“The only thing we never get enough of is love; and the only thing we never give enough of is love.” – Henry Miller.
Many years ago, I took the bold step of moving out of my parents’ house to live alone. Why? Because I wanted to find my path as a person, make my own decisions, and suffer the consequences myself. I believed that’s how it should be. Until a person can make uninfluenced decisions, they can’t take … Read more
Yesterday, on my way from work, I passed a boutique and instinctively started looking for something my wife would love. Next to it was another boutique that sold menswear; interestingly, I walked past without even glancing. Then it hit me: almost everything I buy these days is for her, not me. Not because she asks. Not because I have to. But because I want to. That’s what love does: it redirects your focus without effort. That’s why I believe: if love feels like effort, something is wrong.
We often begin our personal development journeys because we feel we need more or lack something. Often, it is the pain of where and how we are that drives us to seek growth.
But what many of us fail to realise is that personal development is not the same as acquiring more, or even success.
putting your imperfect authentic self into the world invites the necessary feedback that helps you build a less imperfect authentic self.
The paradox is this: because being wrong publicly sucks, you become right faster by being wrong publicly.
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
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…
