Understanding Human Psychology

I often wonder who reads my blogs. I write because I genuinely love writing. I enjoy putting a thought together, reflecting on something I've experienced, or simply sharing an idea that has stayed with me. Yes, I post them on LinkedIn and sometimes on other social media platforms, but I have never really written with a very deliberate goal of making the blog popular or turning it into something commercial. So, naturally, I have wondered many times "does anyone actually read them?" And then, one day, at a family gathering, something happened. A very distant relative met me and, after the usual greetings, she suddenly said, "Hey Shazneen, I love your blogs! I follow them on one of the platforms you post on. I actually read them. They give me some great new topics to think about and some interesting insights." I was honestly flattered, because someone had praised my writing and that too someone I least expected was quietly reading something I had been putting out i...

  There is something interesting about growing older. When I was younger, I thought getting older meant losing something, youth, time, perhaps even a little bit of the excitement of life. Today, I look at it very differently. With every passing year, I seem to understand myself a little better. I have more experiences to look back on, more people to remember, more relationships to value, more lessons that were not taught in any classroom. And strangely, life seems to be getting more exciting, not less. Maybe it is because I am becoming more comfortable with who I am. As years add, I'm doing more exciting work professionally. Challenges keep the interest and curiosity burning. I don't feel the same need to explain every decision I make. I don't feel the same need for everyone's approval. I have become more aware of people, situations and the realities of life. I can see that not everything is black or white. Some things need patience. Some need firmness. Some need you to...

I have often heard people say to me, "How do you get it all right?" How do you manage a child and your career? How did you do your PhD while working? How do you study, work, write a book, keep learning, and still manage your family? How do you make your child study while managing your own work? Sometimes I smile because the question itself assumes that I have figured out some secret formula. I haven't. In fact, I don't think there is such a thing as a perfect work-life balance anymore. I think it is more about work-life integration. The boundaries are not always clear. While helping my child study, I may also have my laptop open. While working, I may take a call from home. While I'm at work, I may suddenly wonder whether my child has reached home or what she must be doing at school. And when I am finally in bed, supposedly in my "personal time", my mind may already be planning what needs to happen the next morning. That's life. We try so hard to sepa...

There was a time when, if someone had asked me to stand on a stage and speak, I would have wanted to disappear. Once upon a time, it was me. I too was a shy child, constantly wondering whether people accepted me. Whether I was good enough. Whether I belonged. It took me years to realize that not everyone's acceptance matters, and even among those who matter, only to a certain extent. Some lessons cannot be taught. They can only be experienced. This was one of them. For many years, I was just one among the many. Today, I know I am the one among the many. Not because I am better than anyone else, but because I have found my inner strength and my own reassurance. I still remember where it all began. I was standing on a stage for an elocution competition. A frightened little girl looking at a room full of teachers and students. I could feel the judging eyes on me. The expressionless faces made me even more nervous. I hated every second of that moment. My body gave up before my mind did...

I recently came across an article about AI "reading the room." The idea was fascinating. Imagine you're facilitating a workshop or leading a meeting, and AI is continuously analyzing the room. It tells you whether people are engaged, whether they are distracted, whether your energy has dropped, or whether you need to change your approach. As someone who has facilitated learning sessions for many years, I had mixed feelings. Facilitation has never been just about knowing the content. It is about being present. It is about noticing the person who suddenly sits back in their chair, the participant who leans forward because something sparked curiosity, the one who hesitates before speaking, or the smile that tells you an example has landed well. It is about sensing the energy in the room and adapting in real time. Can AI do that? Maybe, to some extent. It can probably detect facial expressions, body posture, eye contact, speaking patterns, or periods of silence. It may even t...