Steven Ma, Author at Steven Ma

Personal Development / 7 minutes of reading

I know that January 1st isn’t magical, but it’s still effective in spurring people into action. Perhaps the secret to achieving goals, creating habits, catalyzing change, and improving oneself is in making the mundane magical.

Even though the new year is an arbitrary and meaningless date on the calendar, and even though the year 2020 is nothing more than coincidental numbers – you can still inject enough meaning into it to make it useful for creating the changes you want.

Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

Dec 30 2019January 16, 2020

How I Redeem My Regrets

Personal Development / 8 minutes of reading

Use your past mistakes as fuel to create your future It happens when my mind is most idle. While I’m …

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Photo by Kairat Murataliev on Unsplash

Dec 20 2019December 20, 2019

20 Self-Reflection Questions for Personal Growth in 2020

Personal Development / 4 minutes of reading

As we transition from 2019 into 2020, take some time to go through these personal reflection questions. They’ll help you identify the high points and low points of different areas of your life, along with nuances on how you perceived those experience and what you can learn from them.

Photo by Vladimir Mokry on Unsplash

Dec 5 2019November 26, 2019

How to Let Go of Sentimental Things

Personal Development / 9 minutes of reading

If you’ve ever tried to adopt minimalism on any scale, you know how difficult it can be. We develop strong attachments to the objects we own. But when we have to make the tough decision to let them go, there are a few ways to make the process easier.

Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash

Nov 26 2019November 26, 2019

How I Form Gratitude, Joy, & Resilience by Thinking About Death

Personal Development / 6 minutes of reading

Throughout life, all of us have unbearable moments. They could be physically or mentally agonizing. We can’t wait for it to be over. But there’s a simple thought exercise that helps me get through it with gratitude: death.

Sep 27 2019September 27, 2019

Why Do Christians Hate the Environment?

Faith & Spirituality, Politics, Social Justice / 8 minutes of reading

That may sound like a harsh or exaggerated statement, but it really isn’t. Christians don’t just ignore environmental action, they put effort into vehemently opposing it.

“Christians” is a broad generalization here. I’m referring more specifically to American, conservative, Republican Evangelical Christians. But they do have a loud voice in both American and global faith and often shape what “mainstream” Christianity is.

Jul 22 2019September 27, 2019

Caught Between Morality and Legality at the Border

Politics, Social Justice / 8 minutes of reading

The Sanchez family is from a Central American country that’s overrun by drug cartels. A drug gang had taken over the village where the Sanchez family lived. Rafael, the husband and father of the family, refused to work for the gang. He received threats and was beaten. He feared his family might be tortured or killed.

So he made the decision to take his eldest son Alberto and make the dangerous journey to the US.

Jul 2 2019September 27, 2019

3 Ways to Be a Better Traveler and Tourist

Personal Development, Relationships & Community / 5 minutes of reading

This summer, you’ll most likely be traveling in some way. While a lot of posts teach you about being a …

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Jun 3 2019September 27, 2019

I Vaccinate My Child Because I Failed Medical School

Personal Journal, Politics / 6 minutes of reading

I choose to vaccinate my child. It’s because I failed at pre-med. It was too hard for me, so I know how ridiculously smart nurses and doctors are who make it through. That’s why I trust them.