Zaid Ismail's Blog, page 10
March 30, 2023
Judging self into misery
When we internalise our struggle to the point of believing it to be so unique that it cannot possibly be grasped by anyone else, we give it a power of magnitude beyond the experience itself. Misery intensifies the more we dwell on it. When we live inside our heads, we convince ourselves that our struggle […]
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March 27, 2023
Who do you think you are?
We self-loathe when we assume what we think others think of us, and then use that to justify why we should not serve them. It’s an irony that is intended to voice to the world our dissatisfaction at how we’re being treated, while contributing towards the very reason why the world treats us that way […]
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March 26, 2023
Your dignity is yours to claim
Did you notice how some people, when faced with soul destroying realities, are still dignified in how they rise above it. If you wait for your aggressor or abuser to treat you with dignity before you find reason to respect yourself, you’re doing life back to front. Expecting recognition of your humanness from the world […]
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March 23, 2023
Too good to be true
I’m often asked why is it that someone with a solid self-worth can have their sense of self totally destroyed by a bad relationship. This is why. Despite our best intentions, placing someone on a pedestal is never a good idea. Not only will it blind us to their humanness, it will also distract us […]
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March 21, 2023
Pitying yourself into oblivion
Self-pity is an indulgence in futility that results from picking at our wounds long after the betrayal from another has passed. Waiting for someone to care about us before we care for ourselves is not about needing them to care as much as it is about us wanting them to see how important they are […]
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March 19, 2023
Bitter sweet arrogance
Arrogance is a result of insecurity that is presented as unwarranted confidence. While it’s easier to focus on the harshness that results from such behaviour, it’s more important to remember that only an insecure person will have a need to demand significance through arrogant behaviour. Arrogance serves as a distraction from our harsh self-judgement. If […]
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March 18, 2023
Patiently persevere
Life has never been simple, and only threatens to become more complicated with each day that passes. Sometimes I flirt with the idea that perhaps I was destined to struggle with so much so that I can learn the lessons that need to be learnt to share them with others. But my gut says that […]
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March 13, 2023
Own your failure, own your growth
Why do we feel accomplished and proud of our efforts when things work out, but we blame fate or taqdeer when we encounter trials or failure? The reality is, given our ability to reason and to choose how we respond to what we are faced with, both good and bad, we’ll never have certainty as […]
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March 7, 2023
Enabling abuse
We often believe in others the way we wish they would believe in us. Sometimes, when we give up hope in someone believing in us, we find it that much more difficult to believe in others. It’s these same emotional commitments that drive us toward making excuses for bad behaviour from someone close to us. […]
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March 5, 2023
The courage to own your life
The courage to own your life will pay dividends long after you’re gone. It’s an investment in the generations to come. In the same way that we look back on our predecessors or great grandparents and feel a sense of awe about their achievements, or their way of life, generations from now, someone may be […]
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