“You can find inspiration in everything. If you can’t, then you are not looking properly.”
A collection of useful, funny, amazing but above all inspiring tips, videos, photos, quotes, people, stories and jokes.
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What if you seem to have everything in your life 'under control' and then suddenly get confronted with a health issue? A 'devil's dilemma' even? Then you are forced to look at your situation with completely different eyes. Especially if - in my case - it concerns an eye problem, having already lost partial sight in 1 eye, and the risk of becoming blind suddenly seems very real... How do you deal with such a situation or a similar setback? Do you listen to the experts? Are you going to do your own research? Who do you trust more? The doctors or your own gut feeling? In this inspiration shot we dive deep, very deep into the human psyche. Do you dare to dive?
Puglia is becoming increasingly popular; trendy travel magazines, newspapers and special editions: everyone is writing about the area. Unfortunately, most journalists visit the same places, while there is so much more. Do you want to discover the real Puglia? Since I have been in Puglia for a few months now, almost without interruption, I would like to share with you my love for this authentic part of Italy. In this Inspiration Shot you will find tips, insights and fun facts. Whether you want to take a vacation here, want to practice remote working (during my Workation in April?), want to come and live here or perhaps even invest, here we go…
“If you had to choose, would you rather be blind or deaf?” Do you remember how you answered this hypothetical question? I always chose sight. Even though I know that sound is important, and being able to have a conversation; as a writer, reader, and traveler I value my eyes the most. So it was quite a shock when I suddenly had flashes of light in my right eye a few weeks ago. I rushed to the emergency room of an Italian village hospital… It turned out that part of my retina had detached; I have permanently lost partial sight in one eye. I gained a lot of inSIGHTs from this experience, which I would like to share with you in this inspiration shot.
To me, an airplane is a kind of 'time machine'. You enter with a certain climate, time zone, culture, and language and a little later you exit in a completely different world. Fast travel gives me a kick! But I've wanted to take it easy for a while. So when I saw this super deal on a 1st Class Interrail ticket; 3 months of unlimited travel through Europe, I bought it without thinking. In this inspiration shot I'll take you on my trip and will share some inspiration examples to reflect on your (life) journey: do you prefer fast or slow?
How patient are you? I hate it when things don't go fast enough…. Do we need to learn to be patient? Or is it heatlhy to want to speed things up? Here in Puglia, South Italy, living on a construction site, I am confronted daily with situations testing my patience. Construction workers arrive late, or much earlier than agreed, or sometimes don't come at all. Material is delivered much later than expected. Suppliers can't find the address, but don't bother to call or view the Google maps location, which I always include. My neighbor Mario, who has built my tiny house, laughs at me every time I want to do something quickly, which of course never works. He says, “Esther, you have to learn to be patient. That's how it works here.” And yes, maybe that's why I ended up in Puglia, to learn to be patient. But my drive for efficiency is being put to the test. What's more important? Efficiency, or feeling relaxed?
The past month has been a chaos of movements. From Amsterdam to Italy, via friends in Portugal to Miami, and with various stops back to Italy, where I am still staying in an Airbnb because my house is not ready yet. It makes me feel restless, but I know that peace will soon come; when I can finally move to my Tiny House and start decorating it. The end is in sight. In the meantime, I have daily WhatsApp contact with a friend in Hawaii who is temporarily homeless. There is a housing crisis since corona because many Americans have moved from the mainland to the islands, making both purchasing or renting a place impossible or unaffordable. My friend lives in her car and is completely in survival mode, with no hope of things getting better. Several coaching clients are about to give up their homes to travel in a motorhome and become entrepreneurs. Although that is a conscious choice for them, it also causes stress. All this makes you think. What does (at) home mean? Is home a physical place? Is it 'where the heart is'? Is it where your laptop automatically recognizes the WiFi? 😜 A few reflections for this month, so that you can determine what (at) home means to you.
Everyone enjoys watching those reality TV shows where a couple with a romantic idea emigrates to a far-off country to fix up a ruin. They often have no idea what they are getting into and sometimes don't even speak the language. And here I am, car fully loaded, on my way to Puglia, Italy... Planning to live there for the next 9 months, perhaps longer, and to supervise three construction projects. Fortunately, I already speak some Italian, but there will be plenty of challenges. My main question at the moment, however, is more personal: am I traveling towards something, or do I want to get away from something? On the one hand, I want to get away from the messy breakup in Amsterdam (unfortunately the conscious uncoupling did not turn out to be so conscious after all...) and recover on my land in Italy. But on the other hand I also really want to be THERE, surrounded by my olive trees, enjoying them as long as I can, and try to save them with all my energy and creativity. I want to build a new base, connect with the earth, and just BE. I want to create a place where others can also 'land'. Will you join me on this journey?
I've always been different. A loner. A thinker. I haven't always felt understood. Never really belonged anywhere. Didn't want to belong. Maybe I told myself that's what I wanted, because I didn't understand the social 'rules' and how people interact with each other. Over the years I learned the 'codes', but they always felt strange to me, like I was learning the rules of a game I didn't want to play anyway. When I tried to be like others I didn't feel happy and besides, I never managed to blend in anyway. Later I discovered how I could turn my differences and previous 'weaknesses' into my strengths. Now I can be completely my authentic self. Many special people have felt like outsiders when they were young (and often still do today). What if we no longer see our authenticity as a 'disability', but instead discover its power and learn how to use it? This Inspiration Shot gives some tips that may also be useful for the kids around us (and our 'inner child').
The past three months have been hectic. I got corona, one of my father's caretakers suddenly left, I had to deal with the end of a complicated years-long relationship, lost my suitcase with ALL my clothes and found out that my olive trees are infected with a deadly disease. In addition, I continued to have problems with people I hired through an agency and had to transfer a number of projects for the fifth time(!). Of course, there were also nice things; I bought another apartment in Italy, am in the early stages of a new relationship, and enjoyed two parties for my birthday. In the meantime, my work as a book-writing coach also continued and I helped four people to finish their books. All this while traveling through 10 countries on 3 continents, organizing 4 retreats, attending 2 conferences and supervising 2 construction projects in Italy. This was quite a lot, even for me in just three months! How do you keep your energy constant while everything changes around you? Some tips in this Inspiration shot.
How many people do you know? And how many people know you? What is the ratio between these two numbers? In my case, more people know me than the other way around. This is because for years I have put a lot of time and energy into sharing inspiration and tips in many different ways, and I have been quite visible. Recently I noticed again the power of that network that I have built. On social media, many people still look for a 'quick fix', to sell their book or new online program, for example. But that's not how it works. Just like in offline friendships, in the online world you have to invest long-term, make real contacts, look for win-win-win situations, and above all: be yourself. This inspiration shot shares some unexpected benefits of a large and loyal network.