Zaid Ismail's Blog, page 5

Don’t raise a tyrant

Understanding right from wrong is the easy part. How to effectively respond to what is wrong without creating a new problem is the difficult part. With the emphasis always being on knowing who is right and wrong, but hardly any focus on how to deal with such differences, we raise children who are intolerant or […]

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Your brain doesn’t have a mind of its own

This is a popular myth. People have been repeating selective truths to themselves for years without seeing a change in their circumstances. Our brains are rewired through experiences, and connecting our reality to the value of an outcome. It’s called neuroplasticity. For this reason, courage is needed to attempt something that we have not experienced […]

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Don’t outsource your dignity

Dignity is the ultimate social currency. With dignity comes accountability and self awareness. Or perhaps dignity is only possible through self awareness and accountability. But accountability is an outcome of self respect and integrity which in turn demands that we care more about who we are and what we stand for than what we want […]

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Check your entitlement

Expectations breed entitlement. Like the entitlement of privileges that weren’t earned, or a free pass to abdicate responsibility because we’ve got it tough. Or entitlement to a homeland that belongs to someone else. Conviction and sincerity are lost when we do things hoping for a good return. We should do good because of who we […]

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Hopefully…

Hope is not hope when it is rooted in futility. That is simply wishful thinking. Hope is born from the belief that things can change. It is not predicated by statements of ‘if only’ or ‘I wish’, but rather inspired by focusing on the probabilities and the opportunities that we have. Hope is born when […]

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Fallacious philosophies

This is incorrect on many levels. Most importantly, it suggests that our thoughts inspire the actions of others. That is patently incorrect. It also suggests that if we focus on positivity, we’re guaranteed to attract positivity. That is dangerously incorrect. We all wear masks of some kind. When someone offers us an opportunity to fill […]

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Own your life

There are many unflattering adjectives that have been used to describe me over the years. Before life got real, it used to trouble me to think that others had a negative opinion of me despite my best efforts to be a decent human. It was a distraction that sometimes still gets the better of me. […]

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Toxic blah blah

The belief that people are toxic is self-serving. The belief that parents are toxic is a sign of ingratitude. The belief that others are not allowed to change how they behave towards you when you don’t honour what is important to them is entitlement. The belief that what is important to us is more important […]

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Deluded confidence

We treat others the way that we treat ourselves. If you struggle to understand what drives the emotional currents that you experience within yourself, look at the feedback that you’re receiving from those who stand to gain nothing from your downfall. Remember: The most important feedback is non-verbal. When we hold ourselves accountable for what […]

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While you were raging

While you were ragingThe world moved onThe ones who struggleAre the ones who scornWho find comfort in your pityTo honour their ownWho pacify your regretsTo deflect from their own While you were ragingYour world moved onAs you trusted the pitifulYou discarded your homeInevitable was the outcomeOf being aloneWhat you sought to avoidBecame your new home […]

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