Briandito Priambodo

We might be too obsessed with metrics

For a long time, I thought I needed to become "someone special" to matter in this world. I was always waiting—waiting to feel good enough and waiting to start really living. But the truth is simple: I am already someone. I am me, right now. In 2022,

We need to talk more about our pain

I've been thinking a lot about silence lately—not the peaceful kind that brings tranquillity and zen, but the heavy kind that isolates. The kind where words get stuck in your throat because you're afraid of being judged or, worse, being a burden. We live in

Keeping the fire in you

There’s a quiet magic in how a single candle can light up a dark room. That tiny flame stands firm against the shadows, much like our motivation and determination can guide us through life’s most challenging moments. But when problems keep piling up and progress feels slow, it’

The lonely road to the life we want

There’s a truth we don’t talk about enough: chasing your dreams is often a lonely place. When you decide to move closer to your goals, things start to change. Some people drift away. Some mock you. Others try to pull you back down, sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes

Why do you go in life?

I often find myself standing still at a crossroads. To the left, there is a road that promises ease and comfort. To the right, a path that looks uncertain and challenging. As cliché as it may sound, the choice feels pivotal: the left might lead to a life of quiet

The forms of love

There’s something ironic about the beautiful things in life. When we see breathtaking scenery, we often say, “It looks like a painting” or “This feels like a scene from a movie.” And such is love. I used to think that gestures of love should always be grand and significant—

The ROI of happiness

I can’t remember when I first started thinking about the return on investment (ROI) of my actions—or even how I learned about the concept. Before I knew it, I was calculating everything, measuring its ROIs against my future goals. What would I gain from this? What would be

Sometimes nobody can understand

There's a strange comfort in knowing that across the world, countless others are sitting in their own quiet rooms, feeling exactly what you feel right now.

Loneliness is solitude in progress

I've spent most of my life running from loneliness. My elder brother moved overseas when I was a teenager, so I lived my teenage years as an only child. Suddenly, the house felt emptier. My parents' world was too different from mine—we were born in different

Awkward spaces and empty seats

On public transportation across the world, an unspoken rule exists: when possible, leave an empty seat between yourself and the next passenger. People will stand uncomfortably by doors, bags pressing into their sides, rather than take an open spot next to a stranger. They'll pretend to be deeply

You don't need a plan, you need vision

I've been thinking about how we approach our futures lately. Most of us start with planning—detailed schedules, specific goals, rigid frameworks. We believe structure will lead us to success. But I've realized something important: Plans without vision are just empty tasks. What if we flipped

Where we're supposed to be

Have you ever found yourself staring out the window of your office, watching the world go by, and wondering how you ended up here?

50%

Life often feels like we're running on a treadmill set too fast. We push ourselves to keep up, stumble, fall, and sometimes even get sick trying to maintain an unsustainable pace. Like a machine pushed beyond its limits, we break down when we least expect it. We live

The dance between your heart and mind

The eternal battle between heart and mind isn't really a battle at all. It's more like a dance - sometimes graceful, sometimes awkward, but always necessary. We often find ourselves torn between what feels right and what makes sense, between the passionate whispers of our hearts

The discomfort of every beginning

When you first start learning something new, there's this weird feeling that creeps in. It's like you're an actor on a stage, pretending to be someone you're not. You're going through the motions, mimicking what you think a "real&

They were all reactions to our actions

When I was younger, I thought life would somehow figure itself out. But that's not how it works, right? But one day, it just clicked for me. I realized something so simple yet powerful: if I keep doing the same things, I'll keep getting the same

Some friendships aren’t meant to last a lifetime

I've been thinking about friendship lately—not the kind we post on social media, but the real ones—the ones that happen in small moments, in coffee shops, and late-night conversations. You know how it goes. We meet someone, maybe at work or through friends. We click. We

The things you learn when you lose someone

Life has a peculiar way of teaching us about loss. When my grandpa passed away, I didn't know how to feel. He had already forgotten names and faces, so I felt like I didn't really know him. For me, life kept going like nothing changed. But

Today is not the time to think about tomorrow's problems

Sometimes, we get stuck thinking about the things that might never happen, and it paralyzes us—making us unable to make a move, not even a single step forward. How often do we allow those "scenarios" to dominate our minds, draining our courage and extinguishing the fire in

What the adults don't tell us about adulthood

When I was a kid, I thought one day, the adult me would figure it out. Then, when I finished school and started to work, I learned that the adult world is not as kind as I thought. In school, when we receive a bad score, we can redo the

The movies we play in our heads are meant to happen to us

It is the life that we can live - if we do the thing we have always said we'll do.

Patience is your superpower

Patience isn't passive waiting - it's active persistence. It's the quiet strength that keeps us moving forward when everything else suggests we should stop.

Failing does not make you a failure

Failing is one of the things that people fear the most. Some people go to the extent of not trying at all just because they are afraid of failing. Many people think failing is a disgrace, a stain on their glorious lives. But in the long run, failing is an

Life is a non-fiction

I grew up watching TV shows about adulthood. Shows like How I Met Your Mother, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, and Glee, taught me what being an adult should look like. Each episode followed a neat storytelling arc: problem appears, characters struggle, resolution emerges, and everyone learns a

Big fish in a small pond, or…

In 2020, I was leaving my job. Upon handing in my resignation, my soon-to-be ex-boss tried to convince me to stay. He asked me this question: You are a big fish in a small pond here, while over there, it’s the opposite. Which do you want to be? A