The Game Winning Shots Of Life

A few points in life you have to prove what you’re made of. The rare occasions that truly test you: a tragic loss, the last attempt in an important test, the assessment center for the job you really really want, the conversation that decides if you two divorce or not, the birth of your child, the day your best friend truly needs your support, ...

A few times in life you have to DELIVER.

These occasions are the switches of life: you either move in one direction or another; this path or that one; live that life or a slightly different one...

Sometimes in life delivering, making things happen, closing, finishing is ALL that counts - yet what makes ALL the difference for the future.

You could call these events:

the “Game Winners of Life” -  the final free throws, match points, and auditions of destiny.

Now or never - here - it counts. “Do or die” - as they say.

Here are the only pieces of advice I can give you (in case you think back to this post when the time is right):

Best of luck for these lonely days, dark nights and exhausting events.

Your m (sharing those moments with each and every one of you out there!)

Life in Liquids

Milk.

Juice.

Coke.

Beer, Cocktails & Shots.

Gin & Tonic.

Coffee & Water.

Water & Wine.

Tea. Just Tea.

Times change, so do the beverages we consume - always according to what the great barkeeper has in store for us.

What we drink tells us pretty straightforward where we are coming from, where we are right now and what might still lie ahead of us. 

This is nothing but normal and no reason to worry at all - as long as you stick to one good advice:

You must never lose your thirst for life! Everything else is nothing but a question of glasses, cups, bottles, and cans.

Your m, still somewhere between coke and coffee - looking forward for the drinks to come...

Bruce Lee, actor, film director, martial arts instructor/legend, and philosopher.

According to this idea we are living in a world of fools today.

One where likes count as much as friends do. Where the number of followers is a status symbol and an aphrodisiac. One where most people stage their highlights claiming to be their normal…

Your m (staying anonymous for a reason)

Happiness Is Synthetic

What I’ve learned over the last year:

- You have to work hard for it. - You must not stop if you wanna keep it. - It is on you to make it happen. From forbes.com:

“... —you either create it, or you don’t. Happiness that lasts is earned through your habits. Supremely happy people have honed habits that maintain their happiness day in, day out.”

(Some examples of habits: https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2017/02/14/ten-habits-of-incredibly-happy-people/#1b1c1a4d11ba) 

Therefore: 

Happiness is probably NOT driving the right car, earning more or achieving your next goal - although it can be all of that. Happiness is within you and highly depends on your perspective on the world. 

But what that also means is:

A bit like these guys:

But don’t get me wrong: I am not telling you to become a hedonist and only look for short-term satisfaction. Nor do recommend to make YOLO your new motto... I know that life can be tough and unfair.

All I say is that it is on you and not any god given circumstances. It is on you to live a happy life.

Be aware that you need to create the happiness inside of you before you can experience it.

Or as someone once sang: 

(*American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker)

As we are all in a constant battle between trying to be happy while always wanting more/ trying to achieve more/ become better /…  

This simple quote sounds like the smartest thing I have heard about goal setting in quite a while… 

Personal goal for the upcoming week: 

Your m

Normal...

Normal is... 

... living paycheck to paycheck.  ... hating your job and your colleagues.  ... being inside the rat race. ... buying a home 100% financed. ... giving up dreams. ... not chasing your bucket list. ... suffering from weekend to weekend and vacation to vacation,  ... constantly waiting for better times.

NORMAL IS NOT FOR ME.

Your m

17 January 2014 - top of Table mountain, Cape Town, South Africa:

My brother and I walked up there together, made a break right on the edge of the plateau (in the middle of the clouds “falling” as part of the famous tablecloth over Table Mountain) and enjoyed the amazing view. 

This is one of the happiest memories I have. 25 minutes I will NEVER forget.

Why do I share that with you: 

Reason A) As you might already know I believe that life is about the people you connect with and the things you create with them.

This climb is the perfect example of what really makes me happy - might be true for you as well...

I plan to follow this recipe for the decades to come - hoping to eventually end up with a fulfilled life, a head full of great memories and a sun-kissed soul.

Reason B) The invisible bucket list

We all do have things we wish to happen or achieve one day. (If you are reading this blog you are very likely to have a bucket list, a daily to-do list, etc.) And we all spend a large part of our lives on checking the items listed.

But what I found is, that there are more items on that most important list than I can see.

Once in a while I suddenly find myself in awesome places - physically, intellectually or emotionally... that enrich my life - without ever being on any of my lists. It is as there was a visible and an invisible part of my bucket list. 

In my example: I had no idea that table mountain would be that relevant to me... we had decided to do that tour the evening before, had no expectation and certainly no plan to make a break right on that spot. But as we sat there, I knew that this is one of those rare “invisible items”. 

But don’t worry, as, with all matter of the heart, you’ll know when you found it. 

May you have a lot of these moments. 

Your m

Finding Purpose

Extremely wide and complex topic. Therefore most authors, writers and especially bloggers try to stay away from it... and so would I probably. 

But here es something about all this I think is worth sharing...

... the easiest, most practical, most light hearted approach on finding one’s purpose in life I have come across so far:

According to a great TED talk by American film producer Adam Leipzig there is a very simple way to find your calling and purpose - just quickly answer those five questions and combine the answers with each other:

Now put it all together and you’ll might find something valuable for the rest of your life. 

Your m

This is what many entrepreneurs fall for...

And sure, there are periods in life where you need to prove to the world what you are made of. 

Working hard when you start in your first job... stepping hard on the paddle when you take over a new position, giving your absolute everything when launching your own business...

But what inspires most of us - especially in those phases? 

My version of the visual statement above: 

Grind in your 20′s Build in your 30′s Secure in your 40′s - enjoy the journey

Your Identity Defines You

This morning I listened to a series of talks and came across this one by Toni Robbins (American businessman, famous author and philanthropist - annually income: $30 million, according to Forbes):

I like one thought in particular -  which I’d love to share with you here:

We all have things we would like to do/improve on/ posses - see your new year’s resolutions… 

Chasing these things we fail - most of the times. 

But at the same times we all have things we understand as part of our identity. Example: if you are a non-smoker and a vegetarian you don’t have any problems to act accordingly. Your musts define you, not your shoulds. 

Why? Because your standards/musts define who you are - your identity. 

But it works the other way round aswell:   “That is who I am and how it is…” = giving up 

What you define as YOU becomes the glass sealing.

Summed up:

Robbins explicit example: 

Your body is a absolute reflection of…   … not your goals, … not your desires … but your standards/musts. 

Why it works: 

Let’s say you raise your standards and start seeing yourself as an athlete:

If you understand yourself as an athlete you WILL act accordingly.  And that WILL result in a certain outcome.

If you accept yourself as a big, overweight, big boned, … nothing will ever work for long. 

m

faces of success #12

Don’t Fall For Side Dishes

If life is really about the people you meet and the things you create with them - as I deeply believe, it is automatically not about...

 All these things are not really relevant. 

Nevertheless we lose a lot of thought about it... we all do.

You might wanna focus more on

This is by far challenging enough. 

m

“As An Entrepreneur You Don’t Have A Job - You Have 100.”

Especially if you bootstrap your company being founder means to solve a thousand problems in various functions and positions - all at a time. 

You are the

There was this tweet about a year ago summing it up perfectly: 

Or speaking in a picture:

An entrepreneur is the human version of this:

(a Swiss Army Knife - known for it’s countless applications)

It is simply not enough to be a specialist for one task or field. As long as your company does not have the required size to hire experts for everything you have to showcase your flexibility and adaptability. 

Try to see it this way: 

m

The Quote I Try To Live By

— Jessica Hagy, Author (Book: How to Be Interesting)

Life is like taking a photograph.

Focus on what’s important,  Capture the good moments, Develop from the negatives, And if things don’t work out - take another shot.

Sounds cheesy - works well. 

Coco Channel