In line with keeping this real, here's what I did in terms of walking the walk.

Just prior to writing this post, I had hit an all time "can't take this anymore" state, and was feeling somewhat homicidal. I was working with children at the time with two more days left to the end of the project - which was 3 plays from three groups. And I had some parents who were a little, well...too much.

I felt like at the place I was in, I might just snap - and I didn't want to do something or say something that would leave a scar in a child's life. Gearing up for their first stage performance is a huge deal.

So I took a day off. Despite the calls, despite the imminent show date - I had to take the day off. And so I did, and went to Port Dickson for the day. Just to de-compress.

The saying - "you can't take care of anyone else unless you take care of yourself" was literally screaming at me. That one day - to just breathe helped me regain compassion for the world, because I had first shown compassion to myself. I told myself it's okay - I didn't need to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. To not be a perfectionist. To hold my ground and hold firm to my beliefs. It gave me the much needed recharging to continue as a compassionate human.

It seems like the least significant thing, but to be able to function at our best is one of the most important things we can do for not just ourselves, but everyone around us. To contribute to life in a way that will uplift everyone.

The value we add to society depends very much on our actions, the intent of these actions and the value of these actions in uplifting, motivating and empowering another. So, to me, it really is about making that effort no matter how small, to take that step....no matter how scary....to step outside....no matter how shy....to say hello and no matter how vulnerable....to put yourself out there.

And today, with my fellow steemians from teammalaysia, I met some amazing individuals who in their own way are taking steps, supporting and putting the wheels in motion selflessly to uplift a community together.

Thank you @bitrocker2020 @maverickfoo @elizacheng @zord189 @veenang @branlee87 and the many others I have missed the names here from teammalaysia. The sense of community in Steemit at large from other global group initiatives is very heartwarming - and something that I have not quite experienced in a scale like this anywhere else before.