Ben W

Joined March 2017

278 stories

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Ben helps students from around the world to improve their English language skills. Ben enjoys traveling around the world, developing his writing abilities, and reading good books.

Stories (278)

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Creating Something Out of Nothing
Every one of us has a creative impulse that should not be ignored. It is important to tap into it throughout our lives to create something out of nothing. What better gift to share with the world than something that comes from within us alone and can bring something of utility to another person. I personally find that being able to create something that you made or built or established from your own hard work is the most fulfilling thing that one can do in life. It is beyond rewarding to see something that started from just an idea alone come to fruition through your own efforts.
By Ben W2 years ago in Humans
To Write, You Must Observe
Being a good observer contributes to being a good writer. Taking the time to observe the world around you help to stimulate a good sense of what to write about and what could be put to paper. I find that observing people, animals, or just nature without distractions can stimulate your ability to process possible ideas whether for poetry, stories, or for articles. You can draw both hypotheses and conclusions from you observe the world around you. It allows you to come up with scenarios or storylines just from seeing what’s going on around you.
By Ben W2 years ago in Writers
Get A Little Better Each Day
Progress takes time and effort, and you will not see results overnight without putting the work in. You can measure progress in whatever you do by seeing if you are starting to get a little better in whatever area you are applying yourself to. If you are taking practice tests and you notice your score keeps going up, if you can swim further and faster than before while being timed, and if you are able to save more money each month than you had the previous one.
By Ben W2 years ago in Motivation
You Never Know Until You Ask
If there is anything I would want to give advice on to anyone trying to get ahead in life or to create something out of nothing, you never know until you ask! Whether I’m talking about at work, or school, or in relationships, you must be willing to speak up when it comes to creating or seeking new opportunities. Usually, no one is going to hand you anything and you’re going to have work for it but if you don’t seek out possibilities, you’ll never know whether the answer is going to be ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ There’s nothing to lose when it comes to pursuing your goals in life and in putting yourself out there.
By Ben W2 years ago in Motivation
The Unfortunate Rise of Anti-Social Behavior
How many times have you been on a plane, a train, or a bus recently and noticed someone on a loud phone call, listening to loud music without headphones, or even kicking your seat and not apologizing? I would say it’s happened to most of us at some point, but these kinds of rude behaviors seem to become more common post-pandemic. The receding of the pandemic did not just cause the deaths of millions of people, long-lasting economic damage, but most recently an erosion in social norms and values. Clearly, I am not happy with the recession in societal norms and values and fear it is becoming all too common these days as a lot of people have forgotten to know how to act in public in a civilized and dignified manner.
By Ben W2 years ago in Longevity
Combating Alienation and Loneliness in Society
One of the biggest challenges of the 21st century will be focused on how to foster solid connections, friendships, and relationships that are both sustainable and fruitful. Recently, more mainstream attention has been paid to how societies, especially in the Western world, are dealing with a surge in alienation and loneliness. It has caught the attention of politicians, community leaders, and authors who are interested in noting how people are fostering fewer social connections, maintaining fewer friendships, and increasingly living alone. This is an unfortunate societal transformation that may seem inevitable, but it can be reversed by improving mental health access, building stronger communities, and having better societal outcomes, it is crucial that some solutions are tested and put into place.
By Ben W2 years ago in Humans
Reading Between The Lines Is A Key Skill
‘Reading Between the Lines’ is a popular expression or phrase that really holds a lot of weight to it when you think of the meaning. When you ‘read between the lines’, you understand better what someone means even when they may not be outright saying or expressing it. Beyond simply verbally conveying their thoughts or feelings, the key ability to perceive how someone really feels through other factors such as their tone, their body language, their interaction(s) with the environment around them, this can really make a difference in how well you read them and what they really mean.
By Ben W2 years ago in Motivation
The Increasing Digitization of Everything
Call me old fashioned or a ‘luddite’ but I really do miss the feeling of paper tickets, boarding passes, and even the plastic menu. It does not mean I don’t enjoy the fruits of the abundance of technology that we have today, and it is something I’m comfortable with having grown up in the 1990s and 2000s as the computer, personal cell phone, and mobile applications came into being. I do also remember going to baseball games to buy a physical ticket at the ‘will call’ window and keeping the ticket stub as a form of memorabilia. The same could be said for receiving a boarding pass when you’re traveling to a new city or country and keeping it with you to remember when and where it was when you went there.
By Ben W2 years ago in Humans
Tempering The Ego
The Ego can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. It can drive us forward to make progress in different areas of your lives, but it can also detract from us by setting our expectations too high and in not actually challenging ourselves to see if our ego is being realistic. Ego, to me, is a holistic sense of our abilities, capabilities, and our possibilities. For the ego to not go out of control, it has to be tamed and to be done so repeatedly.
By Ben W2 years ago in Humans
Why A Digital Detox Is Good For You
We are not meant to be on our digital devices 24 / 7 / 365 a year. I think a key part of realizing how our digital lives are so integral to who we are nowadays is to take some time away from them whenever possible. On a recent vacation I was on, I was able to be without cell service or an internet connection for a week. I do have to say that while the first day or two was difficult, it became nice to be out of reach for a while. It is a great chance to recenter yourself, focus more on what matters to you whether it is more time spent with family or friends, or just to be more present with the world around us without staring at our phone, computer, or even our smartwatch.
By Ben W2 years ago in Humans
Out on the Sea
While the Sea is as mysterious as it is as vast, as terrifying as it is humbling, it is truly one of the most wondrous places on Earth to find yourself. You never know what will happen when you’re out in the open sea. Each time you’re out there, you can encounter a variety of experiences to change how you perceive the sea from its walloping waves to clear skies to powerful sunlight to treacherous downpours. From stormy to sunny, the weather when you’re out on the sea can range from peaceful to disastrous. The Sea has an allure to it like the mountains and the desert because of its vastness, its complexities, and its remarkable inhabitants.
By Ben W2 years ago in Earth
Be Interested and Be Interesting
Making small talk can be a necessary yet tedious part of daily life. It sometimes may not come naturally to you, and it can be forced at times. However, it is a courteous and polite way to get to know people who are complete strangers to you and to show that you are not oblivious to their presence around you. While ‘small talk’ often revolves around the weather, a simple ‘hello, how are you?’ or just mentioning something about the time of day, the commute to work or school, or maybe a small compliment to brighten their day, it can sometimes lead to a good conversation and even a new friend.
By Ben W3 years ago in Humans

Ben W

Bio

Stories .css-1svwz57-Text{display:inline-block;color:var(--text-default-mute);}(278)

Filter by community

Creating Something Out of Nothing

To Write, You Must Observe

Get A Little Better Each Day

You Never Know Until You Ask

The Unfortunate Rise of Anti-Social Behavior

Combating Alienation and Loneliness in Society

Reading Between The Lines Is A Key Skill

The Increasing Digitization of Everything

Tempering The Ego

Why A Digital Detox Is Good For You

Out on the Sea

Be Interested and Be Interesting

Stories (278)