The complicated life of a faithless Jehovah’s Witness youth trying to find his place in the world
When I was young, I had faith that my religion was the true one, that my God, Jehovah, was only going to save people who worshiped as I did and no one else, and “worldly people” were going to die a horrible and painful death at Armageddon.
I had no doubts it would happen exactly as my parents, along with the Jehovah’s Witnesses and all their literature, said would happen. …
A diet is just “DIE” with a “T” on the end. We don’t want any of that!
Are you bulging in the middle and wondering if Keto is as disgusting as it sounds? “Oh, a T-bone wrapped in bacon? My arteries thank you! Can I eat a whole stick of butter like a moon pie? Sign me up!”
Did you have a baby and are wondering if the baby bump will ever go away? Are you shopping at Wal-mart in yoga pants or sweats because your butt is two sizes too big for your jeans? Do people regularly comment on your weight, making you feel ugly, even if you happen to like your body?
Are you tired of explaining to people that carrying extra weight does not equal unhealthy? It’s only been the last century that skinny and frail-looking were vogue, so why should we comply with an unrealistic and harmful standard? …
Both are in some way harmful, so I’ll take my chances on my own
For the past eight years, I’ve considered myself a card-carrying atheist. Like many atheists, I had strong feelings about religion, God, and the Bible, and I wasn’t afraid to speak them to whoever would listen.
I’d get upset when someone dared post something religious on my Facebook timeline because, after all, how could anybody believe the fairy tale crap from the bible, and why do I have to be subjected to that level of stupidity?
I started getting the chip on my shoulder that most atheists have and was developing my own brand of mansplaining because it is a skill that most atheists possess. …
You can’t be a millionaire if you don’t spend money investing in yourself
When it comes to money, my wife and I are on the far ends of the scale.
Growing up in the Philippines, they taught her to save every little thing she had. They told her she must work hard to go to college, where she could hopefully get a government job and be guaranteed income for life. She was to buy everything as cheap as possible and hang onto it until it is completely unusable.
She is frugal, and her way of looking at money has taught me many things about value and needs versus wants.
I also grew up destitute. My family never really tried to improve our lot in life because they believed our existence would only be better after this system of things ended at Armeggedon, and there was a literal paradise on earth. …
Not being able to go out and buy what I need has made it difficult to do anything with video, but I manage anyway
The first time I read about it, I knew it was what I needed.
An M1 Mac that could handle heavy video editing for $699? Sign me up!
For a long time now, I’ve been trying to develop an idea for a profitable YouTube channel. But, I didn’t want a vlog where I would have to put my face out there and act like I had a personality.
I don’t, and I accept that.
All the solitude in 2020 gave me a lot of time to brainstorm and plan, and I did come up with two great ideas. …
Influencers, as a whole, generate billions of dollars a year for the world economy. Why do they have such a bad reputation?
Guess What?
While you hustled away at your 9–5 and came home to a soggy TV dinner and Netflix, influencers were making billions. Influencer Marketing Hub says the influencer economy had grown from a $1.7 billion industry in 2016 to around $6.5 billion in 2019.
And even though the influencer marketing industry is set to grow to approximately $9.7B in 2020, they took a big hit like everyone else when the pandemic struck. Sure, influencers are still there, chugging away on Instagram, making cash money. But the all-expense-paid trips on private jets with designer clothes have gone by the wayside. …
It’s time we turned off auto-pilot and started living our lives to the fullest potential
We spend our whole lives running away from death and getting upset when it’s even mentioned. When we are young, we somehow convince ourselves that we are immortal.
When we get older, we understand that death is inevitable.
Throughout my life, I faced the possibility that I would die soon. Being a person with suicidal ideation, I thought about my death a lot of the time.
In my teens and young adulthood, there were many times I got to the point where I had to decide to die, and I always chickened out. …
Be careful before you make a decision that will affect your next 20 to 30 years
I will never buy another house unless I get rich and can afford to pay cash.
There I said it.
If COVID-19 has taught me anything, it’s that life is too unpredictable. Here you are one day, working 40 hours a week, making a living, paying your bills, buying the latest tech on credit, leasing a new car every two years, then, BAM! Pandemic!
You lose your job and have no chance of finding another one. Congress can’t agree on a stimulus plan. …
Overthinking will add pounds to your weight and inches to your midsection
It seems as if I was always thinking, talking, and writing about my weight.
First, I lost 160 pounds, then gained most of it back again. Then I came to terms with my daughter calling me fat and grew a sense of humor. Then, I learned to love my body no matter what shape it was in.
A few weeks ago, I started cutting back on carbs and sugar. …
