“Like anything worth doing in life, happiness takes time and patience and consistency.” – Mark Manson
You won’t find great friends in the library, church, or some group. You become a great person, and then great people resonate with you wherever you are. But, more importantly, you help yourselves stay great.
It is not always easy
Just as truly educated people go beyond what is taught in the University to be knowledgeable, so too we must go beyond religion to be good humans.
Critical thinking requires you to be mindful about what claims/ideas you accept as true. You have to cultivate curiosity; be open to constructive criticism; allocate time for reflection, avoid snap judgments; and embrace complexity and nuance.
Developing critical thinking is important because it helps you discern between ideas and improve your decision-making which can have a positive ripple effect in all areas of your life, making it better.
I used to introduce myself at networking events with “I’m a marketer” and leave it at that. But one day, a client came to me totally frustrated with their marketing results. Instead of jumping straight into campaign strategies, I spent time helping them get clear on their bigger mission. Two hours later, they had tears … Read more
Burnout is often misunderstood. Some mistake it for simple laziness or lack of motivation. But it’s actually a state of complete exhaustion – physical, emotional, and mental – caused by prolonged stress without adequate rest. This condition can affect anyone, from parents and students to workers, yet many experience it without even recognizing what’s happening.
Here is the thing, deep down we know we are not perfect. It is impossible to be perfect. No one has looks, finances, relationships, and all nailed to the T (at least, not all the time). And even those who manage to score high in seemingly all domains of their lives, do so at a great cost – they are under constant pressure; and in some cases, might even feel a sort of second-hand embarrassment from those around them who think this whole charade of perfection is absolute madness and want to just be themselves.
the best thing about you can also be the worst thing about you, because every trait we value has a counterpart we struggle to accept.
The extraordinary qualities you admire in others often come with a shadow side that’s harder to acknowledge. Just like one person’s guardian angel may be another’s angel of death.
Our world has often divided itself into two major archetypes: leaders and followers.
The leaders come up with ideas, take charge, and guide others. And the followers stand behind them, supporting their ideas, sometimes building a cult-like allegiance, so strongly that they’ll do whatever it takes to spread and defend their cherished beliefs.
They have always tried to reveal themselves to me in fragments, but my own expectations have often warped my interpretation of their intentions. I’ve seen them as malevolent at times, and indifferent at others. But this year, I guess I was able to see that it was all beyond good and bad, and about shaping me into someone better.
You see, every word we speak is laden with meaning. It is the stories of people captured in syllables. It’s events that have happened over and over again. And the experiences of my friends, no matter how unique they might seem (to them or even me), are ubiquitous to humanity. This is also true for my experiences, your experiences, or the experiences of anyone really…
