Censorship

If you ask my family and friends, they’ll probably tell you that I’ve always done whatever came to mind.

I left my village in Germany to go and live in the US. I left Disney after twenty years to set up my own business.

In actual fact, all you see are the projects that have passed censorship. My censorship.

We are the worst rejecters of our most cherished ideas. The board of directors in our heads is forever pointing out all the stuff that might not work!

Imagine if I’d given it my all instead of holding back with my endless “you can’t, that’s ludicrous, who do you think you are, making yourself out to be so important?” and my favourite “what will people say?”

My board of directors is always highly critical and I questioned everything so many times before taking the plunge.

After the confinement, I’ve decided not to listen to my censorious directors anymore.

What about you? Want to give it your all?

Never enough?

“We can never have enough of things that we don’t really need.” David Allen

An Aperol Spritz? I don’t really need it, but when my glass is empty, I wouldn’t say no to a refill.

Another pair of shoes? Given my existing collection, I don’t need them and I haven’t got any more storage space.

A pay increase? I already earn good money, do I really need it?

This summer, I decided to go over the things that I never have enough of. Then I changed the way I looked at it and asked myself if I really needed them. The answer was always the same. No.

This simple indicator is like a homing device to seek out clutter that never really brings us any satisfaction.

It’s helped me change a lot of my habits.

What about you? What do you feel you never have enough of that you need to re-consider?

Thank you

This summer I read an interesting article about thanking people rather than apologising to them.

This is how it works:

“Sorry I’m late” becomes “thank you for waiting for me.”

“Sorry to have bothered you” becomes “thank you for giving me your time.”

“Sorry I’ve talked so much” becomes “thank you for listening to me.”

I realise how much I apologise all the time instead of thanking all the wonderful people around me.

What about you? Who would you like to thank from the bottom of your heart instead of apologising for who you are?

Thank you for taking the time to read what I’ve written!

Go ahead!

“Go ahead!” suggests Dominique, the owner of the two horses that we are riding. I get my mare to move forward and suddenly I’m in the lead.

Now I’m responsible for the pace of our horses, low branches blocking the way, slippery drain covers and a multitude of small decisions that I have to make during our ride.

This involves asking myself some questions that are new to me – am I going too fast? Am I putting my horse or the rider behind me in danger? I am a bag of nerves.

Whether you’ve just been promoted to a more senior job or become a parent or a house owner, a new responsibility only becomes real when you actually start doing it.

The way I see the person who usually leads us on our rides has radically changed. I will stop underestimating and even criticising their role as I used to before doing it myself.

What about you? What role might you be underestimating because you have never done it yourself?

Your vehicle

A road traffic lawyer amazed me with an unusual comparison. She told me that she draws a parallel between what happens to your vehicle and what happens to you. She sees accidents, scratches, dents and other mishaps as signs of what is going on in her clients’ lives.

Being hit from behind could be about the past catching up with you. Crashing into a post is a sign of an obstacle that you refuse to see. Jumping a red light means that you might not be paying attention to signs.

Sounds a bit mystical for a lawyer but every time she mentions this to her clients, they totally understand where she’s coming from.

What about you? What does the way you drive say about the way you live?