Zaid Ismail's Blog, page 4

Respect is not earned

The old saying of ‘respect is earned’ robs you of self respect and replaces it with entitlement. How we treat others is a reflection of who we are, not who they are. Our ability to self regulate our offering of respect to those who may treat us badly is a reflection of how much we […]

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The absence of drama is not peace

The struggle in countering the influence of a village of idiots will never be truly appreciated until we experience the impact of the dysfunction that it produces in our lives. That impact usually only becomes evident when we’re facing upheaval that challenges any sensibility that we may rely on about life. Parenting is largely a […]

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An overdue brain dump

It’s hard to imagine how the peak of my 25+ year career doesn’t compare to the most mediocre of achievements in my new journey, when by comparison in material terms, there is none. In material terms, corporate wins every day of the week. But in terms of life, it fails dismally at every turn.

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No Thanks!

When you get bad service from a restaurant, you won’t go back there if they show no remorse or accountability for how they treated you. That’s boycotting. Boycotting products or people who enable harm on others is no different. It’s a choice that reflects who we claim to be and what we want to be […]

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Don’t forget the human

Did you know that there is zero science to support the above beliefs about what we call mental health? Instead, there is research that confirms that new neural pathways are formed in response to new information or new experiences. It’s called neuroplasticity. Other research confirms that the physical gesture of a smile, regardless of your […]

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The struggle for self-worth

Our relationship with our father, whether they’re present or absent, still with us or passed on, shapes how we feel about ourselves more than any other influencing factor in our lives. It’s not about whether they were good or bad as humans or as parents, but rather what we took from our experiences with them, […]

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The magic of accountability

Many people struggle with authenticity and finding a healthy balance in relationships because they are unaware of the impact of how they show up for themselves and for others. That lack of self-awareness is in a very huge way impacted by how we hold ourselves accountable for who we are. In this interview with Haafidha […]

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Hypocrisy destroys you

Avoiding the truth to avoid responsibility is an exercise in hypocrisy. Supporting oppression to avoid the loss of privilege is an exercise in hypocrisy. Hypocrisy harms the hypocrite more than it ever harms others. The ones who experience such hypocrisy can still act against it, and can champion a cause to resist it. The hypocrite, […]

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Why envy is not good for you

The Japanese have a proverb that says that a bitter heart eats its owner. Envy or bitterness begins with how you see yourself before you find reason for it in what others have or do. When we’re cautioned about the negative effects of these traits, we often focus on the punishment and the harm to […]

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Heal yourself before you heal the world

When we’re in a problematic relationship, it becomes easy to focus on what others are doing wrong. This may be justified, or maybe not. Either way, it distracts us from our contribution towards that situation that we’re party to. That’s the important part. To recognise that we are either enabling or sustaining the cycle in […]

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