-IMAN SHAKEEL Life is like an onion with its own layers of difficulties. Every layer peeled out indefinitely leads us to more deeper layers encapsulated with challenging circumstances and unpredictable situations. Not to forget the countless tears shed with every layer unveiled.  The maze of unrealistic expectations begin to unravel when we mostly move out of our comfort zone and go an extra mile ahead for others. It may be simply to gain validation or just to earn their contentment. If the outcome benefits us then we may rethink about walking those extra steps ahead again. Ot ..read more

- IMAN SHAKEEL ‘Common girl, stop being a cry baby! What do you want after all? Do you want extra gifts or an additional token of appreciation?’ ‘Stop trying to be in the spotlight...is that all you know how to do?’ ‘It’s totally fine that she hurt you last night at the party, it happens...Stop being so dramatic!’ ‘Why are you so sensitive...your tears start welling down at the slightest things..you should consider being strong.’ Growing up, I was that girl who would easily find myself grumpy at the simplest situations - I couldn’t stand the sounds of people chewing loudly at a restaurant ..read more

- BY IMAN SHAKEEL When everything seems to go against you, remember that the plane takes off against the wind, not with it. - Henry Ford Recently I have been reading a lot of stories of successful people from various fields. From Marlee Matlin to Lily Rice, my reading list included engaging stories from across the globe. After reading several stories, a powerful realisation struck me and boggled me with a lot of questions. Every story conveyed a similar message in one way or another. They all had faced adversities and unfortunate challenges but what made them stand out was their unique ab ..read more

-By IMAN SHAKEEL “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford    This classic quote from automobile industrialist and business magnate Henry Ford is a perfect statement with regards to the topic . The topic talks about self-confidence and self-belief being the two essential  ingredients to a happy and beautiful life.  Ford believed that a person’s belief in himself is a crucial factor in determining his success. Was he correct? Continue reading to find out!  Self-belief is the ability to feel comfortable in your own ..read more

-By Iman Shakeel “Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults”- Benjamin Franklin We all have rivals; people who laugh at our misery and pain and take pride in our downfall. Enemies develop either due to differences in opinions and at times divergence in thoughts and ideologies. At other times, some people end up detesting for apparently no reason at all. Regardless of how a person turned into your foe under whatever circumstances it may be as opposed to the paradigm of taking an eye for an eye, consider the following reasons and see why we should actually appreciate our ..read more

-BY IMAN SHAKEEL Many of us are currently spending a lot of time in our homes right now. There seems to be no much difference between the weekends and the weekdays - as there is no workload, no rushing to office and above all no outings. When we’d usually be reporting to our office in time, we’re instead finding ourselves on our sofas or at our dining tables, trying to complete to-do lists without the built-in discipline of the office. The expectations are the same, but the environment is different. And it’s not easy to transform just the next day.  You are very excited and full ..read more

-BY IMAN SHAKEEL “The more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased.That’s because - for sure - what you focus on expands. When you focus on the goodness in life, you create more of it. - Oprah Winfrey As I say this, I wish to repeat it over and over : that if there’s one practice that has the power to change our lives for better, it’s the practice of gratitude.  Long ago, I used to be ungrateful for all the blessings I possessed. I never actual ly realized the importance of gratitude until one day when I was left utterly hopeless all to myself. It was then that I understood ..read more

-IMAN SHAKEEL 'O my God! There's 60% off sale at BURBERRY.... Now I can finally buy clothes from there and feel pretty, definite and confident!' This was something that I heard from one of my peers. The question that bothered me a lot after hearing this was 'Is it really necessary to wear stylist jeans and heat gear T-shirts or carry an H&M handbag to feel pretty and secure? But my question is "Do these materialistic things personify beauty to u?"...Is it only when you cake your face with Chanel powder and wear a Maybelline lip-gloss that you can go for a party? Majority of p ..read more

 -BY IMAN SHAKEEL Growing up, we all have heard it often from our elders that true happiness doesn’t lie in materialistic things and money however necessary and essential it is can never buy us all the happiness. As you read this, you may also be able to recall a Lexus ad from years back which was intriguing as well as infuriating at the same time,"Whoever said money can’t buy happiness isn’t spending it right.” What made the ad so exasperating was that they seemed to offer a very simple yet expensive solution to a rather common question: How can you transform your hard-earned money i ..read more

-IMAN SHAKEEL Who doesn’t love leading a comfortable life - free of anxiety, turbulence and pain? Humans beings are creatures born with an instinct for comfort. Our comfort zone is the natural, neutral state of our psychological mind - where stress and anxiety are minimal, where our temper is manageable, where we can make plans for what’s going to happen next  and can act upon it accordingly. There's nothing wrong with sitting inside your comfort zone, unless you get too comfortable that it starts holding you back instead of fostering  you to learn, grow and explore new things ..read more