The Cheetah’s Whisker
There was once a young woman named Amina who lived in a small Ethiopian village. Her husband, Hassan, had just returned from years of war. But the man who came home was not the man she had loved. He was restless, easily angered, and distant. No words of comfort or affection seemed to reach him anymore. One evening, in despair, Amina went to the village healer. The old woman listened to her story and nodded slowly. “There is a potion that can bring love and peace back to your home,” she said. “But to make it, you must bring
Rumours, Noise and Real Growth: Learning to Keep My Eyes on the Road
Matthew is a closeted gay.” “Matthew jumps from woman to woman.” “He’s money-minded.” “I’ve heard he sees women for free if they ‘offer favours’.” . “I’ve heard he’s manipulative.” “He chose sex therapy because he must be a pervert.” “All talk, no sex.” “Matthew abuses his psychology assistants—slave-driver, really.” “He’s definitely a narcissist on TV all the time.”. This is simply an account of the rumours spread about me over the years. Some is unintentionally funny, most is hurtful, and none is true. But for a long period, I responded to every whisper as an emergency. I wrote clarifications
Lessons on Contentment and Self-Worth from The Dog and His Reflection
A dog once discovered a juiced bone. Enthusiastic with his gift, he held it firmly in his teeth and skipped off, savoring it quietly. On his way he passed a little bridge across a quiet pond. He looked down and found his reflection in the water below, but he didn’t know it was just a reflection. Instead, he thought of it as one more dog with a bigger, juicier bone. Greedy enough, the dog decided he also wanted that other bone. Attempting to scare him off and clutch his bone, he opened his mouth to bark at the “other
Letting Go: Lessons from the Two Monks and the River
Once, two monks traveled together — an older one and a younger. Along the way they stumbled upon a river with a mighty current. A woman was at the river, unable to cross unaided. She asked the monks if they could help her. The older monk without hesitation picked the woman up, carried her across the river and gently placed her to rest on the other side of the river. But this shocked the younger monk. They were, after all, monks who had taken vows not to touch women. He kept his tongue at first, but couldn’t stop thinking
Loneliness in Management: Overcoming and Comprehending the Silent Struggle
In the modern-day commercial world, management positions often herald professional fulfillment, an increased sense of accountability and the prospect of social influence. But in truth, it is a common and unspoken challenge that many managers must keep under the radar — loneliness. Underneath the veneer of authority and success, this psychological toll frequently hides in plain sight. This blog addresses loneliness in leadership positions in particular, its negative effect on mental and job performance wellbeing, and practical methods to tackle this frequently under-discussed topic. While loneliness may strike anyone, managers face unique challenges that magnify the loneliness they experience.
Blinded by Expectations: My Failure to Appreciate My Parents
I learnt through my early impressions/judgements Parental neglect to know what happened. I used to bash my parents and make it constant to emphasize flaws and the likes for years. More often than not, I focused on all of the things they could not understand or say and do to me. I started to focus on the things they ought to have done and never did. I was so tormented by the damage inflicted by all that was left over after their repeated failures to show up, I couldn’t escape the pain. Disappointment remained around their attitude and I
Learning the Hard Way: Failures in my own personal sexuality and relationships
As my life and the lives of the people I work with have shown me, resilience is not an appropriate concept to fit the conditions of the world. The traditional notion of resilience — a return to a former condition following a setback — must facilitate people’s navigation of the complexities and ambiguities of modernity. Now, individuals need to deliberately cultivate the capacity to evolve through adversity, rather than simply rebound from it. Rather than clinging to a previous state of stability, they must embrace adaptability and transformation as indispensable survival mechanisms. Rather, we should work to be antifragile,
