Reflection in 2019

Second is that I started to read more “heavy” books. I have been reading novels for over ten years starting from my high school. Don’t get me wrong; they are mainly trashy romantic novels. However, these days it has become increasingly difficult for me to find a satisfying novel with enchanting characters, fascinating plots and excellent writing skills. Moreover, as I have more questions about life, which novels can hardly address, I need to read books (novels are books, do you mean non-fiction books?). Happiness Hypothesis and the Art of Loving are the first two books I finished reading. It is enjoyable to immerse yourself into the world of thoughts by ancient philosophers and discover more about yourself in the light of their wisdom.

For 2019, I hope I can read more, write more, keep exercising and discover more about the emotional self.

Your English is outstanding! The corrections I made were only very small and only to make it sound as a native would say it. 

A Reflection at the Start of 2019

It is my fifth year at italki. I truly find it hard to believe that I have wrote almost 200 articles here. Your insightful comments and patient corrections have greatly encouraged me to continue writing. Therefore, I wanted to share with you some important changes in my personal life that have happened recently.

The first is that I finally started to learn how to express my feelings verbally. In the past, I could convey my feelings through writing, but when it came to face-to-face communication, I found it rather difficult: there was a tendency to suppress both my feelings, and the expression of them. Most likely, that was the result of being worried that doing so could have negative impacts (e.g., making others unhappy or serving to  isolate myself), and this prevented me from having deep, as well as open, communications with others unless they were close friends.

The second is that I started to read books that are more “intellectual”. While I have been reading novels for over ten years starting from when I was in high school, you need to understand that those were mainly trashy romance novels. These days, however, it has become increasingly difficult for me to find a satisfying novel, one with enchanting characters, fascinating plots, and outstanding writing skills.

Moreover, as I have more questions about life, questions beyond which such novels can hardly address, I need to read books with themes that are more substantial. The first two books that I have read recently (and that I highly recommend), Jonathan Haidt’s Happiness Hypothesis, and Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving, have fulfilled that need. It is truly enjoyable to immerse yourself into the world and thoughts of ancient philosophers, and to discover more about yourself in the light of their timeless wisdom.

For 2019, I hope that not only will I read, write, and exercise more, but also learn additional ways to develop my emotional growth.

Hi, Kailin. Good job! Your writing is becoming much more natural now, so just keep practicing. As usual, “The changes....”  I hope that this helps you. J.