I did. And I would like to take a moment to recognize it. There was physical courage: Because tens of thousands of people ran the Amsterdam Marathon. At the 35th kilometer, the body screams to stop—but the spirit prevails. I saw runners hit the wall, face their inner demons, and instead of giving up, they reached out a helping hand to each other. I saw people who have trained over the past months, pushing past their limits, not for glory, but for growth. There was moral coura

We are living policrises. And (at least some of us) we're living a very rich and comfortable life.  Surrounded by opposing political views, cyberattacks and armed conflicts - and although still living in a comfortable bubble, I am asking myself about the meaning of Einstein's quote:  The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it. Now, I am still too naïve to believe people are evil. I w

Is anything ever really new? We, the people , we make new things, or at least rearrange components and forms so profoundly that they do not look like anything they were made of. Like a car, a tank, a missile, or hyperscale data centers. In nature, on the other hand,  while the specific forms and arrangements of things may change, the underlying processes and fundamental elements remain relatively consistent, leading to renewal rather than entirely new creations. 'New´ things

In a world where global events ripple through our lives, impacting millions and creating waves of uncertainty, the ability to be truly present is becoming an ever more essential skill of resilience. The consequences of these developments can touch any of us at any moment, making it all the more important to find grounding in the here and now. This morning, during a sunny tai chi class in the park, 'presence' was palpable. Parents with young children gathered around a small po

The beauty of life is that we always have a choice. If the world’s developments are overwhelming, we can zoom in on ‘what can I do?’. There are endless opportunities to contribute causes you feel passionate about, to give. The two main ways are (1) with time, energy and skills (2) financial contribution. So many initiatives depend on volunteering, donating time and skills is precious. Most neighborhoods have a range of volunteering opportunities: visiting elderly, helping wit

It's winter. Rainy. The sea is choppy. The wind gusts almost knock me off my bike. (Question to self: How can we be to intelligent, but not be able to tame the elements here on Earth?) The sea forms the shore, the river carves the landscape, the sun gives life and takes it. Water replenishes but also drowns. The elements are in a constant dance, in a flow, always changing, never exactly the same again. They have no intentions, no consciousness. They simply are. They have been

You could say, what a strange timing with the holiday season, why talk about failure? My point is, it's exactly when stakes and emotions are high is that introspection can be a trusted advisor. Failures taste bitter. They can give room to frustration, anger, or a sense of injustice.  Also, failures trigger us to recalculate our coordinates, to take stock, to assess if we are still on the right track. And... just like loyalty, failing is about 'who' and 'what'? Who am I loyal

At times loyalty can come across as an overly traditional or conservative virtue. After all, we live in fast times, it's adaptability that matters most. Loyalty also implies a loss of freedom to act freely... or does it? Loyalty - as per the dictionaries - is a feeling of support or duty, it is devotion. But you can be loyal to various things. What am I loyal to determines my priorities and can bring structure and clarity to my decisions and actions. I can be loyal to a cause

Things are not what they seem.  One can look strong. Act strong. Feel strong. Or be strong. Or even all of the above. Same for weakness. Especially if a person has not yet discovered their strength. Why  does it matter?  It helps us when we know where we are at. To assess if we are ready for a marathon, a sprint or none. Or even for an ironman. Physical strength is important, though I would swap any time it for health.  Real strength, though, is much more in the emotional and

Once in a while, it's good to take stock of all the good things that are, regardless of us being aware of them. Warmth. A cool evening in nature. Water. Abundant air to breathe. Music. Laughter. A good night sleep. Silence. The smell of flowers, of the forest. Health. Stars. Summer breeze. The ability to love. To connect and communicate. Our senses. Our intuition.  Being playful. Authenticity. Our ability to listen and to hear. To heal. Letting it all sink in with a content a

According to wikipedia, a paradigm shift is a fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline. My interpretation of it is that a person's paradigm shifts when they observe or realise something that fundamentally changes how they perceive everything around them. It feels like my head spins, in a good way, though. Everything (or nearly everything) suddenly makes (different) sense. My paradigm shift is the realisation that there ar

Observing myself and society at large, it seems we have a bit of an addiction problem with bigger, better, faster, more.  What is enough today, doesn't seem to be good enough tomorrow. What will you have achieved by next year this time? No time to waste! And then: from a happiness quote- calendar, my daughter read out to me: success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you have.  What a great definition of success and happiness next to each other!  It is so eas

It can sometimes feel impossibly difficult to live our values and principles, to exist in a setting where we feel we are hurtling down the wrong path. Where we feel every day is an uphill battle, swimming against the current.  But is it necessary to swim against the current? Water flows following the path of least resistance without changing itself, giving up on itself. What is there to learn from it? Maybe it is about finding ways forward without necessarily going against an

An ode to you, building a brighter tomorrow. Yes, to you! You, who lives to serve or serves to live. Who feeds others before themselves. Who takes the neighbour's dog out every day. Invites the neighbor for a meal. Takes care of the friends'  kids. Cares for the elderly. Raises funds for a charity. Volunteers for school activities. Organizes the neighborhood market. Smiles to a stranger. Lends a  compassionate hand. Gives a compliment. To you, who looks for the good in everyo

I heard the other day that slower melting ice cubes made of Arctic ice are chilling the drinks on some lucky few in the United Arab Emirates. And then earlier today watched a documentary about mining seabed nodules for their rare earth contents. Things that took millions of years to build, we consume in a split second. How come we do not sense the silent scream of our precious ecosystem? And now: Storm Isha is heading to town. Is there is a reason to be upset? Our senses are

Audacious statement. I used to get worried about a climate catastrophe, global civil unrest, extreme droughts and famine. And every time this apocalyptic thoughts hit me, I did my best to make them go away. To spring into action, to look at the bright side of things. I did my best to avoid feeling uncomfortable. But as they say, the only way out is through . Extreme weather events are on a daily menu these days. Wars, anger, aggression and pain are all around. Droughts and fl

I have recently heard that an adult makes on average 35,000 decisions a day. I have probably heard that before, but it sank in this time. 35 thousand decisions sounds overwhelming. Especially when we do not notice taking them, when we are sleepwalking through our lives. With all the news, social media, busy lives in the city, it's so overwhelming. But that's not what I felt when I thought about the 35 thousand decisions a day. I heard 35 thousand opportunities a day to chose

If you ask me, I could go on and on about the importance of warmth (compassion, empathy, non-judgement) and why things go south due to our collective focus on strength (decisiveness, directness, focus on getting things done). I can kid myself into believing that the financial sector is predominantly focused on strength, so working in the industry, I will just spend all the time preaching warmth. And that means, I am out of balance. In an effort of influence something beyond

Of course it's beautiful when people feel compelled to make the world a better place. To put their energy to work for a noble cause. So many people do so. So, is the world becoming a better place? Teal Swan says the world is in turmoil because we might be moving through the eye of the needle. But apparently, on the other side of this process, there is a place for humanity to live as awakened tribes. Wouldn't that be lovely?! Let's assume this is not true, we are headed for a

DW Made for minds has excellent programs. Like Made. Last weeks' edition looked at the concept of putting a price tag on trees or whales . This question is a central one behind Malmanka , but more importantly behind the work on the Impact-Weighted Accounts Framework . The basic premise is that as long as we do not price the value of a living tree or a whale, we do not account for the value (and impact) of these, and therefore are not incentivized to take care of it. A coup