Zaid Ismail's Blog, page 29

Don’t trade your virtues for vices

Don’t withhold the beauty of your spirit just because there is no one around to appreciate it. Be who you are, and let others be who they choose to be. The expectation of being treated the way we treat others is what causes much bitterness and anger. It’s not worth it. Give without the expectation […]

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Faith is always there

Faith is often associated with spirituality, or religion. But faith plays a role in our lives in ways we easily lose sight of. When we trust someone, we have faith in them to do the right thing. When we mistrust someone, we have reason to fear that they’ll do the wrong thing, meaning that we […]

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Home breakers

Those who live with the expectation of receiving what they need, rather than putting in the effort to create it with their own heart and hands, will take for granted that which others have exhausted themselves building. Like a home. There are too many who expect to feel at home because of their material contribution, […]

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Judging bad behaviour

I have yet to meet someone who behaves poorly when they feel appreciated. Yet, we’re most often focused on the poor behaviour instead of their feeling of insignificance. The same is true for us. Our anger, bitterness, or rebellion is simply an expression intended to reclaim our significance when significant others treat us as if […]

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Break the stigma. Stop the label.

I think it was Dr Wayne Dyer who said that if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. This is true both positively and negatively. Do you know someone who has a problem for every solution? Who sees doom and gloom at the happiest of moments? Who is […]

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Let the voiceless speak for themselves

I see so many people speaking on behalf of others, often starting out with good intention, but later distorting that intention by projecting their own values on the ones whom they wish to uplift. Despite our best intentions, we stifle the voices of others when we speak on their behalf. Not to be confused with […]

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Cheat old age

We seek safety and comfort in planning our life, our vacations, or careers to the last degree when we are afraid of being out of control, or missing opportunities that may result in regret later on. Like everything else, there is a place for planning in life. But, when that planning denies you the spontaneity […]

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Break the cycle

Character is what is built when we are faced with trials. Beauty is what we appreciate when we emerge from those trials. Those that have the greatest scars are the ones that appreciate life the most. But only if they don’t allow themselves to grow bitter in the process. After hardship comes ease, provided we […]

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Are you waiting for permission to be who you want to be?

Note, who you want to be, not what you want to be. We’re so focused on what we want to be, what career, what achievements, what social standing, that we lose sight of who we want to be. That’s how we become defined by what we are, or what goals we are pursuing. Who we […]

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Celebrate the dead. Discard the living.

Ever notice how often people are revered when they’ve passed on, but the same people were neglected, ignored, or even treated badly while they were alive? Sometimes the reverse is also true. The one who passed on may have left a path of destruction in the lives of those around them, but because of their […]

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