Every day I learn something new. I share it weekly, just so I don't forget.

  • I've been feeling pretty balanced, strong and in harmony for the last couple of months. Mostly because of less work stress, regular exercise, good sleep and good food. So balanced, that I thought I am unbreakable. Very wrong. I am very breakable. In fact, everybody is. I broke this week. Also, insomnia sucks big time. In the midst of a breakdown, we often wonder whether we have gone mad. We have not.  Having a breakdown is important.
  • I thought that I had learned how to pace myself, how not to push myself too hard, to hurry slowly, to not really have expectations, to let go. While I might have achieved something in the work/friends/relationship context, I definitely failed when it came to my brother situation. I pushed myself too hard, I pushed himself too hard and I had way too high expectations for both myself and himself. People walk their own path, at their own pace. I can’t make them do the things I think are right for them, I only have the choice to help them do the things they feel are right for them.  No matter how much I disagree with the path they've chosen, I should let them walk their way. Otherwise, I break.
  • When you feel down, giving a random person a smile instead of bitching for them being way too slow at the cash desk, actually makes you feel good. And them too. Good attitude doesn't cost a penny.
  • I find it surprisingly easy to tell other people how to start small, but incredibly hard to see how to do it for my own projects. I learned that's because 1) I focus too much on the big long-term picture and because 2) I discuss my projects with a limited amount of people, very often on my own. Thinking short term and inviting more smart people to the table helps.
  • The best parties I've had for the past 10 years, have been SiteGround parties. Because I've partied with some of my closest friends. A lot of my closest friends still work at SiteGround. I didn't attend the SiteGround end of the year party this year, and I missed it. I missed partying with some of my closest friends.
  • The line between the marketing, product development, business development and design professionals are blurring. 2018 will be an interesting year for design.