Last month has been a quiet one on focusNjoy.com. I’ve been on a 25 day, very inspiring trip to the magical island of Bali, Indonesia. And what a journey it has been! I’ve been living in pure poetry, along with my wife, children (see the photo above) and some very close friends. It’s been a change of scenery that changed me for it showed me a way of life that I had not experienced before. And I don’t just mean the spiritual side of this island, it’s luscious nature and soothing climate, it’s kind people and really, really nice food. I mean the experience of having all the time and attention in the world to really be where you are. That struck me the most. It was luxurious. And so, I decided to absorb my experiences more than to express them. I wanted to live in the moment, not by self created deadlines. At first that made me feel restless, but soon the mostly absence of WiFi resolved that feeling of discomfort. What I’ve learned is that sometimes you have to travel far (in my case over 10.000 kilometers) to ultimately arrive within yourself. Like I said in this post: “Getting lost is a great way to find yourself”, only in this case I deliberately got lost. And that’s what I wish for all of you. To be able to deliberately get lost and feel free. To go some place, far or near, where you feel like you’re on a journey, cut off from everyday life. If not for 25 days, than at least for a moment. A weekend maybe. Or even an afternoon. Running around in the same circles makes the world seem small, but start walking long enough and you’ll discover it’s actually quite big. There is so much to discover that we remain unaware of due to daily duties. In the end, every journey will broaden your horizon and give you the feeling of having time you didn’t think you had. Anyway, I’m back. And I’m happy to be.
Dear everyone, in some parts of the world it already is 2012. In Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Europe, it will be in a couple of hours. I wish you all a very happy, healthy and inspirational new year!
Courage is often seen as a deed beyond belief, as something grand and heroic. And it’s easy to be lured into thinking that in order to be courageous, one has to do truly extraordinary things. But, I don’t think that is the case. Let me explain. It may be a very small thing to make a phone call, but if that phone call fills you with anxiety for some reason, it really is a major thing. And then all of a sudden that small thing takes great courage to do. Courage is defined as: “That quality of mind which enables you to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear, or fainting of heart; valor; boldness; resolution”. Courage is not defined as: “Risking your life to rescue someone from a burning house”. It may just as well be: “Walking into a room and speak up” or “Getting out of bed and start the day”. Courage is a personal thing and although it may be “a quality of mind”, I think it lives in the heart. Not only in the hearts of the strong, but in the hearts of each and everyone of us. I recently came across a fabulous quote: “Sometimes, all you need is 10 seconds of insane courage to change your life”. Insane courage? Yes, insane because you’re scared to death! It is that 10 seconds you actually dial the number and make the call, that 10 seconds you walk into that room and speak up, that 10 seconds you get out of bed and start the day. Only to find out later that these ’10 seconds of insanity’ did in fact ignite the spirit of your heart that let you transform your life.
Surely our first idea of waves, is what we see in the ocean. But in fact waves come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. And they are all around us. It can be a swelling of thought, feeling or energy. Like waves of enthusiasm, inspiration and passion. It can be the sound of a bird whistling. It can be the sight of a beautiful person, passing you by. It can be the smell of a heavenly flower, the taste of fresh coffee or the feeling of air touching your skin. To go short, I think every wave is a force of energy and every wave has the ability to carry you onward in life. So, find your wave and let it carry you. It can be the tiniest of things, unnoticed by anyone, but you. And if you can find it, it will find you. It will present you a happy thought, a moment of joy or a thrill of passion that sets your soul on fire.
When I saw ‘The beginning of Infinity’, a short film I posted a while ago, I got interested in Jason Silva. This young Venezuelan-American filmmaker, journalist and founding producer/host for Current TV, has views on human evolution that are as enthusiastic as they are interesting. He has a way of speaking and a sparkle in his eyes, that makes you want to explore life yourself. Well, it has that effect on me anyway. In this interview on Reason TV, he is asked about how new technologies such as the internet, affect human life. Silva says: “People have always sort of been scared of new technologies. “But in the end we assimilate them and they improve the quality of our lives.” I love this interview for it’s positive, energetic and to some extend hopeful message. Enjoy.
In The Netherlands we celebrate Christmas over a two day period – this is day two. So, since I’m still in the mood, here’s a short and adorable Christmas animation. And although Christmas is a Christian tradition, it’s spirit is universal. It’s a time to reflect, to be grateful, to be less selfish, more friendly and more kind. I think we can all agree these are fine values, no matter who you are, where you live or what beliefs you may have. So, I hope you’ll enjoy this and I wish you all happy (holi)days!
Here’s a little poem that I once wrote. I recently decided to post it (and analyze it’s meaning).
When I have an objective,
I will be much more effective,
when I keep being objective.
First, what exactly does being objective mean? It means: 1. (Philosophy) existing independently of perception. 2. undistorted by emotion or personal bias. 3. of (or relating to) actual and external phenomena as opposed to thoughts, feelings etc.. So, why is that important? Because when striving for an objective, it’s easy to get caught up in all kinds of distractions and assumptions. We become dependent of perception, we are distorted by emotion or worse: personal bias and we relate to our constantly changing thoughts as opposed to actual phenomena. To be objective, start with a clean sheet and keep it clean as long as you can – for it keeps you objective along the way.
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