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Social Media targeted pieces, for influencers and trending topics in the Journal workplace digital universe.
Moonshadow
My mother loved a Cat Stevens song. That's where it starts — not with astronomy, not with mythology, though both play into it. She heard the song young and carried it for years, and when I was born she gave it to me. Moonshadow. It's on my birth certificate, same as anyone's name is on theirs, the first thing officially recorded about a person before they've had any say in who they'll become.
By Bertyl Kently4 months ago in Journal
Strike 3: Owlcation Has Repurposed Another One of My Articles
Owlcation’s staff are actively going through old data on Myers Briggs articles. I just found the THIRD article of mine that was repurposed on Owlcation. I wrote a few INFJ articles on HubPages, and I’m not sure if I cross posted this one. I confirmed it through The Wayback Machine.
By Andrea Lawrence4 months ago in Journal
Your PC Is No Longer Just Yours. AI-Generated.
I have spent a long time looking at how we use our computers. Most of us feel very safe when we are sitting in our living rooms with our laptops open. We think that since we are behind a screen in our own house, we are private. But I want to tell you something that might be a bit scary: that screen is not a wall. For many people today, it has become a two-way mirror. You are looking at your work or your photos, but someone else is looking back at you.
By Securely Life4 months ago in Journal
Pissed Off & Proud: Burn It To The Ground
I mean this wholeheartedly when I ask, what in the fuck are we doing? Pardon my French, but we appear to be living in an era of fukery that seems to be never-ending. It’s like we are allowing this shitstorm to continue so long as we are comfortable. As long as it suits us, right?
By Rosie J. Sargent4 months ago in Journal
Fifteen Minutes Away
The apartment is a fifteen-minute walk from mine. I know this because I've timed it, more than once, on evenings when I'm walking to meet him somewhere that isn't his home. Fifteen minutes. In three months of dating, I have never once been inside it.
By Bertyl Kently4 months ago in Journal
The Math Nobody Wants to Do. AI-Generated.
There's a particular humiliation in selling your plasma to pay rent for people who are employed. I'm fifty-three. I work full time. I run a small side operation that brings in a few hundred dollars a month. On one of my days off I drive for a grocery delivery app, and last week I used two vacation days to do it instead of resting, because I needed the money. I borrowed from my parents — who are in their seventies. I sold plasma. I tell you this not for sympathy but because I want the full picture on the table before I explain how we got here.
By Bertyl Kently4 months ago in Journal
The Gig Economy Just Hit $1.5 Trillion in the US
Priya, a graphic designer I know, has been a full-time freelancer for six years. She has steady clients, a full schedule two months ahead of schedule, and steady revenue.During a tax appointment last winter, an accountant asked her a straightforward question: "What's your retirement plan look like?"
By Muhammad Sabeel4 months ago in Journal
From $ Zero to $Million
Title: From $ Zero to $Million He started with nothing—not even a single dollar in his pocket. No rich family, no strong connections, and no special background to support him. Just a young man with a normal life and a quiet dream he barely told anyone about. People around him saw him as ordinary, someone who would likely live an average life and stay in the same situation forever. After finishing school, life became harder. He couldn’t afford college or any professional training. Most of his friends moved forward, while he stayed behind, trying to figure out what to do next. He took small jobs just to survive—working in shops, helping people carry goods, and doing whatever he could find. The money was very little, sometimes not even enough for proper meals. But even in those difficult days, he had one thing that kept him going: curiosity. He often wondered how some people turned nothing into success. How did ordinary people build businesses, become wealthy, and change their lives completely? While others used their free time for entertainment, he used his to learn. He would borrow a phone or use cheap internet cafés to watch videos about business, skills, and self-improvement. At first, nothing made sense. Everything felt complicated. He tried to follow small online ideas, but most of them failed. He lost time, sometimes got frustrated, and even thought about quitting. People around him laughed when they saw him trying “useless internet work.” They told him to focus only on survival, not dreams. But he didn’t stop. Instead of giving up, he started focusing on skills that actually mattered. He learned basic computer knowledge, how online platforms worked, and how people made money through freelancing. Slowly, things started to become clearer. He realized that success was not about luck—it was about value. If you can offer value, people will pay you. He began practicing small tasks like writing simple content, basic design, and online communication. His first earnings were extremely small—sometimes just a few dollars after days of effort. But for him, those few dollars meant everything. It proved that it was possible. Instead of spending what he earned, he saved it. Every dollar was important. He reinvested his small earnings into learning better skills and improving his tools. While others spent money on entertainment, he spent it on growth. It was slow, but steady. Months turned into years. His skills improved. His confidence grew. Slowly, he started getting better clients. Instead of small, low-paying tasks, he began working on bigger projects. His income increased step by step. First $50, then $200, then $1000 a month. It didn’t happen quickly, but it was real progress. There were still struggles. Some months were slow. Some clients didn’t pay on time. Sometimes he felt exhausted. But now he had something stronger than motivation—experience. He knew that stopping would erase all the progress he had made. So he kept going. Over time, he built a proper online business. He learned how to manage clients, how to deliver quality work, and how to grow his income consistently. The same person who once had zero dollars was now earning thousands regularly. Years later, his life had completely changed. He was no longer struggling for basic needs. He had stability, freedom, and opportunities he never imagined before. His earnings grew into a strong financial level, reaching success that once felt impossible. But what mattered most to him was not the money itself. It was the journey. He remembered the days of struggle, the failures, and the moments when he had nothing. Those memories reminded him that success is not sudden—it is built slowly through patience, learning, and consistency. When people asked him how he went from zero dollars to a million, he always gave the same answer: “I didn’t find success. I built it, one small step at a time.”
By Hafiz afridi4 months ago in Journal
