Author Archives: Kenrick Vaz

Raise Brave, Not Popular

There’s a quiet pressure that starts earlier than we admit. Be nice. Be polite. Don’t make a scene. Make sure everyone likes you. And somewhere in all that well-intentioned advice, courage gets edited out. But here’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately: I don’t want to raise a child who is liked byContinue reading “Raise Brave, Not Popular”

Master Your Calendar

The most productive people I’ve worked with don’t have superhuman focus. They’ve stopped letting others fill their calendar.And started designing it on purpose. Here are 8 ways to master your calendar: 1️⃣ Eliminate the non-essential↳ Most requests feel urgent but aren’t important↳ Asking “what if I don’t do this” shows what’s essential 2️⃣ Monitor yourContinue reading “Master Your Calendar”

Where You Don’t Have to Prove You Belong

There’s a quiet kind of exhaustion that comes from always trying to be enough. You show up early. You stay late. You overthink every word, every decision, every reaction. You give your best ideas, your best energy, your best intentions. And still, something feels off. The praise is rare. The effort feels invisible. You startContinue reading “Where You Don’t Have to Prove You Belong”

Good people don’t fail in good systems.

I watched a director spiral last year.Call him “Marcus.” Three people on his team underperforming.Missing deadlines. Withdrawn in meetings.Quality slipping. His first instinct?Performance improvement plans.More check-ins.“Accountability conversations.” He was trying to fix the flowers. But when we looked closer: Competing priorities from above.No clarity on what actually mattered.Meetings that could’ve been emails.And a culture whereContinue reading “Good people don’t fail in good systems.”

The Rope Was Never the Enemy

This image has stayed with me ever since I first saw it: a massive elephant standing still, held in place by a small rope tied to its leg. At first glance, it feels absurd. An animal with enough strength to pull down trees, restrained by something it could snap without effort. And yet, the elephantContinue reading “The Rope Was Never the Enemy”

Control Your 5 M’s

In life, business, and leadership, real control is not about controlling others.It is about controlling yourself. Psychology teaches us that small daily behaviors, when repeated consistently, shape our identity, reputation, and results. The 5 M’s are simple, but mastering them creates powerful inner discipline. 1. Your MouthWords are not just communication tools; they are emotionalContinue reading “Control Your 5 M’s”

Shine Anyway

The sun doesn’t check the time before it rises. It doesn’t peek around to see who’s awake, who’s ready, or who’s paying attention. It shows up because that’s what it does. Every single day. No permission required. Somewhere along the way, we start believing we should do the opposite. We wait. We lower our voice.Continue reading “Shine Anyway”

12 Sentences Emotionally Intelligent People Use Under Pressure

Anyone can seem calm in easy situations.But real emotional intelligence shows up under stress. When others get defensive, reactive or passive-aggressive—High-EQ people stay grounded and intentional. Here are 12 phrases emotionally intelligent people use when it matters most: “I need a minute to think this through.”↳ Pause before speaking. It protects relationships. “Help me understandContinue reading “12 Sentences Emotionally Intelligent People Use Under Pressure”

The Quiet Rebellion

We live in a world obsessed with numbers. How much you earn. How much you weigh. How many calories you burned. How many steps you took before noon. Dashboards everywhere, progress bars for everything, gentle nudges that somehow feel like constant judgment. Even rest has metrics now. Sleep scores. Recovery scores. Productivity streaks. It’s notContinue reading “The Quiet Rebellion”