Author: Manal

  • Kindness vs. niceness

    Kindness vs. niceness

    Have you ever truly contemplated the difference between niceness and kindness? As kids, many of us were raised to put on our best behaviour in front of people and make sure that we are the sweethearts of everyone we meet. We were raised to people please! You’re not alone; everyone had this experience one way…

  • What if your life is a game you forgot you were playing?

    What if your life is a game you forgot you were playing?

    Nothing you see around you is real; it’s all an illusion. This was the “secret” a podcaster wanted to let us in on. The concept she presented is built on the understanding that we create our own reality; our mindset designs and manifests a world whose sole purpose is to get us to transcend higher…

  • We’re all God’s PETS

    We’re all God’s PETS

    A couple of months ago, and in a moment of uncertainty, I asked myself a series of questions about my life. And just as usual, I opened my journal and started writing. But this time it felt different. It didn’t feel like it was me who’s writing, it felt like I was just scripting words…

  • Reflections from “The Untethered Soul”

    Reflections from “The Untethered Soul”

    You might feel a profound sense of freedom when you know that your mind cannot solve any of your problems. This stems from the fact that you have no real control over what happens around you. I’ve been reading a very interesting book called “The Untethered Soul.” The book’s main message is: we end our…

  • Chapter 6: A Cup of Coffee, a Wake-Up Call…

    Chapter 6: A Cup of Coffee, a Wake-Up Call…

    Chapter 1: The Weight of ArrivalChapter 2: Roots of ResilienceChapter 3: Her Success BackfiresChapter 4: A Fragile Sense of PrideChapter 5: Sacrificing Half a Smile Welcome to the final chapter of this series. If it’s your first time checking this story, I encourage you to start from the beginning. Happy reading! Chapter 6: A Cup of Coffee, a…

  • Chapter 5: Sacrificing Half a Smile

    Chapter 5: Sacrificing Half a Smile

    Chapter 1: The Weight of ArrivalChapter 2: Roots of ResilienceChapter 3: Her Success BackfiresChapter 4: A Fragile Sense of Pride Chapter 5: Sacrificing Half a Smile In the midst of it all, she decided to take a break and visit her family back home. She absorbed her parents’ welcoming hugs and loving attention, like a dry sponge soaking…

  • Chapter 4: A Fragile Sense of Pride

    Chapter 4: A Fragile Sense of Pride

    Chapter 1: The Weight of ArrivalChapter 2: Roots of ResilienceChapter 3: Her Success Backfires Chapter 4: A Fragile Sense of Pride The company’s stark white logo on the great revolving glass door she walked through every morning was a glaring reminder of how far she had come. Although the door led to the essentially empty reception hall, her…

  • Chapter 3: Her Success Backfires

    Chapter 3: Her Success Backfires

    Welcome to chapter three of my corporate adventures series. Here are links to chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1: The Weight of ArrivalChapter 2: Roots of Resilience Chapter 3: Her Success Backfires The project she was assigned in Germany suited her perfectly. Her role, together with another colleague, was to relaunch the English news section of the…

  • Chapter 2: Roots of Resilience

    Chapter 2: Roots of Resilience

    It makes me happy that you are coming back to the second chapter of my story and adventure in the corporate world. If you haven’t read the first chapter, here is a quick link: Chapter 1: The Weight of Arrival Chapter 2: Roots of Resilience Having struggled with obesity early in life, and growing up as the…

  • Chapter 1: The Weight of Arrival

    Chapter 1: The Weight of Arrival

    Chapter 1: The Weight of Arrival It was another sleepless night. Her mind replayed the day’s events and conversations over and over again, like the incessant loop of a broken record. To this day, she fails to understand why she, in the not-so-distant past, compulsively repeated the details of her interactions at work in her…