Welcome to the very first issue of Friday Feels!The core idea behind this series is simple: We want to pause thehustle and engage in honest reflection, sharing the personalstories and thought-provoking experiences that define ourgrowth.To kick off this series, we asked our members a simple butprofound question: “What’s one thing you let go of this yearthat truly transformed your life?”We are often put under pressure to work harder and hustlefaster. But often, the greatest transformation comes fromletting go – a deliberate act of surrender.Personally, I’m still working on letting go of the need for rigidcontrol, and seeing these responses showed me just how muchlighter life can be when you loosen your grip a bit.One of the heaviest burdens we carry is the weight of otherpeople’s opinions and expectations. It consumes our mentalenergy and stops us from being our authentic selves.“I learned that you don’t have to always be bothered by whatother people say. No matter what you do, the people who wantto have an opinion will always have one, and that’s okay. Irealized I can just be, and that’s alright.” – Rtr. ShamlaThis is the ultimate permission to drop the façade and let yourauthentic self step forward…and that’s where the trueconfidence begins!FF RR IIDDAAYY FFEEEELLSSWHAT’S ONE THING YOU LET GO OF THIS YEAR THATTRULY TRANSFORMED YOUR LIFE?
It also leads to inner peace, a proven truth that Rtr. Sarah cancertainly attest to: “Letting go of worrying about what othersthought of me brought a profound sense of confidence andcalm. I stopped letting other people’s expectations control howI felt about myself, and focused purely on who I actually am.”This freedom also extends to the people we choose to keepclose. We often find ourselves being the only one holding therope in a relationship, it’s always us pursuing, without anyreciprocity.When you realize, your energy is non-negotiable and not foreveryone, it is easier to accept what Zikra has to say about it:“I stopped forcing people to stay in touch with me. I stoppedbeing afraid of losing friends who didn’t value me. Realfriendship doesn’t need chasing; it meets you halfway. I’mfinally okay letting go of anything that doesn’t.”I find it very funny how we spend so much time holdingourselves back by either stopping what we truly want to do, orsaying “yes” to burdens we hate – all because we’re terrifiedletting someone down, we end up becoming professionalmanagers of other people’s feelings.The key to break this cycle lies in mastering the most difficulttwo letter word in our vocabulary –“NO”. Rtr. Shenaya says hertrue freedom came after reclaiming her precious time:“Learning to say ‘no’ truly transformed my life. As someone whoused to say yes to anything in a heartbeat, I realized how muchFF RR IIDDAAYY FFEEEELLSSWHAT’S ONE THING YOU LET GO OF THIS YEAR THATTRULY TRANSFORMED YOUR LIFE?
it affected my peace and productivity. Now, I identify mypriorities, think of myself, and only do things because I trulywant to, not because someone asked.”But the handbrake isn’t always external; sometimes it’s aninternal barrier we built in ourselves. It could be the fear—fear ofthe unknown or fear of leaving the familiar. This could keep usperfectly stuck. But what happens when you decide thatexperience outweighs embarrassment? As the playwrightSamuel Beckett insisted,‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Tryagain. Fail again. Fail better.’Rtr. Miyuni chose to ditch the fear and step into a wider field ofvision unlocking a wealth of opportunities: “This year, I let go ofmy shyness and fear of trying new things. I’m super proud ofmyself because this allowed me to learn so much and gatherso many new experiences.”Overcoming fear allows us into step into future, but whathappens when the past refuses to let go? Rtr. Akeedha sharedan honest reflection on being unable to trust the presentmoment: “I let go of holding on too tightly to the past. was sostuck on how life used to be, and I realized that wishing thingscould go back prevents me from enjoying what I have now. I’mlearning to trust the timing of it all, because at the end of theday, it all adds up and makes sense.” Realization of “It all addsup” is the ultimate peace. Letting go the how? and when? freesyou to enjoy the now.FF RR IIDDAAYY FFEEEELLSSWHAT’S ONE THING YOU LET GO OF THIS YEAR THATTRULY TRANSFORMED YOUR LIFE?
In moments where we feel overwhelmed, silence can feelunbearable and it leads us to fill every moment with distractionwhich prevents us from having true introspection.“I let go ofsomething that might shock people: music. For so long, it wasjust background noise to fill the silence. I realized I wasconstantly afraid to let my own thoughts creep in. Now, I spendso much more time inside my own head, I feel much moreconnected and grounded than ever before.” – Rtr. Amna.But sometimes letting go of a psychological barrier requires asmall effort of visible act of change. For one member, thatvisible change was the key to finally overcoming deep seatedanxiety, proving that physical change holds the power forbiggest internal victory.“The thing I finally let go of this yearwas the seven-year hold I had on my haircut. It was a visiblechange that became an act of personal freedom. I had activelyovercome the bit of anxiety that had been silently keeping mestuck for so long. It was the smallest step, but it brought thebiggest internal transformation.” – AnonymousThe greatest lesson from this collective release? That the pathto peace often comes with things we stop doing. It isn’t aboutgiving up; it’s about making space for genuine growth. I’mpersonally inspired to look at what quiet burdens I’m stillcarrying.FF RR IIDDAAYY FFEEEELLSSWHAT’S ONE THING YOU LET GO OF THIS YEAR THATTRULY TRANSFORMED YOUR LIFE?Rtr. Hafsa RifaiEDITORIAL COMMITTEE MEMBER 2025-26
CCAAPP TT UU RR EEDDTT HH OO UUGGHH TT SSCAP T U R EDT H O UGH T S“A parted house”Looks of despise & deject,words uttered in morose.While the laments of what could have been bledon to me through those eyes,made me wonder,though tranquil was never theirs,Is it possible for love to be such a prolonged ordeal?Rtr. Rajani DivigalpitiyaGENERAL MEMBER
Why don’t we begin to compareThe bear is a wild animal, yes we all knowBut the man is wilder than all animal kind combinedThe bear would only maul for hungerOr for that it senses dangerBut the man would strike or stroke for his insatiable desireThe bear would have but a mind so innocentBut the man, his thoughts to only defileDefile the innocentI don’t see why it should be this wayWhy all women are set eyes on like prey?May all the evil men be turned to a path of dismayIf ever there be a hell and heavenThen to hell I will follow you to teach a lessonOr if ever a life after death,May you be victim and I be the preyAnd then you shall learn and feel and compareWould you rather a man or a bear?Be calm like the waterThrough the day and through the nightThe voices in my head tear my soulLashes like a whipStabs like a daggerAnd I question myself “do things ever get better?”Never the given, always the giverNever listened to, always the listenerIs it selfish to just ask for once?To be listened to, or to be given to?Now these very voices inside my headIt’s whispers like needles, pricking my skinMAN OR BEAR?CCAAPP TT UU RR EEDDTT HH OO UUGGHH TT SSCAP T U R EDT H O UGH T S
They’re being voiced because I give them power?Or is it really me, feeding the hunger that the monsters inme are waiting to devour?Haha! They drive me insane“Be calm like the water” they sayBut how can I everAs the same voices that pretend to be comfortare really the ones that powerThe very monsters in me that are waiting to devourwhat’s left of me?Be calm like the water, so they saidChaotic PerfectionThe amber glaze of the evening skyNot only lights up my eyes but my soulI look towards the towers which touch the high heavensWhich makes the city great in its nameThe harmony of the bustling worldWhich we make ours, only to leave powerlessOnly let to cherish its moments in todayThe dancing lights, the rustling leavesAll in a neat matching harmonyThe hum of rushing feet of the peopleSoul and mind become one in meThis what makes us who we areThis is what makes us humanThe music of the worldIt’s chaotic perfectionRtr. Kavindya FernandoGENERAL MEMBERCCAAPP TT UU RR EEDDTT HH OO UUGGHH TT SSCAP T U R EDT H O UGH T S
A compulsion you can’t resistAll you could do is embrace the inevitableEighty fourThis bloodthirsty anger, keeps boiling and boilingThis heart that plays a dangerous gameNinety sixThere are no winnersOnly shattered parts of a conscience that oncebelonged to a bipolar mindNoise is unheard, but the silence is loudNinety nineBlood gushes through thin veins, trying to getnowhereSharp eyes full with determination for nothingOne two oneDisappointment, melancholy; this curve that alwaysgo back to zeroThe wasted potential having nowhere to goFeeds on the mind hoping for a cure for desperationOne five four and I can almost hear it myselfOne one threeNine oneEight threeAnd seventy twoRtr. Niduka SenarathGENERAL MEMBERCCAAPP TT UU RR EEDDTT HH OO UUGGHH TT SSCAP T U R EDT H O UGH T S
Rtr. Sadheesha GunarathneGENERAL MEMBERCCAAPP TT UU RR EEDDLIGH TCAP T U R EDLIGH TThis drawing is a portrait of one of my all-time favorite artists,Leonardo da Vinci-someone who has always inspired me.
Rtr. Sadheesha GunarathneGENERAL MEMBERCCAAPP TT UU RR EEDDLIGH TCAP T U R EDLIGH TThe photo is from a simple evening I spent wandering thepaddy fields. The sky, the light, the gentle sway of the rice-it allfelt magical. What this photograph truly shows is that whenyou look at the world with love, even the simplest momentsand places can feel beautiful and full of life.
Rtr. Hasini DharmarathneGENERAL MEMBERCCAAPP TT UU RR EEDDLIGH TCAP T U R EDLIGH TThis photo was taken during a quiet moment on a trip, wherehistoric stone walls framed an endless view of the sea. I wasdrawn to the contrast between the solid, time-worn structureand the calm openness beyond it.
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