“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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
