Monday, January 2, 2017

Why I have no vacation and stopped celebrating (in the traditional sense)

Berlin (Germany) on 4 December 2016

I left university in Spring 2013. I had become dumb and numb during my studies, at least that is how I felt. So the years after I started thinking again and asking why.

In my following journeys to the Americas, Asia and Europe work, leisure and travel have been a dominant topic. How to find the sweet spot of this triangle?

I want to be productive but I also want to see the world and meet people, and I want to have solo time where I can think, ponder and write for myself. Sleep was also a topic. Getting enough sleep is important whereas the amount is dependent on one’s own preference. But this leads to the topic of when to go to bed, how much to be a night owl or early bird, or an in-between bird. For me it all came down to the day structure.

j j j

Sunday, January 1, 2017

012: Appreciate every new second (if you want to learn to move forward)

Appreciate every new second (if you want to learn to move forward)

If you want to learn to move forward in your life, learn to appreciate time first. Every second is a step forward. Time is your friend, not your enemy. Time shows you how to move on. You just do.

Tick tack, tick tack.

Think of time as a helping hand and not another stress factor. Time is working for you, not against you. When you receive a deadline to finish an assignment or client job, it is only stressful when the negotiated time was set too tight.

j j j

Saturday, December 31, 2016

011: Learn to invest

You have a small loss to get a big win (in the long run). That is how an investment works.

When I was in New Zealand 8 years ago I faced English. I was capable to speak it but not super well. I was an obstacle to myself because I had a fear of losing the skills of my mother tongue (German). I was naïve to think like that but it was why I did not fully dive into the language or immerse myself further into the country. I was constantly blocking myself.

I felt like a German snob in an English-speaking country, not like a learner wanting to immerse oneself into a foreign place, language and culture.

j j j