On the way home from Barcelona to Prague, I reflected in my diary on the life lessons of a two-week vacation with my family.
Before we start, I'd like to express my gratitude for this vacation and thank you for being a loyal reader. I never liked vacations, yet this vacation helped to soften the burden of my recent burnout. During this vacation, I met new people and improved my social skills. I made a lot of mental progress and learned a lot through reading. Novelty also enhanced my creativity.
In the end, what remains are the lessons.
(1) Things take as long as you want them to take.
Working with a speech professional for a year helped a lot. Nonetheless, my speech could have been better, especially on camera. However, I didn’t let this deter me. In March 2023, I started creating self-improvement videos, but my severe stuttering required multiple recordings and extensive editing. In July, I recorded two videos after my burnout. As I edited the second one, I had enough of stuttering. The day before the vacation started, I made a decision. I would use this opportunity to confront my stuttering. I recorded a 5-minute summary of the day without any preparation. After 57 minutes and 2 seconds of practice, my stuttering halved. This was a testament to the power of perseverance and speed in achieving the most unbelievable results.
(2) Learn the easy or hard way.
I knew that you could practice talking in front of the camera. Still, I didn’t start before I got fed up with my incompetency. There’s a difference between knowing and understanding things. Understanding demands pain and perpetual struggle.
(3) Everyone has their family.
Can Carreres is a village in Catalonia, Spain. It looks lovely in the pictures. I walked through it once and never returned there. Why? You see, in Czechia, everyone greets each other. In Germany, every house has a carpet or sign with the imprint ‘Welcome, wholeheartedly.’ Many homes don’t have a fence in Germany. This village had a different view of things. Every house had an aggressive dog, view barriers and video surveillance. There is no welcome sign, just warnings. Some people don’t like others. Now, you would perhaps think that only rich people live there. Their houses and cars painted a different picture. The hostile atmosphere was supported as I didn’t see a single soul there. – However, I think the people aren’t necessarily unwelcoming. They, like anyone else, want to live peaceful lives. They don’t want annoying tourists to run over their land. They have a family and want to live in peace.
(4) You need to fight for your identity.
I met a 19-year-old boy. I don’t want my texts to be hurtful, but I don’t know how to describe him like a gentleman would, so I won't try. He is a loser on every metric. His body was deformed from being online all day long. His social skills stopped developing in kindergarten. He was more submissive than any girl I’ve ever met. When I told him to stop being weak and challenged him to run, he gave up after two hundred meters. We were going 8 km/h. At least he tried. He studied computer science. My mother befriended his mother, and that’s how I got to know him. This situation is ironic because my mother first thought I was similar to him. I don’t know whether that’s an unintentional insult or not. Secondly, my mother used him as a positive example. Why? Because he listened to his mother. I don’t listen to women. Whenever my parents, specifically my mother, want me to do something, I fight and think for myself. It’s necessary to go your way and to write your story, especially when young. People who do not dare to write their stories get forgotten.
(5) Life every day as if it’s your last.
I never liked water, the beach, or the sea. One may think I should like the beach; after all, seeing young women without bras is almost a sublime experience as a teenager. The glances from everyone looking at the physique my lifestyle gave me were also nice. Unfortunately, that isn’t very meaningful. You know, young braless women are nice, but I would rather work. Water is not my element, and the beach is not my place of excellence. So, I swam passionately as if I had done that for the last time. I haven’t touched water since. Put passion into everything you do.
(6) Live by the deepest realization
After a day in Barcelona, I was hungry and exhausted. Just like in Vienna, two months previously, I ate breakfast, and that’s it. We drove back from Barcelona to our hotel by train, but the train was crowded, and we had to stand. The train tracks were parallel to the beach, and the world was in golden light. The moment was pleasant but exhausting. Something switched as I drove past village after village. I realized that vacations, with all their relaxation, idleness, and abundance, are meaningless existence. I’m not built to function sitting in a hotel by the beach. I can’t do it.
(7) Sitting upright does wonders.
Every thirty-year-old complains about back pain, and I don’t want a life of non-unique lessons. I have aggressively tried to stand and sit upright for a year now. I refused to give my ‘scoliosis’ power. It worked. I cured my posture. Then, I read a book explaining that an erect posture indicates good health and high status. There are neural pathways to track status, and body language is an excellent indicator. Naturally, I started to pay attention. Spoiler: most people are low-status. I was standing and sitting upright all the time; I got so much more attention than in all the previous years combined! There must have been something about my energy that was felt. I’ve never seen that women turn around to say “Hola.”
(8) My spirit is indomitable.
Vacations in an all-inclusive hotel tempt. An infinite variety of desserts provoke. You are expected to have fun on a vacation. However, I knew what truly mattered. I didn’t touch a single sweet. That proved something fundamental to me. You can give me the biggest temptations, and I will become stronger. I’m ready for life.