Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash Over the last few years I’ve been more directly entering into grass root and radical spaces. On the one hand, I am inspired by the way in which these spaces can bring a sense of altruism and caring. There is a vision for a better world, even […]
Category: Personal Development
Getting off the sidelines and onto the pitch
Photo by David Knox on Unsplash I’ve pretty much always been interested in politics. Yet even saying that out loud feels a little weird. The last few years, I’ve actively gone out of my way to avoid political conversation. I got to the point that I believed that I’m better served being away from it. […]
Re-learning to enjoy the little things
When we get so caught up in what we need to do, we can lose the joy in the day-to-day activities.
The focus often turns to efficiency, rather than pleasure. The relaxing morning coffee turns into a rushed caffiene consumption. The calming walk outside in nature turns into a step-counting exercise.
It seems to be happening more often to people around me. As we get squeezed into a sense of productivity, the focus is always how we can get more out of ourselves, squeezing the lemon that is our soul for every ounce.
The fool’s search for a sense of belonging
We all want to belong. Even the most reclusive, Grinch-like people we know deep down desire it.
The modern day message is that when we do not belong, we should simply move on. The magical land of belonging is just beyond the hill, over the rainbow.
Yet what if searching for such sense of belonging is just but a fool’s dream?
Renewing our connection with nature
I’ve spent so much time in the city recently, I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be in the countryside.
In fact, most of my life has been in city dwellings. It’s a little ironic, because my ancestral history has been from a village in rural Sylhet.
There’s something about being away from people, noise and organisations. When we spend so much time in the busy rush, we forget that such things aren’t a definitive fact. We did not always exist surrounded by thousands and thousands of people. In fact, for most of human history we have spent time in relatively small settlements.
Conviction and walking our ‘right’ path
Photo by Sebastian Unrau on Unsplash How do we know we’re on the right path? We decide it. I’ve recently realised how much I question myself. I regularly wonder whether what I am doing is correct, and whether I should re-evaluate or choose a different tact. I have gotten so used to using my brain […]
Grounding ourselves in a whirlwind of emotion
For the first time in quite a while, I’ve been waking up feeling lighter and sprightly.
This was in sharp contrast to the last few months: I would often wake up with such a heaviness and anxiety that it was hard to get out of bed, let alone start the day.
These weren’t any quantifiable anxieties either. It was more of a base feeling of heaviness that was clouding my existence. It was extremely debilitating. The ‘logical’ solutions weren’t working.
But a few days ago, something changed quite dramatically.
Creating 2025 as the Year of Delusion
I’ve already started hearing stuff around vision boards and resolutions. I’m personally not a super fan of either. Not because neither of them can work, but because a lot of it comes out of societal pressure. And societal pressure rarely is conducive to meaningful change.
The most important method, whether it be manifestation, vision boards, resolutions or anything else is this: that you actually use it. We all know about resolutions that only last a week, with no genuine intention to actually meet them.
This year, however I was prompted around the idea of doing a theme.
Creating my life’s impossible dream
As the year comes to a close, I’ve found myself returning to the bigger picture – my big ‘why’.
The point of dreams are to aim big, to stretch our thinking beyond what we currently think is possible. By going into the rational, we are losing our connection to what is beyond ‘realistic’.
One thing that’s really shifted my mindset on this is the idea of having a dream so big, that it would be literally impossible to achieve.
So what is my dream?
Understanding the realities of living abroad
I’m back in London for the final time this year.
My family doesn’t celebrate Christmas, so I much prefer to come back a little before – it’s both more economical and far less stressful that way.
There’s something about spending a few days at home that gives space to notice the things that can easily pass you by. Perhaps because I have more time and space whilst I’m here. It’s a refuge from the responsibilities: even the most banal ones like doing the washing up.
But for me, going home also means going back to my home country.