Something put you into this life. I assume it was your mom and dad. You may not like life because life is not always like you want it to be. It feels like that it has ups and downs, and you struggle, you have pains, you get injured and fall down. And it’s so hard to get up again because the floor is so comfy.

Is it really? Here is what it means if you prefer to stay on the ground and become comfortable laying there.

You see how all other people are passing by. They’re moving towards something (ideally their goals), you’re not. Your perspective is bottom-up instead of top-down, you’re losing overview. You make yourself vulnerable for basically anything: starting with giving your opponents a lot of area to kick and punch you (if you imagine a martial arts scenario) and looking miserable for people who once admired you for what you are — where’s your attitude? Gone?!

I’m not saying you should be a strong rock in the coast showing no tears and only being brave, but I want you to be able to stand up when you’ve been defeated, clean your face when it’s full of your opponent’s spit, and walk your way despite the obstacles.

Last night I learnt how to gain a success mindset, and I want you to absorb and internalize that.

The take-away from today: You can only defeat yourself when you’re on your way to become the best in your field. The best can only be defeated by the next best. Make sure you’re always the best that follows.

This was episode 19 of the #weekdaykickoff. Every Monday-Friday morning. Colombian time. Until episode 5 I also audio-recorded on Anchor, you can find me there as “Alexander Kluge”.

I’m currently in a phase where I pay a lot of attention to tiny signals, unseen messages and unexpressed words. The other day I was on the countryside of Colombia where I observed a man I talked to before the other day. My little Spanish allowed me to have a small chit-chat.

In our next encounter I hadn’t talked to him directly but he had a message for me on the back of his white shirt with black letters and some yellow. It said:

Pensando en grande

First I thought it was associated to God. Catholicism in Colombia is huge. Finding a non-believer is rather rare then common. I’m not a believer in a particular religion.

However, the notion sticked for a few days. This is the first time I’m writing it down here. Why? Because I believe in thinking big, going the long walk, running the marathon, wanting more out of life and constantly pushing myself to stay hungry and willing to pursue what I write down.

The take-away from today: Don’t be afraid to set high goals. Don’t be afraid to reach higher than others. Don’t be afraid to be on top, but make sure you don’t lose touch to the ground. Reach high and remember the journey it took you to get there. Always stay humble. Don’t become an asshole. Your mind has already reached your goal. Let reality catch up.

This was episode 18 of the #weekdaykickoff. Every Monday-Friday morning. Colombian time. Until episode 5 I also audio-recorded on Anchor, you can find me there as “Alexander Kluge”.

Provoking is about challenging the status quo, putting the authority into question, looking behind the curtain. At the very least, provocation is about expressing curiosity and asking why.

Provoke daily. Remember what kids are doing. They’re testing what is possible. So provoking is also seeing how far you can come. You can provoke yourself, although notions like “going to the limit” may be more appealing.

Provoking doesn’t mean to harm someone. It means to evoke a reaction, to force a reaction.

And if people don’t react to your provocation? You can continue until they do, or you can pause and find a better moment.

The take-away from today: Provoking is curiosity in action. Just being curious and not doing something about is passive and won’t bring you further. If you’re truly curious about a topic you ask those nasty questions, you ask more than 3 times why and you make sure you get your curiosity satisfied. Provoke, but don’t harm.

This was episode 17 of the #weekdaykickoff. Every Monday-Friday morning. Colombian time. Until episode 5 I also audio-recorded on Anchor, you can find me there as “Alexander Kluge”.