Marcus Lopes's Blog, page 17

The Hardest Part of Focus

Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus. – Alexander Graham Bell

Most mornings my day begins somewhere around 3:00am (later on Saturday when my body finally tries to catch up from my lack of sleep). What I love about that time of the day is the quietness. It’s still dark outside. There is stillness. I feel like I am the only who exists on the planet. And since I have always been a morning person, getting up early isn’t the hardes...

A Lesson from ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’

I first read Mark Manson’s book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, last year. It was one of those books that I added to my To Be Reread list. Sometimes a book has too much to unpack, and I have to go back and reread it a second or third time to take it all in.

I started rereading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck this past Tuesday on my way to work, a way for me to make good use of my commute time.

‘Not Giving a Fuck’ Ain’t Easy

As much as I want to, and as much as I try to convince myself ...

Welcome to 2023

 

We survived the holiday season. It was, as usual, a quiet Christmas in my corner of the world. I haven’t travelled over the Christmas period since 2019, when I was still working as a flight attendant. I’m not going to lie. I’ve been happy not to travel, this year especially as a massive storm system swept through the region wreaking havoc on the roads and causing days-long power outages in some areas. And with all the Christmas baking I did, let’s just say there was no such thing as moderatio...

Surrender

This is the sequel to ‘House of Cards‘

As Michael stared down James Coburg, burly men swarmed in and surrounded them. With his gun still drawn, he said, “Do you honestly think that, after everything that has happened, I didn’t come prepared for this?”

“Look around, Michael,” James said cavalierly. “You’ve turned one weak man against me, but these other men…” He gestured around the room. “They’re loyal to me.”

“Loyalty is one thing,” Michael shot back. “But are they prepared to die for you? Or s...

A Final Shoutout to 2022

I don’t know about you, but 2022 seemed to fly by. It might not have been the year that I’d hoped it would be, but it wasn’t a complete write off, either. Looking back, 2022 offered some really memorable moments…

Looking Back

After two years of no travel because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I finally had the chance to visit with my good friend Heather-Anne, who spent a few days in the Toronto area. It was great to reconnect in person.

I caught COVID. Despite masking and wearing additional PPE afte...

House of Cards

This is a continuation of ‘An Uneasy Alliance‘

Ten minutes after leaving Josh and Brian, Michael mentally scrutinized the plan to which they’d just agreed. Well, he had laid out a plan that was, he could see now, far from perfect. Even though Josh and Brian hadn’t protested, perhaps their silence signalled their uncertainty about his assessment. Did he believe it himself? He ran through in his mind everything that had happened since Brian had manifested in front of him that day on St John’s Woo...

Write Every Day

I don’t wait for inspiration. I never have. To become a writer, I learned to write every day. No matter what, no matter when.

Make the Time to Write

In the beginning, after I realized that I wanted to write, it wasn’t easy finding the time to put words to the page. At the time, I was in university, and my love for words overwhelmed. When I should have been studying or writing term papers, I was writing very bad stories and having fun at open mic nights. I don’t know how I finished my degree whe...

It’s Okay to Go Slow

2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon

I learned a lot of lessons that stuck with me when I was training for the 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon. One in particular stands out: It’s okay to go slow. Because as I reviewed my training plan and saw the 26k training runs (or longer distances) I would have to run, I was panicking. How was I going to run that far? The answer was, of course, that I would have to go at a slower pace — because it wasn’t the race. But I had to learn to be okay with going slow. ...

Never Say Never

Never say never…

Throughout all the years I had been running, I’d said I’d never run a marathon. I’d completed a few half-marathons, but a full one? Nope, not for me. Then in 2019, I ran (and completed) the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and terrified of catching the virus — and safe at home alone and locked down — I said I would never step foot in a gym again. Not even the one in my condo building. Then on Tuesday, 25 October 2022, there I was enteri...

A Life Worth Living

As we near the end of the year (it’s closer than you think), I become a bit more reflective. Am I really focused on what matters? What more can I do to fulfill my dreams? How can I be of service? Mulling over those questions, I am thinking more about how I can live a life worth living.

Life isn’t easy at the moment. Inflation is on the rise. We are still dealing with COVID-19. The war continues in Ukraine. Millions of people are struggling to make ends meet. There are a lot of reasons to give u...