Tag: Helping Others

Posted in Being Prayerful, Celebrate Today, Celebrating Existence, Celebrating Life, Life, Love and Blessings

When Helping Hurts: Staying True to Yourself Despite Misunderstandings

Posted on by rachaelathomasj

Life has a way of testing the sincerity of our intentions. There are moments when you step forward to help, to comfort, to guide—and instead of gratitude or understanding, you meet suspicion, judgment, or even hurtful words. I’ve been there more times than I can count. Each time, I wonder: Why is it that when you try to do good, it’s sometimes met with anything but kindness in return?

Helping people is never just about actions—it’s about heart. I’ve always believed that if you have the ability to make someone’s burden lighter, even in a small way, you should. Whether it’s lending a hand, sharing advice, or simply being present, the goal has always been to leave a person better than I found them. But along the way, I’ve learned a hard truth: your good intentions won’t always be seen the way you hope.

Being misunderstood can cut deep. It’s not just the act of being wrongly judged—it’s the ache of knowing that your sincerity was overlooked. At times, I’ve walked away feeling like I should stop caring so much, stop trying so hard. But then I remember—my actions speak of who I am, not of what others choose to believe about me.

The truth is, you can’t control how people receive your help. Some will accept it and cherish it. Others might question your motives. And a few may even turn your kindness into a weapon against you. That’s the risk of living with an open heart. But it’s also the beauty of it—you keep planting seeds, even if you don’t always see them grow.

So what should you do when helping hurts—especially when people can’t accept your pure heart?

  1. Stand firm in your truth. You know your intentions. Don’t let someone else’s opinion rewrite your story.
  2. Release the need for approval. Kindness given with strings attached isn’t pure kindness. Give freely, and let go of how it’s received.
  3. Set healthy boundaries. Being kind doesn’t mean allowing others to repeatedly hurt you. Distance is not unkindness—it’s self-respect.
  4. Choose your battles wisely. Not every misunderstanding needs defending. Sometimes silence speaks louder than explanations.
  5. Stay soft, but be strong. Don’t let bitterness take root. Protect your heart without closing it off completely.

I’ve realized that being misunderstood doesn’t make me wrong. It makes me human. And as long as I’m acting from a place of love and integrity, I can live with that. I’d rather risk being hurt than live a life closed off to compassion.

In the end, kindness is a long game. Even if the world doesn’t always respond the way we expect, the quiet satisfaction of knowing you tried—really tried—is its own reward. And sometimes, the ones who misunderstood you today may look back tomorrow and realize just how genuine you were all along.

Posted in Celebrate Today, Education, Educational Opportunity, Learning Opportunity, Life

Announcing UNICAF’s University Programmes!

Posted on by rachaelathomasj

Yes, you read the title right!

For those who know me, you would know that I am on a mission to help others and touch the lives of people the world over, one country at a time. A question I always ask is, “Why deny yourself an opportunity to achieve the success you deserve?” As such I am sharing this link with you as I want it to be easily accessible to you https://apply.unicaf.org/

Have you seen this video? If not, please check this out as an opportunity to study with UNICAF is one you certainly should not pass up!

Backed by top investors from across the UK, US and Europe, their reach is global and in this video you can see they help students from around the world. They offer a host of programmes- Bachelor’s Degrees, Masters and Doctoral in a variety of fields- medicine, law, science and technology just to name a few.

Also, if you need to look at this video:

Give yourself the opportunity to invest in your future and to make your dreams a reality. Don’t lose any more time and remember it is yours for the taking! Apply today and start that new chapter of your journey today! Also, apply, share and give someone the gift of education today! Apply today!

Posted in Celebrate Today, Celebrating Existence, Life, Love and Blessings

Celebrating Today Every Day!

Posted on by rachaelathomasj

Celebrate today! Why should you do this everyday? For starters you should celebrate it today because you are alive and you are reading this! Consider too it is a new week, new month and look to each new day with hope and faith that it brings you one step closer to your goal.

Photo Credit: SGS Posts- Simple Good Sayings 29 Aug. 2019

For those who may think that there is nothing to celebrate, let us focus on what there is to celebrate- life, the ability to make decisions for ourselves, the ability to chart our individual journey, the ability to see things for what they are.

I urge you to take the time to read this post which I wrote in 2014. Here is the link: https://rachaelathomasj.com/2014/10/12/celebrating-today/

As we celebrate today let us focus primarily on now and let us focus primarily on you. What should you be happy about? Let’s see:

• You just opted to make some time for yourself.

• You didn’t get to start worrying about tomorrow

Photo Credit: SGS Posts- Simple Good Sayings 30 Aug. 2019

The truth is both are important. Firstly you should always make time for yourself as it is a key component of loving yourself. Neglecting yourself means losing out on an opportunity to have the things you need to grow and to be a better you. For example it is what you need for your peace of mind. Have you ever observed what happens to something when you neglect it? Now ask yourself this: What will happen if you neglect yourself? Let the answers you come up with be enough to encourage you to make time for you! Do the things you love, do the things you want to do but even more so, do the things you need to do.

Secondly, why worry about tomorrow when tomorrow is promised to no one? For those who can recall these are three things I always urge you to do:

  1. Always focus on what you are sure about and that will help you deal with each situation. It will in essence help all the pieces fall into place. In short, it will help you to get clarity and figure out how to move forward.

  2. Always give your best. When you give your best there is no room for self doubt. It will help you deal with past actions and it will also help you move forward.

  3. Keep your faith and your belief. Accept that you are unique and you are specially made. If you have no control over situations worrying can only serve to do negatives- you overthink, you increase your blood pressure, you make rash decisions, you may lose your ability to analyze and assess. If you believe in God and in His greatness how can you not trust Him to set your situation right? Once this is done, breathe and celebrate.

What is there to celebrate? There is a lot. Your life, your family, your friends, your experiences, your successes, your challenges, your disappointments, the people who don’t like you, the money in your pocket (no matter how little it is), the hardships you faced, the struggles you have overcome.

With some asking why you should celebrate negatives like challenges, disappointments and some of the other things I have mentioned, I will gladly explain. Challenges and disappointments make you stronger and they help to develop your drive and your determination. It fuels you to persevere and helps you assess whether it is really worth it. By that time you realize how much you want it.

Photo Credit: SGS Posts- Simple Good Sayings 28 Aug. 2019

Celebrating people who don’t like you is not something you should invest a lot of time in. What it means is that you should realize that people who don’t like you either inspire you to work harder or they are not meant to be in your life. That’s where the ‘scissors of life’ concept comes in. Cut out the unnecessary baggage and the unnecessary people.

Agreeably too we can agree that not everything can be celebrated and I maintain that no one can tell you how to feel unless they are in your shoes. Some circumstances are very different and change us forever. I would never ask you to celebrate death but I would ask you to celebrate life and celebrate each moment you share and have shared with your loved ones. Let that be your comfort and let it help you smile.

Don’t give up!

Don’t ever think you are alone because you are not!

Never limit yourself but challenge yourself!

Make every moment count!

Live without regrets!

Use these pointers everyday! Let it help you be a better you and let it help you manage the challenges each day brings.

Posted in Helping Persons with Disabilities, Life, Uncategorized

Celebrating Knowledge: How can we help Persons with Disabilities?

Posted on by rachaelathomasj

The focus of my thesis for my BA Mass Communication at the Ken Gordon School of Journalism and Public Relations (KGSOJACS) at COSTAATT (College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago) was ‘The Accessibility of the Internet for persons living with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago.’
This is a topic I opted to examine because it is a topic I am very passionate about. More so it is a topic that touched my heart then and a topic which continues to do so today.
I have been creating several means of helping persons with disabilities and I have faced several challenges along the way. Having seeing a recent post on Facebook stating, “Being differently abled and young is very challenging,” and this was later followed by a post stating, “We want to feel accepted like everyone else!”

My response to this is as follows:
Having met with several persons living with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago I know a vast majority of them who face several challenges day in and day out. They do not deserve be unfairly treated or like they are unequal in any way. My modus operandi is to treat others as you would like to be treated and I believe that change comes from a conscious decision to want to change.
Of the people I worked with to get the findings of my thesis I found a group of highly educated and qualified persons living with disabilities. They didn’t have the best start or the easy life but they all have one thing in common: They refuse to give up!
To those who have embraced the entrepreneurial spirit I salute them for making that commitment.

The questions which we need to ask is how can each one of us help someone living with a disability? How can we make information more accessible to them? How can we do our part to enrich their quality of life? Here are 4 pointers:

  1.  Leave ALL Handicapped Parking Spots for persons who are Handicapped. They are called Handicapped Parking Spots for a reason.
  2. Elevators should be available in all buildings that have 2 floors or more. Imagine my horror on hearing that one of the guys who helped me with the findings of my thesis telling me of the unfortunate experience he endured for a job interview. He went for a job interview in a building that no elevators and his interview was being held on the 4th floor. Can you imagine what he went through? To help you understand it better I will shed some light on his dilemma. He lives with Charcot-Marie Tooth Disease (CMT), he has a lot of difficulty with his mobility and with the use of his hands but uses assistive technology to get by while he can as his condition has been deteriorating. Can you imagine the difficulty he faced in getting up the stairs? Can you imagine the embarrassment he faced on another occasion when he fell and people laughed at him? Surely we can all agree that none of this is right! For more information on CMT please visit: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172056.php
  3.  Refrain from giving directions to someone who cannot see if you are unsure about the directions. It is really unfortunate that some people do this and create bigger problems as they person who cannot see may get lost and a predicament like can also result in placing that person in danger. The reality is that I have heard of too many incidents like this happening. Thankfully, many are relying on WAZE and Google Maps and both apps are proving to be quite helpful.
  4.  Use Word Documents as far as possible to post online memes, menus, flyers and advertisements or any document with text for that matter. Or just type them out if you choose not to provide them in word. Photographs cannot be read by any of the assistive technologies and the information provided within them cannot be communicated to someone who is visually impaired unless you are there to read it out to them. A popular screen reader most of them use is JAWS (Job Access with Speech) and these are some ways you can make photographs more accessible to them as visually impaired persons will not be able to understand what they contain:
  • Upload text as Word Documents
  • Provide captions which describe what the picture contains or what it is about

In closing I hope that this information is of help and put to good use! Let us continue to be good and let us continue to do good! A little goes a long way; it costs us nothing to be human! Change begins with a decision to change and making the effort to do so!
As mentioned above this is my first post regarding this topic and I look forward to sharing more information with you soon on how we can be of help to persons with disabilities.