Social skills coach shares 4 prompts to keep conversations 'rolling' so they never get awkward

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/social-skills-coach-shares-4-phrases-to-keep-conversation-rolling-so-it-never-gets-awkward

#FabuFriday… Mistakes are not supposed to be a full character trial…

#ThrivalMindset #ConfidenceBuilding #GroundedWorth #EmotionalWisdom #Change

Read On:

https://zpond.substack.com/p/self-worth-and-self-esteem-whats?r=6vsm4d

Self-Esteem & Self-Worth ~ What’s Steady and What Shifts…

#ThrivalMindset #ConfidenceBuilding #GroundedWorth #EmotionalWisdom

Read On:
https://open.substack.com/pub/zpond/p/self-worth-and-self-esteem-whats?r=6vsm4d&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

@zponderings
@ZPonderings.bsky.social

https://linktr.ee/ChangeAndThrivalHood = Change and ThrivalHood

We all feel fear when reaching for bigger goals, but the confident person takes action anyway. Double-tap if you're choosing courage over comfort today! #ConfidenceBuilding

Until you are willing to look stupid, you will never be free.
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https://zsoltzsemba.com/until-youre-willing-to-look-stupid-you-will-never-be-free/

Until You’re Willing to Look Stupid, You Will Never Be Free

Willing to look stupid?

I have experience in this. Some experiences were embarrassing, some were amazing! So looking stupid is not motivational. It is mechanical. It is simply how humans work.

Most of the things you want sit behind a moment you are trying to avoid. The awkward conversation. The public mistake. The visible attempt that might fail. You are not scared of doing the thing. You are scared of how it will look while you are doing it.

So you wait.

You rehearse.

You overthink.

You polish the idea until it no longer moves.

Looking stupid feels dangerous because it threatens your image. The version of you that wants to be seen as competent, composed, and in control. The problem is that the image becomes a cage.

Freedom requires motion. Motion requires trial. Trial requires being seen before you are good.

No One Starts Smoothly.

They start obviously. Think about all the silly things you avoid. Dancing when you want to. Speaking up when you have something to say. Trying something new without being good at it yet. Posting the idea. Asking the question. Making the call.

You tell yourself you are being cautious. In reality, you are protecting yourself from embarrassment.

Embarrassment is not fatal. It is temporary. But the avoidance becomes permanent.

People admire confidence, but confidence is a side effect, not a starting point. Confidence comes from surviving the moments you thought would break you. The first time you looked stupid and lived anyway.

Here is the part most people miss. Everyone you admire has already embarrassed themselves more times than you ever have. You just did not see it. You only see the polished version that comes later.

Behind every confident person is a long trail of awkward moments they stopped caring about.

The need to look put together keeps you from putting anything together.

This shows up everywhere. Careers. Relationships. Creativity. Life choices. People stay quiet in meetings not because they have nothing to say, but because they do not want to sound foolish. People stay in relationships they have outgrown because starting over feels embarrassing. People avoid opportunities because they do not want to be a beginner again.

Being a beginner is uncomfortable. That discomfort is not a sign to stop. It is proof you are doing something real.

Looking Stupid is The Entry Fee For Growth.

The irony is that people spend so much energy trying to avoid looking silly that they end up looking small. Playing safe. Staying predictable. Living half lives with full excuses.

No one remembers the awkward moment you are replaying in your head. They remember how you made them feel. And most of the time, they are too busy worrying about their own image to notice yours.

The moment you accept that looking stupid is part of the deal, something shifts. You stop waiting for permission. You stop needing approval. You start moving.

Freedom is not the absence of fear. It is the decision that fear will not be the boss.

So go ahead. Try the thing. Say the thing. Do the thing badly. Do it awkwardly. Do it without looking impressive.

Every silly attempt is a brick removed from the prison you built around yourself.

And one day, without noticing when it happened, you will look back and realize you stopped caring who was watching.

That is freedom.

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"Empowering people with Life Skills to navigate life’s challenges and opportunities 🚀. Communication 🗣️, balance ⚖️, and decision-making 🎯 are central to this approach, helping learners create steady paths toward growth 🌱. Learn how you can support this journey

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Heading Into 2026: Start Building Yourself
https://wp.me/p84YjG-aay
#2026Goals #SelfImprovement #PersonalGrowth #ConfidenceBuilding #MindsetShift #Discipline #LifeAdvice #StopComparing #GrowthJourney #BuildYourself #zsoltzsemba

https://zsoltzsemba.com/heading-into-2026-build-yourself-not-others/

Heading Into 2026: Start Building Yourself

Build Yourself Up

As you head into 2026, a lot of you have goals. Business goals. Personal goals. Relationship goals. Or vague goals you never fully define and never fully chase.

What stands out more than anything right now is how many people want to be like someone else. Someone else’s money. Someone else’s confidence. Someone else’s lifestyle. Someone else’s personality.

Most people do not actually want success. They want the image of success without the work that builds it.

Why Comparison Is Quietly Killing Your Progress

Social media has trained people to stare at others instead of fixing themselves. You scroll. You compare. You feel small. You save a post. Then you do nothing.

Some people want money. Some want status. Some want attention. Others just want to grow into better human beings. They admire confidence. Calm behaviour. Strong boundaries. Clear communication.

Those traits are not magic. They are practiced behaviours.

The Two-List Exercise Most People Avoid

If you want real change, do this without lying to yourself.

First list

Write down traits you admire in other people. Be specific.

Confidence under pressure

Clear communication

Discipline

Consistency

Self respect

Leadership

Emotional control

Also, write why you admire each one.

Second list

Write down what you dislike about yourself. Where do you hesitate? Where did you quit early? Where you avoid discomfort. Where you feel weak or unsure. This list matters more than the first. If you lie here, nothing changes. Put the lists side by side. That gap is your work.

You Are Not Meant to Become Them

You might admire a bodybuilder, a business owner, a public speaker, or someone who handles stress well.

You are probably not going to become them exactly. That is not the goal.

You may never be a bodybuilder, but you can train your body.

You may never be wealthy, but you can practice discipline and delayed gratification.

You may never be famous, but you can speak clearly and confidently.

The goal is progress, not imitation.

Confidence Is Built in Small, Repeated Actions

Confidence does not arrive on January 1st. It is built through repetition.

Speak slower.

Finish your sentences.

Hold eye contact.

Stop apologizing for existing.

Practice in low-risk situations. Coffee shops. Casual conversations. Daily interactions. I see this constantly living in Indonesia. People know enough English to communicate, but fear destroys their presence. Their posture collapses. Their voice fades. Their confidence disappears. The words are not the problem. Delivery is. When someone speaks a few sentences clearly and calmly, people believe them. That is presence. Presence is trained.

Take Cues Without Losing Yourself

Watch people you admire. Observe how they move. How they pause. How do they listen. How do they stay calm when challenged?

Then apply what fits you.

Do not copy personalities.

Do not pretend to be someone else.

Do not erase yourself.

You are not trying to be a celebrity or a clone. You are building a stronger version of yourself using traits you respect.

So Then?

If you want 2026 to feel different, your behaviour has to change before the year does.

Improve yourself without performing for others.

Build confidence without chasing approval.

Grow without losing who you are.

That is how real change sticks.

Hashtags

#2026Goals #SelfImprovement #PersonalGrowth #ConfidenceBuilding #MindsetShift #Discipline #LifeAdvice #StopComparing #GrowthJourney #BuildYourself

"Empowering adults with Adult Education 🌱📚 develops critical thinking 🤔, digital literacy 💻, communication 🗣️, and financial skills 💰. Every skill strengthens independence 🧭 and confidence 💪, opening doors to opportunity and community growth 🌎. Support this journey

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When Bullies Punch Down, I Punch Back (and Why I’m Done Being Quiet)

I hate bullies. I hate them with a passion. Not in a casual, eye-roll way. I mean a deep, lived-in dislike that comes from decades of being on the receiving end of their cruelty.

I was born with a lazy eye, clinically known as strabismus. It is part of my body. It is part of my face. It is something I did not choose and cannot control. And for as long as I can remember, it has been an open invitation for strangers, classmates, and now internet randos to say something slick, “funny,” or outright cruel.

If you have ever been bullied for your appearance, your body, your condition, your disability, your neurodivergence, your accent, or simply for existing a little outside the norm, you already know this story. It starts young. It hurts deeply. And at first, it makes you cry.

I cried. A lot.

But at some point, crying stopped working.

The moment anger replaced shame

There was a turning point in my childhood where sadness hardened into anger. Not the kind of anger that destroys you from the inside, but the kind that wakes you up. The kind that says, “No. I am not the problem here.”

Bullies taught me several things, whether they meant to or not.

They taught me that bullies are scared human beings.
They taught me that bullies suffer deeply.
They taught me that bullies will grab onto anything they perceive as smaller, different, or vulnerable so they can punch down and feel powerful for five fleeting seconds.

I am not offering some groundbreaking psychological insight here. We have all heard it before. Hurt people hurt people.

But here is where I draw the line.

I refuse to be hurt by hurt people.

Once I understood how deeply insecure bullies actually are, something shifted in me. I stopped internalizing their words. I stopped assuming they were right. And I started talking back.

Why I stopped being polite about my pain

When someone is bold enough to comment on my body, my eye, or my condition, something I cannot change, then they have forfeited my politeness.

That realization is how I survived that part of my childhood.

I matched their energy.
I named their behavior.
I made it clear I was not ashamed.

Was it always graceful? No.
Was it effective? Absolutely.

Because bullies rely on silence. They rely on you shrinking. They rely on shame doing their work for them.

When you speak up, when you push back, when you show them that their words do not own you, their power evaporates. They are suddenly exposed for what they are: insecure people flailing for control.

Online bullies are not different. They are louder.

Fast forward to adulthood, and the setting has changed, but the behavior has not. The playground is now a comment section. The whispers are now public replies. The cruelty is now dressed up as “jokes.”

Recently, I received a comment on one of my videos that leaned on an old, lazy, ableist joke about my eye. The kind of joke that bullies think is clever because they have heard it echoed a thousand times before.

I responded.

Not because I needed validation.
Not because I was hurt.
But because I refuse to be silent.

Online or offline, I will call out nasty behavior when I see it. I will point to it directly and say, “This is what you are doing, and it is not cute.”

This blog post is part of that same refusal.

Where my confidence really came from

I need to say this clearly: I did not get here alone.

I was fortunate. Deeply fortunate.

My grandmother raised me to know there was nothing wrong with me. She did not minimize my pain, but she never let me believe the cruelty I faced was deserved. She taught me that the problem was never my face, my eye, or my existence. The problem was always the people who felt entitled to comment on it.

That foundation matters.

Because when you grow up being told you are whole, you are far less likely to believe people who try to tear you apart.

Thanks to her, I learned how to stand up for myself. I learned how to take up space. I learned how to speak without apologizing for my body.

The truth bullies do not want you to see

Here is the part that makes bullies uncomfortable.

The joke is never really about you.

The joke is about their emptiness.

People who know and love themselves do not need to mock someone else’s body to feel joy. People who are secure do not punch down. People who are at peace do not need to humiliate others for entertainment.

Ableist jokes are not humor. They are confessions.

They confess fear.
They confess self-loathing.
They confess a desperate need to feel above someone, anyone, for a brief moment.

That is why I can say, without hesitation, that the joke is on him. I know myself. I love myself. And I do not need to tear someone else apart to feel worthy.

Bullies cannot say the same.

If you are being bullied, read this slowly

If you are reading this and you are being bullied right now, I want you to hear this clearly.

The problem is not you existing.

The problem is not your body.

The problem is not your condition.

The problem is not your disability.

The problem is not your difference.

The problem is the bully who cannot stand to see you exist because your existence reminds them of the hatred they carry toward themselves.

You do not owe anyone silence.
You do not owe anyone softness.
You do not owe anyone understanding at the expense of your dignity.

Whether you choose to clap back, block, educate, or walk away, the choice is yours. Power looks different for everyone. What matters is that you do not internalize their cruelty as truth.

You are not too much.
You are not broken.
You are not wrong for taking up space.

And if no one has told you this lately, let me say it plainly.

You deserve to exist loudly, confidently, and unapologetically.

Even when bullies wish you would disappear.

Especially then.

"Empowering people with Life Skills to navigate life’s challenges and opportunities 🚀. Communication 🗣️, balance ⚖️, and decision-making 🎯 are central to this approach, helping learners create steady paths toward growth 🌱. Learn how you can support this journey

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"Empowering adults with Adult Education 🌱📚 develops critical thinking 🤔, digital literacy 💻, communication 🗣️, and financial skills 💰. Every skill strengthens independence 🧭 and confidence 💪, opening doors to opportunity and community growth 🌎. Support this journey

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"Empowering people with Life Skills to navigate life’s challenges and opportunities 🚀. Communication 🗣️, balance ⚖️, and decision-making 🎯 are central to this approach, helping learners create steady paths toward growth 🌱. Learn how you can support this journey

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#LifeSkills #LifeSkillsDevelopment #SkillsForGrowth #ResilienceMatters #ConfidenceBuilding #PositiveChange #CommunicationSkills #BalanceMatters #MindfulnessPractice #ProblemSolving #DecisionMaking #Teamwork"

You’re not shy. You’re scared of being judged. 💭

And that’s okay. We’ve all been there.

But the moment you focus on your audience, not yourself… everything changes.

If this helped, like this video ❤️ Every small interaction counts!

#ThePersonalBrandPlaybook #MrEmogical #ConfidenceBuilding #ContentCreation #PersonalBranding #CreatorJourney #SelfGrowth #OvercomeFear #EntrepreneurMindset #AuthenticMarketing #Storytelling #CameraConfidence

"Empowering adults with Adult Education 🌱📚 develops critical thinking 🤔, digital literacy 💻, communication 🗣️, and financial skills 💰. Every skill strengthens independence 🧭 and confidence 💪, opening doors to opportunity and community growth 🌎. Support this journey

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"Empowering people with Life Skills to navigate life’s challenges and opportunities 🚀. Communication 🗣️, balance ⚖️, and decision-making 🎯 are central to this approach, helping learners create steady paths toward growth 🌱. Learn how you can support this journey

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COURAGE TO ENCOURAGE 10/10
Encouragement isn’t dependency on approval—it’s cultivating confidence and achievement ✨. Lead and parent with respect, and watch relationships thrive.
#ConfidenceBuilding #RespectAndEquality #LeadershipWithHeart

"Empowering adults with Adult Education 🌱📚 develops critical thinking 🤔, digital literacy 💻, communication 🗣️, and financial skills 💰. Every skill strengthens independence 🧭 and confidence 💪, opening doors to opportunity and community growth 🌎. Support this journey

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