People are always amazed to see someone juggling professionally. All those tricks and gimmicks. Check this performance by Alexander Koblikov. And the legendary Frank Olivier. But there’s a secret… Actually, there are two: It takes a tremendous amount of time to become a pro juggler. It’s impossible to juggle nonstop. At some point, they have …
Focus on the Things that (Truly) Matter to You
The things that matter to you are the things you can’t compromise. It’s probably different from others. Because people value different things. And that’s a good thing. That means you don’t have to value what others value. You are free to decide which ones are yours. What’s important is you know them — and you …
Insecurities
Insecurities lead to bad decisions. You do things out of fear. You wear an “I am a professional mask”, and pretend you’re tough. But deep inside you’re rotting. A walking time-bomb. And because of your insecurities, you exert excessive effort into things that don’t need much effort. You’re anxious all the time. You’re scared that …
Self-Doubt is the Real Killer
Doubting yourself kills your dreams. Because self-doubt prevents you from taking action. Then you move slowly. You avoid taking risks. Pair that with stalking people — influencers and celebrities — on social media. Now you end up as someone feeling inferior you wonder what’s wrong with you. Then you start to hate yourself for being …
If You Don’t Want to be Lazy
Have an ambition (or a goal) and work on it every single day. Set a deadline. Then remind yourself every morning. That will keep you moving. That will keep your mind trying to figure out solutions. Most importantly, that will keep you iterating when things don’t work out. Action kills laziness. But what about fear? …
Yes You’re Here, But Will You Get There?
You are “where you are in life” because of a combination of different things. One of these is your belief. Your belief was the catalyst of your actions. Your actions drove the results. Whatever your belief before, it has served you well. But life is constantly changing. Life is evolving. Your belief may be beneficial …
Be Free
Your ultimate goal is to be free. Free from society’s expectations. Free from doing things that drain you. Free from negativity. Free from unnecessary stress (remember: some forms of stress are inevitable for growth). To be free, you need enough money (more is fine, but not a requirement). Enough to leave a shitty workplace. Enough …
Awful Mistake
Some mistakes are awful. Really awful. Some are even destructive. No way to fix them. Of course, you didn’t mean it. And that’s why you feel so guilty. Even explaining how and why it happened is already painful. I am no exception. I know how it feels. Seriously. (I did something really awful recently.) Hey. …
Your Mind is Frozen
My 3-year-old son has a routine of tidying away his toys before bedtime (ok, it’s actually me who does it). 😉 One night, I told him it was bedtime. Time to tidy up, then go upstairs. To my surprise, he picked up a few toys and laboriously carried them, walking carefully towards the first step …
Acceptance is the Last Frontier
When all things fail, and you already did your part, you did your best, you did everything… it’s time to accept. Accept that you don’t control everyone’s behaviors and decisions. Accept that you don’t control what happens in your (or their) country, city, job, or business. Accept that you don’t control the weather and the …
You can Always do Better
Don’t overthink whether what you did is right or wrong. Because whatever you say. Whatever you teach. Whatever you perform. Whatever you do. There’s always a better version of it. Forget right vs wrong. It’s all about doing better the next time. It’s all about moving on and focusing on the next step. To help …
Pause and Regulate, What to do Now?
A destructive financial mistake? Fired from your job? Someone wronged you? Ask why and how did it happen. Think. Then pause. The “pause” is where all the difference is. Because during the pause, you are regulating your emotions. Self-control is possible. But it can be tricky because everyone is different. It’s your job to figure …
Problems You Shouldn’t Have
Most of your problems are problems you shouldn’t have. But since you assume that having problems is normal, you never investigate. You never question. That’s why they keep repeating. But if you always accept problems without questioning their cause, what kind of life do you expect? The right question to ask is: What could I have done …
Does it Matter in the Grand Scheme of Things?
Most suffering is self-inflicted. It’s the result of our inability to switch perspectives. Instead of thinking about positive things, we worry. Instead of treating challenges as necessary for growth, we think we’re being punished. And when there’s an inconvenience in our daily routines, we complain and blame others instead of treating it as an opportunity …
A Day That Counts (For You)
Decide the 3 most important things to you. Do them as early as possible (or when there aren’t many distractions). Doesn’t matter how many hours or minutes you spend. As long as you do all of them, that counts as a productive day. This is often overlooked because some people — those influencers and so-called …
But What Will Your Future Self Say?
Your 80-year-old self calls you. From the future. “Future self calling…” Would you answer it? Are you even ready to know what kind of person this stranger is? Say you muster all your courage and pick up the phone. But after the awkward introduction, your future self starts asking questions you never thought of. Shares …
Your House, Your Visitors
Your house is most of the time open for those who want to visit. And these visitors often have different agendas. There are 4 groups: The first group wants to see you and spend time with you. They want to know about your life’s recent events. And they also want to share their recent life …
Unhappiness and Negativity
You’re the source of your negative thoughts. You’re the one creating them. Not your environment. Not the people around you. When things aren’t in your favor, do you complain? Blame others? Say something stupid? Or do you shut your mouth, take a deep breath, learn from it, and move on? You can’t control everything. But …
The Most Valuable Skill
A world of distractions: phones, media, people’s drama, people’s demands, and so on. Doomscrolling is now even a term. Instead of focusing only on a few things that matter — few things within our control — we tend to know almost everything. Useless information. What’s crazy is we accept it — as if it’s normal. …
What (the fck) Happened to You?
I don’t know… But I’m pretty sure that you used to smile often. You laugh. You jump around. You scream for joy. Wooooh! You even invited your friends for an overnight. And just watched TV or talked about random stuff. Then you made fun of each other. Painted the face of the first one who …