Tag: writing
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Two Tickets to Anywhere: Why Choosing Between Asian Dreams Keeps Me Up at Night
Someone asked me last week where I’d go if I won two airline tickets to anywhere. I laughed and said, “Somewhere in Asia,” then spent the next three days obsessing over whether I meant Japan, India, Malaysia, or Thailand. You know that paralyzing moment when you have too many good options? That’s where I am…
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Rethinking Development Strategies: Lessons from Mananjary
Sometimes the most important development lessons aren’t found in best practice guides or evaluation reports. Sometimes they’re found in a wooden canoe on a quiet canal. They involve learning to read the currents instead of fighting against them.
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10 Certainties from 15 Years in Global Development
This is a reflection on hard-won truths from island life and global health work.
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Books That Shaped My Career in International Development
A UN professional from Seychelles shares three transformative books. These books range from a statistics primer to a leadership classic. They have shaped decades of international development work.
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Conversations with Myself: The Power of Self-Reflection
The machete cracks through the green husk with a satisfying thud. Steam rises from fresh coconut water in Toamasina’s market, while coffee beans release their earthy aroma in Antsirabe’s highland air. These aren’t just beverages—they’re invitations to pause and connect authentically. After fifteen years navigating boardrooms from Mumbai to Munich, I’ve learned that transformative conversations…
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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…
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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.
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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.
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Redirecting Your Focus: Empowering Change in Your Life
I tried an experiment. For one month, I’d redirect all that mental energy toward things I could genuinely impact. These included my skills, my community involvement, and my actual relationships with actual humans
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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.
L J Padayachy 