I’ve been reading Alain de Botton’s book Status Anxiety. And a great book it is. With the help of philosophers, artists and writers, the book examines the origins of status anxiety (ranging from the consequences of the French Revolution to our secret dismay at the success of our friends), before revealing ingenious ways in which people have learnt to overcome their worries in their search for happiness. It aims not only to be entertaining, but wise and helpful as well. In this speech he displays some of what’s in the book, only very much compressed and in high speed – as all speakers at TED, who are given so little time for the many things they have to say. Nonetheless, I hope it will inspire you and if you like, you can check out Status Anxiety here (and our Dutch readers here).

Whatever it is you want to do, you can think about that for days, weeks or even years. You can analyze it, make plans for it, come up with al kinds of strategies and theories. But it is until the moment you actually get into action, you’re not getting anywhere. In order to really get ahead, there is one simple thing you have to do. You have to get started.
Now I don’t own a pair of Levi’s jeans and this commercial won’t make me buy one either. Still, I really like the commercial. It’s actually a mini movie. The images are beautiful, the voice-over is soothing and the words spoken remind us of what’s so easily forgotten: to live life, your life.

What tunes will get the party started? That’s a question you can ask yourself every day, in every situation. You can wait for someone else to play some music, hoping that you’ll like it. But it’s your party, so you decide. Play whatever makes you feel good and dance your way through the day.
“If you worried about falling off the bike, you’d never get on”, said Lance Armstrong. The seven time Tour de France winner knows like no other that in order to win, you must focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. As for Danny Macaskill… well, he for sure is focussing on what he wants. It’s amazing what he does with his bike, how he does it so precise and how he makes it look so easy.

Bob Marley once said: “When one door is closed, don’t you know, another is open”. Every door is a gateway to opportunity. Even a closed door, for it sets you in motion one way or another. A door is a chance to explore, to enter a new space where you can meet new people, learn new things and what not. Even when that door seems unattractive to you at first, open it and a discovery can be made.