Together, we can create a work culture that respects and supports the quest for meaning and enriching peoples' whole lives, instead of having people chase the illusional 'work-life' balance for happiness. In today’s fast-paced and success-driven society, the pursuit of happiness often seems like an elusive goal. Many of us are conditioned to measure our well-being through the lens of tangible achievements such as income, social status, or career milestones. However, as both Morten Albaek in “One Life: How We Forgot to Live Meaningful Lives” and Viktor E. Frankl in “Man’s Search for Meaning” suggest, true fulfilment comes from a deeper source — having meaning and purpose in our lives.

Successful start-up leadership hinges on trust, transparency, and communication. Self-aware leaders, who surround themselves with diverse talents and foster a culture of trust and transparency can navigate challenges, drive innovation, and propel their companies toward success. I see these three concepts go hand in hand, self-awareness lets a leader acknowledge the support needed and delegate to the right experts. Trust from the leader lets these experts contribute to the extent they can elevate the business. Transparency and open communication make sure that everyone is working in the same direction of the company strategy.

Changing habits is not something that can be done though just deciding to do so, on a good day when your mind is strong. To make a significant change, your habits have to follow, and creating long-lasting habits requires you to work with how your psychological brain works, not against it which willpower does. One book that I think really gets into the science of habits while still providing practical insights and strategies to help build good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviours that lead to remarkable results is “Atomic Habits” written by James Clear.

In today’s fast-paced world, happiness is often portrayed as the ultimate goal. People chase fleeting moments of joy, often equating them with a sense of fulfilment. But happiness is a transient emotion, subject to external circumstances, and can be elusive. Congruence, on the other hand, goes beyond the ephemeral nature of happiness. It is about living a life that is consistent with our core values and beliefs..

Look at your life as it is right now — you created all that. Both the good and the bad. Through daily actions, choices, and habits. This also means that you can re-frame this life into what you wish for it to be by redirecting your energy and action to create habits that serve what you want better.The problem here is though that we can not have it all… or can we? Regardless, we do have some constraints that we all have to adhere to. We only have 24 hours in a day…

Listening and actually actively listening are two completely different things. The art of active listening is an invaluable skill that can support relationships, and help your career as it fosters understanding between individuals.Did you actually understand what your client told you she needed? Did you really write down the right task your manager asked you for in the meeting? Are you sure you are clear about what it is your partner is upset about?

Recently I have been coaching a lot of people exploring new careers or experiencing a change in their work situation and I can see a pattern that we all seem to have in common but are hesitant to talk openly about. The only known is change, and regardless of the plan you have, no plan survives contact with reality. When we chase certain jobs or titles to meet others’ expectations it leads us away from our genuine selves. The key is to find that equilibrium where your job fulfils you, yet leaves room for your overall identity to thrive.

Do you feel like you should do more? should spend more time on a project, or should take on more tasks? These principles and mindsets might make you feel different, and make you focus on what really matters. Giving you your time back and in control! By taking time to fully understand what is essential for us and prioritising accordingly, we can enhance decision-making, resource and energy allocation, and overall effectiveness in life. Whether in business or your personal life, it serves as a reminder to prioritize high-impact activities, remove noise, and learn to say no to things that will not have an impact for us — on our terms.

When surfing, you have to be fully present — assessing the waves, being in the right position, feeling the force of the wave to stand up at the right time, and surfing the wave with its power not fighting it. If you are not present at this precise moment, you lose the wave. Surfing requires you to have peace and patience knowing that your wave will come, connecting with nature to get to know its patterns and movements to choose the right waves to go for and an acceptance that you can not change the environment only adapt to it.

Some time back I attended a Vipassana. A vipassana is a 10 day silent meditation retreat where you are practicing meditation with a concentration on the body sensations and the insight this provides. Now you might think, just like I did over the first few days of vipassana, why would ANYONE put themselves through this? This is TORTURE! And yes — it is, at least for the first few days! But it is a profound torture that opens up a fully new awareness of your mind.

Most of our thoughts are repeated thoughts. Our mind is luckily structured in a way so that we do not have to consciously think through every decision we make in a day. Though these repeated patterns can also turn into our own enemy. Around 70% of the thoughts we have are negative thoughts. Again, they keep us alive and protect us. But in today’s world, we do not need the same protection that our mind is set up to provide.

Change is not defined by an outside timeline magically giving you more motivation, courage, and energy to change. In fact, most people are afraid of change and will do anything not to experience it. Change is related to fear, the unknown, and change usually requires you to give up on what you have now and that is a gamble that a lot of people are not willing to take.

Your brain develops based on how you use it, and it can change if you change your thoughts patterns. It is just like any other muscle- what you practice you develop. So for example, if you are working on self-reflection and positive thoughts, the areas of your brain associated with happiness will develop.

Meditation is not about stopping your mind from thinking, but about taking a moment to step away from our reaction pattern of thoughts, feelings, and actions and become aware of our mind patterns from a balcony view.

During Covid times, a lot has changed in our structures and habits and the routine of a normal week is disrupted. Social distancing, and restrictions in interactions has created an environment with very few personal interactions in a day. We all have biological, social, and psychological needs to stay mentally and physically healthy. Third on this list comes Positive relationships and being a part of a community.

Regardless of your believes, you find peace when you are able to enjoy the dance with no expectations of what is next on the journey called life. Now this sounds easier that it is, and I see this as one of mankind biggest struggles. Through all our social structures today we are taught to work hard now and harvest the fruits from it later.