If you’ve been raised on a diet of fear and compliance, it is inevitable that your choices will reflect your fears, and not your dreams
Fear destroys hope and replaces it with futility.
In the face of futility, we resort to compliance, because compliance provides us with familiarity.
Familiarity tethers us to rituals, traditions, and behaviours that feed the cycle that sustains the power of fear.
That is, the cycle of compliance at all costs.
When compliance becomes the objective, blind following becomes the method, and critical thinking is set aside in favour of inclusion.
The need for inclusion destroys dreams, breaks hearts, and damages souls, leaving in its wake a field of martyrs who surrender their joy in the face of futility, not realising that it is fear that breeds futility, and not overwhelming odds.
Be courageous, brave soul. Self-imposed martyrdom is not the only path to peace. In fact, it defeats that very goal.
#courage #fear #compliance #tradition #inclusion #familyties #traumabonds #abusiverelationships #dreams #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #selfworth #selflove #selfawareness #selfrespect #mindfulness #inspiration #ownyourshit #ownyourlife #theegosystem #embracingME #pursuitofhappiness #victimmentality #zaidismail #mybeloved
Tag: inspiration
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Don’t let fear win
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Saving my insanity
Sometimes I write to share my insanity, but sometimes I write to save it.
When everything about the world feels unnatural, sanity offers no relief.
Besides, like Vonnegut said, “A sane person, when compared to an insane society, will appear insane.”
I have often considered myself that lone voice of sanity, and in that assumption, I found myself to be insane.
Fulfilment lies in finding one who will embrace such insanity with me.
Despite the search being over, the insanity remains unfulfilled.
#sanity #insanity #reality #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #selfworth #selflove #selfawareness #selfrespect #mindfulness #inspiration #ownyourshit #ownyourlife #theegosystem #embracingME #pursuitofhappiness #zaidismail #relationshipgoals #love #loss #fittingin -
Be exceptional
If we focus on the exception, we’ll realise what is possible.
If we focus on the norm, we’ll surrender to what we think is inevitable.
This is at the heart of mediocrity versus excellence.
There are those that look at trends and try to follow, and those that focus on value and pursue a better path. Wanting to lead doesn’t drive their agenda.
Leadership is a natural consequence of acting with conviction in wanting to realise the value that you believe will benefit others.
Stop being distracted by the norms you see around you so that you’ll be able to recognise the potential beyond it.
#leadershipcoaching #careercoaching #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #selfworth #selflove #selfawareness #selfrespect #mindfulness #inspiration #ownyourshit #ownyourlife #theegosystem #embracingME #pursuitofhappiness #victimmentality
#growthmindset -
The delusion of life
A life without introspection is nothing but a delusion.
Assuming that you know yourself without truly knowing yourself leads to many regrets because of poorly informed decisions.
Introspection allows us to learn from the lessons of the past by revealing our contribution towards its outcomes.
Mindfulness allows us to apply those lessons in the present moment.
Ignoring both leads us towards believing that we’re entitled to being treated well simply because we are well intentioned, while ignoring the impact of our actions on those around us.
Stop to reflect, so that your reflection may keep you true to the path that you wish your life to take.
#reflection #mindfulness #inspiration #introspection #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #selfworth #selflove #selfawareness #selfrespect #ownyourshit #ownyourlife #theegosystem #embracingME -
Don’t be the victim oppressor
Every decision we take has an impact on us, and on those around us.
If we only consider one side of that equation, we’ll either become victims by denying ourselves of what we need in favour of pleasing everyone else, or we’ll become oppressors by pleasing ourselves and denying the rights of everyone else.
Finding a balance between the two brings us closer to experiencing joy in our lives.
When we find that we deny ourselves of what we need, it’s because we’re waiting for someone else to convince us that we’re worth it.
When we deny others what they need from us, we’re convinced that they don’t deserve us.
Both mindsets lead to an emptiness that is hard to understand.
Fulfilment and joy in life is found in striking a healthy balance between the two.
If you’re struggling to find that balance, check out my books, or connect with me for affordable life coaching sessions.
Video sessions available to wherever you are in the world.
More details on my website at zaidismail.com
#embracingME #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #selfworth #selflove #selfawareness #selfrespect #mindfulness #inspiration #ownyourshit #ownyourlife #theegosystem #balance #gratitude #joy -
The forgotten village idiot
This essay has been playing on my mind a lot lately.
Covid-19 has revealed the true nature of many, which only served to reinforce this notion.
Who puts a smile on the face of the village idiot?
The saddest part of this essay is that most who read the title thought it to be humorous.
From my book The Egosystem, it explores our relationship with those who give selflessly, while being forgotten.
This pandemic has highlighted the forgotten and the taken-for-granted, and it has diminished further the roles of others who are not deemed essential through need, but who maintain the wellbeing and spirit of others through quiet contribution.
I’ve always considered what this world would feel like if we didn’t label the purpose or the need that we have of others, and instead we were compelled to choose very deliberately each time what it is that we value about another before we are able to obtain benefit from them.
Would that be the cure for the pandemic of consumerism? Would it finally rid us of our inclination to see people as a means to an end?
Or is even that an ideal so far fetched that only the most naive would buy into it?
#hope #expectation #sincerity #entitlement #gentleness #life #rage #anger #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #selfworth #selflove #selfawareness #selfrespect #mindfulness #inspiration #ownyourshit #ownyourlife #theegosystem #embracingME -
Wisdom with purpose
Acquiring knowledge without implementing it is like hoping to quench your thirst while standing in the rain.
Seeking to understand is great, but only if we apply that understanding in the way we treat others.
Similarly, acquiring technical knowledge may feed our fascination, but fulfilment lies in using that knowledge to create something of substance that offers value to others.
I think it was Al Ghazzali that said, “Why accumulate more knowledge if you don’t practice on the knowledge that you have?”
#education #learning #knowledge #fulfilment #reward #lifegoals #motivation #optimism #mentalhealth #mindfulness #inspiration #ownyourshit #ownyourlife #theegosystem #embracingME -
Don’t celebrate the victim
Can you tell the difference between those who want to improve versus those who want others to see how brave their struggle is?
When you wear your heart on your sleeve, it weakens you because your struggle grows to define you.
If you’re not careful, the sympathy you get from going through a struggle can easily fulfil your need for validation or recognition by others.
Before you know it, that will become key in your effort to feel significant.
That’s how our struggles weaken us, because when we stop paying attention, it grows to define how the world sees us.
We then become willing victims and see no need to grow beyond that struggle.
#ownyourlife #ownyourshit #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthrecovery #selfworth #selflove #selfawareness #selfrespect #mindfulness #inspiration #goals #theegosystem #embracingME #lifecoaching
