-
Enabling our oppressors
We only give others permission to disrespect us when we disrespect ourselves first. Disrespect of the self takes many shapes and forms including compromising our values for personal gain, accepting abuse from fear of abandonment, restraining our contribution from fear of rejection, and more. When treating ourselves with disrespect becomes the norm, accepting disrespect becomes…
-
Know your place
The value of knowing your place is underrated. So many impose themselves in the hope of acceptance, only to question the sincerity of the company they keep when they eventually earn that acceptance. Sometimes, we only discover our place after having invested in relationships that were never intent on embracing us the way we embraced…
-
Why wait?
The most common distraction that prevents us from reaching our goals is waiting for others to take responsibility for our wounds. I’m not saying that they may not be responsible for the betrayal or the hurtful way in which they treated us. No. What I’m saying is that waiting for them to own their contribution…
-
An Incomplete Love Story – Author’s note
A note from the author for my novel, An Incomplete Love Story This story was inspired by true events. Some, my own but many based on incidents that I witnessed in the colourful domains of my life. It is a story of an often-overlooked community. Caught at the intersection of cultural pride while fighting for…
-
To give up silently
“When you give up on something, it becomes a weighty silence that you carry within you for the rest of your life. It’s a quiet acceptance that what once was the centre of your being will never be a part of your being again. The silence is the only gesture that will honour such loss,…
-
Protect your dream
How often do you hold yourself back while waiting for someone else to believe in you first? When venturing into a new domain, or taking that bravely bold step to reinvent yourself, don’t be disheartened when you find that those you thought closest to you do not support you. Those closest to us are invested…
-
The present moment
There is one thing more desolate than hopelessness. It’s the absence of expectations. Hope only hurts when we still expect things to turn out differently, or still want it to be more. When we give up hope, and we surrender our expectations, we’re left with nothing but the present moment. The past fades as a…
-
This is going to hurt
Another excerpt from a manuscript slowly taking shape in my head. From the sequel to my novel, this is Taqdeer: A dance with destiny. In this scene, the main character, Zayd, once more finds himself faced with the betrayal of one close to him, but it’s not enough to deter him from remaining defiant against…
