Ashley Grey

Tag Archives: secret

Accra's best-kept secret: A Store Find

I feel like I found Accra’s best-kept secret and it is a supermarket. I found it quite by accident on a drive-by. The bold sign caught my eye. The store wasn’t public knowledge as far as I knew. The huge, yet simple sign that read The Blue Mall stood out.Perhaps, it was new? I made a mental note to check it out.I did. Best-kept secret. And what a find! I wasn’t disappointed at all. Far from it. I found NutriBullet blenders for smoothies at their store. What! To see that they had the product on the First floor, in large and small sizes, (take your pick) was impressive. Pinch me! I hadn’t found those machines in more popular stores. The city’s best-kept secret unfolds before my eyes! They had quite a variety of goods on display too in a simple setting. Do you like going “off the beaten track” or…

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A label is nice when one is looking to boost a brand or stand out from the competition. How about other times? Can labels be limiting? William may cheerfully greet a new neighbour. James may not even make eye contact with the new neighbour. William may get labelled as friendly or an extrovert while James is viewed as unfriendly or an introvert. Same situation, different expressions and perceptions. William and James expressing themselves differently, and get defined based on people’s perceptions. Rightly or wrongly! Through the years, like William and James could, we might believe perceptions and labels about us and repeat them often enough. “oh, I am squeamish,” one might say. Or “I have been described as finicky, and we typically put others down.” And like an eagle that does not soar, because it thinks it is a chicken, our wings are clipped, and not in a good way.A…

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Sometimes people lead a secret, double life. The signs may be obvious. Other times, we just know by intuition. Oma couldn’t help becoming friends with Michael who lived next door. He was intelligent and perceptive. It was easy to share triumphs and hopes, and have him meet family and friends. He wanted intimacy. She didn’t and made it clear. He was in a relationship that seemed serious. Why complicate things, right? Oma stayed friends even after moving houses. Soon she discovered something odd with Michael’s new associations. They were not the usual and she wondered if he led a double life. What could they have in common? These were not the folks you had intellectual conversations with. They were more like people you would worry about if they were in your area. Well maybe he was just being nice, which would be endearing, if she could shake off the feeling…

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Find your Ikigai [ee-key-guy] and live long and happy. Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles share inspiring perspectives on finding your Ikigai and living happier in their bestseller titled Ikigai; The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. Ikigai is from the Japanese word meaning a reason to live. It is what makes you look forward to getting up in the morning because you are excited to start the day. You have found purpose and it could be more than one, but they kind of fit together. Find your ikigai and live a long and happy life. FIND YOUR IKIGAI AND LIVE LONG Finding your Ikigai requires a patient search. Garcia and Miralles affirm that we are happiest when we know what to do, know how to do it, and know how well we are doing. The happiness that comes from finding and persistently pursuing purpose keeps us alive longer.…

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