One of the more damaging things we have done as a society is attach embarrassment to failure. Failure has become more than an unfavourable outcome. It has become a social event. Fail an examination, and people question your ability. Miss…

Mental health will never fall out of conversation, and rightly so. It sits at the centre of who we are, how we function, and how we perform at work and at home. When the mind is unsettled, everything downstream of…

Much of the conversation about the boy child has been held in the shadow of the girl child. The two are set against each other, with the boy presented as the one left behind by policy. That framing is tempting,…

There is an uncomfortable truth about life many of us spend years trying to avoid: Meaning is not discovered, it is created. Most of us grow up believing life will become meaningful once we have achieved enough. A better salary,…

Much of life is experienced through perception. That may be an uncomfortable idea, since we would prefer to believe people judge us on who we truly are. In practice, they respond first to who they think we are, and only…

One of the most dangerous places to anchor your motivation is in the applause of other people. Recognition feels good, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying it. Promotions, compliments, awards and public acknowledgement all serve as reminders that our…

One of the more unrealistic expectations people place on themselves is the belief that every year of their career should look better than the last. We expect every year to bring a promotion, a higher salary, greater responsibility, or some…