Free Articles

This page contains many articles I've written over the years in pursuit of learning, reflection, and personal development.

Themes include productivity, wellbeing, teaching, defusing bullying, culture, heritage, facilitation & more.

You will find that some of these posts are originally published on LinkedIn.

Blog: Text

Sumbella

Apr 1, 20241 min read

“Do your best work.”

[#quoteoftheday] “Do your best work.” - Malcolm X Even if you are collapsing inside. Even if you are horrified by what you are seeing....

“Force does not work the way its advocates think it does.”

Sumbella

Apr 1, 20241 min read

“Force does not work the way its advocates think it does.”

[#quoteoftheday] Here’s the full quote, in which Baldwin explains why this is the case: “Force does not work the way its advocates think...

"Organisations don’t change, people do."

Sumbella

Apr 1, 20241 min read

"Organisations don’t change, people do."

[#quoteoftheday] Full quote: "It is the cumulative impact of successful individual change that brings about successful organisational...

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

“In a nutshell: Literacy empowers.”

[#quoteoftheday] “In a nutshell: Literacy empowers.” - Kassam (1994). #thinkwithme: The first time I lived in China, in 2007, I could not...

“You are a mashup of what you let in to your life.”

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

“You are a mashup of what you let in to your life.”

[#quoteoftheday] “You are a mashup of what you let in to your life.” - Austin Kleon This idea was about how we develop creativity. But in...

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

A Quote about Culture and Heritage

[#quoteoftheday + culture & heritage] 'Our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our nation’ - Nelson...

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

A Quote about Confidence

[#quoteoftheday] “You don’t become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror. You become confident by having a stack of undeniable...

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

“There is wisdom in the wound.”

[#quoteoftheday] “There is wisdom in the wound.” - by 📚 Michael Bungay Stanier. This line is taken from his book: ‘How to work with...

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

“Words do have power.”

[#quoteoftheday] “Utterance is magic. Words do have power. Names have power. Words are events. They do things, change things. They...

“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.”

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.”

[#quoteoftheday] - Maya Angelou. Around this time last year, I put out an intention - a quiet ‘ask’ - of wanting to be around people who...

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

“People do what people see.”

[#quoteoftheday] “People do what people see.” - John Maxwell. Expanded: “People’s minds are changed more through observations than by...

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

A Quote about Embracing the Unfamiliar

“If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area...” - David Bowie. He continues: “...Always go...

“Blowing out someone else’s candle doesn’t make yours shine any brighter.”

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

“Blowing out someone else’s candle doesn’t make yours shine any brighter.”

“Blowing out someone else’s candle doesn’t make yours shine any brighter. It just makes the room darker.” - Unknown. In professional...

“To fly, one only needs to take the reins.”

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

“To fly, one only needs to take the reins.”

[#quoteoftheday] “To fly, one only needs to take the reins.” This is such an uplifting quote for me. I think it is about courage, and...

Sumbella

Mar 30, 20241 min read

'Profitable' Skills for Success

[#learning + ‘profitable’ skills] These are some of the most profitable skills I’ve learned: Writing Facilitation Teaching Mandarin The...

The Journey from External Validation to Self-Validation

Sumbella

Mar 25, 20241 min read

The Journey from External Validation to Self-Validation

[#quoteoftheday💬] “The paradox of speaking out is that as you use your voice, you feel more connected to your heart and integrity than...

“Whatever good things we build end up building us.”

Sumbella

Mar 25, 20241 min read

“Whatever good things we build end up building us.”

[#quoteoftheday💬] “Whatever good things we build end up building us.” – Jim Rohn 💭…and whoever we teach, usually ends up teaching us!...

Sumbella

Mar 25, 20241 min read

The Power of Response

[#quoteoftheday💬] “It's not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us.” – Stephen R. Covey 💡...

Sumbella

Mar 25, 20241 min read

A Quote about Leadership

[#quoteoftheday💬] “The best leaders realize that the more they focus on making other people successful, the more successful they...

Sumbella

Mar 24, 20241 min read

A Quote by Steve Jobs

[#quoteoftheday💬] Extended quote: “My observation is that the doers are the major thinkers. The people that really create the things...

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