The above statement is a paradox. We can never be smart by being a little dumb. For the above statement to hold true, it should be rephrased as it’s smart to act a little dumb. Sometimes, acting a little dumb is a smart move and I am actually being smart by choosing to act…
Different.
Most every past culture had leaders (The King), fighters (The Warrior), and holders of great secrets and knowledge (The Magician).
“The Magician is an initiate of secret and hidden knowledge of all kinds. And this is…
Today Evening, I seat with my close friend. The close friend of mine who never left me no matter what situation happened with me till yet or will happen with me. I always shared my thoughts with My close friend. So me and my close friend both were seated on the…
But they really should…
Depuis trop longtemps tu te sens au bord du gouffre sans trop savoir pourquoi, tu étouffes dans…
Life what is it and what does it mean to you? Life can be so many things that we get so busy that we miss it…
Ever wondered how children can teach us the best leadership lessons? We often rely on our…
Disclaimer: This is a wake up call. It may get ugly, but you might need to hear this.
A Scottish / New Zealand / Legal Alien’s experiences of incredible newness
The past 18 months in my business have been the most difficult by far out of the 8 years I’ve been growing it. January of 2016 was the start of some major disappointment, setbacks and struggles that literally shook me to the core. You could say that my worst fear that I always tried to ignore actually came to fruition last year.
“Exposure therapy is a technique in behavior therapy used to treat anxiety disorders. It involves the exposure of the patient to the…
I want her romance when she has none to give. Only sex. I want her smoothness.
This post is part of Month to Master, a 12-month accelerated learning project. For May, my goal is to build the software part…
Joan Stommen
From the moment I met her, I knew she’d be my person. That person who gets you, loves you unconditionally and becomes part of your inner self. As my first grandchild was gently placed in my arms at three weeks old, I felt it. A spark, a…
I used to have undiagnosed attention deficit disorder (ADD). This was most apparent when I was at work. My…
You don’t need to be perfect all the time.
A Waiting Game
It seems like we spend so much of our lives waiting. Waiting to be tall enough to ride that one rollercoaster. Waiting for our first kiss. Waiting to find out what college we’ve gotten into. Waiting for our first big job…Then our first promotion, then the next. Passing the time with insignificant dates until…
The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity.
Four years ago today I remember biting the bullet, leaving my full time job as a Behaviour Therapist and going back to full time student status at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education with the…
So I met a guy.
when I was 11 years old,I wanted to speak at a stageBut didn’t know anything to talk about.
when i was 14 years old,I spoke with grit and passionOf all the things I knew
And when did the cowards start coming out on top?
I grew up in the North-East of Italy, one of the most productive areas of the…
Other than the thought of being locked in a box and stuck in the ground when I die, nothing in my life seems to be as scary and troublesome and as endlessly confusing, as how I choose to love anybody. Coming from a life where my opinion on love was warped, meeting Ike was a…
There are approximately 7 billion people on the planet. A number so big your brain can’t really make sense of…
A few months ago, I tried to take an intro to iOS development course but gave up way…
Moses Thladi’s Landscape Paintings at WAM records the work of a man in a History of South Africa and it’s Culture with respect to Race. The Human Race.
Google docs say I edited this piece last on January 31 2017
Amal books library
I used to tell peopleI used to be greatAt whatever, even ifI’d never done what it wasI said I’d done.
The atmosphere was quaintly quiet. The breeze was as warm as snug in a rug and your cupid was fervently ready to launch the arrow from the bow. You were jolly. The reason for…
Too many people spend their time asking themselves all of the wrong questions. They wonder what is wrong with them instead of focusing…
I have accomplished many things in my life. I was a state and national champion in track in high school…
“In the cycle of Nature, there’s no such thing as victory or defeat. There is only movement.”
~ Pg. 20 (Manuscript Found In Accra — Paulo Coelho)
I feel like being left in some shape or form is a universal suffering we’ve all gone through at some…
There was a creaking in her attic,The kind that settles…
I begin my mornings with a soy yogurt and a berry smoothie, instead of fried eggs and coffee; for lunch, curried chickpeas, roasted peppers and kale…
Every May feels like one large TEDx Conference, with an endless amount of emotional, inspirational and thought-provoking commencement speeches. In 2017 we’ve heard their messages of unity, grace, hope, humility, kindness and individuality, these have been a…
“It’s not going to happen so soon.”
“Change won’t come so soon.”
“It won’t affect me.”
“The world doesn’t change so fast.”
It’s fashionable to go to college, to get a degree. It’s easy because your parents and grandparents want you to do it…
The scale of most things gets ignored.
In the case of writing. A recent post of mine was just over 2400 words. A 10…
Dexter, Elaine Benes, Pepper Ann Pearson, Ash Ketchum, and Kuzco were the five characters from last…
Our first prompt comes from Shi. She asks:
One feels better when you have worked hard for money/success/wealth. Fact or myth?
Shi,
The day I began to develop empathy and compassion for those I would be able to lead and inspire.
I grew up as a “military brat”. Both of my parents were in the U.S. Army causing my sister…
I hated getting school reports. I had to ensure that they stayed at the bottom of my bag until dad was in a good enough mood. I felt like I did a lot of things well. I attended the classes that I could, did the homework that I could and answered the test questions as well as I could. I…
The first word I the majority of us learn as infants is ‘NO.’ There is a very logical reason for this. In my opinion…
Two months ago when I was sat in my office in Business Bay, Dubai, the Daily Mail and Facebook were my two guilty pleasures. They were certainly my biggest distraction, oh and of course the occasional peep out of the window to see the world’s tallest building, The Burj Khalifa. I just…
By now you might have realized that on your journey of life you have met different people who have played diverse roles in your…
With Savannah’s numerous squares, parks, and public spaces, you are guaranteed to see…
It’s okay to fall, but it’s not okay to stay down.It’s okay if you miss them, it’s okay if you are not feeling stable, it’s okay if you are bursting in tears remembering cute things…
Conflicts are commonplace because driven people are passionate about their beliefs, goals and ways to…
People say we are creatures of habit. Seeing something once is better than hearing about it a…
I’m not certain this is always the case. But I’ve noticed that very often the right path, the wise path, the true path… lies between two errors.
This matters because of our natural reaction to error. We run as far away from our mistake as possible. And so…
Failure is often not a catastrophic end result.
It’s a slow integration back to your old ways.
What was once a challenge is now a distant memory.
It’s almost midnight and you’re walking through a dark ally in Mexico. Your left-hand…
Irwin Greenberg circulated this primer to his students at the High School of Art & Design and the Art Students League of New York. He died, age 87, in 2009.
Like a lot of realist painters, I started teaching as a way to stabilize my income…
The Gaia Virus — 30 Day Challenge — Day 1.
A lovely soul once asked me to answer one, although massively thought-provoking, question: What’s the biggest decision you’ve ever made?
As I have only worked for a very short period of time, I can’t say anything straight from the horse’s mouth, so I will give my end of the bargain, based on the limited knowledge that I have gained while working for a New York minute and from hearsay.
When I was younger I remember always wanting to hang out with people older than…
Its 2017 and your age is now 26. Let me share with you what’s going on:
The second J and I walked into our apartment for the first time and saw the huge south-facing windows, we were pretty much sold. The kicker was that there is one pane of glass facing west, directly towards the ocean. It took me no time at all to establish a new habit (at the expense of a few extra…
I’m sitting at my gate in SFO waiting to board the first leg of my flight to Fiji. I’m excited to…
On my separation from my first job out of school…
This change in my life was long overdue. For the better part of the last three years, I had not felt like my old self. I am wholly responsible for that, but that is the way that it played out. At times I…
At times, people ask me what is the point of living with so much regret. And, come to think of it, what is the point of regret in general. In response, I tend to shrug, smile, and say: It is a matter of choice. And they leave it at that, perhaps thinking I mean that I choose to feel regret.
The last day of fellowship is termed as an outdoor session with Amal Family. We decided to watch a movie ‘Hindi Medium’ together and decided to spent max. Time with each other.
I was at it again, and I knew my mama would be proud. Here I was on a dance floor rotating my hips and waist front way and back…
On my smartphone, I’ve got a countdown app. I have it set up to count down days to significant events in the future. One is set for June 1, 2017, which is currently 3 days away. Why? That marks the beginning of my life as a non-smoker. The next is 46 days , a…
Welcome to the road less traveled.
When I was 20, and newly married, I thought I knew everything. When I turned 30, I realized how stupid I’d been then. When I turned 40, I looked back at 30 and realized how little I’d understood about life. When I turned 50, my 40-year-old self looked exceedingly naive. I’m about to turn 60…
By Steve Wardrip
With every victory comes a thing that once, created, cannot be “un-created.” That is not…
It is so true, we get upset with small obstacles, and forget to look at the bigger picture, plus what matters is the state of happiness which can’t be achieved until we realize ourselves!
I really do not need induced stress in my life right now.
I started off this week full of dread as my second Work Sprint loomed around the corner. After a emotionally draining week of learning how to be vulnerable, my productivity…
I could of titled this ‘Chase Your Dreams’ but that sounds too cheesy and simple. There’s a way bigger picture to that statement that people look over.
I will never forget the day I was at lunch and a person who I called my friend tried to tear down my dreams. She said my blogs…
Have you ever had the experience that your greatest ideas come to you when you’re not focused on them?
In our lifetime, we will experience the feeling of being unmotivated to do a particular task or…
I learned a lot during the Amal journey and its difficult to come up with a single most important lesson as all lessons are #LifeLongLessons.
The Everyday leadership skills. I think this is most important lesson during my journey…
When I was little. My aunt taught me how to clean a toilet. Just like any other spoiled child.
I had a short sharp first marriage. The man to whom I was married told me after our wedding that he believed in making anyone…
How very rude and dumb! Though Renée I’ve witnessed, and I still see people with similar beliefs like this one stated here, around me a lot…yes, I’m a guy writing this, but open mindedness don’t see no gender! Other than saying that the likes of those who believe in such ‘quotes’, or mantra, or whoever wrote this convey no message other than how…
Story of a simple state , in a great nation………..
Deana or in my world “Beanie” is AMAZING Human #18!
This is a rare one because I haven’t written about a family member yet. My entire family inspires & amazes me daily so as this goes on, they will find themselves on this list but they know…
A series of thoughts transcend into a tough day; Me without you, due to the day your life drifted away.
I saw this wonderful quote by Nelson Mandela while scrolling my Instagram feed and thought I should share this here.
Well that was the last day of our fellowship at Amal Academy. We all were upset just because of that reason. We were separating from Amal family as we spent 3 months together in a single platform. We came from different universities and regions but…
It all started with a hye,What may end with a single bye.
I have a Facebook friend. My Facebook friend had a really difficult childhood. to protect her privacy I…
Reading: Genesis 29:14–30
Leaders are by nature highly focused and driven people. Although they differ in…
3 months of fellowship are over I cannot believe and cannot forget single moments with my fellows and amal…
I am so sad to hear this. as someone on the left, you were one of the first accounts I followed when I decided to make a concerted effort to break out of my “bubble” (thanks to MB Glenn). And it only helped me to grow, become more compassionate, and seek communion with those who differ from my viewpoints. I know that there is much we would disagree…
I am shocked…really, and glad that you’re not connected to her (if I’d be have been, in anyway, the first thing I’ll have done would be to block her, of course after answering, and opening her eyes at least a bit)….that poem of Nina will do more than required to help her out of the delusion she’s victim of, but then again she’ll see and grasp what…
“Life is short, unless you don’t know what you are doing with your life.”
Thank goodness for last week’s practice run, as this week I’m embarking on my first official full day of…
Dancei no ritmo da chuva
Durante uma tarde ensolarada
Vendi minhas flores ao cavalheiro. Comprei doces de avelã. Subi à montanha mais alta do mundo, para poder enxergar onde haveria de ser a batalha.
Obviously most of us have little wish to wander middle east and travell to europe however Zoya Akhtar can now afford us all. Can one be presumed from it that he/she is less passionate for that and sterio-type person? "NO". Its just matter of fact that it…
I refuse and reject the notionthat for all the forward motiona man is not as nobleas any other (lesser?) animal — I see a man…
Nana te Amo
We are “all in this together.” Often times, I have a tendency to somewhat brood and over-focus on my own differences (and find myself traveling into the alienation zone), but need to stop myself. Think. Breathe. And just remember that this is all part of what it means to be human. There is always hope. Always a chance for tomorrow.
I think everyone has been through a phase where they looked at luxury items and thought “I want to be able to afford these one day”. People look at luxury watches, handbags, sport cars and think they are going to work HARD for those items, people all think, or dream that…
I spoke with a childhood friend the other day. We met when she and I were 10 and 9 respectively. We had been playing phone tag. Both of us moms, we briefly brought ourselves up to date with our kids’ lives, as our own. We live 40 minutes away from each other and with our hectic…
First of all I would like to say thanks to my Program manager and Program assistants and Amal Academy for giving me their precious time. Before joining Amal Academy I couldn’t able to speak in front of bunch of people, either in a…
If you have an idea, then just do it. Don’t keep pondering over it. I was at the same place, just as you. Kept thinking how can I make it better, more good looking.
Most of our lives fall in a fluid gray area, which can not be classified in neat tidy categories like Happiness and…
So I’ve been absent for the past two days now. Sorry about that. Being with 20 of my friends in a cabin in Maine with an abundance of alcohol on a holiday weekend is not a conducive environment for sitting down and writing blogs. From now on I’ll be back with consistent posts every day :-*
Once upon a time there was a king in India who had great respect for saints.Whenever any saint crosses his state he used to call them into his palace. Used to donate lot of jewels and serve them best food etc. And it continued with time.
I haven’t visited this place in ages. A2 is almost coming to an end and I can’t wait!
…
It’s also during these times that I am again reminded that I don’t have much time left here. Sigh. I don’t know what to feel. This place, although it has one of the…
I wanted to be serious this week. So I went out with a book, determined to read in the park. I sat down on the bench, beautiful scene, thought it was the right time to read, opened the book and in the same moment…
Everybody tries to keep finding their path/purpose or in the most basic terms — “What they should be doing in their life’s? “ One thing I am sure of is that you can never have one specific thing/goal during your entire life. That just does not make sense. It is more of a one after the pattern. So…
“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” ― John Lennon
Because God made my life the way it is and I would never change that.
Thank you for the hard thingsThank you for the happy things
Thank you for breaking me to the point where I found that you were my rock bottom
I’m hatching plans to submit something for WordCamp this year. I want to try have a more positive tone, and to make fewer assumptions about what people do and don’t do.
How was the session? What did you enjoyed the most about this day?
It was to have lunch at fortress square with all my batch fellows of amal. I enjoyed that I have never been together with all the amal…
“Graduation” is really just ten letters, if you think about it.
Yet, it feels grander. Larger than life even, when we’ve only had 20-something years.
Questioning is a great thing. And questioning things is something that I do very well. For the entirety of my life why was a word that ran through my head constantly. I wanted to…
My dear, the world is not for grabs, as they claim. You will shape your own future, and there is no such thing as an illusory future - the answer is in your decision.
Nothing truly awaits you out there - adulthood is a trap. The sooner you begin accepting responsibility for your actions, the better, because it is your…
You may have heard that the opal brings bad luck and is an evil stone. In fact, this has been a ridiculous belief for a long time all over the world. However, those in the know, are aware that this unfortunate reputation and myth actually is the fault of one man, Sir Walter Scott. Sir Walter Scott’s bestselling novel…
It is so tempting to withdraw when you need to advance…
The fear is bubbling…
You are out of the comfort zone and everything seems to be conspiring to rein you back in…
We should be more accepting to the fact that we are who we are! Copying someone or trying to be someone else never works out because we all have different question papers in life. That is what makes us unique. The earlier we accept this, the more happy we will be with ourselves. We need be friends with ourselves first. :)
Why didn’t anyone of these people think of the possible consequences when entering illegally ? That is an honest question. My heart goes out to these people it really does, but it is entirely their fault. That is simply the bare bones of it, yeah they came her for a better life, but not legally like my friends have, like my grandfather did, like my…
I think one of the many reasons I love film-making as a creative outlet is that so many things happen in my personal life that I want to share with others, but for the most part, I’m too shy to express them verbally! haha.
Deep within you lies a well of creativity.
Lessons from outdoor session with #amalfamily
Last day at amal!!! Its quite difficult to explain it because we were separating from each other and leaving amal family although we did some promises from one another to keep in touch but that would not be like that as it was. Now coming towards our last session which was a…
My favorite lesson in Amal fellowship
As I described in my previous blog post that my fellowship in Amal academy is over this weekend and Amal academy has assigned me a project work to tell you one thing that I love and learned completely from fellowship.
Do you really understand if you have never experienced it? Imagine for a moment that you have never rode a bike, eaten at a…
We are so frightened by our own lives.
Quarter Century in the Making
Twenty seven years! It has been twenty seven years since I have been in a traditional type classroom. Sure I have taken a few classes for work, but college is such a different world. I walked through the Academic…
I’m on my couch typing this on my phone. Today’s entry is going to be on the more casual side. It might ramble and not make much sense. I’ll try my best to keep it together.
I’ve got a pretty big race today. It’s the Texas State Criterium championships. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a type of cycling race. My family…
Letter to the woman I will become:
Hi. I know you’re reading this with a smile on your face. Remembering when you were me. Remembering when you wrote this.
I already know you, although you don’t yet exist. That’s because I’m currently building you. Let me tell you, you are not easy to build. You take…
Yesterday, I wrote an article on Becoming a better human as a purpose of my life. Today I spent lot of time on thinking why I need to become one and some more deep thoughts on the way our generation is living their lives.
When I was in High School I would play bloody knuckles (with the few that were willing). I would win; it would boost my ego. How tough I was. Time would knock me down, and pick me up.
Today I get called out for the wimp I am . I apparently pick on people though am a wuss…
Thank you for preventing me from the sin of being born rich.Thank you for the heart that feels the hurt of the deprived.Thank you for the morale my parents instilled in my heart.Thank you for the pains in the younger years.Thank you for teaching me what it’s like to be soaked in…
See, I thought I was going to be really clever.
I thought I was going to approach finding a life partner the way I approached my career, or finding an apartment, or…
Dear Fierce Force 💃🏼, I am as much in gratitude to you, and every other member of this ‘international cyber family’ as you are. Before I say more, this pic that you’ve created and used is so instinctive and speaks out all of our feelings! I am in gratitude of Medium, for providing me with a platform, for this wonderful community of talents here who…
Outdoor activity and last day at Amal academy
I am very happy to complete my fellowship on time and with a great percentage and a bit sad that my weekends will not be same as before. Sometimes I was thinking about all the learnings and to apply them in my real life. I was wondering to see positive responses. I am really…
One of the most vital things you need to do in order to have peace of mind and balance in life is learning how to let go. Letting go of anything toxic in your life whether it is a bad relationship or friendship, a bad habit or material things. This is by far one of the hardest things to do…
O Disease! Please take some bribe,To leave the house, you’re living in.All has been…
There’s something magical that happens when you remain persistent in the face of adversity. Life will eventually get tired of when you keep pushing and pushing and just be like “ here look, this is what you wanted take it, geez. You’re so persistent! .“ I once, was a master of running…
Sometimes when I work into a restaurant or super-market to buy something, the reception at the store is such that I wish I never was there in the first place. But well, as a Nigerian, you cannot blame a lot of those attendants at the store. Some are simply doing the best they can, but…
I was not good in communication skills.im good in talking with everyone but I was not good in public dealing then one of my senior…
Single most important lesson I’ve learned from the fellowship
All the lessons that I have learned in amal academy are important but The most important lesson that I have learned so far is confidence and stage fear although English speaking or communication is improving day by day. As I have told in my blog posts and in…
What is the most important lesson?
It is teamwork that I have learned. My team members of final project group were so much cooperative that I learned a lot from them.
I sat in a room across from a lone chair, imaging that God sat before me.
A conversation.
A single tear escaped my eye. “I tried to change for him,” I say.
The chair, silent at first, finally retorted, “Well that sucks.”
— — I made you perfect
7 Steps To More Prosperity (Video)
To be a champion, I think you have to see the big picture. It’s not about…
