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”.

Easier said than done, right? Definitely true, and I’ve been a victim of it as well. Especially when you spend the weekend working and building up your energy is not so much the case. This is what I recommend writing to my exhausted self who was too lazy to wake up early today.

Think of what you want to accomplish

You don’t get motivation just by feeling motivated. You get motivated when you have a clear goal in mind, a goal you really want to go. If you didn’t reach it, you would lose the game of life. And you don’t want to lose in your own life – in the game where you set the rules, don’t you?

Manage your energy well

Pushing your hustle over the limits only one day, will result in lacking energy for the next day and probably the days after. You have to recover once you stretched it too much. Rather, find a moment to stop for the day, so you can continue with fresh eyes, a recovered body and a rested mind tomorrow. There’s no rush. “Build for the long term.”

Positive thoughts are the basis for moving forward

If you set your mind into negativity, you allow to let enter strangers into your house you wouldn’t want to have there. They may appear charming at first but will destroy your furniture, your kitchen, bedroom, heck, the whole house construction will suffer and your house eventually end in fire.

To say it in softer words:

Negativity is a blanket of thorns we use to try and shield us from the world. It never works, it never lasts, and it never satisfies. — Cory Miller on Twitter

The take-away from today: You only have a certain amount of energy, a certain amount of life time. Do you want see yourself nagging your nails in the corner out of frustration, or be the hero on stage proudly standing there because of what you accomplished? Hint: Negative thoughts won’t help you that much.

This was episode 16 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”.