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wiyodreamz · 3 years

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𝑽𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 | 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑺𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒉𝒘𝒂 [01]

⌜Nari is a college student at Seokhye University. One day she got off on the wrong foot with Seonghwa, throws her coffee on him and curses him out. Later that day she learns about the internship she signed with Hwa Corp. That same day, she learns that the same guy she threw her coffee at, is the CEO of that company! How will things go for Nari if she has a target on her back from that encounter? ⌟ Office AU

Contains: fluff, angst, smut, alcohol drinking, cursing, and more as the story goes on.

Seonghwa X Fem!reader

A/N: first chapter is finally here!

Nari walked down the busy street of Seoul. Fall has came quicker than she expected and she was clutching on her pea coat to give her some warmth before she gets her coffee and head to school.

She pushed open the doors of the cafe. A ‘welcome’ was said and the barista took her order, which was a hazelnut caramel latte. She placed her order and sat down, scrolling through her phone. The same barista delivered her latte to her and went back working behind the counter. She looked at the time and she figured she could drink her coffee here.

The bell on the door ring, indicating someone walked in. She looked up and saw a guy with a suit and expensive brand on him. Nari questioned why a guy like him would be doing in a cafe like this. She tuned him and the barista out and continued scrolling through her phone, occasionally drinking her coffee.

In the corner of her eye she saw the guy leave and for a few minutes it was just her and a couple of other people in the cafe, until he came back storming into the cafe, with his coffee in his hands.

“I asked for a green tea latte and you gave me a regular latte!” He yelled as he slammed his cup on the counter, startling the barista. Nari puts her phone away, and closely watched the scene ready to jump in.

“I’m very sorry sir. I can make you a new one and give your money back!” She said as she bowed towards him.

His glare was even more deadly towards her, “I don’t want your stupid apology! I want to see you get fired!”

Nari slammed her hands down on her table as she stood up from her seat. “Listen asshole, she said she was sorry.”

“I didn’t ask for you to jump in!” He yelled, now facing Nari, glaring at her.

“You think you’re all that because you’re wearing all these expensive brands? But you know what you deserve?!” She asked yelled back at him.

In the heat of the moment, she threw her coffee all over him letting the cup drop to the floor, audible gasps could be heard throughout the cafe. The guy was now soaked in the coffee and was now looking at himself drenched in the coffee. “Guys like you deserve to get coffee thrown at you!”

Nari stormed out the cafe and walked towards school. The cafe wasn’t that far from the school and she hoped she won’t ever see that guy again. She walked down the hallway of the school and saw a group of students huddled around the board. She walked up to them and looked.

“What is this for?” She asked as she glanced at the paper.

Her friend, Yunho, emerged from the group of students and stood beside her. “It’s for the Hwa Corp internship.”

“Oh right! I almost forgot I signed up for it” she said as she sighed in relief. In the beginning of the year, the university let some of the business majors sign up for this internship and only selected a group of students who signed up to go for it.

The paper said that all the students who were told they got selected were to meet at the corporation at 8 am sharp at a specific floor.

“Wow Nari! I didn’t expect you to get picked” a sickengly voice said as they popped from the group also.

“I didn’t expect you to get picked either Dani” Nari said as she crossed her arms at the girl.

Nari and Dani never got along. The reason why they never got along is that Dani has a huge crush on Yunho, but can never confess to him because of him always hanging with Nari. So the two were enemies ever since their first day at university.

“Nari let’s get to class” Yunho said as he guided Nari to class and she felt Dani’s eyes glaring holes into her back.

“That crazy...” Seonghwa said as he tried to wipe off the coffee Nari threw at him this morning. He was currently walking through the first floor of his company. Just then his assistant approached him.

“Mr.Park! Mr.Park! The meeting has change up a few....what happened to your suit?” She asked as she looked at him.

Seonghwa clenched his jaw at her and threw his coat, which had his blazer inside, at her. “Go to my home and get me another suit to wear for today and make sure to put this suit in dry cleaning. And you better be back before this meeting starts. Got it?”

She nodded and ran out the company doors as Seonghwa headed towards the elevators. He sat down in his office chair and pinched his temples stressed at the encounter.

“I swear if I ever cross paths with that woman, I’ll make her life a living hell.”

“I want to see what you’re wearing tomorrow to make sure it’s right for this internship” Yunho said as they were in Nari’s living room.

“Don’t worry Yunho it’s nothing innappropriate. It’s going to be very cold tomorrow, so I’m thinking about a simple blouse and a pair of pants” she said as she took her coat off. “Any girl who wears a dress or skirt are out of fucking minds in this weather.”

Yunho chuckled her response and nodded. “I agree.”

Nari stood up from the couch and approached Yunho. “And besides, you need to go home and prepare like I am.”

“I’m already prepared Nari” he said as he relaxed on the couch.

She pushed his legs slightly off the coffee table and sat beside him on the couch. “That’s what you said back in middle school when we all had that huge project! You were less than prepared.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault I didn’t get the subject” he said as he crossed his arms.

“Just admit that you didn’t even attempt to do it.”

“Fine I didn’t! Now do you want to go get lunch together.”

Nari grabbed his coat from off the rack and threw it on top of him. “I would like to, but like I said before. You’re probably not prepared enough, so it’s best for you to go home. I’m not saving you if you get yelled at on the first day!”

Yunho huffed and nodded his head. He bid a quick goodbye to Nari before he left out her apartment and back to his own.

Her phone read 7:50 in the morning. She was following her gps to make sure she was going to the right way to the company. She walked inside the company and it was huge. The ceilings were really tall, she guessed that the employees here get paid really well. She took the elevator up the floor and when the elevator opened, she saw the faces of her classmates.

A woman who looked really young came and stood in front of them.

“Hello my name is Hana, but you call me Ms.Lee. I’m Mr.Park’s assistant and you’ll see a lot of me while you are working your internship” she said as she smiled at them.

“Where’s Mr.Park?” Dani asked as she looked around.

“Oh he’s just finishing up a meeting. He should be here any second now...oh there he is!” Ms.Lee said as she pointed towards the direction she was walking and Nari swore her whole life was crashing down on her.

It was that same asshole from yesterday at the cafe. Nari stood there stunned and then shook it off as he came closer and closer.

“Hello, like my assistant said. I am Mr.Park, CEO of Hwa Corp” he said as he looked one of them one by one and his gaze stopping at Nari.

He then got a few inches towards Nari and cocked his head. “Do you perhaps like coffee, hazelnut flavor?”

Nari gulped in nervousness. Her hands were sweating from the question he was asking her. “I only chose hazelnut if I’m only in the mood for it. But I usually choose vanilla.”

He then bit his lip and nodded. “Hmm....interesting. During these months you guys will be doing a free internship and during the last month. I will only be choosing five, out of the ten of you students to do a paid internship, leading towards a job here.”

Everyone widened their eyes at the lack of information they hadn’t received. Their professors hadn’t said anything about Mr.Park choosing 5 of to do the paid internship. They all thought all of them would get the paid internship, hence them being chosen to do this internship.

“But I thought all of us could the paid internship” Yunho spoke out.

“Well I changed my mind. Once you graduate university, you have to fight for your place in this world. So that’s why I’m choosing 5 of you to start your future advancedly” he said as he looked all of them in their eyes. “Ms.Lee, could you please take them to their cubicles?”

“Follow me students.”

Nari looked around the company and the cubicles of others. They honestly look bigger than the ones you see at other offices. Ms.Lee stopped and turned towards them.

“You guys are free to choose whatever cubicles you like and can decorate it to your extent, but if they’re holiday decorations. Mr.Park wants them taken down the exact day after that holiday” she said as she smiled at them. “I have to go now and help Mr.Park with his paperwork. See you kids around.”

Nari chose a cubicle next to Yunho, but of course Dani and her friend. Sunji sat behind them. Nari unpacked some of the extra desk stuff she had from her room and put it on her cubicle, setting it up.

“Yunho, wanna go out to lunch with me?” Dani asked as she played with the ends of her dark brown her, trying to look innocent.

“Actually I’m going to eat the cafeteria food here with Nari. I heard that the cafeteria food here is gourmet” he said as he turned his desk chair around. Dani didn’t miss the chance to give a dirty look towards Nari and turned around.

A few hours passed and Nari felt herself get tired from filling out paperwork’s and doing work on the computer. She then felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up and saw a guy smiling at her.

“I know how stressful and tiring a first day could be, so I made all you interns a pot of coffee in the break room if you need it, or if you’re not a huge coffee fan, I prepared hot water for some tea.”

Nari thanked the man and walked towards break room to make herself some tea and grabbing a few treats to keep her content until lunch. She grabbed her cup of te and walked out the break room. Before she could get a sip, her tea was snatched out of her hands and heard a sip, she looked up and saw Mr.Park with her cup in his hands.

“Jasmine. I should try it more often” he said as he walked away, while drinking her cup of tea. She then walked back to the break room to see all the tea and coffee gone. She dropped her shoulders and walked back to her desk without her tea.

“I think Mr.Park has it out for you!” Yunho joked as Nari slammed her tray on the table.

Soon after she got her tea stolen, she found herself dozing off at her desk and in response, Mr.Park slammed a pile of papers her desk, which made her shot up awake.

“I’m letting this be a warning and next time I won’t be so nice!” He said as he crossed his arms. “Also you could you do these for me? Ms.Lee is pretty busy doing a very important meeting.”

“N-Nari are you okay? Your kind of trying to bend your spoon” Yunho pointed out as Nari dropped her spoon and ruffled her hair stressfully.

“Oh sorry” she said and began eating her lunch. “When are you going home?”

“I’m gonna go home in a few hours” he answered. “When are you?”

“I’m gonna go once I see I’m of the only ones here” she said.

“Nari-ah! You can’t stress yourself out on the first day! Go home and get some sleep, you’ll need it for tomorrow once he actually starts grilling us with work” he scolded as she nodded.

“Once I get him on my good side, I’ll back down and he’s also choosing 5 of us so I have to fight for a spot” she explained.

“Why does he seem to not like you as much?”

“Do you remember that guy I threw my coffee at,”

“Mhmm.”

“That was him.”

Yunho’s eyes widened at the fact. “You for sure have a death wish Nari” he said with a smile.

It was now late at night and everyone pretty much went home for the night. Nari was currently typing away at computer. The clicking of her keyboard was heard all over the empty office space. She felt a presence behind her.

“Go home” she turned to see Mr.Park looking down at her. “It’s late. Leave.”

Nari looked at her phone and saw it was late at night. She grabbed her stuff and bowed to Mr.Park.

“See you tomorrow” she said as she walked past him, but he caught her wrist tight and that caused her to spin around to face him.

“If you do something like that again. I won’t hesitate to ruin your life Moon Nari. Because what you did put you on thin ice around here.

Those words made a chill down her spine, making her regret what she did a day ago in that cafe. She wished she could go back in time and tell herself not to do that, no matter how big of an asshole he was.

#ateez #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines #seonghwa #seonghwa scenarios #seonghwa imagines #ateez fic #seonghwa fic #ateez smut #seonghwa smut #ateez angst #ateez x reader

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violetwolfraven · 3 years

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It’s A Romcom Cliche

@gendistic42 here’s something I wrote as a Christmas present for you! I’m a bit swamped right now as far as writing projects but I may expand on this later. For now, enjoy a holiday piece. :)

I’ve never written from Mike’s perspective before, so this should be interesting.

Tw: underage drinking, general teenage chaos, vomit, who knows how to write that kind of party that doesn’t actually exist anywhere but in movies? not me!

Mike was definitely a bit drunk right now, but in his defense, he didn’t actually know the eggnog was spiked until he’d already had a huge cup and Ike told him matter-of-factly that he was going to throw up later.

In hindsight, Mike really should have seen that coming, but honestly he probably would have drank it anyway. It wasn’t like he didn’t usually leap before he looked.

That was what made life fun, after all. Taking risks without thinking. Thinking just lead to doubting yourself and doubting yourself just lead to not doing fun things and not doing fun things meant you were wasting your life. You had to seize the days you got, because otherwise why even live?

That was most of Mike’s friend group’s philosophy. Their little (junior, according to Elmer’s big brother who claimed they were too young to be a real motorcycle gang) motorcycle gang was full of impulsive, slightly-eccentric kids who lived in the moment. Of course, they looked out for each other as much as they could, confirmed excuses and alibis when necessary, but none of them worried much about their own safety.

Hence why they were having a huge party with spiked eggnog in December, meaning there was a likely possibility a lot of them would be staying overnight. Not that it mattered much.

Spot’s dad was at a conference in Boston and wouldn’t be back for at least a few more days. And if he did come back early for some reason, he’d probably just give them a lecture and then not tell anyone’s parents. Denton was cool like that. As long as nobody died, ended up in the hospital, or got anybody pregnant, he favored having the group’s trust over busting them, probably so he could be sure they’d come to him for help if there was a serious problem.

So far, through taking care of each other as best they could while having fun, there hadn’t been a serious problem.

Mike jumped as a tipsy Elmer grabbed his arm.

“Mike, buddy, this song fuckin’ slaps!”

Mike hadn’t noticed what song was on, given that his reaction time was currently a little slow, but he had to admit that Turn Down For What would always be a banger and being drunk just made it better.

He didn’t know how long he was bopping to the beat among his friends before he stopped, realizing that Ike’s prediction was about to come true, and barely made it to the toilet before puking his guts out.

Mike groaned. This was already becoming very un-fun, but throwing up was making him think about the killer hangover he was going to have in the morning. Also about how Ike had probably been drinking, too, so they’d need to stay the night at Spot’s. They could get a ride home, but hiding two drunk twins was significantly harder than just one.

In short, he was thinking ahead, which was reminding him why he didn’t like thinking ahead.

“Whoa, Mike, are you okay?”

Someone was rubbing his back as he retched, and Mike was officially shitfaced, because he could swear when he looked up that was Jojo de la Guerra.

He’d been joking when he invited Jojo. Not because he didn’t want Jojo to come, but because he’d never in a million years thought he’d actually show up.

“Did I pass out?” he groaned, hoping his words weren’t too slurred, “Am I dreamin’? Is that what’s happenin’ right now?”

“No?” Jojo looked confused, “You invited me.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d actually come.”

“Wait, are you drunk?”

“Yeah, that’d be accurate.”

Jojo now looked extremely nervous, “Ain’t everyone at this party underage?”

“Uh... I thinks one of Albert’s older brothers stopped by, so no. Wait, he left a couple hours ago, so yes.”

Mike was a little surprised when he slipped standing up and Jojo had to catch him. That was, he was a little surprised that Jojo could catch him. The nerd didn’t look like he had that much muscle on him.

Well, Mike was sure he was blushing, it wasn’t just the alcohol making his face flushed, but he wasn’t sure if the pink in Jojo’s cheeks was his imagination or not.

“Uh, do you need a glass of water or somethin’?” he asked nervously, “Why is there alcohol at a party where everybody’s underage, anyway?”

“Cause it’s fun,” Jojo said simply, “Ya think Mush and Blink’d be makin’ out against a wall in front of everybody if they wasn’t absolutely sloshed?”

“Okay, well, do ya need water?”

Mike thought about it, and he was pretty sure it wouldn’t take him so long to decide if he hadn’t drank so much.

“Nope. But I could do with some air.”

None of the others were sober and/or focused enough to notice as they made their way through the party to Spot’s back porch.

The air was icy cold, but Mike was overheated, so it felt good. And the snow was beautiful, reflecting light from the windows of the house. A few small icicles were hanging down from the roof above.

He wasn’t quite drunk enough that he didn’t notice when Jojo leaned against him, just a little, because of the cold. After all, Jojo was beautiful, too. Probably more beautiful than the snow.

But he didn’t say that.

“I love winter,” he said instead, “Ike and I used to play in the snow till we damn near froze to death. Or until one of us got a headshot in a snowball fight.”

“Sounds fun,” Jojo muttered.

“Oh, it was. And we’d stir our hot cocoa with candy canes when we went inside, so’s it’d be all minty.”

Mike smiled at the memory. They never did that anymore, whether it was because they were busy with homework or because they just... forgot, what with TV series to binge and Among Us games to win and friends to meet up with for a big snowball fight.

He liked their life now. He really did. Mike wouldn’t trade his friends for anything. But he had to admit, it had been simpler back when the only people he and Ike had were each other.

“And here you are now,” Jojo noted, “Drunk at a high school party on a back porch with that nerd ya partnered with for a science project once.”

“Well, that nerd happens to be my friend, so I counts that as a win.”

Jojo didn’t respond for a few seconds, and Mike realized.

“Wait, are we friends?”

They were close enough together that he could feel Jojo take a deep breath.

“I thinks so.”

That felt nice. And he could tell now. Jojo’s face was definitely flushed and it had been since before they came outside, so it couldn’t be from the cold. That sent a pretty clear signal, and...

“Mike, stop. What’re ya doin’?”

“I was gonna kiss you,” Mike said. He’d been pretty sure it was obvious.

Had he... been reading Jojo’s signals wrong?

“Mike, you’re drunk. Ya probably ain’t gonna remember this tomorrow. You don’t really care, it’s just that I’m here and no one else is. You don’t mean it.”

“I do mean it. Jojo—“

“You’re a boy in the biker gang all the girls and gays swoon over and you’re goin’ for me, the nobody from science class,” Jojo scoffed, “Sounds likely.”

“Jojo, it don’t matter who my friends are,” Mike tried to insist, “I like you. Like, like like you.”

“Even if I could believe you, there’s no way I’d kiss you while you’re drunk.”

That was worse than straight up rejection. Because Jojo was kind of saying that he did have feelings for Mike and just wouldn’t believe that Mike had feelings for him.

Mike had to focus on not crying for a good few minutes before he started realizing just how fast the snow was coming down.

“Hey, Jojo, how deep do ya think that snow is?”

“Shit.”

That made Mike laugh. He didn’t think he’d ever heard Jojo swear.

“It’s gotta be at least a foot, and still comin’ down. There’s no way anybody can drive home through that. Most of you’s is on motorcycles, and—“

That was when the lights inside went out abruptly, and more than a few people screamed.

Mike got up carefully, trying not to stumble too much, “We should find out what that was.”

They made it inside just in time to hear Spot holler, “A fuckin’ power line went down! And that don’t just mean no light and no WiFi—that means no heat! We ain’t got long before it starts to get real cold here!”

“I found the candles!” Hotshot (Spot’s little brother) yelled.

“Oh, that’ll help a ton,” Jack said sarcastically before Davey ran up.

Naturally, Mike’s mind chose that moment to go off on a tangent of how if Jack Kelly could get a smart boyfriend who was way too good for him, maybe he could too if he could just get Jojo to see that he really liked him, but he still caught what Davey said.

“There’s a foot of snow on the hood of my car. Nobody’s goin’ anywhere, so everybody text your parents before your phones run out of batteries.”

“What if my mom can tell I’m drunk?” Romeo shouted.

“I’m textin’ Mom, dumbass!” Jack shouted back, “For all of us! I’m the soberest person here!”

Race, Romeo, and Crutchie all called their thanks to their big brother.

“I think that’s me, actually,” Davey pointed out, “Soberest ain’t even a word, Jackie.”

Mike cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled into the darkness, “Ike, ya wanna text Mom and Dad, or should—“

“I’ll do it, moron! You’re shitfaced!”

“Shit,” Jojo was muttering as he typed a text, “Shit, shit, shit, I told my dad I’d only stay for an hour. Shit.”

“It ain’t your fault ya got snowed in,” Mike pointed out.

“No, but if my parents find out there was alcohol at this party—“

“Good news, y’all!” Spot hollered from the stairs, the multiple phone flashlights pointed at him the only thing making him visible, “Me and Hotshot’s dad has a big stash of blankets and sleepin’ bags and stuff, so we’s all gonna make a big nest and huddle together in the living room. Hopefully nobody freezes to death. If anybody don’t wanna sleep in what they’s wearin’, come find me!”

With that, he disappeared to go grab blankets.

“My parents are gonna kill me.”

“Don’t let ‘em,” Mike said, “I’d have to avenge you. Then I’d go to hell and I wouldn’t see ya in the afterlife! Plus you’d hate me for killin’ your parents, so—“

“Mike, please stop talkin’.”

“Wanna sleep with me?”

“What?!”

It took Mike a full 10 seconds to realize.

“Not like that!” he exclaimed as soon as he did realize, “Like if we’s all makin’ a nest to keep warm, ya wanna sleep next to me? For not freezin’ to death?”

Jojo was still looking at him pretty weird, and that made Mike sad.

“I’m sorry. Ya don’t have to. That was stupid. I’m stupid. I shouldn’ta said that, but I did cause I’m stupid. I’m sorry for everythin’. Like, everythin’. Everythin’ I’s ever said and—“

“Stop,” Jojo interrupted, “That’s... this is just gettin’ sad. Mike, it’s fine. Just... I guess I can’t expect ya to say things in a less weird way—you’re drunk.”

He didn’t seem especially annoyed or even uncomfortable. Just... blushing. Definitely blushing.

Mike could barely see him in the dark, but he still was pretty sure Jojo de la Guerra was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.

“Uh, yeah, I’ll sleep with you. Next to you. Ugh. Just don’t barf on me.”

“Okay,” Mike mumbled. God, now that it was dark, he was already yawning. He didn’t remember where he’d left his hoodie. He should probably ask Ike about that.

It was already getting cold in the house, and the candles Hotshot was lighting definitely weren’t helping that much.

Mike didn’t mind how Jojo was sticking close to him even if it was probably just for warmth.

#newsies #jomike #jojo de la guerra #mike newsies #fluff #modern au #violet’s writing

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asandel17 · 5 years

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Shiny Object Syndrome: What It Is And How To Avoid It

Have you heard of the Shiny Object Syndrome? It is the tendency for someone to chase something new — be it a new business idea, tool, or goal — rather than to stay focused on what they’re doing.

It is similar to a child who is attracted to anything that’s shiny and new. I have a nephew who is 18 months old, and he is constantly attracted to anything that moves or emits sound. As a child approaches a new object that he’s never seen, he’s intrigued at first, but quickly loses interest as the item loses its appeal. He’s then attracted to the next new shiny thing, only to lose interest and seek the next new shiny object!

You know that you have experienced the shiny object syndrome if you can relate to the following:

You have a list of business ideas but nothing gets executed.

You constantly start new goals but never see them through to the end.

You jump from one internet course to another, drawn by the wild claims of each course.

You frequently jump from one goal to the next rather than sticking with what you’re doing to the end.

You keep registering new domain names, even launching new websites, but you never work on building those sites.

You have a collection of plugins and tools, but you don’t actually use them.

The Issue with the Shiny Object Syndrome

At the heart of it, the issue with the shiny object syndrome is distraction. Being constantly drawn to new ideas and tools, and abandoning important tasks in the process.

When you’re constantly distracted, a few issues happen:

You never get things done. That’s because you’re always on to something new, rather than completing your current plans.

You spend too much time on new ideas and fancy tools, of which 95% are noise, rather than building the fundamentals.

You become a jack of all trades, master of none. That’s because you don’t spend enough time to become good at something. There is a difference between a Beginner vs. Intermediate vs. Veteran vs. Expert, and you spend too much time being a Beginner since you’re switching focus and learning things from scratch all the time. This is different from the talent stack, which means being good enough in a variety of skills, hence giving you an edge over others.

Because you never get good enough at something, you never reap the market leader rewards. The market leader effect is the phenomenon where the winner takes all. Most people will only ever know the top leaders in each industry, and hence market leaders often enjoy a huge lead in market share over everyone else. When you’re constantly chasing new things, you spend too much time learning the basics of each tool, each skill, rather than building on your skills. This causes you to miss out on market leader gains.

But when you are constantly attracted to shiny objects, you never have the chance to become great at something. You’re always climbing the learning curve for each new thing you chase.

How to Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome: 7 Tips

So how can you stay focused and avoid the shiny object syndrome?

Understand that new does not mean better. To be clear, addressing the shiny object syndrome is not about ignoring every new thing. In today’s world, it is important to keep in touch with the latest trends and updates. However, when all you do is follow every new tool and idea, you waste your time chasing trends rather than getting things done. Understand that new doesn’t mean better. Just because a company just launched something new doesn’t automatically mean that it’s better.

Learn to see past the hype. There are constantly new, shiny objects in the online world. New startups, new products, new services. On social media, seeing raving reviews creates a mob mentality where you feel the need to jump in and follow what others are doing.But see past the hype. While people may brag about how great a product/service is, what’s good for others may not be good for you. Even though a company can promise the world on what their product can do, many startups, ideas come with birthing pains and issues. Rather than jump headfirst into something, question how it fits in with your priorities.

Assess its fit with your work (and life). Before jumping into a new idea or tool, assess its fit with your work and life. Don’t follow what others are doing just because it’s the hottest thing now — it’s not sustainable. Ask yourself,

Is this what I really need?

Will it add value to my work and life?

What are the pros vs. the cons of doing this?

Only do something if it’s what you need and it adds genuine value to your work and life. Just because others are doing something doesn’t mean you have to.

Improve your signal-to-noise ratio. The best way to manage distraction is not through discipline, but by managing the sources of distraction. When you are part of groups and newsletters that keep recommending new products, new offerings, it disrupts your focus and train of thought. You have to deal with the mental load of looking up each recommendation, assessing if it’s good for you, and making a decision about it. This is known as cognitive load, something that I mentioned in my How to Say No podcast.Instead of sieving out noise which takes up precious mental energy, remove low-quality information sources. Evaluate your social media news feeds, Facebook group memberships, email subscriptions, and RSS feed subscriptions. What is your noise-to-signal ratio for each channel? Noise refers to information that’s irrelevant to you, while signal refers to information that’s useful and relevant. A high noise-to-signal ratio means the channel has a high proportion of unhelpful, irrelevant suggestions (noise) vs. helpful suggestions (signal). Unsubscribe from groups and newsletters with a high noise-to-signal ratio. Get your information from sources with a high signal-to-noise ratio instead.

Understand the concept of switching costs. Even though there are new tools released all the time, I only look into a new tool when (a) it has something that my current tools can’t provide, and/or (b) there are very strong reviews from multiple sources. Otherwise, I simply take a cursory glance at what’s available and return to my work priorities.One reason is that when you shop even though you don’t need anything, you’re invariably going to end up buying something. The second reason is switching costs, which are invisible costs incurred as a result of switching to something new. Switching costs can be monetary. They can be the time taken to learn a brand new system. They can also be the mental cost of changing your focus. When you keep switching to new ideas, new projects, and new tools, you are just incurring switching costs all day long and getting nothing done. Always factor such costs in when you are enticed by a new idea or tool.

Adopt a “wait and see” approach. When you’re unsure, it helps to adopt a “wait and see” approach. With rapid technological changes today, many tools tend to become obsolete after a couple of years. For example, many WordPress plugins are no longer supported or have died out. Products that claim to be the best often get replaced by better products one to two years later.My personal approach when I feel 50/50 about something is to wait and see. If it’s a new tool, I take the chance to look at the company’s background, preview the tool, and assess if I really need it. For new online tools, there are often integration issues and unknown bugs, and it can be costly to be an early adopter if you already have a live business with customers. Unless this is something that I need to use now and I have no other alternative, I find that “waiting and seeing” a much more prudent approach.

Differentiate between shiny objects and real opportunities. Last but not least, learn to differentiate between shiny objects and real opportunities. Shiny objects are things that look good and exciting, but are really distractions at the end of the day. There are many new products these days that look promising but don’t add value to your work and life. By the time you are done with it, you realize you have no need for that tool — after which you get distracted by another shiny object.Keep a watch out for real opportunities — and be ruthless in saying no to shiny objects. Real opportunities make a real impact in your work. For example, tools that dramatically improve your workflow. Tools that help you grow your business. Tools that help you better engage with customers. Tools that help you deliver better products and services.

Have you been distracted by shiny objects? It’s time to get your focus back on. Get clear on your big rock priorities, invest your 10,000 hours, and pursue ideas that make a real change. Let’s get a move on and work on our real priorities!

https://born4digital.com/shiny-object-syndrome-what-it-is-and-how-to-avoid-it/

#shinyobjectsyndrome

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richincolor · 7 years

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Everyone, please welcome debut author Axie Oh to Rich in Color! We’re thrilled to have her here–I absolutely loved her novel, Rebel Seoul, and you can read my review here.

Rebel Seoul is one of the newest offerings from Tu Books, and you definitely need to check it out:

After a great war, the East Pacific is in ruins. In brutal Neo Seoul, where status comes from success in combat, ex-gang member Lee Jaewon is a talented pilot rising in the ranks of the academy. Abandoned as a kid in the slums of Old Seoul by his rebel father, Jaewon desires only to escape his past and prove himself a loyal soldier of the Neo State.

When Jaewon is recruited into the most lucrative weapons development division in Neo Seoul, he is eager to claim his best shot at military glory. But the mission becomes more complicated when he meets Tera, a test subject in the government’s supersoldier project. Tera was trained for one purpose: to pilot one of the lethal God Machines, massive robots for a never-ending war.

With secret orders to report on Tera, Jaewon becomes Tera’s partner, earning her reluctant respect. But as respect turns to love, Jaewon begins to question his loyalty to an oppressive regime that creates weapons out of humans. As the project prepares to go public amidst rumors of a rebellion, Jaewon must decide where he stands—as a soldier of the Neo State, or a rebel of the people.

Pacific Rim meets Korean action dramas in this mind-blowing, New Visions Award-winning science fiction debut.

I knew the moment I read the synopsis I would love it. Now on to the interview!

Rebel Seoul was one of the winners of the New Visions Award. Can you tell us more about why you decided to enter the contest and what it was like to work with the staff at Tu Books?

I first heard about the contest at ALA in 2014, where I was given a brochure at the Lee & Low booth. I had begun to query REBEL SEOUL (titled something else at the time), and was getting a lot of feedback along the lines of: “dystopia is dead.” This was before WNDB really took off, so I accepted this as fact (now, I would argue – yes, maybe there are a lot of books set in American dystopias with white protagonists, but very few with POC protagonists in a non-Western or even Western setting). When I got the brochure, I really loved Tu Books’ mission statement to diversify children’s literature. I was also inspired to write REBEL SEOUL in part after reading Cindy Pon’s short story “Blue Skies” in the Tu Books’ anthology DIVERSE ENERGIES. So when I sent in my cover letter with my application, I comped my book to that short story! Since winning, everyone at Tu Books has been super supportive and awesome. I’m really proud, honored and grateful to be a part of their list. P.S. Cindy wrote a beautiful blurb for REBEL SEOUL!

Science-fiction often gives an author the opportunity to extrapolate upon the present to reshape the world. What drew you to creating a militaristic world like Neo Seoul? What were your favorite parts about building this world?

This is exactly it – I extrapolated upon the present. In the world of REBEL SEOUL, Seoul is divided into Old Seoul and Neo Seoul, and I based that concept on Seoul’s present-day geography, as Seoul is naturally divided by the Han River. North of the Han River is Gyeongbokgung (Gyeongbok Palace) and some of the older parts of the city and south of the Han River is the Gangnam district and some of the newer areas, hence Old and Neo (New). All the landmarks and districts are the same. Seoul has a very extensive subway system and lots of taxis and shopping areas and billboards, so I just made that all “futuristic.” Really, I did no world building. It’s all there already!

The militaristic world came from a childhood spent watching a lot of sci-fi anime, which oftentimes have plotlines of war or rebellion. Again, I extrapolated from the present, like the idea of mandatory military service, which is a requirement in South Korea for males. In my alt-future, it’s a requirement for all citizens.

My favorite parts of building this world were those moments when I could extrapolate from what already exists, where I could add in a scene that felt true to me that I hoped would resonate with others. One of my favorite scenes I put into the novel is when Jaewon goes through the funeral home of a hospital (funeral homes are often in hospitals in Seoul), and he comes across a mother mourning her son. The whole scene is something I’ve experienced in my own life during memorial services, and I wanted to show through the scene a love and reverence for the moment.

One of the things I really admired about Rebel Seoul was that the characters all had rich lives before the start of the story. Tell us more about Jaewon and Tera’s development as characters.

With Jaewon, I was inspired by Korean dramas. He’s pretty typical of protagonists in high school K-dramas, a loner with a heart of gold. I think the appeal of these characters is that we can trust and put our faith in them. Although they make mistakes and stumble, they never give up, and this gives us hope as viewers. I wanted to channel this feeling with Jaewon. I began with this character archetype and then layered him with a family, friends, history and dreams. As for Tera, her characterization came more from anime. She’s similar to a lot of characters in sci-fi/mecha anime, like Heero from Gundam Wing or Soma Peries from Gundam 00. She’s a government experiment, trained and manipulated since birth for a “greater purpose,” but coming into her own person, discovering her own dreams and desires.

Jaewon and Tera are one of my favorite battle couples in YA. Who are some of your favorite battle couples, romantic or not?

Minho and Thomas from THE MAZE RUNNER. I’ve only read the first book and seen the films, but I love their friendship, and how together they protect the group. Will & Lyra from His Dark Materials. I love them both so much as individuals. But together, they’re unbeatable. Not YA, but I love Relena & Heero from Gundam Wing. I love how they’re both strong individuals with their own goals and motivations, yet in times of vulnerability, seek each other for warmth and comfort.

Family, both biological and of the found/friendship/soulmate variety, had a huge impact on Jaewon and his motivations throughout the novel. Why did you place so much weight on these relationships in Rebel Seoul? What interested you in those types of stories?

Again, going back to K-dramas and anime, K-dramas often focus on family and close friendships, and anime on found families and soulmates. These are themes that come up in the media I love and consume, so it felt natural as I wrote the story to incorporate them into REBEL SEOUL. In general, I love all types of relationships – I didn’t specifically start off thinking, okay I’m going to have a bromance or a team of four very different individuals who come together as friends and partners – it just sort of happened! And K-dramas always have four main characters (two leads, two secondary leads), so that formation came naturally into my storytelling.

If you could pilot any giant robot (whether from Rebel Seoul or another fictional universe), which would it be and why?

Gundam Deathscythe Hell!!! This is the upgraded gundam Duo Maxwell pilots in Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, the animated film following the television series. It’s just so cool! It specializes in stealth and close combat. It wields a large SCYTHE and has bat wings and cloaking armor that allows it invisibility. Plus, I love Duo. I feel like if I took a “which gundam pilot are you” character quiz, I would get him.

What books by or about people of color or people from First/Native Nations are you looking forward to this year? Or that have already come out this year?

It hasn’t come out yet, but I read and loved FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS by Julie C. Dao. It’s an exciting and thought-provoking villainess origin story inspired by the evil queen in Snow White and Chinese court dramas. Looking forward to: WARCROSS by Marie Lu, STARFISH by Akemi Dawn Bowman & TRAIL OF LIGHTNING by Rebecca Roanhorse.

Some books I already read and loved: WANT by Cindy Pon, I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE by Maurene Goo and THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO by F. C. Yee!

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about Rebel Seoul or your other work? What can we look forward to from you next?

Right now I’m working on a YA fantasy inspired by a Korean folktale. Fantasy with a dash of romance were always my favorite kinds of books as a teen (think: BEAUTY by Robin McKinley or HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE by Diana Wynne Jones), so I’m indulging that love of mine, and combining it with the culture and myths that I grew up with!

Axie Oh is a first generation Korean American, born in NYC and raised in New Jersey. She studied Korean history and creative writing as an undergrad at the University of California – San Diego and holds an MFA from Lesley University in Writing for Young People. Her passions include K-pop, anime, stationery supplies, and milk tea. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada with her puppy, Toro.

You can find out more about her at her website or follow her on twitter.

#axie oh #rebel seoul #WeNeedDiverseBooks #young adult books #science fiction

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semperfido-or-die · 5 years

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Shiny Object Syndrome: What It Is And How To Avoid It

You know that you have experienced the shiny object syndrome if you can relate to the following:

You have a list of business ideas but nothing gets executed.

You constantly start new goals but never see them through to the end.

You jump from one internet course to another, drawn by the wild claims of each course.

You frequently jump from one goal to the next rather than sticking with what you’re doing to the end.

You keep registering new domain names, even launching new websites, but you never work on building those sites.

You have a collection of plugins and tools, but you don’t actually use them.

The Issue with the Shiny Object Syndrome

At the heart of it, the issue with the shiny object syndrome is distraction. Being constantly drawn to new ideas and tools, and abandoning important tasks in the process.

When you’re constantly distracted, a few issues happen:

You never get things done. That’s because you’re always on to something new, rather than completing your current plans.

You spend too much time on new ideas and fancy tools, of which 95% are noise, rather than building the fundamentals.

But when you are constantly attracted to shiny objects, you never have the chance to become great at something. You’re always climbing the learning curve for each new thing you chase.

How to Avoid the Shiny Object Syndrome: 7 Tips

So how can you stay focused and avoid the shiny object syndrome?

Is this what I really need?

Will it add value to my work and life?

What are the pros vs. the cons of doing this?

Only do something if it’s what you need and it adds genuine value to your work and life. Just because others are doing something doesn’t mean you have to.

https://born4digital.com/shiny-object-syndrome-what-it-is-and-how-to-avoid-it/

#shinyobjectsyndrome

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