Did you play as a kid in a sandbox?
Was it your sandbox, the sandbox of a neighborhood kid, or perhaps a public sandbox?
What do you remember about your sandbox adventures?
Was there ever a territorial fight about the best part of the sandbox? Or perhaps some kid entered your sandbox, and you were not pleased with the uninvited intruder.… 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
We all have a story.
A story that shows who we are, where we come from, what we value, what gives us energy, and what stops us from being ourselves.
A story that we bring with us every day.
In every conversation we have.
With family, friends, colleagues, and strangers.
Yes, diversity is improving.
Yes, inclusion is improving.
And also, the optics are improving.
What I mean with optics is that when I listen to (predominantly white, middle-aged, male) managers, it still sounds to me that they’re becoming more diverse and inclusive because they have to.
Because they’re forced by government regulations, public opinion, by younger generations, by the times that are changing.… Read the rest
If you have been driving through the Netherlands recently, you had time to look around you.
For sure.
Perhaps you’ve never driven through the Netherlands, but the story still matters to you.
For a few years now, you can’t drive faster than 100 kilometers per hour on Dutch highways.
“Life is an unforgiving laboratory.”
Interesting quote from the book “Be Exceptional” by Joe Navarro.
He mentions it tongue and cheek as he talks passionately about self-mastery. No further elaboration on why he thinks so, but I picked up on the term, and I love it.
We all have a superpower.
That’s my belief.
Something that makes this person stand out around the people around them.
Having a superpower is not exclusively for people with a high IQ. That’s an assumption some people have that could not be further from the truth. … Read the rest
You have one life!
That was, in essence, the core message of my last insight.
How you spend your life is totally up to you and nobody else. Please don’t come to me with the nonsense that how you live your life depends on others.
It doesn’t.
You decide.
When was your last tough love conversation?
What was tough about it?
When and how did the love part show its face?
Before I continue, I assume you’re familiar with the principle of tough Love.
Tough Love is the ability to be direct, constructive, specific, and to the point about someone’s behavior while balancing this with a general feeling of empathy, understanding, connection, and compassion.… Read the rest
Recently the world population reached 8 billion people.
That’s 8 billion people that are part of a worldwide community of human beings that need each other to grow, flourish, be happy, and create fulfillment in their lives.
Roughly (very roughly) 20% of those 8 billion are children. That leaves about 6 billion adults.… Read the rest
You love the work that you do. You’re learning and growing while contributing to the success of your business. You enjoy your life outside work. You have a great group of friends you love to spend time with. You’re able to get some regular exercise in.… 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
Have you found your talent yet?
If I learned one thing (there were more lessons) from my fellow TED talk speaker Luk de Wulf, it would be that we all have a talent for something.
Luk’s point is that you can’t start early enough in life finding, building, and enjoying your talents.… 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
“The annexation of the four Ukrainian regions by Russia is unacceptable.”
Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs
This is a quote from a Dutch politician from last week.
He addressed the Dutch press before he went ahead and summoned the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands to convey the same message.
He got the order wrong and should have talked to the ambassador first. … 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
I’ve said ‘Yes’ way too many times in my life.
For the record, I’m not talking here about getting married multiple times.
I mean saying Yes to projects, jobs, activities, fun suggestions, and things others thought I should be doing.
Initiatives that sounded good, were proposed by well-intended people and would undoubtedly create some good experiences and learning.… Read the rest
“Listen carefully!”
“Just like in communism, I can only talk to you and give you commands and information. You can’t reply or talk back. The good old times.”
Berlin tour guide
I think it still works in many companies precisely that way (remember Elon Musk), which is another sad story in itself.… Read the rest
Last weekend I went to see the sequel of Top Gun.
Before you decide not to read further, please don’t worry; I’m not going to reveal any of the plot or big scenes or how the movie ends.
