a year tryna live without Ya.

but no.

i could not.

i fell back into an old habit i could not break until i read the Quran again.

idk y.

the thoughts on extreme lust vanish.

i feel as if all my energy is no longer loose, ready to eject into whatever direction my vices/impulses say to go.

it feels now as an orb of pure energy dominates my entire consciousness.

it has me in focus.

i feel myself again.

God, i was wrong.

granted, i know i will always have my doubts on aisha and the prophet muhammad and the consummation.

but i get it; at the time and place, there were no rules, but if i bring that scenario, today, it would be abhorrent.

i am okay with accepting that notion; i’ve done my research and at the time, there were no rules.

it just eats at me morally.

but i can turn the page now.

i shall return to You.

i will go look for a Masjid in this place and return.

may you provide me the forgiveness and the strength to become an unstoppable force of nature at what i intend to pursue and what You shall allow to happen.

gracias, Dios.

!ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰ

!ٱللَّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ

it’s one of those nights.

i realize that the intense focus on the service academies is almost over.

just finished a congressional nomination interview.

idk if i’ll git it; i got a 60/40 chance imo after it.

could’ve prepared to respond to the “why you over others?” question more effectively, mentioned earlier that my main reason for a service academy is the brotherhood one rarely finds in the startup world, and when i asked my question, i made the mistake of asking someone who did not serve, maybe they thought i didn’t pay attention or i forgot.

either way, no time to worry about that.

the past is the past.

i won’t know if i’ll get nominated till either dec 31, ‘25 or jan 31, ‘26.

now, i’m waking up from that sharp endeavor.

all i need to do is send some other paperwork and we wait for three or four months.

in the meantime, i’ll focus on work, my last classes, and exploring my unusual obsession with recyclables and microplastics.

idk if i should care but we’ll look into it.

i’m excited for monday; imma practice american football kicking w/ a d-1 recruit.

it’s crazy how preparing all my life kicking a soccer ball and just being at the right place at the right time gives me so much luck.

opportunity + preparation = luck.

grateful for the moments with others this year and to realize im a piece of shit sometimes.

need to fix myself; that’s okay.

i also found out i do care about money; jus’ that i love skills, people, autonomy, and variety.

i am ambitious, comfortable w/ adversity, strong memory, likes patterns, etc.

i got too many “be my lawyer/therapist” comments, so something to look into.

other than that, we march on.

i need to stretch, the hamstrings are tight.

monday will be the day i show what my legs can do in front of two former nfl players, a football team, and a d-1 recruit.

this gunna be fun.

dm.

it’s easy to fall in love.

but when the relationship goes deep and for a while, it reveals itself.

after stubmling upon the hadiths of aisha and her relationship with the prophet muhammad (pbuh), i fell into a dilemma.

question:

in the hadiths, particularly those in salih al-bukhari, which state that aisha, one of the prophet muhammad’s wives, was six years old when her marriage was contracted and nine when it was consummated.

it doesn’t sit right with me knowing that was allowed, knowing that’s pedophilia in modern times.

i understand ways have changed since ~605 CE, but in my mind, a 9 year old and a 15 year old are the equivalent in the sense that marriage is the last thing someone at those ages should be doing (from solely a moral standpoint).

i don’t know how to comprehend this; it’s a mix of confusion, distastefulness, and curious to understand why.

update: did some research; i found out that the laws that governed the land when prophet muhammad and aisha got married allowed this to be legal via tribal customary law (urf).

i think the moral and the religious aspects are in a collision within my beliefs. a God does exist, no denying that, but if being honest, i must learn more about the religion to acknowledge the yin and yang within it.

its quite a unique emotion, no question, yet i accept this will be a lifelong endeavor to accurately map this aspect of myself.

there were some parts of the islamic community that i am glad i had the privilege to immerse myself within.

the community aspect was incredible (in my experience), and the brothers that guided me in a religious and moral aspect.

i will forever respect them, regardless when i part ways with the religion.

however, i noticed again, the brotherhood that i felt from them kept me in. granted, they told me to read the hadiths and the quran to find out if it’s right for me. that surprised me; that they didn’t tell me to go for it, but rather, to look at it from a birds-eye view and then make the decision.

it’s a bittersweet moment.

these past two years taught me the power of my mind and how far it can take me.

i developed high autonomy and high variety to any work i do.

but at what cost?

nearly lost myself, became alienated to the majority of society, it’s quite a boulder to carry, my back has tired itself.

i am still the ambitious kid; but i have learned that the extreme forms of ambition and its extreme pursuits are not worth my life; especially if i am living that life in accordance to the indoctrination of someone else.*

* everything past this sentence, i am not talking about islam here; just in general from people and programs who fed me information and i was not mature enough to interpret the advice correctly and led me down a whimsical road i cannot unsee or undo. i must unlearn that way of life before it is too late to reverse course.

i am not mad that i attempted that life; i got quite far, saw worlds i would have never seen, met people who i know will do incredible work.

but as life goes on, and you expose yourself to things, at some point, i asked myself: ‘imma die, fs. so am i doin’ what i would want to do or what i think i should do?’

ik i am built for difficult things; but i do not think that things that require me to sacrifice my sanity or do mental gymnastics to justify why i do it is the right flavor of ‘difficult’ for me. and the only way i found that out was by trying it for myself.

to know for sure, you must do. you must commit.

i’m still looking for that flavor of difficult, but i got options to try, and i shall do so.

for now, it’s either military officer, math/electricity/electrician, or working w/ seniors (idk, everyone tells me i’m an old soul stuck in a kids body, whatever that means).

who knows? maybe i do go back to that world of companies/startups; but if and when i do, i know it’s because i want to and i have a genuine problem that only i can solve, not because i think i should to satisfy whoever i think i should satisfy.

i like movin’ fast, and now that i lived some life, yea… idrc bout university as much, i’d rather go through programs that teach me skills to use asap, so trade is more appealing by the day.

and my vice of walking into restaurants and taking food/beverage has stopped. good.

one vice is left: lust.

just cut off the unnecessary devices and i’ll be ok. no more ways to get what i want, so the temptations disappear.

i see myself in the sphere of deism and exploring baptist christianity.

i believe in God; i just have not found the interpretation that i am conformable accepting (both the ethereal and the abhorrent).

and that’s okay.

it’s time to split ways.

i respect islam.

and after getting to know the real you, and islam knowing me…

i think it’s best we shake on it, hug each other, and promise to keep in touch.

the mosque is in front of us. you walk in, i keep walking.

i found enough answers there.

i’m still looking for the rest of them.

dm.

damn.

not releasing the clutter of thoughts somewhere indulges one into psychosis.

but we good now with an extreme workout.

some energy gets excreted with such movement.

problems that one has can go away when you address them with honesty.

some progress made to the service academies, but a roadblock presented itself.

i cannot control it; it’s in the hands of congress/senate, and God.

they shall decide if i proceed or cling to one final line of rope to a fable.

after looking at all my options, yea, i narrowed it down.

i realized i love high autonomy and high variety. pay is necessary, but i can live with little, just make sure i live and yea, we ball.

my top two options are either to enlist in space force or become an electrician.

both allow variety and autonomy to different degrees, and i also realized i do not want to spend vigorous amounts of money on credentials or school; there’s formal education, and then there’s skill-education.

ngl atp, i wanna build a skill. and on something i enjoy a lot.

i like building stuff, i like being outside, i like using my hands.

with space force, i can give up some autonomy to learn skills and learn the game.

with electrician, high autonomy, high variety, and pay will push me onwards.

also, i realize i need to surround myself with immigrants more.

the hunger they have to triumph against their circumstances is contagious.

from their academics, finances, personal endeavors… it’s crazy how they know a good amount of something.

just today, i spoke with someone about what we would do with a check of $3600/mo.

about 40% makes sense to just throw in etf fund or s&p 500.

because nobody wanna git rich slowly.

but patience + discipline = dub.

so might as well.

i mean, if nobody gets outta this game alive, yea it don’t matter how we play the game.

granted, i do wanna splurge some money, but not on material stuff.

i wanna spend money on experiences.

like traveling, or maybe flying on a jet, or in a race car, something cool.

that’s worth paying imo.

but yea, my mind is now more focused on money.

it’s my motivation rn.

nothing wrong with it.

i think the season of doing ambitious things for the sake of it is about to sunset.

the sunrise of a money-hungry me is near.

just be coherent with the decisions and we good.

aight, cool stuff.

back to it.

dm.

jim rohn had a point.

give it everything you got in what you do.

it’ll reveal to you to pursue it further or disclose to me that i ought to be doing something else.

and with that, here is where i stand.

i will drop the class to prevent a gpa crash.

the probability is too low for me to succeed even with perfect scores.

so i’ll lock in on the sat.

this semester was a ship that met a cannonball with a crew that swam to shore on a secluded island 800 meters from the wreckage site.

we’re rescued; but only just.

we still must build a boat to return to the mainland.

and with struggle, there is opportunity to learn about myself.

got an offer to test my leg out against a football, the american one.

he saw me kick a soccer ball and idk what he saw in me, but i’ll give it a go.

prolly for kicking or punting is what he wants me to try out.

maybe i agreed just ‘cause the guy played in the nfl, so idk what his mind was thinking when he saw me… only one way to find out.

i’ll do my research on the positions and practice a bit before the tryout.

at this age, just take it. say yes to every legal/moral opportunity in my 20s; you never know where it goes.

it’ll tell ya if you ought to proceed or to pivot.

dm.

exam done.

we wait for the result to make the next move.

for now, sat grind for two weeks.

after sat, we lock in again onto math for the final exam.

set myself up w/ more job offers by january.

i want two more.

gotta snatch meetings with my final rec. letters to the academies.

i’ll be patient w/ what’s not in my control.

but yes, this semester will require me to focus to the extreme till christmas.

ion got a choice; so be it.

i need one more person to apologize to for my actions, and we’ll be good.

gotta own up to my mistakes and amend them before we can part ways with such battle scars and advance into tomorrow.

even if i git a b in the math class, i’d have to score higher on the sat. so let’s git it.

it will offset the gpa difference, but we will do what must get done.

imho, it’s not worth it to drop with if i got a daylight chance to obtain a b.

otherwise, i would repeat.

all feels calm.

yes, while i feel dispensable at certain points, i tell myself: “it’s okay. focus on the work, and the work will fix you. it’ll tell if you on the right track or u gotta switch course.”

also, had a good conversation with a brother about islam. as i stated, i remain a deist as of now with the belief he can perform miracles as acts of divine providence.

i do not subscribe to an organized religion currently; however, i am open to learn of other narratives and roads to God.

side note: i believe in God. He must be all-good, all-powerful, & all-knowing. the reason i do not believe in classical deism is ‘cause it generally rejects miracles as a violation of the natural laws that govern earth.

in that scenario, God is not all-powerful; so i could worship a pencil and nothing would happen to me.

so that is why i believe God intervenes when he wants to, not when we ask Him to. i think He does help us out in some way, but we gotta do our part too. what you give, you will get back.

i just like that i can carve my relationship to God my way.

it’s not that i do not believe in a book, but the amount of incense between my eyes a conclusion rooted in sound religious history and logic make fog a childish phenomenon from mother nature.

and i appreciate this brother for the open mind to explain this to me without his biases in the way.

i was heavily invested into islam; yet, as you learn, more questions arise.

this won’t be a journey of “making it”: it’s more of a consistent tug-of-war of questions, learning, and appreciation of whatever religion it is.

just appreciate it.

and have the bravery to ask the hard questions and to do the right thing, even if nobody is watching.

that is, until God condemns or rewards us for the value we contribute to others.

dm.

the title says it all.

these are the preeminent words to express my experiences within the past 48 hours.

i am grateful i got the homeboyz + homegirl to anchor me as chaos tore me from the inside-out.

gracefully, i remain intact, and the cancerous interior of my fraudulent self has been revealed to undergo ectomy.

studied for this exam, tho i alr know what is the next decision i’ll take.

i’ll drop the class either way and focus on the sat score. 50 points on the sat can boost my candidate score up by 75 points; 100 points bumps me up by 150 points. that could be the differentiator between an appointment or not.

i focused intensely on this because this will be the third time i ever take an sat. and knowing this is my last shot, i’ll do what’s required.

to drop the class will prevent any drops in the gpa to protect it; however, the assignment is that i must pass that class next semester with an a—no exceptions.

this, alongside with doubling down on the academics for next semester means i am committed, no matter what, until a decision is made.

get two extra jobs; i can do that now, no other commitments but my last attempt.

life shall be simple, focused, and balanced: work, academics, and improve fitness + physiology to prepare for the decision.

and yea, the homeboy was right. i thought back to what the ppl who i lived with back in cambridge + lavc said pre-june 2024…all of them always told me: “bro, be my lawyer, wtf!? no cap, that’s genius.” “why are u doin’ math, u should be a lawyer.”

these are ppl who run startups, mit grads, and blokes whom i’ve never met in my life.

i figured out why tho, that’s for another day; tmrw maybe.

ngl, i like this habit of writing a small reflection every day. takes 10 minutes max.

makes me realize what got done, where i need to correct, any wins, asks, and random funny stuff.

like that guy who walked into our class mid-lecture and did a tiktok…it was an uncanny moment since i didn’t know that was a tiktok and that he was lowk being racist to my professor… til a new trend.

it’s a small downside that i’m the last one to know trends since i don’t have tiktok, ig, twitter, fb… just this page. ion care; i’m at peace.

documenting is fun; these journal entries will be such an eye-opener when april/may ‘26 rolls around… if God lets it have it my way, i’ll be proud of the growth i made.

what does not get documented or tracked will not change.

dm.

talked w/ a homeboy.

what i took away from him.

do not set goals; time is too far for me to monitor and measure.

if n = 1, and each number means years, as n becomes bigger i cannot measure all the hypotheticals, which means i cannot measure the consequences of my actions.

he said to not look into the future, it is why i am anxious, rather it’s best to live in the moment, maximum n = 1, and perhaps adjust the numbers to mean months, or weeks.

if i look into the future, ofc i become anxious. if i look into the past, i’ll become depressed.

all i can control is this week; it will have decisions that shall affect the entire semester and my chances of the service academy and sat scores; tho tbh i did major in service academy and not my work…

tbh, i was focused on building a sports tournament and personal endeavors more than classes. this is my youth; this is my chance to take the most risk. once it’s done, i lose it forever until i’m old and dysfunctional physically.

all good things come to an end; this year will be just that. i do not regret nothing, but the time has come.

he personally told me that i am settling with trade school and csum [dot] edu, working as a deck officer, that i got more brain than this; it should be my last option in an economic sense. first time in a while ppl tell me that; i tend to be embarrassed of things i should be proud about.

true. but the only true test of intelligence is if i git what i want outta life. as of now, i do not have the answer to that question that i can say to another person: “what do i want out of life?” when i do, the answers will be clear. i have data points that can lead me to a conclusion, which i’ll document.

i also realized that i tend to prefer people telling me that i am doing good work and it’s appreciated, it’s my way of knowing i’m loved and respected or appreciated i guess.

realistically, what i’ve been attempting to recreate is the brotherhood bond i developed in cambridge; ppl gave me a place to be, i gave ppl money to survive, vice versa, they were there at my lowest, ppl shared their vulnerable moments, and worked, lived, and did mayhem and projects/companies together. what a splurge of an ethereal, powerful, and life-fulfilling emotion.

it’s a trend/tendency i’ve noticed these past three years: i always revolve around such feelings of camaraderie and brotherhood; i do not care what i do, as long as i got my brothers, it’s what made me appreciative of life and made me feel alive. i acted so assertive it felt…off. kinda like arrogance. but i knew my worth. and i owned it, i claimed it. i knew people had more than me, but i was proud of making it that far. i guess that’s why i am in this situation: i want to relive that life, specifically, that emotion again until God ends my time here on this earth.

but he mentioned, to give to a tribe, one must be sane themselves; now it’s time to focus on myself. money is tight, so of course it makes sense why i feel like i am losing in this battle.

we agreed that the best choices for an action plan is the following:

this is my final year of attempting anything ambitious; it’s potent to do hard things, but it derails a man from focus if he continues the search for an emotion rather than a materialized substance.

so this year is for the service academies until a decision is made by the superiors and the academy admissions team.

if it’s a no, i committed to decide between consulate work/law relating to visas with an eventual aim to diplomacy or enlist into the space force and go all the way, 20+ years,… no point to stay for a few years.

in this world, it’s no longer sustainable to be somewhat good; one must be the specimen of the field and the work one is uniquely trained to do.

and if yes, i will never regret the decision to go for it. there will be recognition for everyone who got me to this point; people will earn their flowers.

so this week, big decisions shall be made.

i’ll lock in on some exams, but the real focus is to excel the sat score; it’s the veins of my application to the academies and my ambitions.

do well there, get the final lor’s, do congressional interviews, and wait.

that’s when we lock in on academics again.

there were no wrong decisions taken; they are just some that will never be repeated again. the worst decision would’ve been indecision.

it didn’t happen, which allowed me to learn such abhorrent habits and traits i’ve identified due to my blind spot that prevents me to analyze that twisted side of my existence.

i have some apologies to make.

i have a pending reboot to do.

and i have to appreciate my homeboy; i luv this man to death. he is appreciated.

same for three other homeboyz. that’s all, nobody rly got more than five.

aight back to focus.

dm.

i am pinned to a wall of my own ambitions.

should i proceed one step closer to the service academies, i must resolve a problem i inflicted onto myself.

failure to overcome this, and my progress shall be delayed.

success is not stolen; it’s surrendered, one lazy decision at a time.

this is my responsibility since i committed to create a sports tournament.

i ignored the academic side as i pushed forward on the project, my physical fitness, and my medical recovery.

i also committed actions i am not proud of to others.

i must sit with them and throttle on until this adventure is over.

then i shall apologize; no point to give my condolences when i meant it.

it did not feel right to do.

i’ll whip out my chin to take the punches later.

i shall proceed with my armor smeared with broken promises.

i shunned the laptop away from my sight; i was better off without it.

it shall stay that way with the exception of exam days; i’ll need it then.

i must eliminate the need to use vulgar language to express my logic.

it’s not necessary; it shows i lack articulation and it is not healthy.

make it an active habit to prevent the use of cuss words.

i’ll mention to all my homeboyz that if i swear in front of them, i owe them $0.50.

that should do it.

thank God; He provided a spiritual slap on the wrist for my abhorrent habit i developed where i fill my bottle up with soda from restaurants.

sometimes i enter the place just to do that; my sibling paid the price for my action.

even though it was indirect, i do remember my decision to fill up my bottle without permission or from a paid cup.

that kinda did it for me; maybe next time will be the last time.

it feels distasteful that i let myself accept such behavior; the guardians of my mind did not defend the gates to my habits well enough.

so this week ought to be an uphill battle fo’ sho’.

one test separates me from a chance to maintain some dignity this latter half of 2025.

i am relieved i noticed such self-destruction before its winds sweep the interior of what remains pure of me.

if i do not implement such action and guardrails immediately, i am destined to sabotage my success to advance closer to the fable i’ve created in my mind.

take your stance, me.

it’s sudden death now.

dm.

today is an unusual position for me to be in.

i felt feelings that i only recall ever encountering when i was on a mission in cambridge.

those feelings were packaged, taped, and sealed shut in a box that i stored in the most inaccessible section of my mental attic.

i had to lock them out of my daily programming; they are potent, powerful, and can seduce a soulless man into acquiring a purpose.

that purpose may not be useful if we extend time past the immediate and noticeable consequences of the actions produced by such feelings.

that feeling is the one you get when you have a mission that could take your entire lifespan to complete. you exchange your life’s energy for the pursuit and adventure it affords.

i believe it is the equivalent feeling to the one that professional athletes, military, and founders/creators* on the cutting edge of their field wield every day until they cease their activities or when the mission is complete in their eyes.

* it’s not an exhaustive list; it’s the first few that come to mind.

that feeling has struck a nerve within the most ungovernable sections of my being.

i crave that feeling again.

i crave the feeling of exchanging my life’s energy into a mission, a project, or a movement that requires me to be swept into an ethereal dream. bonus points when i work on something with others or in tandem with others.

the ethereal dream i’m describing is a construct of the mind where no matter what my circumstances are, i understand why i am undergoing the situation i have placed myself in.

those days in cambridge have been recorded as the days where i felt most uncomfortable, yet the most present i can recall.

it was definitely due to the fact i was swept into this ‘ethereal dream’ because of the mission i had. everything scared me, yet nothing fazed me. things that are worth it do suck. they suck a lot. that’s how it’s supposed to be.

the most recent encounter with that feeling is when a very close homeboy and i went out of our way to construct an event we thought would be engraved in everyone’s prefrontal cortex for as long as they lived.

while it didn’t work out, i remember every day, its struggles, its pleasures, and the random horseplay we’d do. i felt powerful. i felt free. i felt in the moment.

i couldn’t care less if someone told me i would have died within next week during that pursuit; i was playing my game with someone i wanted to play with. i was with God.

it’s a distasteful experience when the vehicle to life satisfaction collapses and i facepalmed onto the concrete floor. one sometimes uses excess vices like clubbing, porn, or substances to numb the mind of its fall from peace. perhaps those things are an effective, dangerous attempt to recreate that feeling.

i noticed myself returning to urges i’ve eliminated, even as far as using them again. with these digital lexicons, i promise myself to never use them as a substitution for deep reflection. out of sight, out of mind.

i think i want an unmovable mission with its roots anchored in purpose. it is natural for a human to exist within a tribe, to contribute to it, and foster the people who will bear the responsibility to maintain and multiply the tribe.

i say this because i observe myself being drawn to missions and people who carry a record of deep focus on achieving a specific thing for an extended period of time or achieving a collage of feats that equate to a product of that individual living multiple lives in one.

i.e. jonny kim (nasa astronaut), alejandra campoverdi (former white house aide to president obama), admiral william mcraven (ret.), those kinda people.

i think why i find myself drawn to individuals like these is due to my tendency to be impatient with results. i’m always impatient with action, so i’m not concerned there. i tend to not wait for the results of my actions to blossom from the dense soil within.

then again, they all dare to exceed the normal boundaries of what their community tends to believe is acceptable. i find it hard for me to live a confined life where i can be cornered and boxed up in the same style i bury my emotions with my incomplete self-reflections.

now that the turbulence within me has ceased to exist, i’ve reached a hypothesis that i shall ponder for the remainder of the week:

an individual will know what they want their life’s work to be years before they find the vehicle to express it. the difference will be if the individual can continue the search to find that vehicle without draining their patience or their commitment.

i say this because i have to ask myself why i had a battle between my two selves to apply again for the service academies.

i thought it was due to desperation to leave this part of town and be free again, not being chained to my parent’s house and feeling miserable that i live in this way. maybe it’s finding a purpose, but that’s not true, especially after going all the way with organizing an event with zero experience.

no.

i just want peace of mind.

i miss the ethereal dream.

the ethereal dream of exchanging my life’s energy for the currency of peace.

peace bought me the state of living in the present.

i do not know of any other method to buy me that state of mind.

i am certain that it is an addictive sensation, yet i’ve decided that it’s infinitely times better to pursue that than in a state of ennui: floating in space with no fable or finale to look forward to.

so here i go: i must find that feeling again in the mundane aspects of life to add some color into my world right now.

all i see is a monochromatic canvas.

where’s bob ross when you need him?

i’ll start with where i’ve been told i’m good at: getting people to tell me things they’ve told me that they’ve never told anyone before, and being totally comfortable with it.

dm.

Why do I do it?

Where does the desire come from?

How do I pull off such a complex objective?

What pushes me over the edge?

I do know, actually. I am a product of my environment. I didn’t understand how it made me, but that’s how the world works. Until the day I made the unaware a conscious focus in my mind, I thought it was fate. Now I make decisions about who receives funding via oxygengrants.org.

I begin to notice a trend: from the young builders, artists, creators to the immigrants and public servants. Their behavior to life’s uncertainty is dictated by their personal conditions. All the categories I mentioned always have high resilience, endless sources of grit, and persist until it works out. Occasionally, these traits work to become an effective solution to their current situation.

The best simplification I’ve found to this phenomena is by Dr. BJ Fogg, PhD and the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University. He created this equation to explain my observation:

A person’s behavior is an outcome; for any behavior to change, there are three independent variables:

Motivation, Ability, Trigger.

But to make a permanent adjustment, it’s best to tweak all three.

The builders, artists, creators, immigrants, and public servants that I’ve encountered all have a specific experience(s) that flicked on the switch from their old them to the current version I interact with.

The biggest trigger and motivation for people to instantly take action is when they would change their behavior due to their circumstances than to remain the same. In some cases, when a situation is absolutely unbearable, the concern of one’s ability to execute on the task goes to zero. [A = 0]

The equation eventually becomes: B = M + T

The reason they do not care about their ability to execute is because it’s a distraction; it is literally sink-or-swim. In this case:

Motivation = Desire to change their behavior.

Trigger = What happens if you do not change behavior.

In a few cases, the people I’ve met have the hope of a better future as their motivation; it surprises me because usually positive sparks may fade away faster and cause momentum to stop faster than a negative emotion.

I can now understand where my grit comes from; living with an immigrant family and community shows me that “no” ain’t an option.

We gotta make it out somehow to somewhere.

DM.

To learn more about the BMAT framework and Dr. BJ Fogg, visit:

https://www.behaviormodel.org/

https://behaviouralchange.leading-brains.com/b-mat/