Tag: Culture
-
Achieving True Work-Life Balance: My Journey
“Finding Solid Ground: My Messy Journey to Work-Life Balance” After years of living out of suitcases and putting work above everything else, I finally learned what balance actually means (spoiler: it’s not about perfect time management). If you’ve ever felt the constant tug-of-war between career demands and personal life, this one’s for you. I get…
-
From Conference Rooms to Bamboo Roads: Finding Purpose When Institutions Falter
Several budget freezes have occurred. Delayed fieldwork. The vacant posts were quietly absorbed into the budget as part of “efficiency savings.” The hallway talk shifted—from bold ideas to cautious speculation. “It’s just the cycle,” I was told. “Political winds. We’ve been through worse.” But this time felt different. Foundations were no longer shifting—they were splitting.
-
Mastering Leadership: Knowing When to Lead and When to Follow
For over fifteen years of work across three continents, a question has plagued me. It resurfaced recently. Am I truly a leader, or am I a follower? Through spectacular failures and occasional wins, I’ve discovered the answer hides in the messy middle.
-
The Power of Mentorship: Recognizing Potential in Others
Mentorship creates ongoing ripples of recognition that extend far beyond the original relationship. By helping us see ourselves more clearly, mentors change what we do and who we become.
-
Voting with Intention: Faith and Civic Responsibility
This is a reflection on the quiet power of voting without partisanship—choosing unity, justice, and service over division.
-
A Life-Changing Airport Encounter: My Meeting with Swami Krishnananda
At 19, disciplined practice dominated my world. My karate training had conditioned my body for the past 4 years. Additionally, the classical guitar, the flute, and the readings consumed my evenings. I was unaware that someone would soon occupy the empty seat beside me. This person would reshape my understanding of these pursuits.
-
Exploring Independence Avenue: A Cultural Journey in Toamasina, Madagascar
Walking along Independence Avenue in the city of Toamasina is a spectacle. It’s as if you’ve walked into a living museum where Madagascar’s past and present collide. Avenue de l’Indépendance is the main artery of Madagascar’s biggest port city. It isn’t merely a street. It’s the very pulsing heart of this coastal gem. Its veins of asphalt…
-
Lessons from High School Literature that Transformed My Perspective
High school can feel like an academic assembly line with a rote memorization, regurgitation, and repetition process. Yet occasionally, transformative learning emerges from unexpected corners of the curriculum. For me, that corner was Mrs. McQueen’s English Literature class, junior year. While my classmates groaned at the hefty reading list, I was intrigued by two particular…
-
Luxury Travel Insights: Seychelles and Doha Contrast
From an archipelago characterized by its unspoiled beauty to a peninsula seeking reinvention through architectural bravado. This contrast between divergent philosophies of luxury tourism provides some important insights. These insights are what constitute a premium travel experience in 2025.
-
Finding Purpose: My Ikigai Journey
I never planned to discover my life’s purpose while hiding from the Port Louis, Mauritius rain. Yet there I was, ducking into a bookshop in Caudan one dreary Friday afternoon in October. I was shaking droplets from my shirt and wandering aimlessly through the shelves. At that moment, I saw the spine of “Ikigai: The…
L J Padayachy 