“I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It’s just that the translations have gone wrong.” – John Lennon
We perceive other countries as the proverbial promised lands: clean, safe and functional. Even the internet doesn’t fail to remind us each day of Tokyo’s cherry blossoms, Paris’ romantic cafes, and the Caribbean beaches, where the sand kisses your feet and the breeze wraps around bare skin.
And so, we dream. We wish. We plan to leave.
I love movies that begin with the protagonist exploring the question, “Who am I?”, “What is my purpose?”, or “Do I even have a superpower?”. Especially when they have been singled out as special but don’t know why, yet. Think Neo from the Matrix, Po from Kung Fu Panda, or Harry Potter from, well, Harry Potter.
Laziness keeps many people stuck at a particular level in their lives. Not because they lack the ability to move forward, but because they postpone action when it matters most.
But here’s the hard truth: staying stuck and doing nothing because of laziness has a cost: It will keep you in the same place, day after day, while life quietly passes by.
We often imagine life as a straight line. Do X, get Y, or go from point A to point B. But most of us already know, life doesn’t always work out like that.
In our treacherous yet beautiful reality, the path looks more like what mathematicians call a “random walk with drift.”. It is a messy, unpredictable journey influenced by detours: chaos, choices, failures, and fortunes.
As children, people told us our 20s would be our prime: full of beauty, clarity, and everything falling into place. Some even advised us against overindulging – enjoying it so much that we make mistakes. But for many of us, our 20s seem to be the most confusing and painful time of our lives.
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.
While most people may not wish you harm on a very good day, it is important to realise that everyday they try to lay eggs of their values, opinions, ideas, wishes, expectations, or demands into your own life. And, those eggs, once they hatch, leverage your fears, ego, and other strong emotions to gradually compel you to nurture them.
We all have our selfish desires, but achieving things that are truly grand or worthwhile often requires the input of more than one individual. Hence, to achieve our selfish desires, we often need to do selfless things. And, even when success comes, the wise can tell that the most important thing was the tribe (not the selfish prize).
Going back to the year 2020—it was lockdown + death anxiety for me. I was tired of being stuck indoors, tired of the voices in my head telling me I was going to die soon. So when a friend invited me to some church, I tagged along, hoping for a change of scene.
We got there, and the prophetess or whatever title she preferred, looked at me and said she saw a vision: I’d die in 2023.
Many people believe they need others’ approval to feel good about themselves, but real confidence isn’t something others can give you; it’s something you cultivate from within.
In this post, we’ll explore why external validation is harmful and 7 useful strategies to build unquestionably strong confidence.
