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”
Tag Archives: leadership
Anchor in Your Own Truth
At some point in life, we all realize something uncomfortable and strangely freeing at the same time: people are going to have opinions about us no matter what we do. Loud ones. Quiet ones. Half-formed ones based on a single moment, a single sentence, or a version of us that no longer exists. And ifContinue reading “Anchor in Your Own Truth”
More Than We Ask For
There’s a quiet truth about people that we don’t always want to admit. Most of us can tell when we’re being “handled.” Not in a dramatic, movie-villain way. But in the everyday way—when someone is trying to steer us with pressure, guilt, fear, flattery, or incentives that feel transactional. When the message is less aboutContinue reading “More Than We Ask For”
Still Early. Still Becoming. Still Yours.
There’s a quiet kind of power in realizing that the voice in your head is not always telling the truth. Especially the one that whispers limits. The one that says you’re late, behind, not ready, not capable enough. That voice sounds convincing because it’s familiar, not because it’s right. You are more than you thinkContinue reading “Still Early. Still Becoming. Still Yours.”
Still Becoming
There’s a quiet sentence I keep coming back to lately, one that doesn’t shout or demand attention. It just sits there, steady and honest: The only comparison worth making You one year ago You today Not the version of someone else you see online. Not the highlight reel that shows up uninvited on your screenContinue reading “Still Becoming”
The Feeling People Carry After Working With You
There’s a lot of emphasis on skills these days. What you know. What you’ve shipped. How fast you can deliver. The stack you’ve mastered. The results you can point to on a slide. All of that matters, of course. Competence is table stakes. But it’s rarely the thing people remember most. What lingers is theContinue reading “The Feeling People Carry After Working With You”
Dance Before the Music Starts
Most people wait for life to tap them on the shoulder before they take a step. They sit on the sidelines, hoping opportunity will notice them, call their name, and pull them into the spotlight. But that’s not usually how it works. Opportunity tends to wander toward the noise, the motion, the energy. It gravitatesContinue reading “Dance Before the Music Starts”
The Quiet Power of Respect
We live in a world that loves labels. CEO. Engineer. Doctor. Influencer. Titles have become shorthand for how we decide who deserves our time, attention, or kindness. But somewhere along the way, we’ve started forgetting one simple truth—respect isn’t something people should have to earn by flashing a designation. It’s something they deserve by simplyContinue reading “The Quiet Power of Respect”
The Kind of Winning That Feels Right
I’ve reached a point in life where I genuinely want everyone around me to win. Not in that polite, surface-level way people say when they don’t really mean it—but in a real, deep, soul-level way. I want my friends to get the jobs they’re dreaming about. I want my family to find peace and joyContinue reading “The Kind of Winning That Feels Right”
The Hidden Superpower of Great Leaders
We often grow up believing that leadership is about standing in the spotlight, showcasing extraordinary skills, and proving that we are the strongest or the smartest in the room. But the truth is, real leadership isn’t about dazzling people with your own brilliance. As Justin Wright puts it beautifully: “You don’t earn your team’s respectContinue reading “The Hidden Superpower of Great Leaders”
Kenrick Vaz 