Zaid Ismail's Blog, page 23
February 3, 2022
Parents owning it
When we find cause for concern about a specific generation of humans, we must look to the generation before them for answers if we hope to address more than the symptoms of what is wrong. None of us raised ourselves. Similarly, the troubled youth and many adults that we see struggling to make a good […]
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February 2, 2022
Respond with poetry
Responding in kind to the trials of life only gives those trials more power. Instead, be the eternal romantic. Look for the starry sky in the darkness, or the glow of the sunshine behind those grey clouds. Romance is not about sharing a moment with another. Romance is about embracing a moment for yourself despite […]
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January 31, 2022
Selfish concern
I don’t like labels, but this is the equivalent of toxic positivity, where we try to be positive while diminishing the experience of the one experiencing difficulties. I once saw someone experiencing a breakdown at the side of the road. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, oil running out of their engine, it was obvious […]
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January 30, 2022
When silence is preferred
We’re sometimes so focused on being heard, that we don’t stop to consider if we’re taking the time to understand. Feeling heard is similar to feeling appreciated, and no one behaves badly when they feel appreciated. Therefore, when we encounter difficulties in communicating with those close to us, we must pause to consider why it […]
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January 27, 2022
A moment of trust
It’s impossible to go through life without trusting others. But, if we’re not careful, the trust that we invest in others could result in consequences that create a struggle for the rest of our lives. Most often, when choosing a partner, we focus on how trustworthy they are in the present circumstances, but have no […]
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January 20, 2022
The destruction of self-deprecation
In our efforts to subdue our ego, many resort to self-deprecation. Sometimes we put ourselves down to test if anyone will be willing to disagree with us, thereby hoping to receive acknowledgement or appreciation that would otherwise not be forthcoming. At other times, we put ourselves down because we try to convince ourselves that we […]
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January 19, 2022
A simple smile is all it takes
Discover something amazing about your emotional wellbeing by Googling the science of a smile. The obvious part from your research will reveal that it is the choice to smile, and not having a good reason to smile, that releases feel-good hormones into your brain. Therefore, a physical smile, even without good reason, raises your mood […]
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January 16, 2022
Dehumanising the human
Don’t become so fixated on labelling yours, or the behaviour of others, that you lose sight of the human struggle behind that behaviour. Labels make it easier for us to deal with stuff. The moment we give it a name, we can manage our expectations around it. This is fine when it comes to abstract […]
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January 13, 2022
Looking a gift horse in the mouth
When we’re driven by aesthetics and appearances, social standing becomes more important than substance or authenticity. We lose ourselves to the way we want to be perceived, rather than what we want to create. We grow defined by how others treat us, or how well we can hide our flaws. We pursue all the right […]
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January 12, 2022
Raising humans
Parents are pretty much always well meaning, even when we behave like idiots. We’re either trying to encourage our kids to be driven like us, or trying to raise them to be better than us. And if we’re convinced that we’re not good for them, or that they deserve better, then we create distance between […]
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