During a visit to the NASA Space Center in 1962, President Kennedy noticed a janitor carrying a broom. He interrupted his tour, walked over to the man, and said: “Hi, I’m Jack Kennedy; what are you doing?” The janitor responded: “I’m helping put a man on the moon, Mr President.”
As we all know, Kennedy’s dream was to put the first human being on the moon.… Read the rest
Who doesn’t remember John Keating?
The famous English teacher from the movie Dead Poet’s Society, played by the late Robin Williams, and recorded over thirty years ago.
While writing this story, I reminded myself to watch the movie again. It’s a classic.
He stands on tables to demonstrate to his students that the world looks different when you stand on a table and look from above.… Read the rest
This a common phrase when we play games with friends or family.
These words typically come out when we don’t pay attention and are somewhere else in our minds or are doing something else.
It’s your turn from the moment you’re born.… Read the rest
Half a second.
When we compare our time on this beautiful earth with the length of existence of earth itself, one year of earth compares to half a second of our lives.
Half a second.
One quick breath and we’re done.
Would you try to compress as many activities as you could in that short period of time, or would you instead take it all in and enjoy it?… Read the rest
There’s a 40% rule.
It’s been out there already for a long time, but I only heard about the 40% rule last week.
It comes out of a book about navy seals. I’m not a fan of navy seals, so books about navy seals don’t interest me that much.
When I think about navy seals, I imagine tough guys in the army, and then I can’t help to think about Jack Nicholson.… Read the rest
I love winning, and I hate losing.
Big words. Love and hate.
As usual, it triggers a memory.
In this case of a great song by Michael Kiwanuka that I listen to frequently.
Worth taking a short break and listening to the song.
“You can’t take me down.”
Michael Kiwanuka
Winning, to me, is related to sports and only sports. … Read the rest
Over the past two years, I have written 200+ stories.
I email my subscribers twice a week my stories on Tuesday and Friday. I post them on the same day on Medium, and when time is on my side, I add them to my website.
Here’s what I learned along the way.… Read the rest
What’s your first thought when you read the word obsessed?
It’s probably negative, right?
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with collecting Panini football cards. I did everything possible to get my book completed.
Including the chores I most resented, only to get a little bit of cash to buy cards and complete my album.… Read the rest
You got to love those good old interview questions.
Last week I had a conversation about interview questions. The person I talked to shared her annoyance with questions like, “where do you want to be in five years from now.”
She shared with me that she didn’t see how that was relevant to someone landing a job right now.… Read the rest
Did you have a good night’s sleep last night?
Did anything that’s going on now prevent you from sleeping well? Are you generally sleeping well, or does mental chatter influence the quality of your sleep.
Some people always sleep well, no matter what’s going on in their life. I’m not that person.… Read the rest
I started writing this insight when the world still seemed to be sort of normal.
I have a folder with topics and draft posts that I regularly update when I get inspired by an interesting topic.
After I write my first sentences down, I continue if the words flow immediately or pause if I want the topic to evolve a little.… Read the rest
I am deeply disturbed by the war that Mr. Putin started yesterday.
I woke up with the news yesterday morning before heading home after a brief vacation. For the rest of the day, I was off my usual self.… Read the rest
Lessons from Max
Max Verstappen was four years old when he started karting with his father.
He had only one goal.
To become the best racecar driver in the world.
That has been his focus for twenty years, and last week Sunday, he accomplished his dream.
I will spare you all the details of the drama that unfolded.… Read the rest
Sunday was a memorable day for Dutch sports.
Which doesn’t mean it was all positive. Memorable does not imply it’s always good news.
Max Verstappen won the Austrian F1 Grand Prix and extended his lead in the championship.
Wednesday afternoon it started to snow. There was nothing at first, but when I looked again two hours later, the valley we live in was suddenly covered with a beautiful white cover.
Snowflake by snowflake, my view turned into a magic spectacle.
Wednesday was also the day Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol.… Read the rest
I’m in full lockdown again. From being the best student in class, Prague and the Czech Republic are now the worst student. As I write this story, the numbers continue to rise, and it seems like we’re only days away from a full, second lockdown.
The weather has turned colder, the days have become shorter, and it’s clear that this pandemic is not just going away.… Read the rest
Giving a TED talk is definitely an experience where you get out of your comfort zone. For most of us, mere mortals, anyway.
It’s not just about the talk itself. I’ve been speaking to audiences before, some of them significantly larger than the live audience I spoke to two weeks ago. … Read the rest
“Most people don’t dream anymore.”
A quote from the book ‘Good leaders ask great questions’ by John C. Maxwell. The author writes about the fact that many people have settled and gave up on the dreams they once had.
My question to you is whether you are still dreaming?
Are there any dreams you have not accomplished in your life that you would like to take on one day?… Read the rest
