There’s a quiet pressure most of us carry, often without realizing it. The pressure to soften our opinions. To dilute our personality. To round off our edges so we’re easier to accept, easier to like, easier to keep around. It shows up in meetings when you don’t say what you really think. In friendships whereContinue reading “You’re Not Here to Be Liked. You’re Here to Be Real.”
Tag Archives: perserverance
The Score Isn’t the Story
I love this reminder because it clears up something we all mix up at some point: losing and failing are not the same thing. They can look similar from the outside, sure. Both can come with disappointment. Both can sting. Both can make you question yourself for a minute. But deep down, they’re completely differentContinue reading “The Score Isn’t the Story”
The Distance You’ve Already Walked
There’s a weird thing we do as humans. We look at where we want to be… and somehow that becomes the only thing we can see. The goal. The gap. The unfinished parts. The things still missing. And in the process, we keep forgetting how far we’ve come — just because we still have farContinue reading “The Distance You’ve Already Walked”
When You Let Gravity Do the Work
A wise man once said, “Don’t seek revenge. The rotten fruits will fall by themselves.” It sounds simple, almost too calm for a world that constantly nudges us to react, respond, and retaliate. But the older I get, the more this line feels less like a quote and more like a quiet survival strategy. We’reContinue reading “When You Let Gravity Do the Work”
Still a Student
Somewhere along the way, many of us quietly stop being students. Not because we’ve learned everything—but because we start protecting the image of knowing. We avoid questions that might make us look unprepared. We hesitate to try new things in front of others. We trade curiosity for competence, and without realizing it, growth slows toContinue reading “Still a Student”
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”
The Energy I Choose
Somewhere along the way, I realized how exhausting hate really is. It drains you quietly, like a phone on low battery that never quite charges back up. You tell yourself you’re fine, that holding onto that resentment or anger is justified — but deep down, you know it’s just heavy. It eats at your peace,Continue reading “The Energy I Choose”
The Beauty in Not Always Winning
Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn. That’s how life humbles you and grows you all at once. It’s easy to love the moments when everything goes right — when the hard work pays off, the timing aligns, and you feel like you’ve finally cracked the code. But the real shaping happens in the momentsContinue reading “The Beauty in Not Always Winning”
Rooted to Rise
There are seasons in life when everything feels like it’s falling apart. When the pieces don’t fit anymore, when the light you used to walk toward suddenly goes out. You try to hold yourself together, but no matter how tightly you grip, things slip through your fingers. And in those moments, it’s easy to believeContinue reading “Rooted to Rise”
The Eternal Optimist: Why We Keep Showing Up, Even When It Makes No Sense
Have you ever clung to hope so tightly that even when logic begged you to let go, you stayed? Let me tell you a story. A close friend of mine was sharing about signing up for a 6-day workshop — She was excited. The schedule looked promising, and her expectations were sky high. Day 1Continue reading “The Eternal Optimist: Why We Keep Showing Up, Even When It Makes No Sense”
Kenrick Vaz 