As a practitioner you know what to buy, who to ask, how things work (and don’t) because you’re practicing. You’re getting your hands dirty, ask annoying „why“ questions and actually try things out.

As a non-practitioner, you superficially read about it in an article where someone else pre-chewed the information so the gum has become soft and easy to swallow. It’s ok to read about things beforehand. It’s good to get an idea about it.

Like pre-reading about the movie you’re willing to watch next Thursday, you wouldn’t want to only read about it but move your butt into the cinema hall, sit down, shut up and watch it. You don’t want to call yourself a film expert when the only thing you’ve seen were film reviews written by others. How much of a practitioner would you be? Read More

As a kid when you were selling juices, slices of bread, sports cards or traded your undesired birthday present against something cooler with more value you were acting as a merchant and a very clever person.

When I was kid I didn’t think of selling things. I had soccer in my mind all the time: from primary school on. Homework was important but getting out of the house was more important. On the weekends, I spent the whole day (7am-7pm) on the soccer field, only paused by a Döner Kebap break at noon.

Selling your workforce

Later on in high school, around 16, I started distributing newspapers and other kinds of papers — every Saturday morning. It was tough work but it was my first self-made money. Obviously, pocket money from my parents didn’t count. I don’t remember how much I made on this day but for those 6-8 hours it probably was less than 100 Deutsche Mark (the former currency in Germany). Read More

Your past achievements are worth nothing because what drives you today is what you’re doing now and after. Today and what will come is the only thing that counts. Use today to prepare for change so you’re well equipped for tomorrow’s world. This is what you do every day: change and prepare for change. This change will make you become an amateur again where you start from scratch.

Accordingly, you have not achieved a single thing (even if you did in other fields). It doesn’t count. Your past version, the one from yesterday or 10 years ago, has become irrelevant. Read More