12. March 2019
I always felt a strong appetite to learn from other cultures and to seek the unknown. My numerous travels have taught me to adapt quickly in situations that change unexpectedly and to look beyond my own nose. As well as resilience, and the right mix of focus and flexibility. I thought it has well-armed me to face life, no matter what.
Until I got diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
24. April 2018
Successful people agree; beside hard work, focus, determination as well as flexibility, a great sense to learn new things and some strategic planning, it also needed the right combination of connections, circumstances and a pinch of luck to get them where they are today. Whereas the latter is out of our control, is self-management, the right approach to get things done and our attitude entirely our own responsibility. Where does it start?
15. February 2018
… and why we shouldn’t ignore those signs Sport, in my case especially outdoor, obviously tells us a lot about our physical fitness. It tells us if we are trained at all or not. And well-trained sportspersons immediately know if they are having a good day or not. But beside the physical aspects such kind of sport also tells us a lot about our mental state. I remember a particular day I went snowboarding on my own. And like mostly when I go on my own I don’t take many breaks and like to...
30. January 2018
Maybe I am the only one coming up with such an analogy but somehow, being caught for hours in a tiny aeroplane seat (speaking of economy class), together with a lot of strangers for hours, can create something calming - because we all share something in common; being constipated in confined spaces, all facing the same destiny for the next couple of hours. No one really loves it yet probably most of us do it voluntarily, again and again. Me inclusive; many long-haul flights year after year....
30. January 2018
1. Trust! I remember that early morning on a mountain in Indonesia; with a group of early-birds I climbed a vulcano to watch sunrise high above the clouds. On top, I sat next to a woman from Japan. When I asked her where she works she replied in an office in Iraq. Not quite the answer you’d expect. I asked her if she wasn’t afraid to live and work in a place so highly war and terror affected – she looked at me and said; “no, because I don’t die, I won’t die there. When they asked me...
21. December 2017
When I lived with a Thai family during my voluntary service I was particularly amazed about my host mother. A vivid, cordial short woman in approximately her late 60ies. She was very blithesome, curious, diligent and keen to learn new things. But what has touched me the most was her incredible attentiveness.
12. November 2017
is it really all the cortisol? Many gender debates argue men act generally better under pressure than women do, evolution-related. Or in connection with other typical men attributes. I guess we won’t settle this debate today and I doubt that it is necessary at all. However, digging in this topic there are some interesting aspects and findings (only a selection be presented here):
27. August 2017
What are we truly able to understand? Recently I read a very important and thought-provoking book by the German journalist and author Charlotte Wiedemann; "Vom Versuch nicht Weiss zu schreiben". If I’d translate the book’s title word by word into English it would probably be “on the attempt of not writing white”. It is a book about how our media, the industry (and the journalists themselves) form, affect and influence our world view. It particularly tries to emancipate from the tight...
04. June 2017
It might be an unconscious inspiration… How do you react if a customer blames you for everything’s gone wrong and requires an instant compensation act from you or your boss wants you to come up with a –at first glance- unrealistic solution? Especially if the situation requires immediate action stay calm and take a step back; it is easier said than done, but I’ve learnt that mindfulness is the key. It can help you a lot and within minutes. So I take a moment and ask myself; how do I feel...
15. May 2017
It was one of those evenings... after a long, hot and busy day in Bangkok. I was tired from organising things and walking around in the vibrant streets of Thailand’s capital - and I was only partly successful in what was on my list for that day. When I left the hotel in the morning I was dressed up, felt fresh, motivated and energised. Now I was soaked up with sweat and yes, I felt dispirited. Things were not going like I wished they would. Tired and down as I was when I opened the door to my...