The SoulFuel Journal By: Wyatt Gilbert I Jumped Out Of A Freaking Plane! ↓ The roaring of the engines blistered my ears as I approached the plane. The wind from the propellers glanced off my face like rocks hitting a windshield. "Holy crap, this is actually happening," I mumbled under my breath. My instructor, Jason, directed me to get on the plane. I stepped onto essentially one of those makeshift step stools and lifted myself into the cabin of the aircraft. One of the workers gave me a...
7 days ago • 6 min read
The SoulFuel Journal By: Wyatt Gilbert 4 Life Concepts That Keep Me Going ↓ I very much procrastinated writing this week's newsletter, so it's a short one—enjoy! If you’re struggling to get out of bed, remember, someone is waiting for you. We all have days when we just can’t seem to get out of bed; it’s natural. But when life gets really tough, when getting up doesn't even feel worth it anymore, what do we do? No matter how lonely or miserable you are, someone out there is waiting for your...
14 days ago • 1 min read
The SoulFuel Journal By: Wyatt Gilbert My guide to ultimate intelligence. ↓ Self-awareness doesn't get nearly enough credit. We spend so much time trying to improve our circumstances—our grades, our careers, our relationships—without ever stopping to improve our understanding of ourselves. One of the greatest pieces of advice I’ve ever received is this: once you understand yourself, everything else in the world makes sense. This area is drastically underexplored, so today we're going to dive...
21 days ago • 2 min read
The SoulFuel Journal By: Wyatt Gilbert Happiness Equals Reality Minus Expectations ↓ Last Friday I walked into my local coffee shop to get my usual order: a matcha green tea. (I like to treat myself after a long work week.) Most of the baristas there know me (and my order by now), so I was expecting the same pleasant experience as always. But instead of receiving my typical order—when they called my name to hand me my drink—I could immediately tell something was not right. The drink was light...
28 days ago • 3 min read
The SoulFuel Journal By: Wyatt Gilbert The Importance of Meaning and Purpose ↓ Our sense of mattering is a fundamental aspect of happiness. As people, we must feel needed and supported. We must feel seen and heard. Without this, we’ll lose our sense of purpose and fall into a depressive state. One of the various ways we can lose our sense of mattering is when change occurs. My sense of mattering typically falters during school breaks. Since I’m in college, both winter and summer breaks are...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
The SoulFuel Journal By: Wyatt Gilbert How I used kindness to get across the Canadian border ↓ My heart was racing. It was my first time crossing the Canadian border. I had no reason to be nervous. I wasn’t smuggling drugs or anything. “I’m an American citizen, and Canadians are supposed to be nice, right?” I thought. Well, let me tell you, not these ones. I was standing in line at a border crossing building waiting to be questioned and searched. I was probably the 9th or 10th person in line....
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
The SoulFuel Journal By: Wyatt Gilbert I Enjoy Looking Dumb and You Should Too ↓ I don’t often meet people with better public speaking/presentation abilities than me (that are around my age). Yes, I know how arrogant that sounds, but it’s something I practice a lot, which is why I think it’s okay for me to say that. But a few months ago that changed, and my ego took a hit. I was giving an ethics presentation in my journalism class. I was crushing it. Just like always, the night before the...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
The SoulFuel Journal By: Wyatt Gilbert Small Things Change Lives ↓ As most of you know, I’m an avid runner. (And if you’re a new subscriber, well, now you know.) I usually run in the evening, but recently, I’ve been running in the afternoon. It’s just a couple hours earlier than my normal time, but as a result, I see lots of new faces around the neighborhood. And for the past few weeks, one of those new faces has been this adorable little kid. He’s probably around 6 years old and has the most...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
The SoulFuel Journal By: Wyatt Gilbert From Cookie Challenge to Life Lessons ↓ This story will likely be one of the stupidest you’ve ever read; nonetheless, I think it provides valuable insight to the ever-dreaded word: failure. Last week, I was fortunate enough to partake in a cookie-eating challenge. Now, this wasn’t your average contest. For this, we had to pick either an Oreo or a Chips Ahoy cookie and place it on our forehead. Next—without using our hands—we had to get the cookie into...
2 months ago • 4 min read