on top of other things.

Today's meditation helped me think about these things. I realised that how you love yourself is reflected by how the world loves you. When you choose you, giving yourself time to laugh, heal, and grow, the world will compensate it by giving you opportunities to continue doing so.