<p><br/></p><p><br/></p><p>It's Black.</p><p>It's Rough.</p><p>It's Unassuming.</p><p><br/></p><p>At first, </p><p>It doesn't exactly look like much.</p><p>No sparkle, No shine.</p><p>No “look at me, I am valuable” kind of beauty.</p><p><br/></p><p>It sits quietly in the dark,</p><p>covered in dust,</p><p>carrying within it a heat</p><p>you cannot see from the outside.</p><p><br/></p><p>And guess what,</p><p>That........</p><p>That is how life is</p><p><br/></p><p>Sometimes,</p><p>you will look at yourself and think,</p><p>**“Is this really all I am?”**</p><p><br/></p><p>Because you don't sparkle yet.</p><p>Because nobody is clapping yet.</p><p>Because your life doesn't look like the picture</p><p>you had in your head.</p><p><br/></p><p>But honestly, just like coal</p><p>You are precious,</p><p>Just in the rawest form possible </p><p>If there's a word like that</p><p><br/></p><p>Sometimes, life will bury you.</p><p><br/></p><p>Under pressure.</p><p>Under disappointment.</p><p>Under unanswered prayers.</p><p>Under mistakes.</p><p>Under seasons that make you wonder</p><p>if God forgot your address.</p><p><br/></p><p>But coal teaches us something—</p><p><br/></p><p>**Being buried doesn't mean being finished.**</p><p><br/></p><p>Coal is refined under pressure.</p><p>And sometimes,</p><p>the pressure you're complaining about</p><p>is producing something in you</p><p>that comfort never could.</p><p><br/></p><p>The darkness doesn't mean</p><p>there is nothing happening.</p><p><br/></p><p>Some things grow in the dark.</p><p>Some things are formed in silence.</p><p>Some becoming happens</p><p>where nobody can see you.</p><p><br/></p><p>So breathe.</p><p><br/></p><p>Live.</p><p><br/></p><p>Even here.</p><p><br/></p><p>Even when you're not where you want to be.</p><p>Even when your plans have gone sideways.</p><p>Even when you have to start again.</p><p>Even when you feel ordinary.</p><p><br/></p><p>**Live.**</p><p><br/></p><p>Because coal doesn't spend its entire existence</p><p>trying to prove that it is a diamond.</p><p><br/></p><p>It simply becomes</p><p>what it was made to become.</p><p>It is seen, found figured out</p><p>And it is refined</p><p><br/></p><p>And maybe you should too.</p><p><br/></p><p>Stop waiting for the perfect seasona</p><p>before you allow yourself to live.</p><p><br/></p><p>Laugh now.</p><p>Learn now.</p><p>Love people.</p><p>Make mistakes.</p><p>Try again.</p><p>Sing loudly.</p><p>Dream ridiculously.</p><p>Pray deeply.</p><p>Create.</p><p>Grow.</p><p><br/></p><p>Be alive.</p><p><br/></p><p>Because life is not only about</p><p>the day you finally become everything</p><p>you dreamed you would be.</p><p><br/></p><p>Life is also</p><p>the becoming.</p><p><br/></p><p>The pressure.</p><p>The process.</p><p>The tiny victories.</p><p>The “God, I don't understand this” moments.</p><p>The days you cried</p><p>and still got up.</p><p><br/></p><p>And perhaps one day,</p><p>you will look back at the version of you</p><p>who thought she was only coal</p><p>and realize—</p><p><br/></p><p>**You were carrying fire</p><p>the whole time.**</p><p><br/></p><p>So, my dear,</p><p><br/></p><p>Don't despise your rough edges.</p><p>Don't curse the season because it is dark.</p><p>Don't mistake hiddenness for worthlessness.</p><p><br/></p><p>There is still heat in you.</p><p>There is still purpose in you.</p><p>There is still life in you.</p><p><br/></p><p>Even though it feels like nothing is brewing </p><p>All seems to be normal</p><p>Look deeply </p><p>You'd see how precious you are</p><p><br/></p><p>As long as there is life.....</p><p><br/></p><p>**LIVE.**</p><p><br/></p><p>Not tomorrow.</p><p><br/></p><p>Not when everything makes sense.</p><p><br/></p><p>**Now.**</p><p><br/></p><p><br/></p><p><br/></p><p>And from me; </p><p>Dear reader, coming across ths isn't just coincidence. It's a reminder that you are precious. All might feel ordinary but see yourself in the light of a coal. From the little things you have accomplished, to the big things you are aspiring to be. You are that coal waiting to be figured out and refined so while your are still buried, make the best of it. Make sure there's enough coal ready to make thousands of diamonds. You my dear reader are precious and so so special. </p><p>Always remember that. 🤍🔥</p>
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At the end of the month, we give out prizes in 3 categories: Best Content, Top Engagers and
Most Engaged Content.
Best Content
Top Engagers
Most Engaged Content
Best Content
We give out cash prizes to between 7 and 20 community members with the best insights in the past month.
The winners are picked by an in-house selection process.
The winners are NOT picked from the leaderboards/rankings, we choose winners based on the quality, originality
and insightfulness of their content.
Here are a few other things to know for the Best Content track
1
Quality over Quantity — You stand a higher chance of winning by publishing a few really good insights across the entire month,
rather than a lot of low-quality, spammy posts.
2
Share original, authentic, and engaging content that clearly reflects your voice, thoughts, and opinions.
3
Avoid using AI to generate content—use it instead to correct grammar, improve flow, enhance structure, and boost clarity.
4
Explore audio content—high-quality audio insights can significantly boost your chances of standing out.
5
Use eye-catching cover images—if your content doesn't attract attention, it's less likely to be read or engaged with.
6
Share your content in your social circles to build engagement around it.
Top Engagers
For the Top Engagers Track, we award the top 3 people who engage the most with other user's content via
comments.
The winners are picked using the "Top Monthly Engagers" tab on the rankings page.
Most Engaged Content
The Most Engaged Content recognizes users whose content received the most engagement during the month.
We pick the top 3.
The winners are picked using the "Top Monthly Contributors" tab on the rankings page.
Contributor Rankings
The Rankings/Leaderboard shows the Top 20 contributors and engagers on TwoCents a monthly and all-time basis
— as well as the most active colleges (users attending/that attended those colleges)
The all-time contributors ranking is based on the Contributor Score, which is a measure of all the engagement and exposure a contributor's content receives.
The monthly contributors ranking tracks performance of a user's insights for the current month. The monthly and all-time scores are calcuated DIFFERENTLY.
This page also shows the top engagers on an all-time & monthly basis.
Below is a list of badges on TwoCents and their designations.