If you were on Wikipedia, who would you be? This was a shower-thought question. "What if I was on Wikipedia?" "Who would the world know me as?" "Who would the internet know me as?" "Who would YOU know me as?" An interesting frame of mind to consider. Starting from Realizations I've had one realization and one epiphany, both of which I feel will massively impact my life to come: Realization: I'm a Generalist - I have multiple interests that intrigue me that I want to dive deeper into - Tech, Finance, Personal Development, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, etc. I have seven facets to self: 8-YO me, 23, 30, 45, 63, and 85-YO me. I also have a Billionaire-self and possibly a centi-billionaire-self coming soon. These frames of mind have made me think more holistically about who I'm becoming since, after all, Life is a state of becoming, not become. ~Madam Pamela. So, to my Wikipedia question, my 30-YO self would answer it best. Who is 30-YO me? 30-YO Me is likely my icon of success in the near future, standing by my success metrics. Having a good (and possibly respectable) job, an accomplished leader, friend to many, loyal to his family, a millionaire, and someone who loves doing what he does best - inspiring others. If I were to think of success, I couldn't think of anyone else besides him: A big brother I never had, a paragon I could look up to. I love that guy; I wanna be like him when I grow up. And good thing is: he is me...in six years. Carerra on Wikipedia If I were to be on Wikipedia, the soonest that would be is at 26. Not saying that will happen; that's just when I would be there soonest. And considering my Generalist self, I have a few platforms that could elevate my self-actualization between now and age 30, all of which could start revealing themselves from age 26. Writer. Carerra's Chronicles is mostly writing, so I'll have invested a lot of time doing that. I'm also imagining expanding to Medium, possibly Quora, and my newsletter in the works. Entrepreneur. I've recently started liking entrepreneurship for its massive potential. I like how you can start something (possibly from scratch) that can influence people's lives at scale and earn a financial return, as is the case for for-profit routes. At the start of my thirties, I see myself doing this with stakes in the tech, finance, education, and fashion industries. We'll see. Investor. Something I pray for is financial prosperity that I can propagate towards bettering the common good, thanks to Andrew Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth. In my early thirties, God willing, I see myself as an angel investor doing some private equity in the Silicon Valley and the East African business community. We'll see. Author. I have three imaginary books in mind, one of which, as of 2030, would be close to publication. I'd hope they become bestsellers for the consequent impact they have on the readers, but for now, c'est un imaginacion. Regardless, being an author is in the books, no pun intended. Podcaster. I want to interview inspirational people, whether academic sages or a fascinating lad I met at a gala Saturday night. I like continuously learning from people; sharing their insights with the world seems fun. Speaker. I've been contemplating for a while now and imagine myself becoming an on-demand motivational speaker. It'd be a fantastic way to disseminate my knowledge and experiences, hoping that I inspire someone, somewhere, someday. CEO of Carerra's Chronicles. Without doubt, this is who I'll become. For now, Carerra's Chronicles is where I share insights on topics that interest me: Tech, Finance, Personal Development, Leadership, etc. Thus, I imagine 30-year-old Me scaling on these interests and laying stake in them. This would be me transitioning from a Generalist to a Polymath - story for another day. Conclusion My 30-YO self is one with diverse interests and beginning to capitalize on them. He's likely to scale Carerra's Chronicles into a holding company to encapsulate his interests. I shouldn't be worried at all about him - he should be worried about me not taking action to exercise my foothold in these domains. Back to me, I think this is me subtly outlining my future plans & goals. Not concrete yet, but this is more like a vivid visualization getting more precise the more I describe it. Otherwise, we'll see what God and the universe have in store for me in the future. For now, I'll let ChatGPT put the icing on the cake. . . . ~T.K.K

Napoleon wrote the book...but didn't own the ideas. So...Napoleon Hill wrote "Think and Grow Rich," a timeless book on acquiring limitless wealth in a lifetime while exploring the intersection between personal development, business, finance, and philosophy, amongst other genres. As of 2022, thing's sold 70+ million copies with no signs of stopping. And the author is Napoleon Hill... But he did not own it. He did not own the ideas in the book he wrote. Rather, he wrote them in place of Andrew Carnegie, one of the wealthiest men ever. A bit about Andrew Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and philanthropist who immigrated from Scotland to Pittsburgh, PA, at 12. Andrew was one to revolutionize the US steel industry as we know it today, having built Carnegie Steel Company and sold it to JPMorgan for $303.45M then ($10.67B today.) Through his philanthropy, he advocated for the use of wealth for societal betterment. He was pro-taxes, societal good, and supporting scientific research - documenting all these in his famed 1889 article, The Gospel of Wealth. He is easily remembered as Pittsburgh is a steel city from his endeavors and has Carnegie Mellon University in his memorabilia. Andrew Meets Napoleon In his sunset years, Andrew, alongside his comrades - Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and John D. Rockefeller - found it illegal to die with their immense information. He needed someone to distill his experiences, tactics, and philosophies and chronologize them. And that someone happened to be 25-year-old Napoleon Hill, a simple journalist working on his dad's local wealth magazine. Andrew believed that anyone could (and still can) succeed with the insights he had, so he took Napoleon under his wing as a mentee and told him to write his thoughts down in chronological fashion. And thus, "Think and Grow Rich" came to be. And in the words of Bob Proctor: "Andrew probably made 50 millionaires over his lifetime; Napoleon Hill made millions of them." Which has me thinking: Mansa, the richest man ever lived - Andrew peaked at no. 3. Story for another day. . . . ~T.K.K You may buy Think and Grow Rich here.

If you're a seasoned writer or have 500-2000 subs, I need your help. I'm writing this article writing on the fly, by the way. I'm a bit stuck with Medium, having returned to it after a year's hiatus and now wanting to get serious. It'll be a monumental but also fun process where I'll gain insights, make friends, and scale myself along the way. After all, I have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Hence why I'm documenting this journey - to publicly share my thought process and growth for the world to see and for moi to be self-accountable on my journey to success. Read on. Why I need help To begin, I want to scale my writing and online presence meaningfully. For instance, I already have social media (shameless plug: Instagram and LinkedIn), so sites like Medium, Substack, and Carerra's Chronicles are me creating my online library. I'm doing this because I want to build Carerra's Chronicles, my blog where I share my thoughts on topics that interest me. That building will come from having an audience that validates your credibility. And to build that audience, I must have a platform. And my platform is Medium. Hence why I need help. My history with Medium I first joined Medium in 2019 when I liked it for its intellectual community of avid readers and writers - sharing ideas and creating meaningful connections. I then stinted at writing during the pandemic through 2021. The results were manifesting, but school got in the way, so priorities shifted. Nothing changed my liking for the platform; I still like the community for the ideas shared and the fact that anyone can be celebrated if they put in the work. ('Should take that advice myself.) So, right now, in 2024, I'm getting back in. I've admittedly lost some steam, but I'm trying to build on it and regain my writing momentum. Up to here, what are your best Medium practices, especially for starting out? 'Would love to hear them! :) Where I'm going with this First, writing is an excellent skill to have - adored and admirable. And as Dan Koe says, writing is the best skill to have as it is the basis of everything. So at the absolute worst, I'll be an evolved writer. Second, to continue writing for writing's sake. Playing the infinite game with word on paper but not play Scrabble. Third, building an online community of like-minded individuals from whom I can learn and to whom I can share. Fourth, to scale my audiences online - on Medium, Substack, and my social media, and to build Carerra's Chronicles. Fifth, in the long run, Medium would be my online library, which, hopefully, for decades to come, will continue sparking the messages and lessons I've learned from the 21st century. Conclusion So that's how things are looking like so far. I have big plans and a long way to go, so cheers to me again for making it to my starting point. I'll need help and possibly all the help I can get. So, if you're an experienced writer of any kind, I'd love to learn from you. This is me putting myself out there by publishing my thought process online, especially since I know my brand will grow monumentally, God willing. I'll look back on this article and say, "These were the days." Meantime, I hope you enjoy the few articles below on where I'm at. . . . ~T.K.K

Everything here is a God willing, by the way. Until recently, I imagined myself on my deathbed (hopefully in 7+ decades) with $100M to my name. Of course, you can't take that to the grave. I get that. I think a net worth of that sort would amount to the contributions I'll have had on the planet by then. So, you have me, at 98, on my deathbed, with $100M about to dish out in inheritance, charities, etc. Then I remembered one of the most interesting quotes I found about goal-setting - either from Tim Ferriss or Jim Rohn. And if neither of them said it, I'll claim it. "Set a goal so audaciously high not for what you achieve, but for who you become in the process of attaining it." ~Carerra (until I find the source.) And that made instant sense. The Right Question in Setting Goals In setting goals, we often ask, "What should I do?" But we forget an even more critical question: "Who should I become?" The rationale is that you want to imagine yourself as having achieved that goal, asking yourself how you would feel like having accomplished the goal. Thus, I think visualization and clarity on the end goal are essential here, and the clearer your goal, the more aligned your pathway toward getting there. Read Mindvalley's Article on The Power of Visualization. "Visualization only works if you work hard." ~Oprah Winfrey Journey > Destination Another thing I noticed, and you might agree: We don't really like the goal itself. Rather, we like the pursuit of it instead. We like pursuing the goal rather than owning it because the goal itself becomes a momentary facade. You will enjoy years of chasing that promotion until you finally get it, then ask yourself, "What's next?" or, "Was it worth it?" And after hitting every goal we could think of, "What's next?" becomes a never-ending recurring question. Read this Evernote Article on Why the Journey Matters More than the Goal. Figures why, contrary to public opinion, the journey overrides the destination. The infinite game (loving the process) over the finite (hitting a goal). I like how Alex Hormozi puts the Infinite Game. And life is an infinite game. Play it that way. A summary of Simon Sinek's Infinite Game. Anyway, back to the original point: Setting a big and audacious goal that you evolve in the process. And that gave me an instant perspective switch. I don't want $100M at 95. Instead, I want $1Bn at 65. The Billion-Dollar Problem Now, here's the problem: I have a hard time visualizing myself as a billionaire. At least by 65. I've divided my life into seven different facets: Me at 8 - He's a proud kid right now. Me at 23 - Currently. Me at 30 - In six years. Me at 45 - At the boil of my career. Me at 63 - Retired. Me at 85 - Waiting for the Lord to call me Home. These facets are always talking to each other. And I talk most with Me at 30. Millionaire-Me vs Billionaire-Me I'm confident that 30-YO Me will be a millionaire; probably multi, but deca unlikely. He'd also be married with a kid on the way, fresh from an MBA and closing on corporate retirement. That's whom I converse with daily before I sleep. Now, back to my problem. I can visualize myself at 30 and a bit at 63.30-YO Me is a millionaire, 63-YO Me a billionaire. However, I can't get the answers right away to becoming a billionaire. I asked my 30-year-old self this, and even he doesn't know it. He asked 63-YO me, but the old man was, "Just figure it out. You've got this." "I have the secret sauce," he said, "but I don't want to spill it out yet, else you'll miss out on all the fun." And he has merit to say that. First, life offers no cheat code. You get what you want through the hard (and sometimes the only) way. Second, if it was easy, then what would've been the point of life if not enjoying the journey all along? Three, you won't always have all the answers, and that's okay. If 30-YO Me is my epitome of success, and even he hasn't figured it out yet, then who am I to do so? And four, you must know your place and work your levels accordingly. Make your first $100,000 before your first milli, and so on. Conclusion So that's how my mind looks right now as I chart my path toward (my definition of) success. ~I have the goal in mind - $1Bn. ~It's a SMART goal - by age 65. ~However, I don't have complete clarity on the plan yet, so that will be a work in progress. But I do know what will get me to a milli by 30, God willing. And in closing, recall that everything I mention here is a work in progress. I don't have all the answers yet...and possibly never will, and that's okay. And for transparency's sake, I'm starting right now with relatively nothing other than grit, curiosity, discipline, the internet, and the Will of God. And if you're a billionaire reading this, I happily welcome your mentorship. Let me know your thoughts. . . . ~T.K.K

The following are impactful quotes serving as splendid advice in one-liners - constantly updated. On Ambition “People who make things happen run into people who make things happen.” Codie Sanchez. On Art “I play the notes as they are written, but it is God who makes the music.” Johann Sebastian Bach. “I dream my painting and I paint my dream.” Vincent van Gogh. On Entrepreneurship “Start young…especially if you want to be an entrepreneur. I started at 58.” Irene Shimizu. On Health “Treat your body like a house you’d want to live in for the next 70 years.” A 94-year-old’s advice on life longevity, as mentioned by Sahil Bloom. On Leadership “If you can’t feed them, you can’t lead them.” Confucius. On Legacy “Let the work that I’ve done speak for me.” My ex-manager’s grandmother. “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever. The goal is to create something that will.” Chuck Palahniuk. On the Neuros “The supercomputer of your brain is not the fore-brain — the part of the brain that formulates strategy. Rather, the supercomputer of your brain is the unconscious mind.” Dr. Paul Conti On Personal Development “Have your principles.” Ray Dalio. “I want to be remembered as someone honest.” Jordan Peterson. “Put your house in order before thinking of changing the world.” Also Jordan Peterson. “Don’t be afraid to start stupid; stay learning. Stay curious.” Abdulhamid Ali, University of Washington. “The greatest value of life is not what you get. The greatest value of life is what you become.” Jim Rohn. On Personal Finance “Act your wage, not your age.” Obioha Okereke, CEO of College Money Habits, on financial responsibility post-college. “Live below your means.” Common sense. On Productivity “Automate and iterate.” Naval. “You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. On the Pursuit of Success “Enjoy the process; enjoy the journey.” Ali Abdaal. In a similar light, “Patience with the results, impatience with the journey.” “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” Oprah Winfrey. “This is what hard feels like.” Also Alex Hormozi on endurance and perseverance. “Don’t ridicule another man’s hustle.” Gavin Mungai. “Do your best, no matter what.” Carerra. “If the ‘why’ is powerful, the ‘how’ is easy.” Jim Rohn. “Consistency is the only cheat code.” Terry Rice. On Relationships “Iron sharpens iron, just as one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 On Resilience “I never lose. I either win, or I learn.” Nelson Mandela. “Failure and success are on the same path. Failure comes first.” Alex Hormozi. “Be courageous driving through uncertainty.” Carerra. On Self-Mastery “You don’t become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror, but by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are. Outwork your self-doubt.” Alex Hormozi. (My personal favorite.) “Fear of the worst is greater than the danger itself.” Keito from Bakugan. “If you’re a friend to everybody, then you’re an enemy to yourself.” Mike Tyson. On Spirituality “Do the Will of God.” Carerra. On Wealth “Get paid by results, not by time.” Graham Stephan. “Earn with your mind, not with your time.” Also Naval. “Money not found in a job is gotten by skills not found in school.” Dan Koe. Will add more as I learn. . . . ~T.K.K

The ten undeniable truths of life, and it's only by accepting them that life becomes easier to understand. Btw, I’m just spitting random thoughts from experience. I am not a motivational speaker (yet) nor a life coach; I am Carerra. :) Might lead to a sequel. Learn to take responsibility. Accepting responsibility shows growing maturity and experience. You’ll become wiser and headstrong in the adversities that lie ahead without excuses. You can’t change your past. The most you can do is appreciate the good moments, learn from the experiences, live in the present, and focus on what’s next. The future is unpredictable. The short-term is predictable; the long-term is not. Only God knows what will happen in the distant future. Until then, create your own via your actions. Success is different for everyone. Success is objective; my definition of success will be different from yours. Play down the comparison game, and compete with who you were yesterday. You are alone in life. You came into life alone, and you will leave alone. In the middle, make memories with your family, friends, and all those you love. Thanks to research, as you grow older, loneliness becomes but a state of mind. Failures are inevitable. Failures are a part of life. If you aren’t failing, then you aren’t trying. Remember, success delayed is not success denied, and failure is a detour, not a dead-end. Life is flawed. It isn’t fair. It won’t always go as planned, and that’s okay. Life isn’t always meant to be happy. Bad things will still happen, but regardless, be stoic and accept it for what it is. Nothing is permanent. Everything is temporary; nothing lasts forever. The only permanent thing is change. The perfect time doesn’t exist. There’s never a better time to start. Instead, make each moment perfect and begin as early as possible. Death is inevitable. You might as well live life and pursue your passion - whatever it is. Don’t foolishly YOLO, though, but within those fearful decisions lie the best moments of your life. A few bonuses: Money is important. It’s not everything, but it’s important - note the difference. Having tons of it is your choice, but undeniably, money is vital. Case in context: Think about how you will put food on your table tonight. Don’t make a sunk-cost decision. Among the few economics rules that apply to real life, don’t make a decision you won’t like just because it justifies the last action you still didn’t want. No one is perfect. We are all flawed as humans, which is natural to us. We can be self-aware, though; being aware that we are imperfect is the first step toward self-fulfillment. Also, flaws do make life exciting and worthwhile. What did I miss? . . . ~Carerra.

Don’t wait for the New Year to start hitting your New Year's Resolutions. Today is Sunday, December 26th, 2021, less than a week into 2022. It’s that time of the year when people plan their New Year’s Resolutions for the next year, hoping to achieve them. With resolutions coming up thick and thin, there’s no guarantee one will achieve all of them, and that’s okay. However, self-improvement and taking action don’t have to begin on January 1st. First, time itself is abstract; the concept itself doesn’t fathom whether it’s the year 2032, 1946, or 378 AD. It just is, and man made it seem that way - I’d love to know the construct behind this. Second, if you’re going to start your self-development journey, you might as well do it anyway. The whole idea behind self-improvement is to take action immediately towards improving yourself. That said, waiting 5-6 days to start taking action is already beating the purpose itself. While creating New Year’s Resolutions is still okay, only 8% of all people who set their resolutions actually achieve them, with 80% of resolutions already going down the drain in February. Today’s advice? Normalize not waiting for the New Year to chase your goals. Hunt them now. . . . ~Carerra, 2k21.

This is my daily mantra that has yet to fail me. What keeps me going is knowing that I will succeed at my goals one day, God willing. I’m currently a Math senior at the University of Washington, and so far, the ride has been anything but easy. After a couple of failed classes, some imposter syndrome, and sleep deprivation, I end up questioning my sanity and life decisions sometimes. For the first time in my life, I’m living alone, so basically, I’m absorbing adult responsibilities: rent, a job, personal finances, etc. Being an adult isn’t as engaging as it seemed as a child. Digress: I’m on a personal mission to make it as fun - if not more - as childhood would be; I believe my adulthood is what I make of it, just that the definition of fun varies from childhood to adulthood. Since I’m graduating, the expectation is to land a job immediately after college. No pressure, though, but I can’t get complacent yet, so I must seek a post-grad leeway. A bit tricky here. All these, however, are the dust before me, and as always, dust settles. I know for a fact that God willing, I’ll be my own boss, my own CEO, and my own person. I will establish a brand that will change the world because that’s who I am: a go-getter, an achiever, a leader, and an optimist. I know friends who’ve achieved what I want, and my family and loved ones are rooting for me to succeed- that’s most of the motivation I’ll need. Of course, I have role models, too, from whom I’ll learn how to level up 1% per day towards my goal. Lastly, from my faith, I have God. I could be as determined and ambitious as Dwayne Johnson hitting another gym rep, but I’m seriously nothing if I don’t have God on my side. Fortunately enough, He always is. In case you’re wondering, I’m constructing my site, Carerra’s Chronicles, which is my repository of thoughts (I don’t like to call it a blog, but there’s no other way to describe it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) Iwante to span the plethora of thoughts I have surrounding my interests - personal development, technology, finance, business, leadership, etc. - and hope to share what I learn with the world. I consider Carerra’s Chronicles an extension of my personality where I wish to inspire people through my thoughts, words, and actions, and that in any way, shape, or form, I help somebody somewhere. Still a work in progress, but I pray for big things to emanate from it in the coming years. Looking at my goals, I know that the short-term turbulences are a speck in the eye - they won’t matter much in the long term. I’ll keep at it, stay focused and consistent, work smart, do my best, pray, and hope for something eventual. That said, I keep going. Keep pushing. Keep grinding. . . . ~Carerra, 2k21.

The one thing I recommend to anyone feeling that they wasted a significant amount of time in their lives. Set on to do something that will make up for those five years. This is, in part, a letter to my younger self. Not that I experienced it, but imagining what if I did, knowing what I know now. Time lost is never recovered. It’s good that you’ve realized you’ve “wasted” those years, but as long as you learned something, it’s not entirely in vain. The best action to take is to start now - don’t procrastinate or overcomplicate life more than it’s already been this past half-decade. Instantly get onto something that will compensate for your “lost” years. You don’t have to have figured out your passion yet, but that you’re doing the work to discover it already makes it a good use of your time. I mean, it’s either that or resuming the constant wailing about not finding one’s passion, in which case, is still wasting time. The sooner I realized at 19 that I’d been wary of others’ perceptions of me, the more I dropped them and visualized the path I wanted. A couple of years later, and so far, it’s paying dividends. Morgan Freeman got his big break into acting at 52. Colonel Sanders started KFC at 65. No one looks at those two and thinks they wasted a cumulative 117 years to make it big. We see their face value today; barely anyone cares about their past. I don’t think it’s about the time you feel you wasted before you finally figured out life - no one “wins” life anyway. Rather, it’s the fact that you have started your journey - whatever that could be until you hit your mark. Better started than not, and better late than never, so start. At this point of self-discovery, the final destination is unimportant - the process towards it is. Nonetheless, every second counts, so invest wisely in the process—progress, not results. All the best, and you’ll do well. ~Carerra, 2k21.

Medium will pay off for me in the future, God willing. What’s Medium? Medium is an exquisite online blogging platform for folks to read and write blogs on their interests - it’s arguably the best site of its kind yet. With topics ranging from culture to technology, lifestyle to crypto, and social entrepreneurship to personal development, Medium has it all. All like minds conjoin into their topic of interest, quote each other up, and take it off in a meaningful conversation. To get started, all you need is an active subscription ($5/month), whether as a reader or a writer, experienced or not. Furthermore, you can earn from your Medium writing by joining the Medium Partner Program; many PP writers started from the bottom and climbed their way to six figures through hard work, consistency, and relentless writing. Why did you return to Medium? To build Carerra’s Chronicles. I’m trying to build an audience that resonates with my content, as well as cultivate my voice, and one place to do that is on Medium. It’s through Medium that readers learn from others’ stories and emulate their inspirational examples. I plan to replicate the same on Quora too. Weren’t you on Medium before? Yes, I was. I’ve been a semi-avid Medium user, and it’s been worth every penny. I didn’t use the app much, though, so I canceled my subscription. I recently resubscribed as this would be a pivotal investment towards me launching Carerra’s Chronicles. I also like some writers on Medium, namely Nicolas Cole, Sean Kernan, Michael Thompson, and Tim Denning. They have a way with words and ideas that I wish to copy, and I’ll continue milking their authoring powers with my return to Medium. Closing. Here’s my Medium profile. Not much to see here (yet); I’m restarting the process. Let’s see what emanates in the long run, God willing. . . . ~Carerra, 2k21.

Scaling content is somewhat harder than I expected. Documenting my Journey I watched an Ali Abdaal video in which he details starting a business from nothing in 2021. In the video, he emphasizes documenting your journey- narrating your entire entrepreneurial experience from the start. And I agree with him on three accounts: First, it gauges your progress from the start. It reflects your transparency and authenticity, and It creates a vulnerable, likable, and resonating image to which your audience relates - Someone retelling their journey inspires their audience. That's why I'm officially documenting my journey here - the buildup of Carerra's Chronicles - and how it is along the way. So...what's hard about scaling your content? I'm at a point where I'm contemplating what to include as content. I'm currently working on a piece explaining the supply chain crisis, but I occasionally stumble, asking myself, "What do I write here?" "What do I include there?" "Are my facts right?" Did I research this enough?" Besides, it's not this article alone; I have a few prior ones that took me weeks to complete because of these doubts and commitments like school, extracurriculars, etc. What are you learning from this? I'm thinking: When it comes to making content (e.g., blogging), your work should be seamless and natural-flowing...or so I think. For instance, it's taking me fifteen minutes to write this post because of the straight-up flowing ideas from my mind right now. Contrastingly, it's taking me five-plus days to author the supply chain article, which remains unfinished btw. Additionally, (re)creating content is storytelling in your own words, from your own angle; more like paraphrasing. You teach what you learn, which afterward becomes what you know. Summarizing a story from your perspective, I believe, is an inherent skill to learn in narration. Consequently, you understand it better, and your audience gets another nuanced perspective to comprehend. What's your solution? I'll focus on my niche; motivation. I'm naturally optimistic, and my optimism is one of my more noticeable traits. That said, I don't mind focusing on writing motivational content as a trademark of Carerra's Chronicles. I'm also holistic, so I like talking about other topics such as finance and technology. Por supuesto, my shortcoming here is that I take excruciatingly long to finish a post in other categories thanks to added research and vigorous fact-checking. While I'll put them aside (for now), I'll still edit them whenever I get the chance. Conclusion Being world-class entails focusing exclusively on one thing and one thing only - the rest can wait. This will give me some leeway to work on my niche meantime, and the rest will arrive later. I think I've just found a solution to my problem. Let's see how it goes. . . . ~Carerra, 2k21. ***EDIT*** As of 1/20/2024 I'm laughing at myself for how things didn't fall into place as I imagined...and that's okay. I never finished the Supply Chain Article. Carerra's Chronicles has vastly improved (at least in my own right) since I first published this article. I've graduated from school since and had a sumptuous amount of time to fix the website and publish more articles. This is time I would have doing homework if I was still in school I just realized my true niche (probably.) It's not just motivation, even though that's a huge component of it. Rather, I'm a Generalist - a man of many talents. I came to terms with my Generalistic nature, and so far, I'm loving it; That's what I'm using to build Carerra's Chronicles. I talk more about being a Generalist right here. . . . ~T.K.K

From the Archives: Stuff I've Written Over Four Years Ago I read an article from the Harvard Business Review titled, “Don’t Just Lead Your People Through Trauma; Help Them Grow,” from my LinkedIn and some positive reviews from prominent figures, so I gave it a look. I liked Jamil’s statement in his second paragraph: “The science of trauma offers some insight about this moment, and some surprising hope: Instead of asking how we will recover from these painful times, we should ask how we will be changed by them.” Immediately, I thought, “Wow! COVID really did change me!” I liked the article for Jamil’s optimism despite the turbulent times we’re facing — Thoughts of hope, empathy, resilience, and compassion among colleagues, making them feel included despite today’s rough incidences. I also like his insights on affirming (a company’s) values and emphasizing community, going a long way in enhancing Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG.) Reassuring employees of a company’s values recreates a feeling of importance to the company, reminding them of how they fit into the broader picture. Top that with an awesome community, and you earn a PTG so fast that you hardly recall any recent trauma. But I digress. You may learn more here. How COVID changed me for the better- that’s the deal here Twisting the article into my own narrative, I recall five months ago when COVID infiltrated the earth. And all factors considered (which I don’t take for granted), and thanking God, it was an overall net positive for me. As a COVID skeptic at first (‘Covidiot,’ as they say), it astonished me that the entire US was into a lockdown, no state spared. No leaving the house (cheers to my introverted self), no physical contact, and social distancing — a puzzle piece for many to come. Just the fact alone of quarantining for God-knows-how-long was startling in itself - good thing it wasn’t the end of civilization…yet. “So, I’m staying at home this long, right?” Soliloquying. “We'll see how it goes then.” It then hit me that not only were we saving the world by staying indoors (arguably), but there’s no guarantee of having this much time ever again in our lives, considering other elements such as family, social interaction, and retirement. The time was there, at least for now. You could learn a skill or two from scratch, call up an old friend, check up on family, finish past projects, etc. — an endless list. With that in mind, I considered making the most of it, seeing where it takes me. 1. Elevated my Piano Game I play the piano, having done so for a decade now. I’m not Mozart-esque yet (and might never be), but I massively improved chordwise plus the number of keys I know — 6 out of 24. I also had a virtual music class with fellow choir members which, now that I think about it, was interesting — I never learned music while learning the piano. I’ve probably forgotten 98% of the concepts by now, but I don’t mind revisiting them, especially when I consider doing my own pieces. Edit: I know all 24 now. Yay! 🎹🙌🏽 2. Improved my (online) school grades There was an upsurge in my grades, something uncommon in in-person classes. Of course, there were anomalies with online school — academic dishonesty (cheating), low attention during classes, truancy, etc — and that still has its fair share of debates today. Something that helped me was having periodical appointments with my instructors and Zoom meetings with accountability buddies (shoutout: Jay) to study for tests and collaborate on homework. However, what I appreciated most about online school was the flexibility it presented to my schedule. The fact I could get some yogurt from the fridge during Linear Algebra or relax in the Fall sunrise of an Epic History class amazed me. That flexibility, I would say, gave me the peace of mind needed to thrive in my classes in my natural habitat. 3. Workouts and Exercise I also managed to shed some quarantine weight — good thing. The lockdown gave me reason to thank the fact I’m nowhere near the school cafeteria as most days were just fries for lunch, which was perhaps unhealthy. Maybe within reason, but still unhealthy. Eating healthier, cardio, calisthenics, and sleep (trying to), all shed me 15 pounds in two months. I’ve taken a long rest since, though, but I have an accountability buddy who’s helping me get back on track in no time (shoutout: Tabby.) 4. Family and Friends Self-development would not suffice without my circle of family and friends. These days, I’ve found myself being more compassionate on family stuff - asking, “How was your day?” or “How was work?” once they arrive home before ensuing into a friendly chat. That also helped my interpersonal communication, I would say. I also checked in on friends during this lockdown: schoolmates, work colleagues, and international friends — glad I remembered them all. I’d have a convo going on with them for days, all of which would have me reminisce on how far we’ve come and my gratitude to have friends like those. 5. My Writing My biggest pandemic takeaway was the effort I invested into Carerra’s Chronicles, my brainchild. I’ve got ample time to develop it and figure out what articles to write and how to edit my website. I’ve worked on Carerra’s Chronicles for months on end while simultaneously practicing my articulation. I’ve learned a lot from Quora, Medium, and even Nicolas Cole, so I’m putting all that into practice right now. I still have a long way to go, but I’m glad I started it all in 2020. And a bonus one... 6. Duolingo I started Duolingo as a linguistic pass-time more so as I didn’t want to let Duo (the bird) down. Fast-forward 3.5 years later, I’m on a 1140-day streak learning Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, and Music. What started as trying not to let the bird down eventually led to what’s potentially a lifelong habit of learning multiple worldwide languages, and that’s paying off in its own respect. Working out better than I thought, I’d say. :) Closing 2020 wasn’t the best year for most of us — myself included — and I acknowledge all who haven’t had the best of terms yet. For those who’ve tried to turn the tides and make it memorable, hats off and kudos to you. See you in Canaan. . . . ~T.K.K