Quest For You

We consume, but we hardly do anything with all the information we consume. We don't create. We don't apply the information we browse, surf, listen to and read every day. Thankfully, we have access to every piece of knowledge we ever wanted to know. But what are we doing with it? 

There is magic in creation. In applying what we know. In helping others with what we learned. The key is to start. To find out why a particular interests us and then DO something with this passion. And as we turn acquired knowledge into action, we continue to learn, but now, in a more focused manner.

Success. Failure. Two extremes we don't experience regularly. Because we like our comfort zone. and from there we admire those that achieve noteworthy success and we wonder how we can do the same. When we know how to. Because we have done it before. In the critical moments in our life - we have stepped up. We achieved greatness and worked through hardship. We did it - step by step. The same formula applies when we want to take our life to the next level.

We need a reason for getting up. We need a purpose and a vision that drive us. Instead of falling into each day, into events that are already taking place, without our doing, and that carry us along, shake us around and leave us sometimes high, sometimes dry - we need to drive. And we can only drive when we have a purpose - a reason for getting up.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge." Einstein famously said. Why? Because our knowledge is known. Its safe. Its what is. What we don't yet know is on the other side of knowledge. And imagination is the bridge between the two. Imagination can get us to what we don't yet know. By opening our minds, we become curious. And once we are curious, we begin searching. And soon we are on the other side - with new skills, new knowledge and closer to our purpose.

Our identity is part of us but rarely do we think about it. When we get defensive, however, it can be a sign that our identity feels threatened. And when we then argue based on our emotions, our identity gets in the way of a healthy dialogue that should be based on logic instead of feelings. If we leave our identity out more, I believe it will serve us better in our human interactions. Especially, since our identity cannot be trusted as a source of truth.

Why the Quest For You? After over 400 episodes I figured we should talk about my purpose with my vision. The quest for you is the return to yourself. Instead of looking to the outside to give you direction for your life, you look within. You listen to yourself and what you like and then you go out into the world and play, experiment and discover. I lost myself in all the distractions this world has to offer. But I found myself when I tuned it all out and instead follow my inner guidance system, This is the journey I am on, and this is the journey I want to invite you to join.

When it comes to procrastination, we don't need more motivation. We need strategies that help us bridge the gap between idea and action, when willpower fails us. I have 3 of those strategies for you in this episode and I use them all the time when I struggle following through.

I came across the concept of Akrasia, which means "weakness of will." It happens when we procrastinate, when we don't do what we say we will do, when we fail to follow through.

Often we are good about following up with our promises to others. But what about the promises we make to ourselves? Our goals, our commitments and our dreams. We delay them, we push them off, and we don't give them the importance they deserve. Because we like the idea about a future goal, but we dislike the actual discomfort associated with the short-term change.

Now that summer is here, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, we don't have an excuse anymore to not get out. Nature was always part of my life as a child, but then I was distracted by other things for many years. My quest for me has led me back to nature again as place of rest, healing and restoration. Nature just is, and teaches us to just be. We don't need to do anything special - nature is completely free and available for everyone. And yet, we so often forget about it because we are chasing other distractions.

Before we begin something new, it can feel like we are entering a dark tunnel. We are uncertain what lies ahead. We are scared and don't know if we can do it. But for every BEFORE, there is an AFTER. Every tunnel has two ends. The darkness is in the middle and only lasts for a while. As long as we keep moving along, we will eventually reach the other end.

Recall anything you difficult you ever started or that you were faced with. Eventually you made it through. Like a tunnel you drive through.