Finding love is like a journey. A journey of two people, traveling to a certain place in time where they first lay eyes on each other. But to get to that place, can be a bumpy ride. In daily life, the things we do, the places we go, the moves we make: they appear to be so very different from what everybody else does. Especially when you’re single, it’s easy to see yourself as a ‘stand alone’, since all the people around you sooner or later move in a different direction. This film tells the story of a boy in Paris and a girl in New York. For sure, they are worlds apart, yet also completely synchronized when it comes to the things they things they do, the places they go and the moves they make. They may be alone, but in being alone, they are most certainly not the only one. And that in itself creates a connection between them. Will they find each other? Watch and find out. A little note on the creative aspect of this film: it was entirely shot using a Nokia N8 mobile phone. Wonderfully done. Enjoy.
This film is for you to relax. You’ll enter a pure, positive and peaceful atmosphere that can only come from love. It made me reflect on the rat race that is so typical for Western society. The constant hurry we seem to be in. The short attention span that we have, running from one thing to another. And about the pressure of making a career and money. Watching this film made me forget about all that completely. At least for 3 minutes and 56 seconds. So enjoy, unwind, feel free and… be surprised.
Walt Disney is an inspiration to me. And I don’t mean Walt Disney the billion dollar entertainment company. I mean Walt Disney the guy, the man, the person. The first thing Wikipedia says about him is: Walter “Walt” Elias Disney (1901-1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. I mean… that’s quite an impressive list of qualities right? Why do you think the list is so long? It’s because what he wanted, was never done before. It was considered impossible so he had to try, invent, create and do many things by himself first. And in doing so, he literally turned the impossible into fun for millions to enjoy. He lived by his own creed: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Or as he later said about his – by then very successful – company: “Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.” How about that. A dream and a mouse. So, what’s your dream?
Here’s a fun and interesting film about deception. For most of us the word deception has a negative connotation. To deceive someone or to be deceived is considered wrong, for it is dishonest. But that is not necessarily so. The magician Karl Germain (1878-1959) once said: “Magic is the only honest profession. A magician promises to deceive you and he does”. In this film you’ll see Swiss magician Marco Tempest using 3 iPods to deceive you or better: to create magic.
Some days I really feel like dancing and I throw myself on that floor to make some confident moves. There are also days I prefer to stay in the background, making just a little step, or two. I’ve had days where at first I wanted to be invisible, finding myself transformed an hour and a half later, making the craziest moves. There are days I just don’t catch the rhythm, no matter how hard I try. And there are days I really don’t want to dance, but I’m forced to anyway. And then there is style. Dancing comes in all kinds of styles, just like living. One style isn’t better then the other, it’s what makes you feel good that counts. And watching these people dance, reminded me of just that.
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.
Enter the gates of the Burning Man Festival, a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, USA. Wikipedia says: “The event is described by many participants as an experiment in community, radical self-expression and radical self-reliance. In my own words: it’s a celebration of jaw dropping creativity from people all over the world. This video is like a road trip, giving you an impression, with the both uplifting and melancholic remix of the song ‘Hide and Seek’ by Imogen Heap, as the perfect soundtrack. For more information about the festival, check out this.
People are vulnerable as individuals and as a species. And fighting vulnerability is useless. No matter how hard you try. Simply because you can’t control everything and so your life can turn upside down at any moment of any day. You may be the King of the World, the Smartest Woman in the Universe or the Sexiest Man Alive; it won’t help. You can however hide from it. And most of us do. Behind a fancy job title, nice car or house. Interesting friends, a busy agenda, designer clothes or healthy hipster life style, but sooner or later vulnerability will find you. So what can you do? Well, it’s simple.
Simply face it and embrace it. Because when you embrace it, you no longer need to fight it. You no longer need to run or hide from it, by keeping up appearances and putting energy in this hopeless attempt to avoid the discomfort of feeling it. You can now be as you are, vulnerable, instead of pretending not to be. The way I see it: vulnerability is indestructible. So by letting it in and become a part of you, in a way that makes you indestructible. Daring to be vulnerable gives you power to be.
Are you alive?
From time to time it’s good to ask yourself: “Am I alive?” Because it’s not uncommon to just be busy doing what you’re always doing. To be caught up in a routine. And that routine may very well result in hours, days, weeks, months or even years of living, without actually being alive. Because there’s more to living, than just breathing. Imagine someone in a coma and it becomes clear… I recently attended a re-birthing workshop and I experienced the difference between A) normal breathing: a mostly shallow, kind of mechanic and unconscious way of getting the bare minimum of oxygen ‘shots’ and B) breathing with full awareness, in a rich flow, organic and fully open to receive life’s energy in all it’s splendor. It let me experience the meaning of the phrase: “Just because you breathe, doesn’t mean you’re alive”. And so I challenge you, as I challenge myself, to wonder: am I really alive or mostly just busy breathing?
Who am I… or rather, what am I?
I guess you’re familiar with this sensation: one moment you feel great, and the next… well not so great. I sometimes feel like I’m nothing and sometimes I feel as though I’m everything. It’s a really fine line, much like it is with being crazy or brilliant. John Lennon had a nice way of putting it. He said: “Part of me suspects I’m a loser. The other part of me thinks I’m God Almighty”. I wrote a post about that one too. Anyway. A couple of days ago, I stumbled upon the “I, a universe of atoms…” quote by the American physicist Richard P. Feynman (1918 – 1988). And it’s stuck in my head ever since. Because to me his words are both mind blowing and heart warming. The thought of “I” being a tiny, stand alone atom – and an infinite, whole universe at the same time, blows my ego off it’s socks. Because “I” isn’t (only) the ‘earthly me’. “I” is a single atom and an entire universe, completing one another. Think about that when you’re looking at yourself in the mirror. So yes, it’s a quote I gratefully meditate on. It’s so simple and yet so deeply profound. It makes me feel humble and larger than life at the same time – it’s liberating. Look at us humans. Look at you, look at me. We are both nothing and everything. Again. That’s just… wow.
focusNjoy #122: Stop searching, start finding
Imagine you’re looking for something, but you can’t find it. Annoying. Yes. Very. But then, maybe you’re not supposed to find it. Or maybe you’re just looking in the wrong place. Or maybe… you already found it, but you don’t realize it yet. Whatever the reason is, you might want to stop searching. Why? Well think about it: as long as you’re busy searching – you’re not… finding!
A fresh start for focusNjoy
Dear friends, it’s been more than a year since my last post! Honestly, I needed the break but a lot of good things have happened to me in the meantime. Apart from a great time at Eyeworks Netherlands, where I worked as a Senior Creative with some great people at the Program Development Team, it were exciting times for me personally as well. Too much to tell you in one post. But I will share more in the coming months, because it’s been truly transformational.
I’m planning on a brand new start of focusNjoy at the end of April. And this time, I intend to actually make some money haha – because running an ad-free blog is great, but from a financial point of view it wasn’t a success and one of the reasons for me to get back to television. Later in 2014 I intend to finally start with my workshops in Amsterdam. I’m super excited about that but let’s see how things develop. Anway – I’m back and I’m feeling fresh. Hoping to hear from you – always feel free to send me an email and say hi!
