You make thousands of (tiny) decisions every day.
Most of them happen without even thinking about them. Those are the result of the habits you’ve built over time.
Get up now or later?
Brush our teeth or not?
Coffee or tea?
Social media or work?
Category: Self awareness
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I forgot myself a little
“I forgot myself a little.”
That was one of the headlines in the news last week.
The headline came with the announcement that one of the most talented road cyclists in the Netherlands would quit cycling for a while.
If any current Dutch road cyclist ever has the chance to win the most famous road race, the Tour de France, it is Tom Dumoulin.… Read the rest
When was the last time someone said that to you?
Most likely, it never happened to you, but if it did, how did you respond? What did you do? How did such a message make you feel?
Did you get your act together and started to deliver the results you were asked to deliver?… Read the rest
When we lived in Huntersville, North Carolina, I went to the gym twice per week before work. My schedule alternated from cardio to swimming to a good strength session with Mike, my fitness trainer.Â
Life was good.
Except in January.
Fitness Tourists
I remember going to the gym on the first working day in January, and the place was packed.… Read the rest
Yesterday evening, my family and I strolled through downtown Prague.
During Xmas time, Prague is one of the most beautiful cities to be visiting with all its architectonical magic and festive lighting. The pandemic doesn’t change that.
Actually, it did change the experience.
There were a few things significantly different this year, be it that the city itself is still the same. … Read the rest
When was the last time you got out of your comfort zone?
I’m aware I may have asked this question before, but I got reminded last week while participating in a webinar.
One of the speakers shared with the audience that when he woke up every morning, he planned one activity for that day to get out of his comfort zone.… Read the rest
Tiger Woods played the last six holes of his Masters tournament on Sunday five below par. That means he was five shots better than he should have been according to the course standards (par).
That’s not the story, though.
The story is that he posted his worst score ever on the hole before.… Read the rest
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Breaking news: FOMO.
Yesterday evening our son Max suggested that I should start each of my daily insights with breaking news.
I talked at dinner about my experiment with daily insights and my intention to extend the number of subscribers on my email list so more people would see my online offering in a few weeks.… Read the rest
I typically read two to three books at a time. One book lies on my bedside table and is for relaxation before I go to sleep. One business book is lying around in the house for educational reading during the day, and then one audiobook for the car.
The bedside book is written by Rutger Bregman and titled Humankind: a Hopeful History.… Read the rest
Last week, the Netherlands’ royal family decided to spend the autumn vacation in their summer house in Greece. They departed on Friday with the governmental plane.
Only the prime minister was aware of their plans as he bears the governmental responsibility for the royal family.
While they were in the air on their way to Greece, hell broke loose at home.… Read the rest
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Why don’t we learn?
Before I elaborate more, a small disclaimer. I realize that the timing may differ depending on your location, and some of you may not have left the first wave yet.
When I watch the news, I hear the same conversations all over again. When I check the Whatsapp groups I’m part of, the discussion seems precisely the same as six months ago.… Read the rest
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Show up
Showing up matters. Showing up is a critical component of being successful in life and work. Showing up has many components and can be seen both literally and in a symbolic way of speaking.
You can show up in person, with your presence, with the tools you have available to make yourself ‘heard’.… Read the rest
Do we need more rebels? Or are we looking for something else?
If you read about leadership regularly, you must have seen the word rebel passing by. We are exposed to ‘corporate rebels,’ we learn about rebel leaders, and I’ve read the term authentic rebel on more than one occasion. Apparently, it’s refreshing to be a rebel these days.… Read the rest
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Have time or make time?
It’s a big difference and it says a lot about you.
“I don’t have time.” One of the most heard (or expressed) sentences during our busy lives. You are regularly exposed to these four words or use them yourself more often than not.
The problem is you actually do have time. … Read the rest
Why silence is such a powerful leadership tool
When Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, paused for 21 seconds (check it out here) before answering a question about the racial tensions in the United States, everybody talked about the pause, not the content of his answer. The pause made most people so uncomfortable that it became the focus of attention during the news reports following the press conference.… Read the rest
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What if…?
What if…?
One of the most powerful questions there is. And yet, a question we don’t often experiment with.
Asking ourselves ‘what if…’ may imply regrets regarding a decision in the past. Or it may mean we need to do something different in the future—both a possible change to our status quo.… Read the rest
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What have you learned?
In many countries, things are opening up again after the lockdown periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reasons why differ per country. Some countries are opening up again because they’re in control, and therefore they can release some of the tight measures. Other countries are not in control yet, but they feel the pressure to get the economy going again.… Read the rest
Most of us have not seen anything like the impact the Coronavirus is having on the business we work at, or we may own. Not knowing whether what we’ve built up over so many years will survive, we need to come up with the right behaviors and actions to weather the storm and not drown.… Read the rest
How do we live our lives to the fullest?
How do we keep our teams loyal and engaged?
How do we keep our customers happy?
How do we maximize the potential of our companies?
How do we adapt and get better?
In the past two years, I’ve been on a journey to find the answers to these questions.… Read the rest
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Love the journey
I wrote these first sentences during the night of September 30th, 2019, at 2:53 am. You’ve got to start at some point, so why not at 2:53 am on September 30th, 2019? Heavy rain filled the night, which kept me out of my sleep. On top, I was having a friendly fight with a cold.… Read the rest