February 2024

How will you know if you never try

We all have 100 good ideas and dreams as humans. Personally, I would like to start my own café every time I walk into a cute coffee place. I already envision myself as the owner and part-time barista welcoming customers. Other times I see something online and I think to myself, I could do a better job at this. I know the audience better. But the truth is: how will we know the outcome if we never try?

Priorities

Before you try

Where to start

Okay so now the fun part. Suppose you have your priorities straight and you are done with all the planning and preparations. Then comes the time to walk to that starting line and take off. But in reality, this can be really scary. No worries below you can find helpful ways to kick-start your idea.

1 | Allow yourself 5 failures a day

2 | The beginner’s mind

No regrets

Another incentive to start is the realization that if you don’t start, you won’t know how good it gets. We all know the quote: “What if I fail? Oh darling, but what if you fly.” You need to ask yourself whether the cost of not trying weighs heavier than the cost of regret. And with that, I leave you this week. I hope this article was helpful to you!

Source image: Unsplash, Jared Poledna

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Harsh Truth: Life goes on

Time doesn’t stop for anybody. Sometimes we would very much like it to pause for a moment though. In this life, we will all experience loss or a traumatic situation. And as much as we would like to “move on from it”, we would also like to take a minute and process. But the harsh truth is that time doesn’t stop for anybody. For everyone the threshold is different. Also, the situation where loss is being experienced may differ from person to person. Having kids can be challenging. Losing someone you love dearly can be heartbreaking.

Sex and the city

This comparison is for my Sex and the City women. Remember when in Sex and the City 2 Charlotte was so overwhelmed with having two kids and societal expectations on what a nanny should look like? She reached her limits while making cupcakes and went into the pantry to grab something, but in hindsight, she just needed a minute (find the clip below).

Personal loss

However, after a while, you have to get back up. Because in reality life, or rather, time goes on. In business everybody is replaceable. But more importantly if you stay too long in that rut, you will miss out on so many beautiful new memories. This is also very apparent when you have young kids around you. They won’t wait for you to take their first steps or to say their first words. And when you aren’t present you will miss a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Reach your full potential

You are also doing yourself a disservice when you are not getting everything out of this life. I once heard Rob Dial mention the following in his podcast. “When someone dies, all the unused potential dies with them.” We are still here so we owe it to ourselves, and maybe even the person that passed away, to do the best we can to reach our full potential.

Source image: Unsplash, Maico Amorim

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Peace: to be calm at heart

This month’s newsletter is centered around why certain clichés are true. One of them is to protect your peace. And while some might think: this feels too zen for me. It is in fact the very base of attaining happiness or succes. Because you can’t pour from an empty cup but contradictory you also can’t fill a cup that is already full.

Pouring from an empty cup

Oh gosh, another cliché. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Imagine this, we are looking at a movie where someone is constantly doing the same thing. Where the character’s daily routine is very boring. Even the character themselves are not enjoying the activities they are doing. This is very hard to watch and even more difficult to live. Some people are burned out or miserable living their own lives. Their peace is compromised. Now for them, it is time to change things up. To conduct a new activity or maybe a change of scenery.

Filling the cup

On the contrary, you can’t fill a cup that is already full. Which refers to the fact that when you are already overworked, are dealing with too much stress, you can’t really handle much more. For example, you had a busy day at the office and your colleague then asked you to handle another project. You do it anyway because you can show your expertise to more people in management. Then, on your way to your commute, you find out that the train has a 20-minute delay… Which is going to make you arrive late at a friend’s birthday party. You arrive at the party but honestly, you look tired and are not even enjoying the company around you.

Now I’m not saying that you have carte blanche to blame your grumpy behavior on these events. Because at the end of the day, you are responsible for the way you act. But we have to realize that we can’t enjoy the moment when our social battery is running low. Therefore, protect your peace and prevent yourself from becoming too overworked.

Peace is the base of everything

Whether you want to empty your cup or fill it up, you have to prioritize your peace. Now first, let’s establish a definition of peace. To have peace is to be calm at heart. This can be established by setting boundaries on these aspects:

Mind

  • decrease screen time
  • read 1 book a month
  • guided meditation
  • surround yourself with positive people
  • saying “no” more often
  • cleanse your space
  • write things down
  • self-care day

Body

  • strech daily
  • more your body more
  • cut out fast food
  • go for a relaxing massage
  • nourish your body

Soul

Source image: Unsplash, Mahosadha Ong

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Do the best until you know better

We tend to torture ourselves with past events. For example, when we gain new knowledge or insight. We like to dwell on how things could’ve been if we had that information sooner. But guess what … you didn’t. So why would you even entertain that thought? Instead, try to think of ways to become better now.

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was a writer of beautiful poems amongst others and an activist. She had so much wisdom. Every time I read or watch something of her work, I catch myself contemplating the message behind it. One of her best-known works is the poem: “And still I rise”. Another phrase she wrote is: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” I first encountered this quote while listening to an episode of Super Soul Sunday with Oprah. Below is the interview with Maya Angelou where she shares a lifetime of advice in 40 minutes.

Do the best you can until you know better

Now back to the quote related to this post. When you do the best you can, it also brings you peace because you can let go in a way. This way you can look back without any regrets. It also may give you a feeling of giving it your all in the present moment.

Then when you know better, do better

When you have gained that new insight, you owe it to yourself to do better. Because if you live by the phrase: “do the best you can”. You have to constantly improve. It is also fun to actively find new ways to innovate and gain relevant knowledge.

5 AM club

Source image: Unsplash, Karolina Grabowska

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