Episodes

Our inner critic both drives us and hols us back. In well-defined environments, our inner critic lets us push forward relentlessly. But when there is risk involved, a chance that things may not work out, the inner critic likes to talk us out of it. We need to let the critic speak, so we become aware of it. But he or she should not have the final say.

A great quote by Machiavelli inspires us to think about the mistakes we are making. Are we making errors because we underestimated a risk or because we didn't take responsibility? Mistakes of ambition are teaching moments, while mistakes of laziness never take us beyond our comfort zone.

We are obsessed with productivity these days. And not only at work anymore. We also want to maximize our free time so we can accomplish all the goals we set for ourselves. But despite all the fancy Apps, tools, hacks an tricks at our fingertips, many of us still don'd get our stuff done. I have on go-to productivity tool thats as simple as can be and I use it every day. Its key in helping me reach my goals.

Even when we know that our doing would be for the best, it may not be what is needed. We want to do good, we want to help, but sometimes, we need to accept that it is not what the other person or the situation requires. Sometimes we just need to be.Be there, listen, show support. Without doing. Letting go of what we think is best, and allow life to take its course.

Just because we are working on our goals, often at night and on weekends, doesn't mean we can't have fun. But our fun will change - from superficial time fillers to fun with purpose. the kind of fun that others may consider boring, but that helps us grow and get even closer to our goals and dreams.

Starting a conversation with a person you don't know can be scary. Yet the few times I have done so, I have had surprising outcomes. I made new friends, found solutions to problems I didn't even plan on solving when i initiated the talk, and gained insights and new perspectives I previously didn't have. You have nothing to lose - so start these interactions more frequently and see for yourself the interesting turns your life will take.

Do you complain a lot? Maybe not out loud to others, but to yourself? I realized I complain more than I like. What we think is just a statement, an observation or an explanation, might actually come across to another person as a complaint. Especially if they have a stake in what we are commenting on. I found an answer to my complaining dilemma with the Stoics, and I hope you find it useful as well.

When we spend time with the best, we become our best. They are the people who push us, who give us constructive criticism, and who strive to become better every day. If we want to reach our big, lofty goals, we need those people in our lives. They may not be easy to find, and it may require a lot of hard work to get into their circle, but its worth it. One hour with the best can lead to exponential growth in our life.

Have you noticed that you are not always focusing on the areas that you say matter most? The Attention Matrix by Neen James will help you get clear on your priorities. In a few words, you will spell out where your focus is - on a personal level, in your professional life, and with your global vision. Its a valuable tool that challenges us to spell out what we are about.

What percentage of potential would you like to have? This is the question we need to ask ourselves when we decide between risk and reward, between short-term fun and long-term gain. I devised an equation for risks and rewards which shows that the risk is minimized when we look a little harder for the reward that may not yet seem obvious. And that is - our potential.

I am busy. But I am afraid to say so because the somehow the word busy has a bad rep. I look at it a bit closer in this episode and thanks to a recent post by Seth Godin, I have come to terms with busy. It never feels good to the person we are to busy for. But when we are busy, we are, ideally, doing something important. And this has to take priority.

A recent email by meditation guru Light Watkins revealed 4 truths about conflict that I find helpful. Any difficult encounter with a loved one contains these 4 truths and before we jump into judgement, react with strong emotions or make incorrect assumptions, we need to go through these truths. They have the power to redirect the outcome of the conflict into an unexpected direction.

I have learned that most conflicts in my life are my responsibility. I can always make a better effort through my responses, my expectations, and my actions. But we have to do the inner work. We have to look for the lesson in each conflict and then reflect on it. If we are not willing to work on ourselves, conflicts will continue to repeat themselves.

Two recent articles made me reflect on the subjective nature of our experiences. Yet we believe they are the universal wisdom. And the we try to impose our views on others, or fail to listen when they share their experiences that may be different from ours. This episode is a gentle reminder for all of us that just because we know its true, its not true fro everyone else.

When you allow your mind to pick the station, it will play whatever it likes. It will take you down memory lanes and before you know it, you're in a bad mood, frustrated, depressed or even angry. Our mind is powerful because it can determine how we feel and act. Therefore, it needs to be controlled. Don't allow it to seek whatever it wishes. You decide where you want it to go.

How do we know who to listen to in critical moment - the brain or the heart? Often we dismiss the heart as irrational. But yet, we all at times go by our intuition. Science supports the notion that our heart should be included in our decisions and I share a few tips on how we can balance heart and brain better.

You don't have to start anything. You can wait until the circumstances are perfect, until you feel ready and everything falls into place. Or you can start. Somewhere. Anywhere. With a terrible first effort. But its an effort. And it will get better as you keep refining it.

We argue, we fight, we get all fired up in our often difficult interactions with other human beings. We want to be right and we want to control the outcome somehow. I have found that a simple apology is the best ending to a challenging interaction. While it sound like you are giving in or giving up, an apology allows you to let go of managing the outcome.

When walking on a lonely beach, many of us turn around and admire our footprints in the sand. We admire the path we created. Its the unbeaten path - the one we have not walked before. Thats the one we create because we don't follow someone else's footsteps - we forge our own way.

Making ourselves uncomfortable on purpose? Its not the first thing that comes to mind. But what if its exactly what we need to do in order to get started with the thing we have been wanting to do for so long? What if we purposely go out of our way to take the longer, more difficult route home? On this episode I challenge you to go for something uncomfortable in the upcoming days and then look back to see how it feels. It may prompt you to do more of it.

A to-do list can help us focus and get stuff don't. But it can also grow to an extend where we are unable to accomplish everything on that list. That is where a to-don't list can come in handy. It contains those things that hold us back from getting our priorities done. These are the things we agree to not do - like always helping others before doing our own work.

True growth comes from discomfort. And while it may be a painful in the beginning, in the end is always rewarding because of everything we have learned from the experience. Without some discomfort, life is easy and predictable. Risk and uncertainty make my days more interesting and exciting.

Sometimes we get stuck. We don't know where to go from here. I have three elements in my life that help me get unstuck every time. In this episode, I share specific activities with you around each one that can hep you too. When we need direction, we need to seek connection. Its often the distraction with mindless matters that creates distance from our goals, so we need to reconnect.That connection can be with nature, with other people, or with ourselves.

In a world that is all about results and checking off to-do's, we easily get caught in busyness. It feels great to create lists and schedules. But without noticing, we are running rounds in a hamster wheel - every day the same without ever reaching the next level. Our busyness keeps us trapped and distracted. We need to go out of our way to pause so we can get clear on where we really want to go.