RELATIONSHIPS

Two years into my current relationship, I still frequently notice myself in awe of rather simple things that my partner does. Things that are worlds apart from that which I got used to with my ex.

There isn’t much point in comparing two very different people to each other, but there is great use in identifying the things that effortlessly revolutionize relationships.

Now, happy in love; the following are three things I can’t be grateful enough for.

1. He doesn’t use our anniversaries as work opportunities.

There is no easier way to show someone that they’re loved than by giving them your undivided attention — we all know this…

STARTUPS

Here’s how million-dollar company Sand Cloud started out with no budget

A successful spiel on ABC’s “Shark Tank” in early 2017 brought multi-millionnaire panelist Robert Herjavec on board with Sand Cloud with a $200,000 investment in exchange for 15% of the company. However, Brandon Leibel claims this was just the tip of the iceberg for his towel startup. The three years leading up to Shark Tank is what gained the company the initial attention it needed for its ultimate success.

How did three creative beach lovers go from struggling-to-survive to logging $20 million in sales over the past five years…

There once was a classic structure to what an interview looked like, then along came Covid. With remote working becoming increasingly popular and looking increasingly likely to stay, it doesn’t come as a surprise that interview questions have been updated to suit the requirements of current job specs.

Now, we are conducting interviews over Zoom, having never met before, and employers are prioritizing different skills than in a pre-Covid world. …

SELF

A friend of mine continually sends me Linkedin updates of ghosts from our past. From people who we went to school with, to their younger sisters, ex-partners, mothers, cats — you name it. Upon my initial acknowledgment of their existence (after having forgotten about these people entirely), I am presented with my friend’s ignorant narration of their seemingly perfect lives and achievements.

In response to my recent piece, ‘What If There Is Nothing Wrong With You’, many readers thanked me for providing reassurance in a world that does much of the opposite. A little reassurance is something we all need…

SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Logistically speaking, we can all do everything. Rarely is something solely dependent or restricted to talent or capability alone. And even when it is, there is nothing preventing you from taking a few piano lessons to uncover that you are in fact the next Beethoven.

As we watch our friends succeed in their relevant fields, we have a tendency to think that perhaps we too could prosper in said endeavor. And by all means, we could — but it doesn’t mean that we should.

The number of things we can achieve is subject to time, resources, predisposition, and energy. Instead…

SELF

For the majority of us, 2020 meant change — a lot of it. It has given us a fresh perspective on priorities and given us the opportunity to come to terms with what makes us unhappy. With this new-found knowledge came ease to decipher between what we should carry into the future and what needs to be left behind.

During our lives, we shed life like a snake sheds its skin. We leave behind partners, friends, family relationships, jobs, and homes. Some through our own decisions and others completely out of our control. …

SELF IMPROVEMENT

As we’re inundated with endless lists of things that can be wrong with us, have you ever considered that maybe, there is in fact, nothing wrong with us?

Perhaps, the things that we perceive as wrong are actually just unique experiences in our human existence? Experiences that are individual to each of us. Yet the second that we find something different, we seek to change it and compare ourselves to the people around us. When we fail to find it in others, we panic and perceive it as ‘wrong’.

Psychotherapist turned author Susan Henkels explains this notion in her latest…

FRIENDSHIP

It isn’t always an obvious thing. Rarely do we ever want to hurt anyone — especially those closest to us? When a friendship becomes to feel toxic, it can be natural to assume that you’re on the receiving end and played no part in it becoming that way.

Have you ever looked back at a conversation with a friend and felt guilty? Perhaps, an icky feeling of: ‘I shouldn’t have brought that up’ or ‘Maybe I emphasized how well I’m doing a little too much’. …