I have been working for my company for the past eight years. I have taken on different positions and have grown in my career.

Recently, I was promoted to manager and was looking forward to taking on the new challenge.

My manager who used to look down on me became my underling instead

My first day as a manager was a bit strange. It felt like I was the new kid in school, with everyone sizing me up and judging me. I was a bit intimidated but I knew that I could handle the job.

I was assigned a team of ten people and one of them was my former manager, John (not his real name). I was a bit surprised to see him there but he had also been promoted to a new position. It was a bit awkward to be in a position of authority over someone who once held power over me.

We had a bit of a strained relationship at first, as John had always been a bit condescending towards me. I was the youngest person on the team and he would often make comments about my age and inexperience.

Suddenly respected me, like his livelihood was dependent on my mood

However, after a few months on the job, our relationship changed. This was probably because he knew he had to bootlick me for any chance of staying in this job.

It was like his survival was totally dependent on me.

He started to respect my decisions and opinions and even sought my advice on certain matters.

It was a bit weird to suddenly be on equal footing with someone who had been my superior for so long. I think the fact that I was now in a position of power helped changed a lot of things.

Its surprising how things changed in just a matter of a few months after I was promoted

I was at work all day, and then around 4PM I had to go to the bathroom. Since I work in an office, there’s a designated bathroom that all the employees use.

I was the only one in the bathroom at the time, so I went right in.

No toilet paper or bidet

I had been there for a few minutes when I realized that there was no toilet paper or bidet in the toilet stall. This was a problem because I had already started to do my business, and now I had no way to clean up afterwards.

I started to panic, because I knew that I couldn’t just leave the stall without cleaning up. I started to search around the stall for something that I could use to clean myself.

I found a few tissues, but they were too small and didn’t do the job. I was starting to get desperate, so I looked around for something else.

That’s when I saw it. On the floor next to the toilet was my wallet. I had forgotten to take it out of my pocket before I went in.

I knew that this was my only option, so I grabbed my wallet and opened it up. Inside, I had a few dollar bills.

Used my cash to wipe instead

I grabbed one of the bills and started to use it to clean myself. It was not a pleasant experience, and I was really grossed out, but it was the only thing that I had. After I was done, I threw the dollar bill in the trash and washed my hands.

No matter where I am, I always make sure that I have enough toilet paper or with me.

I also could make sure that the toilet stall which I was in had sufficient toilet paper before I went in.

It was an embarrassing experience, but one that I will never forget. I’m glad that I was able to find a way to clean myself up, even if it wasn’t the most pleasant experience.

From now on, I’ll always be prepared.

I was nearing my 50s and felt like I was stuck in a rut. I had been working for the same MNC for 20 years and was steadily climbing the corporate ladder.

I had a comfortable salary and a great benefits package, but I had no passion for my job anymore.

Started to want to retire

I started to ask myself if this was all there was to life. Was I destined to stay in the same job for the rest of my life? Did I have anything to look forward to?

I had been feeling this way for a while, but I knew I had to make a change. I decided to take a leap of faith and quit my job.

I had saved up a bit of money throughout the years, so I had a bit of a financial cushion to fall back on. I also had some investments that were doing well, so I figured I could survive for a few months without a job.

I wanted to find a job that was more meaningful to me. I wanted to feel like I was making a difference in the world. I wanted a job that I could retire from.

After a few months of searching, I stumbled across a job posting that caught my eye. It was for a small company that was looking for a senior manager.

The job description mentioned that the salary was $8,000 per month and honestly to me the job scope was less tedious and was perfect for someone looking to retire soon.

Got accepted and lived like I was retiring

I applied for the job and was thrilled when I was offered the position. I was over the moon!

The job was exactly what I was looking for. It was interesting, challenging, and gave me the opportunity to make a difference. I felt like I was making a real contribution to the company.

I have been working at the company for a few months now and I absolutely love it. The salary is great and I can already see a difference in my retirement savings. I am also making more of an impact on the world than I ever did in my previous job.

I am so glad I took the leap and left my job at an MNC. I am now living my dream retirement job and I am so thankful for the opportunity.

I can play golf whenever I want, meet my friends for high tea and shopping whenever I wanted to as my role was quite relaxed and flexible.

I had known my friend for years, and we’d always been close. We shared an understanding and a bond that was unique. But recently, he had been going through a lot of stress.

His business was failing and his girlfriend was leaving him. Despite all this, his ego was still very high.

Always try to prove himself to others, when no one needs to see it

The first time I noticed something was wrong was when he started to show signs of stress. He was always on edge and always seemed to be looking over his shoulder, like he was expecting something bad to happen.

He seemed to have a short temper and would lash out at anyone who tried to help him. He was always trying to prove himself, even when it wasn’t necessary.

I tried to talk to him about what was going on, but he brushed me off. He said he was fine and that he could handle it. He was too proud to admit that he was struggling, and his ego was keeping him from getting the help he needed.

I tried to talk to him again, but he still refused to open up. He kept insisting that he was okay and that he didn’t need help. I could see that he was in a lot of pain, but his ego was preventing him from seeing it.

I knew that he was in a tough spot, but his ego was preventing him from getting the help he needed. He was too proud to admit that he was struggling and too stubborn to ask for help.

He kept telling himself that he could handle it, but I could see that he was slowly crumbling.

Have to speak to his family so that he would put down his ego and listen

Finally, I decided to take action. I reached out to some of his family and asked them to talk to him. They were able to get through to him, and he finally opened up. He admitted that he was struggling and that he needed help.

It was a long road, but eventually, my friend was able to get the help he needed. He was able to get back on his feet and start to move forward. I’m glad that he was finally able to let go of his ego and accept the help that he needed.

My friend’s situation was a difficult one, but it taught me an important lesson. Sometimes, our egos can get in the way of getting the help we need.

We can be too proud to admit that we are struggling and too stubborn to ask for help. But in the end, admitting that we need help is the only way to move forward.

Firstly, context:

Before dating, my ex Jess (fake name) and I were best friends. I was never really one to become attached to friends easily, but within 3.5 short years we created the most beautiful connection I have ever been apart of.

Started something beautiful together

Together, we climbed out of the our respective rock bottoms and inspired each other to put our lives back together. We would have the most intense and in depth conversations about our trauma, upbringing, mental illness and past experiences.

We will then discuss why we are the way we are and do the things that we do. To this day she remains the only person in the world – by far – who comes close to knowing who I am deep down.

This girl was someone I had thought of as the girl of my dreams.

We started dating and it was absolute heaven. At first. Then, as it often happens, a bunch of stuff transpired that I’m not going to go into here.

Didn’t reply her one night for a few minutes and we broke up

Then came The Break Up.

I went to my friends place for drinks. Yes, maybe I could’ve invited Jess but it wasn’t her scene and she went out drinking with her work mates so I thought it would all be good.

Spoiler alert: it was not.

She started off by sending me nice, cute drunk messages. How i was the love of her life etc etc. Then I screwed up. Majorly.

I didn’t respond for 12. Whole. Minutes.

Then Jess started sending me message after message full of rubbish and untrue accusations. I replied a couple times but eventually decided that there was no reasoning with her in this state and blocked her on Whatsapp, with the plan to wait for her to calm down and discuss properly in person the next day.

I admittedly, and a bit selfishly, didn’t want her to ruin my night.

I counted the next day and from memory she sent over 100messages in a 20min period before she was blocked. Who knows how many she sent all up.

Later that night i checked Facebook to see where Jess’s head was at. She had the tendency to post status’s/memes when we were fighting, so I wanted to try to gauge whether if she: switched back to enjoying the night with friends, was upset and ashamed of her reaction, was sad posting, or the most likely option that she was angry.

She had actually blocked me and tbh i gave her a lil nod of respect regarding her pettiness. I was like “yeah, nah, thats fair hey”.

So the next day I checked to see whether she had unblocked me. Turns out she did but…

She had changed her Facebook relationship status to single.

And that is how i found out we had broken up.

Was too devastated by it

It was devastating. I would’ve been broken hearted by anyone splitting up with me in such a way. But the fact that it was this girl? The person i trusted the most? The one i thought understood and loved me more than anyone else ever had before?

The person I supported through thick and thin only to be treated like crap?

DEVASTATING is the only word that comes close to describing it.

I have a female friend who is having a hard time finding a job. She has a lot of experience in the field she’s looking for work in and is also a very friendly and outgoing person, so I can’t understand why she’s having such a difficult time.

She believes that the reason she’s not being hired is because of her looks and age.

Tried to explain to her that it is not that case

I’ve tried to explain to her that there’s no correlation between a person’s looks and their ability to be successful in the workplace, but she’s convinced that this is the reason why she hasn’t been hired yet.

It’s a frustrating situation for both of us, and I want to be able to help her understand that she can find success regardless of her age or physical appearance.

The first thing I wanted to do was to look into the statistics to see if there was any evidence to support her belief.

Unfortunately, the research I found showed that there is a correlation between physical appearance and success in the workplace.

Studies have shown that people who are perceived as attractive are more likely to be hired than those who are not considered attractive.

However, I didn’t want to give up just yet. I wanted to make sure that my friend knew that even if the statistics showed that attractive people have an advantage in the workplace, it doesn’t mean that she can’t still find success.

To prove this to her, I started to look at the stories of successful people who didn’t fit the conventional definition of beauty.

I researched celebrities, athletes, and business leaders who were either considered unattractive or were older than the average job-seeker.

What I found was that many of these people had found great success despite the fact that they were not considered attractive or were of an older age.

Seeing these stories gave me the proof I needed to show my friend that looks and age don’t need to be a barrier to success. I wanted her to understand that she can find success in her chosen field regardless of her physical appearance or age.

Tried to reassure her

So, I showed her the stories of people who had found success despite their age or looks. I also explained to her that a person’s success in the workplace depends on their qualifications, experience, and attitude, not their age or physical appearance.

I’m still hoping that my friend will be able to find a job soon, but in the meantime, I’m doing my best to help her understand that she can be successful regardless of her age or physical appearance.

I’m also encouraging her to focus on her qualifications and experience, and to not be discouraged by the statistics.

With the right attitude and a willingness to work hard, I’m certain that she can find success in her chosen field.

I was so excited when I was asked to take part in a street interview by some YouTubers. It seemed like a great opportunity to have some fun and be featured on YouTube.

Little did I know that it would be the biggest mistake of my life.

Gave another girl a kiss during the interview

I had been in a relationship with my girlfriend, Emily (not her real name), for a few months and our relationship was going great. We were both so in love with each other and I was sure that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

I was approached on the streets to take part in a street interview which would be on Youtube. I thought it would be a great way to gain some followers and maybe even get some recognition on YouTube.

I agreed to the shoot and I was feeling really nervous. I was really hoping that I wouldn’t mess up and make a fool of myself in front of the camera.

The interview however required me to do a forfeit which was to kiss another girl who was also at the street interview on her cheek.

After the interview was over, I thought that everything was going to be okay. Little did I know that my girlfriend had saw the video of the interview. She don’t really use Youtube and would not have seen it but I guess life plays us in another way.

She saw the whole process of me talking to another girl and saw me kiss her on the cheek.

She broke up with me

My heart sank when I got the call from Emily. She was obviously very upset and was crying on the phone. She told me that she had seen the video and asked me why I had done it.

I tried to explain to her that it was just a part of the interview and that I was only being friendly. But she didn’t want to hear it. She hung up the phone and I knew that our relationship was over.

I was so devastated. I had lost the love of my life and I knew that it was all my fault. I had been so stupid to take part in the interview without telling Emily. If I had just told her about it, she wouldn’t have had to find out about it the way she did.

I tried to call Emily again to apologize, but she wouldn’t answer my calls. I sent her text messages and emails, but she never responded. After a few weeks of trying to contact her, I finally gave up.

I had lost the girl I loved and I felt like my life was over. I had been so stupid to take part in that interview and now I was paying the price.

I had ruined the best relationship I had ever had and I was never going to get Emily back.