All of us are dealing with upsets in our lives.
Moments when our values, beliefs, norms, or safety are in danger. These can be real threats that might cause any harm or perceived threats that won’t physically harm us. Unfortunately, the amygdala, part of our brain, can not distinguish between real and perceived threats.… Read the rest
What thoughts, images, or feelings pop into your head when I say the word shark to you?
Likely, the connotation you have with sharks is not that positive.
For some of you, the movie Jaws may come to mind. A movie about a shark causing death and destruction.
We also know stories about human beings being attacked by sharks close to beaches resulting in death or body parts lost in the attacks.… Read the rest
I love what I do.
Part of that love is the time I get to spend with clients.
I was privileged to spend time with a client in Madrid a few weeks ago.
Some clients include you in their entire program. Other clients are more reserved, which means dinner on your own.… Read the rest
Good news!
The most depressing day of the year is behind us.
Last Monday was Blue Monday, the third Monday of the year. And apparently also the most depressing day of the year.
I was not aware.
Until I met with a client at 5 pm that day during a video call.… Read the rest
You want to make the best of your life, right?
Right!
Does that also mean you want to make the best of every day?
Or do you occasionally skip a day because, in the grand scheme of things, what difference can one day make?
I understand that’s not your intention.
Nobody wakes up in the morning thinking they will suck that day or mess up what they’re going to do.
Sometimes you must create deliberate pain to get something you want to do in motion.
I remember vividly a conversation with my mentor Joyce who often talked about CEOs having to create organizational pain once in a while to shake things up.
When things are becoming complacent, and they often do, you need to create pain.… Read the rest
You want to make the best of your life, right?
Right!
Does that also mean you want to make the best of every day?
Or do you occasionally skip a day because, in the grand scheme of things, what difference can one day make?
I understand that skipping a good day is not your intention in the morning.… Read the rest
You’re the most important person in your life.
Erikjan Lantink
When you agree with this statement, great! Read on and be inspired.
When you disagree, here’s why I’d like you to reconsider.
You may consider family, partner, friends, cats, or dogs more important in your life, but if you weren’t there, they would still continue living.… Read the rest
Today was a perfect day.
[Today was Monday this week]
Not everything I did was perfect, but there were enough moments I truly got inspired by what I was doing.
I’ve never believed in perfectionism, I’ve never tried to accomplish perfectionism, and I’ve never been upset if something was not perfect.… 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
You need a breather.
Seriously, when was the last time you consciously paid attention to your breathing?
When was the last time you sat with your breathing and paid full attention to you filling your lungs with air and then releasing the air from your lungs?
Can a company grow too fast?
The answer to that question is yes, but many will struggle to provide me with that answer because they’ve never experienced it.
There are areas in my life where I want the very best.
Food is such an area. I love going to a good restaurant (I’m not writing expensive) and enjoying a good meal with a great conversation.
Food and conversation go excellently together. Food, to me, is emotional beyond the functional role of providing your body with nutrition and energy.… Read the rest
You’re attending a concert of your favorite band, and suddenly you discover that some of the band members do not know how to play their instrument.
Or they are not clear which song they’re going to play.
If concerts are not your thing, then replace the band with the people in the kitchen of your favorite restaurant, the players on your favorite sports team, or the pit crew of your formula one racing team.… Read the rest
Steve Jobs ended his famous Stanford Commencement speech with this tip for the graduating students:
“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
Steve Jobs
My interpretation:
Always look for opportunities to make ‘things’ better, starting with yourself. Always be curious about yourself and the world around you.
Curiosity and change are the fun parts of being alive and growing as a human being and leader.… Read the rest
It’s Easter Monday and a travel day for me. In the morning, a four-hour drive from my in-law’s home and a two-leg flight to Ljubljana in the evening.
A lot of time to reflect on some past events. One of them was the cup final my team lost yesterday evening.
I love golf.
It’s one of the best sports out there. Golf is one of those sports that, when you believe you’ve mastered it, it throws you right back to a level where you feel like a beginner again.
Golf is about mastery.
It’s not just about mastering the technique of hitting a golf ball well, but it’s, even more, a battle of the mind.… Read the rest
Have you ever seen a woodchopper running around in a forest trying to chop ten trees simultaneously?
Imagine the scene.
Every time he gets to a tree, he chops at it a few times, and then he goes on to the next tree. After some considerable time running around, all ten trees are still standing, and the woodchopper is worn-out and on his last legs.… Read the rest
I start every day with the same ritual, getting up before the rest of the family wakes up making the time to exercise and meditate.
I follow this routine seven days per week because mind and body do not distinguish between weekdays and weekends.
Weekends are a made-up concept anyway, just like the belief that work needs to be done in an office from Monday to Friday at fixed times.… Read the rest
