The Raw Truth About Moving On: Burn Your Ships
The Unthinkable Command of Hernan Cortes When Hernan Cortes, a Spanish conquistador, set foot on Mexican shores with 600 soldiers in 11 ships 500 years ago, he issued a command that boggled the mind: “Burn the ships.” In a war situation where his soldiers were severely outnumbered and should’ve been doomed, they prevailed. How? By […]
True Leadership: Who Do You Really Owe?
“I wish I could say I didn’t owe anything to anyone, but the truth is I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for the courage and support of each and every one of you.” Now, that’s not some wisened guru speaking. It’s Jack O’Neill from Stargate, and yes, I’m a sucker for the show. […]
A Boy, His Temper, and the Fence: A Lesson in Anger Management
The Hammer of Impulse There once was a little boy, and if you met him, the first thing you’d notice was his bad temper. It flared like a fire, quick to ignite and burn everything around it. Recognising this, his father handed him a bag of nails. It wasn’t a punishment; it was a lesson. […]
Your Influence on the Universe: The Power of One Small Act
The Existential Crisis: The Weight of Insignificance We’ve all felt it, haven’t we? That gnawing sense that in the grand scheme of the universe, our lives are but a flicker. A momentary blip on the cosmic radar. The idea is vividly captured in the first chapter of Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History Of Time,” which […]
The Inspiring Odyssey of Joe Simpson: Never Underestimate the Power of Trying
A Tale of Two Climbers: Setting the Stage In June 1985, British mountaineers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates embarked on a historic adventure—ascending the treacherous West Face of Siula Grande, a 21,000-foot mountain in Peru. Their initial ascent was arduous, but that was just a prelude to what would become a test of their physical […]
Nelson Mandela’s Lesson: Is Being ‘Bad’ Truly in One’s Nature?
The Brutal Commanding Officer: Setting the Scene During Nelson Mandela’s 19-year imprisonment on Robben Island, one figure stood out as the epitome of brutality: Commanding Officer Badenhorst. A man seemingly devoid of empathy, he was a living, breathing manifestation of the system that sought to crush Mandela and his fellow inmates. The Unlikely Exchange: A […]