June 2025

Why It’s Time You Drive Your Own Life Recently, I had a deep and honest conversation with a teenage girl and her father. She dreamed of becoming an Aeronautical Engineer her eyes lit up when she spoke about it. But her father, like many well-meaning parents, was worried. he asked. “What if there aren’t good job prospects?”  “What if it’s not the right field for a woman?” “What if she struggles?” Out of love (and a hidden layer of fear), he felt it was his duty to decide for her. He thought he was protecting her, but was he really? So I asked him gently:“Can you protect her forever? Or is it your greater responsibility to help her learn to stand up for herself?” He fell silent. That question made him think. The Hidden Cost of Letting Others Steer Now, let’s flip this to you — the teenager reading this. Ask yourself: Are you sitting in the passenger seat of your own life, letting someone else drive? Are you waiting for your parents, teachers, or friends to make your choices for you? Do you feel stuck, but secretly hope someone will come along and chart your course? If yes — I get it. It’s easy to feel that way. After all, it’s comfortable when someone else takes responsibility, isn’t it? But here’s the hard truth: If you let others drive, you’ll reach the destination they think is right for you — not the one you truly desire. Let me share another quick example. Why Parents Worry, And Why That’s Okay Your parents worry because they love you. They want the best for you, and sometimes, fear masks itself as love. They might be scared you’ll fail or struggle. But here’s the thing: their worry doesn’t mean you should give up your dreams. Instead, your job is to help them believe in your plan. Your Responsibility as a Teen Don’t just say, “I want to do this.” Show them why and how you’ll make it work. Research your path. Talk to people in the field. Build a plan. Help your parents see that you’re not just chasing a fantasy — you’re ready to take responsibility. When they see your confidence, they’ll start to believe in your vision too. What Happens When You Don’t Take Charge? If you don’t take the wheel: You may end up following a path that doesn’t fulfill you. You may blame others when things go wrong — but in truth, you gave away the power. You may keep waiting for someone else to choose for you — a partner, a boss, even your friends. And one day, you’ll look back and wonder: Why didn’t I just believe in myself sooner? So, What Can You Do Today? Reflect: What are your dreams? What’s stopping you from taking action? Communicate: Have an honest talk with your parents. Not just “I want this,” but “Here’s my plan, and here’s why I believe in it.” Own it: Remember — this is your life. If you want to build it your way, start driving today. Stay humble, stay open: Take advice, learn, and adjust — but don’t let fear (yours or others’) decide your future. Final Thought Your life is like a car. The world will try to put many people in your driving seat — but only you can truly steer it towards your dreams. Ask yourself:Am I in the driver’s seat of my life — or have I handed over the wheel? If the answer makes you pause — maybe today is the day to take charge. If this resonated with you, share this with a friend who needs to hear it — and remember, your journey starts with one brave choice.

The Silent Strength of Patience and Purpose There are moments in life when we feel things are not moving the way we expect. We give our best, we love deeply, we stay committed and yet, outcomes seem delayed. In these moments, we may wonder: Why is God silent? Why are my prayers not answered? But what I’ve come to learn from someone very dear to me is this: God’s plan is always at work even when we cannot see it. His delays are not His denials. A Journey of Quiet Faith I witnessed this through someone close to me who, through life’s many challenges, demonstrated what it means to live with patience, commitment, and grace. Despite difficulties, this person carried responsibilities with sincerity showing up every day, offering love, doing what was right, and trusting in God’s plan without complaint. For years, there was no visible reward, no instant result. But with unwavering faith, they kept walking the path. And then, at the right moment not when they wished, but when God willed life brought back what truly mattered. That reunion, that moment of pure joy, was a reminder: God’s plan was silently shaping a beautiful outcome all along. The Lessons That Touched My Heart Patience is PowerTrue strength lies not in controlling outcomes but in standing firm with grace while the universe unfolds its plan. Do Your Duty, Let Go of the RestIt’s not our job to force results. It’s our role to stay kind, responsible, and committed and trust that what is meant for us will come. Love Without Keeping ScoreThe love we give, the good we do, it all returns. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but when the time is right. God’s Timing is Always RightWhat we see as delays are often divine preparations for us, and for those we love. Action Steps to Live Aligned with God’s Plan Pause and Reflect: When things feel slow, ask yourself: What is God preparing me for? Stay Steadfast in Your Role: Keep showing up, keep doing good, even when no one is watching. Let Go of Control: Surrender the outcome. The plan is bigger than we can see. Choose Compassion Over Ego: Stay focused on love and kindness. That’s the language of God’s plan. Celebrate Small Signs: Notice and be grateful for the little moments where life reminds you you’re on the right path. A Final Thought When we walk with faith, we realize that what’s meant for us will never miss us and what misses us was never meant for us. The peace comes not in seeing the full plan today, but in trusting that it exists. And one day, when the time is right, everything falls into place beautifully, perfectly, as it was always meant to. A question to reflect on:Am I willing to trust God’s timing even when I don’t see the full picture today?

Love Without a List — Returning to Our Purest Form In our adult lives, love often becomes complicated. We fall in love, build relationships, get married, become parents, or lead teams. And somewhere along the way, whether consciously or unconsciously, we start keeping a “list” of reasons why we love someone. “I love her because she supports me.”“I love him because he understands me.”“I love my child because they make me proud.” These reasons may feel beautiful at first. But what happens when those reasons don’t hold? When someone you love is unable to support you because they’re struggling? When understanding fades due to stress or miscommunication? When your child is going through a tough phase, not meeting your expectations? Do we stop loving them? Do we feel hurt, distant, or disconnected? This reflection hit me hard recently. It made me realize that we often love with expectations, even though we may not admit it. We place conditions on love. We say it’s unconditional—but is it, really? A Child’s Love: The Turning Point One evening, this thought consumed me so deeply that I decided to speak to someone who might give me a pure answer—my 13-year-old son. I asked him, “Do you love me?” He replied instantly, “Yes.” Then I asked, “Why do you love me?” He paused for a moment, smiled, and said, “I don’t know… I just love you.” His innocent response took my breath away. That moment reminded me of something profound: Children love without lists. They don’t love us because we earn a paycheck, or because we’re perfect parents, or because we meet their needs. They love simply. Freely. Unconditionally. That’s what love looked like when we first entered this world. So what changed? Growing Older, Growing Conditions As we grow, we become more intelligent, more strategic, more analytical. We start building expectations in our relationships. We begin measuring value. We associate love with performance, sacrifice, behavior, and return on investment. And as we do, we often forget the one truth that children know instinctively: Love is not earned. It is offered. We start placing conditions not only on others—but also on ourselves.We say, “I will love myself when I’m successful.”“I’ll feel worthy once I meet my goals.”“I’m not lovable right now because I’m not where I should be.” And in doing so, we withhold love from the one person who needs it most—ourselves. Unconditional Love Begins Within As I sat with this realization, I asked myself:Have I truly loved myself without a list? Because when we begin to love ourselves unconditionally, something powerful happens: we stop needing people to meet our expectations to feel loved.Instead, we overflow with love, and that overflow becomes our gift to others. Love becomes less about control and more about connection.Less about fixing and more about accepting.Less about “what’s in it for me?” and more about “how can I show up fully?” A New Kind of Awareness This experience left me with a question I now carry into every relationship: Am I loving this person for who they are, or for what they do for me? If the love vanishes when the reasons fade, maybe we weren’t loving them at all—we were loving the idea of them. But when we learn to love without reason, we rediscover the purity of our original design—God’s creation within us. That kind of love doesn’t vanish. It doesn’t panic. It doesn’t bargain. It stays, it heals, it transforms. Final Thoughts Let’s return to love without the list. Let’s remind ourselves that the truest love isn’t something we have to qualify or measure—it’s something we remember, something we are, something we share. Like my son, may we all one day say, “I don’t know why. I just love you.”

Letting Go Before It’s Too Late A lesson from my father I almost missed, until I learned to listen with love. In 2010, I walked into a Landmark Education session thinking I was just going to improve as a leader. What I walked away with instead was a life-altering lesson on ego, relationships, and letting go. That lesson saved me from carrying a regret I wouldn’t have been able to bear. Because two years later, in 2012, my father passed away.And had I not had that conversation with him — had I not let go when I did — I would have spent a lifetime burdened with words unspoken and love unheard. Let me tell you what happened. A Story About a Monkey — and Me During the Landmark session, our facilitator told a story that shook me: “There’s a monkey in a cage. The bars are wide enough for the monkey to slip its hand out. Outside the cage lies a banana. The monkey grabs it. But now, with a clenched fist, it can’t get its hand back through the bars. The only way out is to let go. But the monkey refuses. It keeps trying, keeps struggling, keeps hurting. And so it suffers — not because of the cage, but because of its refusal to release what it thought it needed.” Everyone in the room was quiet.But inside me, a storm was raging. Because I realized I was that monkey. And the banana?It was my ego — especially in how I was relating to my father. My Father, My Ego, My Guilt For years, I carried a stubborn belief that my father didn’t believe in me. He’d ask, “How are you doing? Are you stable?”He wanted me to choose a simple, secure path — to live a grounded life. He was concerned about my direction, my choices, my future. But all I heard was discouragement. All I saw in him was someone who wanted to limit me.So I argued. I rebelled. I told myself, “One day, I will prove him wrong.” Every “How are you?” from him felt like a challenge.And my ego built a wall — brick by brick — until I had shut out his love and concern completely. But that story about the monkey?It broke through. The Conversation That Freed Me That evening after the session, I did something I hadn’t done in years: I spoke to my father. Not to argue. Not to prove anything. Just to listen. Just to see him — not as an obstacle to my ambition, but as a human being who had always loved me in the only way he knew how. That conversation changed everything. We didn’t solve every issue.But something unspoken softened. A little space opened up. The heaviness that I had carried for so long — the need to be “right,” the story that “he didn’t understand me” — began to melt. I was no longer fighting him in my head.I was connecting with him in my heart. Two Years Later, He Was Gone When my father passed away in 2012, I mourned.But I didn’t feel guilt. And that made all the difference. Because I had let go — not of my dreams, but of my ego.Not of my path, but of my pain. That one honest conversation gave me peace that I hold onto even today. Had I not had that conversation in 2010, I would have carried a heavy regret for the rest of my life — a wound far deeper than words can describe. But because I did, I can say this today:I saw my father, and I allowed him to see me. We Think We’re Proving a Point. But What Are We Really Proving? In hindsight, I see my father’s questions were never about control.They were about care.But my ego distorted it into opposition. I was so busy trying to win — trying to prove myself — that I didn’t even realize I was losing the very relationship that mattered most. A Question for You So, I ask you, from one imperfect human to another: Is there someone in your life you’re resisting — not because they are wrong, but because your ego is too loud to hear their love? It’s easy to believe our stories.It’s hard to drop them. But the freedom we’re searching for is often just one honest conversation away. Let go.Say what you need to say.Listen, not to respond — but to truly hear. You never know how much time you have left. In Memory of My Father I write this with deep love and gratitude for my father —A man who always stood by me, even when I was too blind to see it. Thank you for loving me in your way.And thank you for forgiving me when I finally opened my heart.