Daily Morning Notes - January
My whole Month in a Few Words
I'm sorry for the double email. I got the wrong newsletter to publish this morning. This email was intended for those who subscribe to The World Within.
In January, I wrote a short note almost every day. Some of these notes got a lot of likes. I thought it would be a good idea to compile them and publish them. They are written as a kind of diary, where I capture daily moods and thoughts.
If you like the idea, let me know in the comments, and I’ll compile the daily notes at the end of the month.
January 1, 2024
This year, I’m going to write a tiny note every morning.
The end of my flu finally seems here. I’m in the final hours of purgatory. It’s amazing how a little flu can ruin a life.
It starts with a burning throat. Honey doesn’t soothe the fire that spreads inside. You try all grandma’s remedies. Even the worst-tasting magic potions are taken with hope.
Then your nose gradually closes up. You enjoy the last few hours of nasal breathing. Because misfortune never comes alone. It turns into a little river… well, a sea.
How there can be so much liquid in such a small nose is a mystery.
You might think it’s time to rest. You’re exhausted… and you can’t sleep. Burning throats, stuffy noses, headache. Great.
You live in the first circle of hell for a few days. Everything is done with difficulty.
Then you start to recover. Taste returns to your palate and your life. Little things make you happy. Sleeping without having to wipe your nose every hour.
You realize how lucky you are not to be sick every day. Health is a treasure. Without it, life loses all its flavor.
These little illnesses seem to be there to remind us.
The next thing for me is to get back to work. Because I didn’t do anything last week. I’m way behind on all my schedules.
This first day of the year is associated with effort, but I’m happy to be able to make some.
Wishing you a great day.
January 2, 2024
This is my first year as a writer. As someone who writes and earns money doing it. After one day: It’s what I want to do today and for the rest of my life.
It’s my first year as a writer. But it’s daunting. Old demons have disappeared. New ghosts have appeared. Adversity never stops.
I found out that there will be 366 days this year. Do what you do with this info.
The weather is ugly this morning, my mood is often correlated with the sun. When it’s sunny, I feel good. When it’s grey, I just want to stay in bed. I’m no Kryptonian, but the sun is my battery.
This year, I’m going to write what I like, not what I need to write. It’s a risk, but if I’m going to live as a writer. Might as well go all out.
This is a year of change for me. A transition from old identities to new ones. I’ve long been afraid of change. And did everything in my power not to change. But today, I need to change. I feel I’m coming to the end of a cycle. Changes are necessary or I’ll never evolve.
There was this dream that kept coming back to haunt me.This morning, I realized that it’s been a while since it left me alone. This could mean that I’ve healed. Or my mind is too busy to think about ghosts.
Did I mention that this is my first year as a writer? And how cool it is?
I had a new realization. Stay away from artificial dopamine until you’ve completed your daily to-do list or you’ll blow your reward system. All the tasks on your daily to-do list that you can do as soon as you wake up, you do them. No phone, no social networks, no video games, no unhealthy food. Your first source of dopamine of the day is the completion of your to-do list.
Your wilpower drops throughout the day. If you get artificial dopamine, you won’t want to go looking for natural dopamine.
When I started this note. It was a gray day. Now it’s raining torrents. I feel like my bed is calling me. Who invented work? Who invented work on a rainy day? If I’m president one day, hours 8 to 12 on rainy days are off.
Wishing you a great day!
January 3, 2024
New morning, new day. New day, new hope.
In everything we do, there’s a secret ingredient that changes everything: Love.
At one point last year, I couldn’t write anymore. We think we’re drawing on an unlimited resource, but the words we produce require energy. If you don’t take care of yourself. The machine stops. Ink becomes scarce until it runs out.
2024 only took 36 hours for the first problem to appear. Nothing insurmountable, but it made me smile. Can’t we ever have a rest?
I’m a “funny” person in life. (It’s weird to need to say you’re funny. You’re not a king if you need to say it Geoffrey!)
I realize that my writing has very little humor. A personality trait that doesn’t come through at all in my lines.
There’s such a dichotomy between the written me and the real me. Writer’s problem.
I’m enjoying writing these notes. It was my favorite exercise a few years ago. It adds joy to my morning routine.
Several people have started daily notes, which is great. If you do, leave me a comment and I’ll follow your adventures.
Have a nice day
January 4, 2024
Morning everyone.
The sun is back, what a joy. What a chance to taste the caress of the morning sun on a face. A hug from the universe filled with warmth after long, cold, gray days.
It only took 72 hours for the second problem of 2024 to appear. After days of heavy rain, an entire wall of the house was leaking. 2024 won’t let me rest. It’s okay, I’m prepared. I’m ready.
Yesterday’s 4-minute read took me 3 hours to write. 780 words for 180 minutes of work. That’s about 4 words produced per minute. That’s 1 word every 15 seconds. That’s why I try to support every writer who passes through my feed. Whatever the number of words on a prose, there’s a lot of work behind it.
I’m a rather distant person when it comes to my own writing. But sometimes I like some of my quotes. One from yesterday went straight into my favorites:
“Even when the light of their star has faded.
They continue to bless us with their light. “Last night, I slept in at 3:30. My to-do lists are coming to an end but my pace of life is still a disaster. Or maybe I’m a vampire. But I love the sun. And I love the dark night. Common Viam, you have to choose.
When I started thinking that it might be possible to become a writer, I would have mini-anxiety attacks. It was a lot of change. The culmination of a dream. For a minute, all of a sudden, a ball of stress would rise in my body. My hands would get clammy, my breathing would quicken. These little attacks have disappeared; what scares you is the path.
One of my favorite aspects of this adventure is that it’s like a (very) big family. You can see writers evolve, go through different stages of life.
We’ll probably never meet, yet we “live” together. Exchanging deep words that we wouldn’t dare exchange with our friends.
We’re brothers and sisters of words.There are wounds I thought impossible to heal. And yet, I find myself feeling them behind me. Change seems to be one of the keys to healing.
Have a beautiful and productive day.
Take care.
January 5, 2024
Morning everyone
The days are flying by at lightning speed. It’s as if every year, time speeds up. 4 days of January are already over. At this rate, the end of everything is almost there.
I read a quote yesterday:
“You are not something to be fixed.”
That’s right. But it’s also true that I’ve already felt “broken”. For some soul injuries, time is the only cure.I used to use a lot of AI for my images. The beauty of the new is fading. I’m starting to find AI images ugly. It looks exactly like written AI. It’s trying to look good, but it’s ugly. I’ve got to get rich enough to hire an illustrator (lol).
Readers can follow you for years. Like your work. All they need is one sentence to stop. Or to hate you. Touch one of their core identities. And the friend you were becomes an enemy. The fate of a writer trying to write the truth is hatred.
The Internet, TV and the telephone are poisons. A window to a world that never stops, when we vitally need to stop. When we’re not doing anything, many of us open our phones to “kill” boredom. But maybe boredom doesn’t need to be “killed”. Just to be enjoyed. We need to relearn the art of knowing how to do nothing.
Related to the previous point. Montaigne said “When I dance, I dance. When I sleep, I sleep.” This line is centuries old and so current. I need to relearn to do one thing at a time. To stop reaching for my phone. To stop playing background music. Focus on my tasks and only my tasks.
Looking at my to-do list for the week, I can see that it’s only slightly underway. As I write these lines, a small ball of stress accompanies me.
Have a great day everyone!
January 6, 2024
I sent another email I wasn’t supposed to yesterday. My careless mistakes are multiplying, little errors that reveal a lot about my current state of mind. An obvious lack of concentration in the tasks I perform. That’s got to change.
I have an article from a while ago that’s starting to rank, it’s always a nice surprise to see one of the old seeds bear beautiful fruit.
I was rereading a recently published article, and it’s amazing how every time you do this, all the mistakes you’ve made assault your eyes.
The issue is not whether AI will replace us. It’s a matter of how fast.
Physical fatigue and mental fatigue are two entirely different beasts. Physical fatigue can be overcome with a good mental attitude. Mental fatigue cannot be overcome, even with a good physique. The soul remains in control of this moving body.
You have to be careful what you say. But also be careful what you write. Words are spells we cast out into the universe.
Have a great Saturday.
See you tomorrow!
January 7, 2024
Everyone can be proud of you, but if you’re not, you won’t be. The world’s opinions weigh very little against ours.
It hasn’t been a great week for me. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do. I’m not happy with myself. I need to be more disicplined, dreams don’t build themselves.
I wanted to write a novel in 2024 but I can’t think of a single idea. It’s strange and it scares me. For the first time in my life, I’m completely blocked from writing fiction. I don’t know what to write, about what, who, when or how. It’s no longer a blank page, it’s a blank book.
Sometimes I feel like I’ve made peace with the past. Sometimes it comes back without warning. Do you ever really heal from your past? Do you learn to live with it? Do we just become stronger at accepting it? I don’t know.
Some days you wake up full of energy. Some days you wake up not wanting anything. The reasons for this are obscure. The human being is a mystery.
A shorter note this morning. My to-do list is staring me. It’s time.
Have a nice Sunday.
January 8, 2024
Once you’ve defeated your impostor syndrome, you need to defeat your hubris.
If I haven’t written my fiction chapter yet, it’s because I’m afraid everyone will think it’s terrible. I’m comfortable in my habits. My writing is read. Part of my brain says: why take risks?
January is off to a good start. And yet, I feel like that soccer player still on the bench. Everyone else is playing and I’m just warming up. It’s time to step onto the pitch. Then into the match.
Success, whether in writing or in life, is not linear. It’s even curves that don’t make sense.
The most important thing is not the idea. It’s how you execute it. A bad idea with perfect execution is sometimes better than a good idea with terrible execution.
Have a great Monday!
January 9, 2024
I like you, all of you who interact with my content every single day, thank you
Don’t fight fights that aren’t yours. (And the vast majority aren’t).
A lesson learned the hard way. Be careful about what you say. Life always punish arrogance. It may take time but like a boomerang. It always comes back in your face.
When you’re happy in what you do. We do it with love and a hundred times better. One day, man will realize just how stupid capitalist logic is. A system created to extract life force for the benefit of the few. Not to sublimate the human being.
I write about what brings us together. Not what divides us. I have a strong opinion on a lot of things, but I keep it to myself. The world has enough division for me to add to it.
In my notes, I’d like to tell you about my upcoming projects. But I must respect this maxim: “A magician never talks about his tricks in advance.” Surprise is part of the trick. Many writers reveal too much before an important post.
It works for life too. Don’t talk about your upcoming projects. Share them once they’re finished, the effect is tenfold.
Have a great Tuesday everyone!
January 10, 2024
A new day is a new opportunity to tell the people you love that you love them. We don’t know how many chances we’ll get. Better not to miss any.
I was reading a quote: “Become what you are”. Which presupposes that you already are what you want to be. Your destiny awaits you. It’s up to you to make it happen.
This morning, I have a bit of a headache. Lack of sleep is really the cause of all ills.
Growing old means making peace with certain dreams that will never be fulfilled. I think it’s one of the hardest griefs to make. The mourning of a life we would have loved to live.
I’ve started reading again. I’m halfway through a book. I may read two whole books in January. It’s an improvement.
The second part of January will be devoted to improving my environment.
My first investment as a writer. I’ve earned some money over the last few months. I’ll buy some nice notebooks. They’re expensive, a (very) nice notebook costs around 40 euros. I need between 5 and 10. But if it allows me to write better stories, it’s only a small investment.
I also need to invest in a new bookcase. I’m running out of space. I have too many books and I don’t like overloaded visuals.
I’m going to repaint my walls. I feel I need to give everything around me a makeover. A way of symbolizing a new beginning.
May you have a great day.
January 11, 2024
We must never lose hope. Every day is a new chance. As long as we keep trying.
On January 2, I had a very bad news. Yesterday, I got a very good piece of news. “C’est la vie”
Last week, I had a lot of views. This week, I’ve had far fewer. “C’est la vie.”
For the first time in a very long time. I’m ahead on my writing. Day of celebration.
Online debates are useless. A blind man trying to convince a blind man using sign language. Waste of time.
Have a great day evreryone!
January 12, 2024
Morning everyone
I finally started working for real. It took me ten days, but I’m into the new year. Better late than never.
I slept 8 hours. I feel great. I need to do it every night.
I need to make more efficient daily to-do lists. I lose too much time between two activities. Time being our primary resource, its use must be optimized.
I need a pen name.
I need a website
I need to build a community
If I want to succeed, I need to get to the next level
I’ve written my first chapter. I like it a lot. I don’t know if I’ll publish it on substack or on my website. I need to organize beforehand so that publications flow smoothly.
Sometimes I wonder how much I should write in a day. I set myself a minimum of 500 words. But a writer is supposed to write? I can write a lot more than 500 words a day. Maybe it’s time to try harder.
Have a great day everyone!
January 13, 2024
Morning everyone
The mountain is high, which makes it beautiful to climb.
The pride you feel when you’ve accomplished your daily to-do list is real. You build your self-confidence by proving to yourself that you’re capable. You create a virtuous circle just by respecting your ambitions.
I need to invest in writing equipment. Are there any PC dedicated to writing?
I hated things when I was 20. Now I love them.
One of them is cooking. I’m a terrible cook but I love doing it.
I’ve had a good rest over the last two months, and now it’s time to move up a gear. A writer writes, so expect more writing.
My morning notes since the beginning of the year have reached 3000 words. At 1500 words a week. That’s 78,000 words a year. I’ll have a “novel” of notes by the end of the year.
January 14, 2023
I almost couldn’t write today. I was stuck outside. My door wouldn’t open (lol).
I met a guy who has completely changed his life. He grows vegetables and has animals in a large field he bought. Ultimately, that’s the life I want to lead. Away from the internet. Away from everything. Plants, vegetables, fruit, sun, animals, solitude, a pen and blank pages.
I had another idea for a little fiction last night. Next week, I’ll be publishing two pieces of fiction.
We’re going to die one day, so why be afraid?
Have a great Sunday!
January 15, 2024
Morning everyone
I managed 15 days without giving up on this new project. Already a small victory.
What I love most about writing is waking up one morning. You don’t know what you’re going to write about, but you know you’re going to enjoy yourself. You’re going to create. Something from nothing. Magic.
I’ve already written all my content for the week. For the first time, I’m a week ahead of schedule. All I have to do now is edit and publish.
I had a realization last night, I really have to cure my addictions or I’ll never get anywhere. My addictions have already destroyed me several times. I can’t let that happen again.
My start of the year is an improvement on last year. But there’s still one point where I’m falling short of my expectations. That’s sport. I’m supposed to work out once a day. I’ve only done one. So I’m writing these lines. I publish my post. And I’m off to do it.
As long as I don’t take care of my body, I won’t be able to write great things.
Have a Great Day Everyone!
January 16, 2024
Morning Everyone
I haven’t done much in the last two days. I’m cleaning my house… and my soul.
As a writer, we’re subject to unfair competition these days with AI. Even if their content sucks, they’re drowning out yours with a constant stream of new stories that flood the algorithm. At some point, platforms are going to have to protect themselves, because it’s going to sink them. On some, you just can’t find good content to read anymore. The robots have taken over. This is a big issue. For writers and platform.
When we write, we have moments when we write because we’re writers and moments when we write because we want or need to write. It’s in the latter that our zone of genius lies.
Good day to you all.
January 24, 2024
I’m back. Needed some rest. Time to write and work… again! (The truth is that I spent ten days doing nothing, doing no sport, eating badly and sleeping very late. I’m not proud of myself).
January 25, 2024
I’m back to good habits
One good habit can lead to a virtuous circle of many others
Respect diet, sleep and sport and you will win the game of life
January 26, 2024
The best people in this world will suffer the most. Having felt the pain in their souls, they will do everything to prevent it from happening to others.
The broadest smiles often conceal the greatest sadness.
What a fantastic era when skills can be turned into profits!
True wisdom means not thinking about yesterday, but building for tomorrow
I don’t follow algorithms. I follow my heart.
January 27, 2024
Getting on a scale was the trigger, I’ve done three days of sport in a row and I’m off for the fourth. You have to face the truth to be able to react.
I’m disappointed not to have written morning notes for a few days, I wanted to do it for the whole year and in the first month, I missed a few days.
I’ve resumed a healthier rhythm of life. It took me a bit of time in January to regain clarity, but I managed.
I’d like to take a ticket to Thailand, train like crazy and then have a fight in a ring. It’s probably not the best idea I’ve ever had. But there it is. It takes a lot of courage to get into a ring, and that’s something I’d like to prove to myself.
This year, I’m going to develop my business, my audience, digitalize everything. And after that, I’ll just go on adventures.
I want to learn everything: painting, dancing, art. I want to taste everything, experience everything. I’ve spent years locked into a routine, wasting my life earning it. It’s time to “live”.
Have a great day everyone!
January 28, 2024
Sometimes, when you meet someone, you discover another self that is more yourself than the one you are
I’m tired, i slept at 5am. When you’re over thirty, how do you recover from that? I feel like I’ve been broken in two.
This is the month I’m going to make the most money from writing and it’s the month I’ve worked the least. The hard work of the past months is paying off.
I did three or four days of sport in a row. I lost count. I’m feeling lazy but I’ve got to do it.
I had a lot of fun writing the last few posts. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed writing so much.
Have a Great Day everyone!
January 29, 2024
My little girl today “You were born in which world war?” Loool
I’ve uninstalled all the games and apps on my PC and my phone. I need to take control of my life. Last night was one too many, I slept in at 5 a.m. again. I can’t live like this anymore.
Sleeping late made me miss my workout today, mistakes have to be paid for.
I don’t want to level up in a video game anymore. I want to level up my character in real life. I’m not addicted to video games, I’m just addicted to competition. I need to find a high in real life, an activity that will push me to my limits and make me compete.
Have a great day everyone!
January 30, 2024
First day without video games. And my notes are posted in the morning, not in the evening.
I was able to spend more time with my daughter. We learned a piano piece together. We spent 1h30 in front of the piano. We had fun.
I’m a lot less tired today, but above all I want to do things. This new energy pushes me towards the community ideas I’ve been wanting to create for a long time.
I know that life is full of ups and downs. In the low periods, I know it’ll pass. But I’m also wary of the highs. I know my emotions can play tricks on me.
I love writing so much. It’s the most beautiful thing on earth. Thousands of years from now, my words will still be somewhere. I could leave and stay. Writers are eternal.
Have a great day everyone!