My trip consisted of 3 parts:

• 2 weeks of work in Penang Island

• 2 weeks of work in Kuala Lumpur

• 2 weeks of traveling through the north of Borneo

My focus points during 4 weeks of work:

1. Work

2. Sports

3. Passion Fruit

4. Network

5. Mental Health

My focus points during 2 weeks of travel:

1. Mental Health

2. Sports

3. Passion Fruit

4. Network

And additionally exploring as much as possible, both during my weekends while working and during my two weeks of traveling. I am here now and must seize every chance I have to explore the nature, culture & people.

Penang

This was truly a wonderful place. The local team was very small; only two people and one intern. They were very good students which resulted in a lot of freedom for me. The operation went smoothly from the start. They emerged me in their culture allowing me to see their personal lives both during working hours and outside of it. Daily in-depth conversations, going out for lunch in local street markets and even joining them for prayers in the mosque. They gave me the most immersive introduction into their culture I could’ve ever imagined. A blessing.

In sports I went all out on this one although I still had an ear infection. I went for my daily runs and almost daily gym sessions. Over the second week I could go swimming, and I amazed myself with my performance: 2000m without a break on the first go. WAUW. Still no crawl, but I will work on that later in Belgium!

My health was pushed back a bit in these weeks. Clocking in my lowest sleep time week since recording with an average of 3h40’ a night. The second week improved slightly to 5h a night. However, the volume of sports and scheduling of energy boosting vs consuming activities allowed me to keep on going without severe effects. Mentally I was in a search as well. My head was full of feelings and processes that needed clarification. Feelings of (lack of) self-acceptance, my ex-girlfriend and the choices I made, loneliness and lack of real connection took up a lot of my headspace.

Apart from my colleagues I craved but lacked deeper connections with other people … I went out exploring the island but didn’t go for the touristic options in search for more local experiences. I tried to meet people but didn’t really find what I was looking for. That’s okay. Patience. I had a wonderful time with my first jungle experience, some adventure and saw the life of the “lowest” outskirts of their society.

Kuala Lumpur

My next stop was entirely different. The team here consisted of 30+ people contributing to a lot more complexity. During the first week there were still some international colleagues as well. It was a happy reunion to see them back and it added good (business) conversations to the mix. Along the way people left, leaving more responsibility opportunities open, which I happily took the initiative for! Once again, I gained the chance to explore new boundaries and a stage to present my drive for more. During these two weeks I also practiced French online with my lovely teacher Michele to prepare myself to give training in France after my two weeks holidays.

My sports grind dropped in here due to a higher workload and thus less free time. I stuck to my daily 5km runs and that was about it. A sporadic gym session or swimming session, yes.

I was very lucky that my weekend got extended due to a local holiday. During this weekend I had the perfect mix of exploring the city and meeting new people! Having a car made it easy to find enthusiasts to join me. After a night out I gathered three friends to go for a small road trip together. It was exactly what I was looking for! New, non-work related, young, traveling friends. Good conversations and an energetic vibe. We had a great time together … but also a quick goodbye. I am sure though that our paths will cross again, actually very soon! Additionally, I also got invited to the engagement party of the brother of a colleague. Again, a unique opportunity to experience the local culture.

Since this summer, content creation is added in the mix: Passion Fruit. Tuur and I stuck carefully to our weekly meeting and progressed, regardless of the time zones. Still in a search for the optimal workflow but getting there. Our weekly reel is a rather easy task. Editing our second YouTube video together, online, was a new challenge. We managed surprisingly good: a 6-hours session from scratch to finish. The result is a masterpiece of simplicity haha. Tuur balances out my perfectionism very well! Dream team.

Healthwise again not the best weeks but improving! Sleeping pattern still very inconsistent but overall, above 5h a night, leaning into my sweet spot of 6. I have again not prioritized my thoughts and feelings since there was more important stuff to do. Thus, no improvement, but also more distraction so less intensity in my own head. It was an active decision to leave it as is since my holidays were coming up. More time and a better setting to be mindful and filter my clustered brains.

Borneo

My mental health and clearing my head were top priority after an insanely intense past six months. So much has happened and I have not had the time yet to reflect on it. The setting to do so is perfect here: two weeks on my own, disconnected from my known environment, surrounded by beautiful nature.

Physical challenges

My travel started with a banger: running my first ultra in the highlands of Sarawak. Long story short: I registered for 70km but ended up running 100km. I had underestimated myself, felt the best runner’s high ever and got to experience an unimaginable level of peace. And as a nice bonus: I won the race! All of this without specific ultrarunning training. The level of my basic endurance is at its peak and there is still so much room for improvement. Afterwards I only stuck to my daily 5km runs. I finished with a blast as well: climbing Mt Kinabalu in a one-day summit push. This experience highlights why I love (endurance) sports;

FITNESS IS FREEDOM.

Disconnection

To enhance the circumstances for self-reflection I decided to not use any wifi or mobile data for 5 days to disconnect myself completely. It felt empowering for my mind. It revealed, not surprisingly, the constant urge to grab a phone for everything. I was already aware of it, but this experience made me even more conscious of the toxicity it adds to my (& other’s?) life. And one in particular: social media. The constant need for validation and the urge to capture everything, replacing the awareness in the moment. Suddenly I had so much more free time to be bored and think. It felt freeing. There was however also a downside. This world became so reliant on phones that you must find very creative ways to get some things done, requiring way more time and costing you more money due to the lack of information to compare online.

This offline practice made me reevaluate what type of content creator I want to be(come). Content creation goes hand in hand with social media. Tuur and I now make Instagram reels and YouTube video’s which also require us to capture a lot. But somehow, we both also dislike social media and the online lifestyle that is more and more apparent in this society. So, we are taking part in it while simultaneously wanting to be different and spreading another message. Passion Fruit is about LIVING with your senses in the NOW and not caring about all this reputation and validation nonsense since IT MUST COME FROM WITHIN YOURSELF. There certainly is a way to do this and we will get there. Trial and error.

Another side effect without internet connection: you must talk to other people. I am very social, so this is not a problem, but I still have my boundaries for (dis)comfort. It pushed me more because I couldn’t redeem these feelings online. I met lovely people and made meaningful connections with both locals and travelers. I am grateful for these interactions. Each one of them teaches you something. I’m looking forward to crossing paths again.

Culture

Lastly and maybe most importantly I want to highlight the Malaysian culture. This is my first experience in Asia, so I cannot differentiate between Malaysia vs Asian culture. But WOW I am impressed. The level of kindness, love and care for one another I felt here is far beyond what I am used to. People here actually care for strangers and suggest help without anything in return. They go the extra mile and give you more than they can afford for themselves. The feeling of unity and inclusion regardless of race, religion or relatedness. This is a feeling I am missing so hard in Belgium and maybe more broadly Europe. Everyone is so focused on themselves, friends & family receive love, but strangers, barely!

Self-acceptance

The past two months have been in an internal battle centered around self-acceptance. After Canada I went on a two-week trip through England with my brother. Here I became aware of it. Since I started this new job, my life changed drastically. I am living the life of my dreams and transitioned into a new life phase. But change comes with friction and requires time to adapt accordingly, both for your environment as for yourself. My relative position to my environment/friends and how I appear to them occupied my mind.

I have been “on the grind” for two years, and this has changed my personality and my relationships a lot along the way. Now, this hard work finally pays off … I have difficulty accepting this success and what it looks like to others. I love to publicly share my way of life while simultaneously living humble. My growth has been very consistent, yet invisible, over the past years. And now I suddenly have very visible results that are even to me too crazy to grasp. Thus, I struggle with how to express this without looking arrogant or as a show-off. In the end I also shouldn’t care … As long as I am truthful and honest to myself. I know deep in my hearth that this is just progress and not show-off.

An appropriate quote that resonates with me:

“Slow progress builds character; fast progress builds ego”

Creating a new life path together with Tuur and the creation of Passion Fruit in England has played a major role in this. By finally choosing each other as the number one priority in both our lives. Laying out a multi-years commitment towards a passionate life together, in which we work towards our craziest dreams. And potentially inspire other people along the way by creating content. If no one likes it. Fine as well. We love it and do it with whole our hearts. The possibility to express myself in my most pure and honest way has brought so much peace and acceptance. I now have a place to publicly share my progression and view on life to an audience without feeling pushy or arrogant. And I can share this wonderful journey with my dearest and most-loved person in the world; my brother Tuur.

My two weeks of solo traveling through Borneo have given me the chance to reflect and dive deep into my soul. I finally got the time to acknowledge my feelings. Finding balance between self-acceptance and the need for validation; loneliness and the desire for meaningful connection. Being conscious of these feelings and allowing myself to feel the duality of them. It brought peace and sparks gratefulness for the life I am living. It all melted together in the tattoo I got on my last day in Borneo.

And now what?

I really don’t feel like going home. I am not ready for it. But I have no choice and, of course, it will all be fine and I will make it work. Being alone has contributed immensely to my peace of mind by completely disconnecting from external influences. This has allowed crucial thought processes about my personal development to occur. I don’t feel the need to interrupt this process at home and have them influenced by my environment. I need to do this alone.

Additionally, I don’t like breaking my routine. Breaking it slows down momentum. Suddenly I will have to take others into account. On top of my own way of life come expectations from my environment. I am aware these are with lovely intentions, and they are much appreciated. But they are also exhausting. I’ve arrived in such a good flow. Interrupting it for two weeks, to then restart my own flow again does not feel efficient. I’d prefer not to break the flow. Restarting costs energy.

During my time in Belgium, I must schedule all administrative tasks for my job that have piled up over the months. It is important to clean these and take time to evaluate my position with my management. Additionally, I can spend some time with my colleagues whom I haven’t seen a lot. I’d love to strengthen my bond with them in Brussels as well!

Conclusion: I am talking from an extreme position of luxury. Deal with the circumstances and enjoy my time with family and friends. Stick to my routine as much as possible and learn from it.

A more detailed insight of this trip is available on my Polarsteps where I share daily thoughts and pictures: www.Polarsteps.com/GingerKingB

All other links you can find here: https://linktr.ee/GingerKingB

After Sydney and London Gatwick I was happy to be home for a month. Time to focus on family, friends and especially on myself. On my first day in the office again, my project manager asked to have a meeting Tuesday. I figured it was to evaluate my past 6 weeks. Well … it was, and it wasn’t. He complimented me extensively for my performance, resulting in the question: “Do you want to go to Canada next week?”

This came so unexpected that I did not believe it at first. I had been home for only three full days.

My answer, not surprisingly; “YES!”

Travel

As usual, I am writing this on the plane. I love setting objectives on the flight — this one takes 9 hours. I barely missed it though, since I had a connection flight from Brussels to Amsterdam. I wanted to go to Amsterdam directly, but this was about 500€ more expensive. Crazy. The first flight of 30’ (!?) had a delay of half an hour. The result: I had 15 minutes to get to my flight from the moment I left the plane. Wonderfully I managed it by running a lot and some very kind people letting me cut the line at customs. However, my luggage didn’t make it. It will arrive in the coming days. I don’t mind. As long as I am there so that I can discover the city already today and tomorrow!

Objectives Calgary (3 weeks):

Execution

Doesn’t look very good to begin with. But somehow, I am not surprised either. It does represent my feeling of productivity. But it does not reflect my feelings of satisfaction. How could this happen?

1. I haven’t been realistic from the start. My time in Canada was only three weeks and I set way more objectives than usually. I had to narrow it down and prioritize from the start.

2. There was no room for flexibility. I have underestimated the amount of time I spent at my job. My job is/was my #1 priority and I have lived up to that objective.

3. I forgot to include research time for exploring in my calculation. I didn’t have time upfront to prepare, thus needed to do this while on location.

Overall, this was a very valuable trip, and I am very satisfied about it, though I shifted my priorities. Maybe a valuable lesson to include a “MUST DO” list and an “OPTIONAL” list in the future.

In hindsight I would rate my priorities as follows:

1. Work

2. Explore

3. Sports

4. Network

5. Mental Health

6. Creativity

7. Study

Energy distribution

As a person I prefer to live a project-driven lifestyle. I am an all-in person in everything I do. I cannot live a 50 or 75% lifestyle. I don’t balance my energy “to have some left for something else”. If I start something, then I do it with all my energy available at this very moment. During these weeks my job required more than my 40-hours a week schedule. Instead, I worked for 50–60 hours in the first two weeks. And I loved it. I was crushing it. Results over feelings. But working 12-hour days requires cutting time from other fields. And thus, I did. Everything shifted. Starting with sleep, as always. My average sleep these three weeks has been 5 hours a night. This is doable for me as long as my schedule is packed enough with energy boosting activities. The energy consumers require more concentration and thus more sleep.

Energy boosters:

• Sports

• Networking

• Exploring

Energy neutral:

• Work

• Mental health

Energy consumers:

• Creativity

• Study

Looking back on my objectives through this lens makes total sense now. I have excelled in the energy boosters and have underperformed in the energy consumers. Better alternation between these types and more flexibility will hopefully result in better goal setting in the future.

Feeling

I am very thankful for once again the opportunity given by my management. This project really pushed me to my limits. There was little support because I was in another time zone than Europe and APAC. A lot of work was thrown on my plate and it was an unfinishable job. This meant I had to prioritize and choose what to work on and finish. Prioritizing and making these types of decisions is a crucial skill to learn in itself. I worked together with very varied people and got along very nicely with Adam from Australia. Our conversations intrigued me a lot and went a lot further than work only. He sparked some interesting topics, and I learned a lot from him. I hope to see and work with him again in the future. Thankful for it all!

Next to work I tried to explore the surroundings. The city was not my vibe. Way too artificial and commercial. It shouts capitalism from every brick and lacks character. There was the yearly local Stampede event. I tried it, interesting, but not what I am really looking for. Instead, I headed out to the Rocky Mountains for hiking, and DAMN THAT WAS WAT I AM LOOKING FOR. I love mountains so fucking much. WAUW.

I would love to come back and it’s a bit sad I didn’t take some vacation here to discover the surroundings more. But I have to go back to Europe for two weeks of vacation with my lovely brother! Finally. Even though we are best friends, we have actually never planned something together, just the two of us. He has been traveling a lot over the past year, so there is a lot to talk about. Time to catch up and lay out our futures together!

During the next 6 weeks, I will be working abroad. The first stop is Sydney, where I will be tutoring a group of key users from around Australia and New Zealand for 2 weeks. They send me here on my own to support the local team. The next stop is London Gatwick, where I will support the Go-Live (rollout of the new system) for 3 weeks. I am flying directly from Sydney to London, resulting in a total trip of 6 weeks.

I am vastly grateful for the responsibility and the trust my company puts in me. This is beyond my greatest expectations. It feels as if they want to challenge me on my capabilities and that is exactly what I am yearning for in a job. They are not afraid to take calculated risks and dare to put me in an extraordinary learning environment. I cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunities I have at my current job.

30h of traveling

Currently, I am sitting on the airplane to Sydney. It feels a bit surreal and very nice at the same time. It is the first time I leave Europe and I am going immediately to the furthest point possible on earth. And I even get paid to do so. What a life?!

For me, taking an airplane is always an event to standstill with the current state of my life. Detached from the internet I take the time to write in my diary. On the go to the location, I always set goals for myself that I want to achieve by the time I return home. I have never been on a plane for longer than 2–3 hours, so I am not used to this luxury of having so much time to think. But I love it! 25 hours full of me-time without anyone interrupting my inner peace. Let’s set some objectives!

Objectives for the coming 6 weeks:

Grateful

Over the past 1,5 years, I have been working every day towards a goal: being able to travel and work simultaneously. The moment is finally here! I have not fully processed it yet, and to be honest it feels a bit “normal” as if it has always meant to be this way. But knowing myself, this will change in the coming days when I experience it first-hand.

In general, I am not a hype person. I don’t hype myself up for future experiences and prefer living and feeling in the moment itself. I am passionate about the process and therefore the objective is a logical result. At this very moment, I am deeply enjoying my 25-hour plane flight during which I have the time to fully focus on myself.

During this flight, I did the following:

• Clean and order the files on my laptop

• Clean and compress the files on my hard drive (500+ GB freed up!)

• Started writing 3 articles and completed this one

• Set goals for myself to dedicate myself to

• Read 60 pages in the book “Attached”

• Watched “The Jurassic Sea Monster” & “Whale” documentaries

• Enjoyed being alone

Accountability

This document serves the purpose of holding myself accountable for the goals I set. It is no big deal if not all boxes are ticked in the end. But the lesser, the better. As long as I give myself 100% there is no reason to feel bad about anything. I always try to set the bar a little too high, but just reachable. This way I feel constantly pushed to do better but not so much that it causes me to lose motivation; just reachable. And if I achieve all my goals then it means that I could’ve done a little more or set the bar a little higher next time.

Evaluation

I am home. This is the evaluation of my traveling objectives:

• Green = fulfilled (1)

• Orange = partially done (1/2)

• Red = nothing done (0)

Execution score: 88%

Overall, my experience has been amazing. I have progressed vastly and beat my own expectations.

My first three weeks in Sydney were focused on:

• Work

• Sports

• Networking

• Mental Health

• Exploration

These weeks felt utterly productive. Not a minute got wasted. I lived up to my fullest potential.

My second three weeks in Gatwick were focussed on:

• Work

• Studying

My focus shifted accordingly to my obligations:

• Go-Live of Gatwick (work)

• Assignment + Exam Deep Learning (school)

I have excelled in these two topics and put in all my effort. And it got rewarded massively. I am proud of what I have delivered. But it was, as expected, at the cost of the other topics.

There is clearly one losing topic compared to the others: creativity. I could come up with a bunch of excuses as to why this happened. But I won’t. I didn’t push through enough. I treated it as the last objective on the list. And it resulted as such. It got pushed back towards the end. And towards the end, my focus went down. During the last weeks, I was less disciplined and allowed distractions to seduce me more.

Crazy how (my) momentum and discipline decrease once the finish seems more reachable than ever. Instead of pushing through with the same pace, the pace drops, and the goal is, by only a sliver, not reached. As if I am desperate for complaints on myself to do better next time. Thus: “Always grateful but never satisfied” with the results.

January ’24: Job hunting

Work

After a snowboarding vacation, I decided to quit my job. During my final week, I informed my project managers, who had always supported me, about my decision. In contrast, my consultancy firm made me feel like just a selling object, even breaking promises made to me.

With my job behind me, I could fully commit to job hunting. Previously, scheduling interviews was tough, but now I have the time. I prepared well, leading to about 5 interviews per week and numerous phone calls, making it challenging to keep track.

I focused on data analysis, data science, and business intelligence roles. Despite having little experience and no IT bachelor’s degree, my enthusiasm and motivation were my biggest assets. I enjoyed taking mandatory intelligence tests for some vacancies as it helped me understand my capabilities compared to others.

Sports

During snowboarding, I injured my left knee, tearing my medial collateral ligaments in a heavy fall. This was a mental challenge, especially after just recovering from another injury. Not being able to run affected my mental health and decision-making.

This time, I decided to approach it differently. I replaced my running sessions with gym workouts to build more muscle. Though it had been a while since I regularly went to the gym, my friend Victor joined me every day. It wasn’t as good as running, but it helped me feel fit and clear my mind.

Creativity

Since last year, I promised myself to write a yearly review each January. However, job interviews took priority, making it hard to get into a creative mode. Running, my usual mental filter, wasn’t an option due to my injury. These are just excuses, though, and I didn’t prioritize or prepare well.

I made some progress, but my review was far from finished, leaving me unhappy with the result. This is only my second year doing this, so it’s crucial to make it a fundamental habit. If I fail now, it sets a poor precedent for the future. Come on, Bram, you have to do better!

February ’24: Preparing for a new chapter

Work

February started with a bang! On the 1st, I had an assessment at TCR HQ, where I met many colleagues, presented a case study, and took a small Excel test. My preparation paid off, and they offered me a contract proposal. After months of exhausting job searching, I was ready for some clarity. This job, though somewhat unknown, met my requirements well.

Following my mandatory rule of sleeping at least one night on important decisions, I called back the next morning to accept the offer. Excitingly, my first week includes a project kick-off in London. My start date was the last week of February, allowing me to enjoy the rest of the month worry-free and relieved from job hunting.

Sports + vacation

My knee injury hadn’t fully healed, so I focused on gym workouts and returned to physiotherapy, which greatly aided my recovery. I also enjoyed building a good relationship with my physiotherapist over the past months. In a way, it is also good for my mental health!

We planned a vacation with my parents and our long-time neighbors, friends since birth. We went to Germany near a small skiing resort. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t favorable, allowing only limited snowboarding

It was sad that my brother couldn’t join us since he’s backpacking in South America. Our group felt incomplete, but I’m sure there will be more opportunities in the future.

Creativity

With my last month of unemployment, I aimed to complete my year review. However, it took much more effort and time than I anticipated. My tendency to strive for perfection led to an unfinished project. I need to learn to prioritize and accept a more concise review, focusing on essentials rather than every detail. Despite some progress, I didn’t finish it.

Relationship

During this month I started meeting my (ex-)girlfriend more regularly again. Long story short: we decided to give it a go again after being separated for 4 months.

March ’24: A new job

Work

March kicked off with a bang. In my first week at my new job, I flew to London for a project launch — an incredible opportunity to meet my colleagues and learn on-site. After three days of training, it was time to show them what I was worth: I missed my flight and made a very bad impression, or at least that is how I felt. Disappointed in myself, however, the only way is up from now on. The rest of the trip was fantastic. The team was warm and welcoming, the job was social and technical, and the time on my own was relieving and delivered peace in my head.

Back in Brussels, adjusting to the daily commute was freeing. I now spend three hours on the train and bus, perfect for handling personal tasks without wasting time in traffic. This new job has lifted a weight off my shoulders, finally rewarding my hard work over the past 1.5 years. I feel peaceful and content.

Sports

My injury finally healed, just in time for marathon prep. With the Paris Marathon in April, I aimed for a sub-3-hour finish, but over the past months, I also learned not to push too hard. I committed to exercise EVERY DAY, mixing gym sessions, long runs, intervals, and stretching to avoid overloading my body. The results were remarkable — more energy, better daily planning, and a clearer mind. No more sluggishness …

I tested my progress by running the Half Marathon of Ghent at the end of the month, finishing with a personal best of 1h28’15” and still having energy left. This was impressive after just six weeks of training post-injury. I am so blessed and grateful for my body and shouldn’t always take it for granted.

Studying

The only creative endeavor I kept up with was writing my weekly recap. Balancing my new job and rekindled relationship left little time for other pursuits. I abandoned my goal to finish my yearly review but found peace in letting go. My focus shifted to crypto airdrop hunting and school assignments, maintaining my productivity in different areas.

Relationship

Picking up the relationship again consumed, obviously, a lot of time. We both had to adapt to new dynamics and boundaries, leading to unwanted frustrations from both sides. The first two weeks I had a victim mentality, hiding behind excuses in my mind and not taking ownership to make it work. Reading the book “Attached” about relationship types/approaches helped me shift my mindset: “If I want it to work out, I have to put in effort myself and change my own behavior.” I changed my approach and put in all my effort, and she did as well! Nevertheless, our good days got overshadowed the next day with yet another discussion we both did not want to have. A difficult process.

April ’24: Running!

Work

My second month at the office was calm. My schedule has become more flexible, and the freedom within my company is inspiring to me. The structure here is fluid, with everyone doing a bit of everything. I had some training but also started finding tasks independently. At times, I felt bored since everyone was busy with their own work, and explaining things to me took longer than doing them themselves. This period is temporary and a logical step in the process.

I also tried to understand the schedule for the rest of the year to plan vacations. Projects in Malaysia, Australia, and the Middle East are launching in the fall, and I hope to be part of one. However, I must remain patient, and grateful for the options that arise and avoid entitlement.

Sports

A big milestone this month: I ran the Paris Marathon, finishing in 3h09’. It was my hardest run yet, partly due to partying on Friday before the Sunday race. Despite starting off weak and in pain, I didn’t let it affect my performance. I knew I was able to run at this pace, solely listening to the knowledge of my body and neglecting my feelings of pain. I pushed through and succeeded. This race is proof I can continue pushing my limits in the future.

After the marathon in Paris, I took a recovery week to listen to my body’s needs. Good evolution! The following week, I participated in another marathon in the Netherlands with a friend. Upon arrival, I discovered I had forgotten my running shoes and starting number. However, this is no excuse to not run the race. I ran in my sneakers and paced a friend who wanted to set a PR and … she won first place in her age group! Later in the month, I ran a trail with friends and my dad. The focus of trails is more on enjoying nature rather than speed. My ambition is to shift towards ultra-trails instead of city races in the future. Loving the journey. Next to it, my gym fitness is also at its peak; I’ve never felt this fit in my life.

Studying

Not my best month for studying. There’s simply not enough time with everything going on. Despite dedicating every free minute, I’m still falling behind. My creativity has flatlined, though I keep up with my weekly recaps. My school assignment is overdue, and the workload is piling up. However, my crypto pursuits went well. After the Paris Marathon, I stayed for Paris Blockchain Week and attended the conference with discounted student tickets. Although the focus on legalization for companies wasn’t directly relevant to me, I made new friends and co-wrote an article with a journalist for a news outlet. It was a fun experience, even if it wasn’t what I expected.

Relationship

We had some very nice moments together. But they never lasted. They are followed up by discussions already the next day, leaving both of us with tensions until we meet again. It feels like every step forward is followed by a step, if not two, backward in my opinion. Both of us are doing our very best which makes it even sadder.

May ’24: Loading …

Special month incoming!

My manager asked me to go to Sydney to give training on-site.

Of course, I said yes!

Afterward, we are launching our project in London.

I asked to link the trips together and not stop in Belgium in between.

“But don’t you want to be home?” — Nope.

This means I will be traveling for 6 weeks!

Exciting.

The life I was, and still am, dream(ing) of is here and now.

Take it.

Experience it.

Be grateful.

Be humble.

Give it all I have!

Lessons from the past months:

Listening to the podcast series of Straight-Line Leadership unraveled a lot of good insights as well. Some were already present, but having an extra focus on them by doing a weekly call with Discipulae Vitae definitely helped! I listed my most prominent lessons:

• Knowing upfront what I have to do saves a lot of time. Being hesitant considering whether to do something and weighing the choices consumes a lot of time and energy. Decide before the moment of choice takes place. Decide with rationale instead of feeling.

• Summarize and simplify my wording, both vocally and written. I often explain things to others as if they need to understand ALL the context that is going on in my own head. But people mostly don’t care. The more words, the more complex the message. If people are interested, they will ask. Keep it simple. It stems from the desire to be understood by others. A search for approval and validation in my thoughts. But it is nonsense. I have to learn to let go of this feeling.

• If I want things to change in my life, then I must change. No one else is responsible for things (not) happening in my life.

• Only progression or regression exists. There is no standstill. Shifting focus equals a decline in the other. Choose your priorities wisely.

• Perfectionism in new skills costs too much time and makes you quit more easily. Just do it and find out. Imperfection teaches and makes you progress. Just start and you will find a way. Example: writing this blog.

• Make choices quickly when a problem presents itself. Of course, first think. But once the problem and options are examined, it is time for action. Letting a problem linger on leaves you in a utopian stage without any results.

• Every choice is a good choice if you handle it like one. Choose & commit. Let go of the alternative because it does not exist anymore. Move on.

Enjoy the brainfood. Reach out to me if you disagree or want to discuss something. Always open to re-evaluating my vision.

I cannot wait to have my blog up to date with my present life so that I can finally commence sharing my views of the future, rather than looking back at the past all the time. But I want it to be chronological (=perfectionism). One more article to go!

Thanks for reading!

Love

❤

September.

This month highlights the end of a life period. It was the last month of a lot. The last month of unlimited free time. The last month of being in Scouting. The last month of being unemployed and so many more things. I cherished it all, but just like last year, couldn't wait for October to begin. I was more than ready to start a new chapter.

Sports

After running a lot over the past month I decided to do something crazy and ran a marathon in the neighborhood on a Wednesday morning. There would not be a lot of time during this month for training and I wanted to make a statement for myself and challenge my physique. My body absorbed the challenge rather easily.

Scouting

After 19 years of being in scouting, my retirement arrived. For one last time, I felt more connected than ever with my group during our annual opening weekend. I’m glad I decided to do one more transitioning year to end on a happy note since I didn’t have this feeling last year. During the weekend I talked with many people and had some meaningful talks about purpose in life and achieving your goals. However, these were scarce since the majority of the weekend (of course) consisted of drinking a lot of alcohol.

It was an amazing week and I am deeply grateful for the friends, nurturing, and memorable moments I have experienced during my scouting career. It has shaped me into who I am and its effects will leave a lifelong impact on me.

Vacation

One more vacation to finish off the summer season. With my brother and two friends, we took off to Austria & Slovenia. We hiked along the Alpe Adria trail and crossed the border through the mountains. Once arrived in Slovenia, me and my brother had an amazing hitchhike back to our car in Austria. The next day I picked up my Greek friend whom I hadn’t seen anymore since my Erasmus 1,5 years ago. A very wonderful reünion. We talked a lot and enjoyed nature in its purest form. We disconnected in a mesmerizing environment. If you want to read more about it, you can always check out my Polarsteps here: https://www.polarsteps.com/GingerKingB

Partying

After hiking and a healthy life, it was time again to deteriorate our bodies. On our way home we stopped at the Oktoberfest in Munchen and showed the Greek guest how good the Belgians are in drinking beer. Upon arrival in Belgium, I showed him around and the final week of September ended up being one big party week which aligned with the university opening week. I experienced student life for the last time and saw back a lot of friends whom I hadn’t seen for months during summer. I enjoyed it, but was also happy when it was over. I can’t enjoy a week of non-productive time anymore. It itches in my brain.

October.

I wanted to do everything without giving up anything. Sports, studying, and updating my (travel) diary. Next to it, I was also going through a turbulent period with my girlfriend resulting in even more brain activity in an ever-decreasing amount of free time. There simply was too much on my plate. It was draining my body physically and mentally. But no obstacle is too big for me. I was excited to start this new adventure.

Study and creativity

I promised myself to finish all my work before the start of my new job on the 16th. I did not. Result: my private “work” piled up whilst also having to perform 8 hours of productive work each day. On top of that, I also decided to join a small university study on the side of Artificial Intelligence. Overall this resulted in an even more congested life.

Job

The first two weeks of my job went smoothly. I started at a consultancy bureau and was positioned in a data center at a small startup-like company. The colleagues on my project were very nice and flexible. They invested their time and knowledge in me and were very supportive. I got the chance to be myself and they gave me responsibility. On top of that, my project managers were sporty-minded and supported my running endeavors, even during working hours.

Sports

After the summer I was ready to prepare for a triathlon and ultrarunning. This meant more running and learning crawl swimming. However, I got injured with a runner’s knee due to ramping up my running routine again after only a short break. No more running for now … or wait … let’s run the Antwerp half marathon, try to pull a PR, and then take a break. Every normal person would say that’s a stupid idea and that was even more reasoning for me to do so. I decreased my training for two weeks so that the pain was bearable and then blasted off to the race in my home city. I did very well and beat my expectations with a new record of 1h30'33". I was very proud and had a lot of pain so it was time for some healing.

November.

My time management was completely wrecked after October, resulting in some harsh decisions with serious impacts. It was a month with a lot of emotions and big life events. To sum it up: my parents got married, I broke up with my girlfriend, my brother left for at least 6 months of traveling, I considered to resign my job and had to search for alternatives all while being injured resulting in a sports break which weighed on my mental health. Last but not least I also had to deliver school assignments. To get it all done I was sleep-deprived massively.

Job

I had a good start at my job. But after a month I started to re-evaluate my current situation. Does my current job fit my 4 core pillars on which I weigh the value it can deliver?

My 4 job pillars are the following:

1. Network and knowledge expansion -> Alignment with my ambitions

2. Freedom -> Hours, flexibility, commute, …?

3. Opportunities abroad -> Going to other countries/places?

4. Financial gains -> Salary and additional benefits

My evaluation revealed the following:

1. Since I work in a critical and heavily secured infrastructure I do not come into contact with a lot of people. I only have a few colleagues (10) with whom I do not spend a lot of time. We don’t even eat together most of the days. The content I am working on is interesting but does not contribute to my career ambitions. I want to work less in engineering and more in IT. The IT stuff I have to execute here is still very much engineering-related.

2. Working in Mechelen costs me between 2 and 3 hours a day of driving in traffic. This time is purely wasted. I tried to make it productive by listening to podcasts but after 1 month I was already bored of listening to podcasts so much. My hours are more or less fixed since we are operational support during working hours so avoiding traffic is not easy. Other transportation methods don’t create an immediate solution.

3. None. Operational on location in Mechelen. No special events. A new project in Brussels but this would not make a difference since I was recruited for Mechelen. Near future zero prospects.

4. On the lower end of the possibilities with my degree. Mandatory company car in my contract which takes up a lot of budget.

These issues were not insuperable. I contacted my consultancy bureau manager and explained that I was not happy with the current situation. Since the contract with this project was a three-month trial (as my manager had promised me), I asked for a redeployment. This could shift the job pillars more in my desired direction. Long story short: “This is not possible, you are being picky and not reasonable and we never promised you this so you are lying”. The relationship with my consultancy company and the trust in my manager dropped significantly.

Meanwhile, I also talked with my project managers. They were very happy with my performance and saw lots of potential in me. It gave me a mixed feeling since they were investing their goodwill and resources in me, being genuinely concerned with my well-being and ambitions all while I was hesitant about my future commitment to them. I had way more affinity and honest feelings for them than for my actual employer.

This created dilemmas in my head. Do I change the project? Do I change jobs? What job do I look for? Am I being too demanding? Is it correct for me to handle this way? How do I handle this situation?

This situation had a big load on my brain and judgment over myself as a person and my needs and approach to it. But one thing was sure. I am not the average person and I do not want to compare myself with the majority of our society. I take risks and know my capabilities. I am confident it will all work out and I will be happy with the outcome in hindsight.

Study and creativity

Over the past month, I had convinced one of my best friends from Uni to join me for an Artificial Intelligence course at another Belgian University. He agreed. Our lessons had already started more than a month ago so we had some catching up to do. We scheduled a weekly evening for studying together. Our first course was Machine Learning Algorithms Modeling in Python.

My creativity dropped and I did not stick to my promise to write an article every month. My Polarsteps of summer was not finished. My diary updates became less frequent. I did not post anything on my social media which I wanted to align with my current life. In short: I neglected it due to other priorities.

The only (new) stable thing this month was Discipulae Vitae. The productivity group with my cousin and his (and now also my) trading friends. Here we decided to take things a bit more seriously and hold a weekly meeting in which we discuss our thoughts on a specific topic. On top of that, we write a weekly recap of our own lives. We post this in our discord to hold each other accountable for promises and share our external views and advice.

Sports

My knee injury was not fully recovered and I had been sick due to my sleep-deprived lifestyle. But suddenly Tobias & Victor came up with the idea to go run 50km in a couple of days to challenge ourselves. Unprepared we decided to just go for it. We drove to the coast and started running. It took us 6 hours and a lot of suffering, but we succeeded! Very proud of both of them and a bit surprised at how difficult it went for me.

Due to the even worse knee injury, I did not run anymore for a while. I made an appointment with the kinesitherapy and this helped a lot. I wanted to get into swimming but didn’t stick to my plan. Going to the gym was also a possibility but it happened only sporadically. Somehow I let my leg injury dictate my whole body to not sport even though there are lots of other alternatives. My comfort go-to sports was off the table and my whole routine collapsed.

My sports frequency was at the very low end and it had a serious impact on my well-being. It affected my energy level during the day, my clarifying and ordering thought process, my feelings, and as a result my decision-making capabilities. The longer it lasted the more aware I was and the more I realized things had to change! But: realization ≠ taking action.

December

This month was a continuation of sleep deprivation. There was so much going on and I was in a nonstop rush to work on everything. My adrenaline and excitement pushed me through this month. It was fun while it lasted though not sustainable. There was no balance.

Job

My decision was set in stone. I will search for another job. Due to my job, the direction I want to work towards became more clear: data analytics/data science/business intelligence. I was ready for an IT job. If I want to acquire knowledge and a reliable network, I have to work in the sector I want to progress and excel in.

I scraped the internet for vacancies and applied for everything somewhat related. Simultaneously an idea popped up to just leave everything behind and go work in the United States. We have family in Seattle and there are a lot of tech companies over there. So I also started to investigate this route. I distributed my chances over as many possibilities as possible. Additionally, some vacancies delivered me an entry assignment. This took up A LOT of time as well since I had to start studying the topics and I wanted to submit quality.

While working on my job/project I tried to focus as much as possible on the tasks that would have a lasting impact on them so that my time and their resources were not spilled for nothing. Additionally, I tried to squeeze as much of my time as possible into programs and knowledge that would stay valuable later on. I learned to work with PowerBI which is a valuable skill to have. The vibe with my manager didn’t improve. I had chosen for myself and tried to position myself as positive and courteous as possible towards the company. Their bad behavior to me should not influence my good behavior toward them.

Study and creativity

My study coincided with my job hunt this month. I studied topics related to the vacancies and cannot remember a time I worked so hard. I came home from work and pushed around 4–5 hours a day of extra work. Coming home felt like starting my second job. There was not a minute to spare. I truly went all in. My life was stuck in a trilemma between sleep, sports, and study. But it was impossible to satisfy all of them. This way of working was exciting and I enjoy it, but it is not sustainable. It worked because there was an objective that seemed reachable, although unknown.

Sports

After once again a period of resting it was time to stress test my body again. Some of my friends organized a 102km walk for charity. I joined the 101km edition last year and was more or less obliged to join again. I was not sure whether or not it was a good idea to do so, but there was only one way to find out: do it. I would stop if the pain arises in the first half. Lucky me, it did not. The walk went by smoothly and was way easier than last year! A good benchmark for how much my physique has improved over the past year. I ran the last 20km together with my friend and it made me feel like junior David Goggins haha. It was the first sign that I was ready to start training for ultrarunning and that I am passionate about suffering.

Since the walk passed without issues, I was ready to start running again. I had learned my lesson: build up the volume incremental week by week and stretch every time I go running. Don’t rush it. The time being injured does not weigh up against the urge to do something impulsive and without preparation.

Snowboarding

I finished and started the year with a banger. We celebrated the year with four friends in a skiing village in France. It felt great to have a break after some of the most intense months of my life. But at the same time, I could not clear my head entirely and focus on being zen. So much going on in my head and so little time. After a couple of days, I finally shifted my thoughts and started enjoying it fully.

However … In the middle of the trip, I fell pretty harshly after taking a jump and my knee got hurt badly. An injury once again :( Since we were there I kept snowboarding the remaining days, to say on a lower level. The injury was very painful and had once again an impact on my inner voice. The previous injury was finally gone and a new one arose. This was not the plan I had envisioned, but I had to take it. It was life giving me an extra challenge and I happily took it.

Some valuable lessons

Sports & mental health:

• If I am not able to run, it weighs on my mental resilience and overall happiness

• The time being injured does often not weigh up against surpassing a physical boundary (or at least make the calculation!)

• If I can’t enjoy my free time and occupy my head during it, it is double worthless time. Enjoy the time I have created to relax and return fully charged afterward

Perseverance & ambition:

• Absolutely nothing will stop me from achieving my goals.

• You have to make choices in focus areas. You can’t handle everything and keep delivering quality. Quality > quantity.

• I am different than most and thus don’t compare myself to “most people”.

• Tackle difficult situations head on and don’t be afraid for confrontation.

Personality & human interaction

• Other people’s bad behavior cannot influence my “good” behavior, even when they don’t treat me right. Be better!

• Don’t let your emotions take control of your actions

• No one knows me as well as I know myself

To finish the year with a banger:

“Live the life you love and love the life you live!”

What’s next?

And here the year ends. Once more the title is relevant. “Every end is a new beginning”. I will start 2024 as a complete mystery. No job, no relationship, no boundaries or attachment. Free to do whatever I feel like. Super excited for once again THE BEST YEAR IN MY LIFE.

I applied for a job as a ranger in a nature reserve in The Netherlands for 5 weeks. Participants join for a 2-day adventure of hiking and rafting with an inflatable boat; called Packrafting. A pretty cool concept if you ask me! Together with another ranger, it was our responsibility to welcome, inform, and entertain the participants; as well as interact with the campsite owner and with the administration of the organization. In general, it was our task to keep the whole “micro-adventure” operational. And as long as all went smoothly, we had the freedom to execute it as we pleased.

Three days before my starting date I received a call informing me that my partner ranger had canceled. So, they asked me to find a partner myself. In no time I had found two substitutes. My brother for the first week and my cousin for the next 4 weeks. This provided me with even more flexibility on the job since we were all on the same page. The first week with my brother was perfect to catch up and spend some quality time together. Afterward, the dynamic with my cousin was amazing as well since we both had the same objective: finishing the tasks as fast as possible so we could invest all our ‘spare time’ in studying (and sports). On top of that, we were isolated far away from the distraction of friends, leaving working on ourselves as the only possible occupancy for our free time.

After 6 weeks of full-time traveling, this was exactly what I needed. Traveling is and was very nice. But it lasted too long. Or the way of traveling was not maintainable. And I think it is a bit of both. In the future, I want to travel more and more for longer and longer. But the formula of how I travel should change. These were 6 weeks of vacation. And I got bored of it. I felt unproductive and started to be annoyed by it. I want to make progress, mentally and physically. At this point, I was not progressing anymore but rather living from day to day without real purpose. Of course, it was amazing to be with the people I was with, and the surrounding culture and nature were wonderful. But I didn’t have the time to REALLY take it in and evaluate and process it all. Now, a couple of months later, it has become a shady void with fun memories. I realized even more that I crave to TRAVEL instead of having a vacation. And this (to me) means having a proper routine and being productive as much as possible along the way.

During this month of combined working and me-time for personal purposes, I had the time to stand still with my thoughts over the past and coming months. Evaluating my life and making important decisions for the future. Over the past month, I received a job offer to work at a dredging company abroad with a very high paycheck. Working in rotations of 6 weeks aboard and abroad— 6 weeks at home, free. But this meant that I first had to follow 6–9 months of training in a city rather far away. This had been my plan during my vacation and I was more or less convinced to sign the contract, yet something in me held me back. I was motivated for the work abroad and even more for the free time at home, but wasn’t motivated for such a long training in Belgium, yet so far from home. I considered moving closer to the workplace but there were barely housing options. I kept postponing my decision but didn’t have a real alternative either and kept pep-talking myself that it was indeed a good choice. My LinkedIn kept giving me notifications of the countless recruiters and only one stood out. A consultancy bureau with various engineering and IT options. I agreed to a call and gave it a fair chance (even though I decided 90% already), and it flipped the course of my thoughts. It was the light I needed to guide me out of my blindness. After comparing I realized that I went numb for the 6 weeks of free time and the high pay since the content of this job was less aligned with my career ambitions. Something in me had postponed my decision long enough and ‘the universe’ granted me a sudden solution as a reward for being patient and not rushing my life choices.

During this month I picked up running again as well. My progression had stagnated after the countless beers and lack of daily sports during vacation. But it didn’t take too much time to pick up the pace again. My routine got better and better again, especially because I was reading “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins during the Packraft. The running addiction and aspiration grew by the day. After my marathon, I was looking for a new physical goal to strive for. The spark had been inside me before, but the urge got stirred up a lot now for the next challenge: ultrarunning and triathlon. The faraway targets now transformed into “start working on it now” objectives.

Also a lot of friends came to visit me. It made me, again, realize how valuable my friends are. I hadn’t seen most of my friends since before I went to Spain in May, 3 months ago. I had been the one going everywhere yet still they put in the effort to visit me, again abroad. I am blessed with the friends I have and need to be humble towards them since I am the one who is difficult to reach. The same goes for my parents who also visited for a weekend. And even more so for my girlfriend who had to settle for very little time either during summer. It was not easy and has led to some discussions between us, unsurprisingly.

Lastly, it was inspiring to be in contact with so many different people. During these 5 weeks, I was the person of contact for 600 different people. So many different experiences and visions of the world and how to live your life. It was so interesting to sit around the campfire every other night with new people with each their own backstories and insights. I heard so many stories, especially about traveling since this was an experience through a traveling agency that offers a lot of other trips as well. It encouraged me to work harder towards a work-traveling future life.

These 5 weeks were wonderful. They embodied a meditation/mindfulness retreat to me, surrounded by lovely people, and not to forget, amazing nature!

Back in Belgium, I had to present and defend the Blockchain Project I had been working on for the past month. The presentation in the morning went smoothly, which gave me even more motivation for my first marathon in the afternoon. It was extremely hot that day and thus I decided to run on heart rate rather than on pace. The parkour was very calm and there were less than 100 participants. The result: running solo the whole time. But I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way! Enjoying the suffering all on my own. My parents and brother were biking around and supplied me with water every 2–3 kilometers and more importantly a boost in motivation. I finished in 3 hours and 26 minutes. Happy, but not completely satisfied. I still had some energy left after the race, so that is promising for my next marathon!

The next week was filled with job interviews from various companies, of which one lasted 6 hours long. Luckily I had studied a little bit for this one since it was pretty technical as well. I pushed all my interviews in this week because I won’t be home until the end of September.

The last week of June, vacation started. First up in the running: a road trip with my girlfriend through Luxembourg. This one really surprised me beyond my expectations. We slept in the trunk of the car or wild camped along the way in some very beautiful locations. During our trip we canoed, hiked the Müllerthal Trail, visited a castle and chilled at various lakes and rivers. What truly amazed me was how calm and not (yet) touristic everything here was. On some occasions, we were the only people there with no one around. The whole world seemed ours.

After the road trip, I went straight to the “Rampage Open Air” festival with some of my friends. It was my first time there and I loved it with every cell in my body. Loud drum and bass music mixed up with amazing friends and some magical festival vibes. My body was overwhelmed with feelings as if I experienced the satisfaction from all the hard work over the past year in one single moment in time. My brain rewarded my body for all the effort I had put into myself. It felt like a reality check that I am indeed on a trajectory to living the life I thrive to achieve. And I am enjoying every second of the path along the way as well.

There was no time to come home and relax since I had to pack my bag again for 4 weeks of traveling through Montenegro, Albania & Greece. The first 3 weeks were with my Scouting group. This was my final year and final camp, and I’m extremely happy that I got the chance to go abroad to finish off my scouting career. We traveled by public transport which in itself was already a challenge in these countries, let alone in a group of 13 people. We started off with some bad luck: the luggage of 2 people was lost. But we didn’t let this ruïn our mood, and 3 days later they were delivered. We wandered through the — often untouched — nature and hiked over the Albanian Alps from Montenegro to Albania. Along the way, we encountered various lakes, glaciers and extraordinary viewpoints. For most, this was their first time hiking in the mountains, which also meant that they had to discover the boundaries of their own bodies. The group atmosphere was encouraging and in the end, nobody complained and most pushed their limits beyond their own expectations. After the heavy work, it was time to relax in Albania. We traveled through Skhöder, Tirana and Berat and checked out the area. The land is filled with beaches at lakes, rivers and the Adriatic Sea. The nature is truly amazing and the cities are clearly developing towards a more touristic future, but the crowd is not there yet. The locals are super friendly and welcoming and they break the stereotype that characterizes the Balkan region (as a Western European).

After 3 weeks my girlfriend came over. She joined the group for some days and then we continued our vacation when the others left for Belgium. We headed south towards Sarande, Albania, at the border with Greece. Suddenly the streets were crowded and it felt like being in another country. Overcrowded beaches filled with tourists and street shops on every corner. But once you go 5 km further everything goes radio silent again. Empty beaches with hidden bars and a handful of people. Truly amazing. We were headed towards Corfu, but forest fires broke out and were visible from our shore. Instead, we went to Igoumenitsa, Northern Greece, until the fire was under control. Our campsite was ON the beach. We even stumbled upon a holiday in a small village with a parade and fireworks. After a couple of days, we finally headed for Corfu and got a taste of this amazing island as well. We rented a boat to discover even more beaches, wandered around in the cities and talked for hours and hours. We spent every second we were there, together.

You can read my traveling journal for a more in-depth story including lots of pictures and video’s on my Polarsteps: https://www.polarsteps.com/GingerKingB

Brain Activity

During these weeks I have analyzed and thought about a lot of things. So I will share some of my thought processes as well.

The most prominently present thought: As a Western European, maybe even more as a Belgian, I am so extremely blessed with the chances and possibilities I currently have in my life. None of this would’ve been possible if I were born somewhere else or if I hadn’t have got the support from my parents as I do. This doesn’t mean that I don’t try my very best and have not put in the effort to get me in life where I am today. But so many other people never even got close to having these chances. Or they do need to put in 10x the work (for less). I talked with multiple locals and every time I felt like I did not deserve to have these privileges. What makes me worth more than them to be in this position?

Something else I noticed over time: I NEED to talk with strangers. Like, it is a basic daily necessity. My day will be good but never complete if I don’t. Everywhere I go I feel the urge to have (deeper meaningful) conversations with people I don’t know, nor will ever know. I always presume everyone has good intentions. Thus if people initiate or respond to a stimulus for interaction, they most probably have good and honest intentions. It impulses compassion and empathy in me. In every one of those conversations I’ve had in my life, I have learned something new: advice, insight into another culture, recommendations for activities, … The longer I was on vacation, the more I felt the urge to have these encounters. It broadens my understanding of human interactions and leads to unpredictable experiences.

Over this period I haven’t had one free day for me-time. And the older I become the more I realize how important that is for personal development and growth. But I was able to asses this in advance and prepared my mind and body beforehand. I knew what was coming and had written down all the necessary things in my diary. But moreover, I was able to coördinate most of the thought processes and analysis of my surroundings during the action. I was able to split up the “problems” into subcategories to either “tackle now” or “I need more time for this, schedule a moment, continue the day worry-free”. I am becoming more and more in control over my mind and body and my mindset is growing stronger by the day.

After all this “relaxing” it is time to make moves again. The journey continues!

Greetings,

GingerKingB

https://linktr.ee/GingerKingB

I have written a short review of my past year as an introduction to getting to know me!

I studied Industrial Engineering Electromechanics at University for the past 5 years. I didn’t put too much effort into it but had the capabilities to pass rather easily. During the 5 years of studying my life consisted of partying 4+ times a week for 9 months a year and solely studying 3 months a year during the examination period. It was clear that this was not my ambition, but I didn’t have a clear idea what else would be so I just went with it. Living “go with the flow” and from day to day. Lots of friends and always things to do. Not giving myself a lot of me-time to reconsider what I would rather do.

Last year in January I went on Erasmus to Spain to write my master’s thesis. The last piece of the puzzle was to finish my degree. It was the last obstacle, but definitely also the hardest one. After 4 years my motivation was gone. Being abroad on the other hand was the best thing that could happen to me. I finally started appreciating all the “me-time” and used this time to evaluate my life and choices. During my study sessions in the library, I always wandered off to write in my diary (which I have been doing very actively since 2019) and research crypto projects. More and more I explored my interest in those two and I finally got a feeling that these two things truly inspire me. Self-development and web3. I started surfing, bouldering, and running again but not consistently. It improved my mindset but also distracted me from the last obstacle. Time started running out and I had to deliver … the deadline was 1 July and I had nothing at the beginning of May. On top of that, I broke my collarbone in a bike-car collision. With all odds against me, I hesitated to quit. But I’m no quitter and I can achieve everything if I dedicate myself to it. So for the next 2 months, I isolated myself from everyone and everything and pushed through. No friends, no parties, no sports, no web3, … Just me, my thesis, and my diary. I left Erasmus without a proper goodbye to the friends I made and had cut off my social and mental well-being completely. BUT … I delivered on time!

During summer I had to wait for my grades until August. I couldn’t move on in my head and at the same time had to let go of everything because I had been on automatic pilot for 2 months straight while also partially disabled. So … July was filled with old habits. Partying, drinking, a little drugs, and no me-time.

August became the month of relief. I received insane good grades and had the feeling I was finally released from an imaginary prison. Finally, my life could start all over again. I could shape it however I feel like. So I started shaping habits … focus and occasionally work during the week and have fun on the weekends! I created a blueprint and chose studies for the coming year, but could not execute it yet since September was filled with vacations and events again, which felt a bit like obligations.

September existed of “enjoying everything one last time”. But in the back of my head, it couldn’t be over soon enough. The vacations and time with friends were amazing but they could not fill the void. It was a month full of evaluation of my life over the past years. “How could I have enjoyed this for so long?”

October! Finally. First thing on the list: reorganize my room. Fresh start. Next up: waking up early, doing sports every day, studying every day. On top of this, I got a job in a bar on the side as well. This all led to restricting meetings with friends as much as possible. No distractions. It worked quite okay, but I still had to explore what exactly to study. I gathered information but there was an overload of possibilities which lead to no real results due to trying everything a bit. My surroundings didn’t really take my grind very seriously, and I don’t blame them. In the past, I had called so many things without actually doing them. But this time was different for me.

In November I stumbled upon Codecademy and started Computer Science. I also started a web3 solidity coding BootCamp from WhiteBoardCrypto. And lastly, I enrolled in a variety of courses at a University since September for the subjects “Blockchain Development” and “Cybersecurity”. Sporting went consistently as well. Running truly is my magic ingredient for self-confidence and my focus was better than ever. I progressed immensely!

The first half of December went great. Then I got sick and the holidays started. Back to partying and gatherings with friends and family. Very pleasant but not good for the grind. Couldn’t wait for it to be over but still enjoyed it while it lasted.

January. The perfect moment to evaluate my life, especially since it took a harsh turn. I took my time to thoroughly make a 2022 year review including every possible topic of importance in my life. I started writing and couldn’t stop writing. It became priority number 1. Every day. It had to be all-inclusive. Outcome: A 66-page long “summary” of the past year. In between this “essay”, I also studied a little bit for University and aced the tests.

In February me and some friends were crewmembers of a skiing vacation from a traveling agency. It was my brother and me’s job to entertain people and hype up the crowd during parties. We did an amazing job and I made a ton of connections with very inspiring people whom I learned so much from. This was an opportunity of a lifetime and I’m so glad I took it. On top of that, I also fell in love with a girl whom I had been with for a couple of months already. A relationship didn’t fit in my life and it was the last thing I wanted at this point in my life. But it is also an opportunity outside of my comfort zone, which often leads to the most surprising outcomes. I thrive to do things that are outside of my comfort zone, and I fell in love so spontaneously… that a couple of weeks later I decided to give it a shot.

Next up is March. This month was great! Sporting consistently. Studying consistently. Extremely happy I chose the relationship. The only thing bothering me this month was my student job. I got bored because I got paid to do nothing and read the newspaper, and I didn’t earn enough money with it. So … I started looking around again and got three new jobs in April. Nice perspective.

In April is started to focus more on running and less on other sports. I quit my previous job and said no to one of my three options. That’s two jobs left: working at festivals and joining medical studies. I immediately joined the first festival of the season. It was even more boring than my previous job … getting paid to do nothing the whole day and on top of that I was not allowed to leave the ground during my “free” hours. I wanted to go for a run and was not allowed to. So down to one earning model: the medical study. At the end of the month, I was hospitalized for a week to test an influenza vaccine. And to my surprise, most participants of the study worked remotely from the hospital as well! This motivated me, even more, to work hard every day, so this was a great success.

During May I decided to start with job applications since I was so bored of student jobs. I worked hard enough the past months and have a busy summer schedule already, so I present myself as “open to work starting in October”. I did a lot of online interviews. It was very informative but didn’t yet find what I am looking for. I decided to run a marathon the next month and started training excessively. Studying started to go more difficult since I need variation in my workflow. Behind the same desk for months started to take its toll. My cousin had been working remotely for the past two months, so I decided to join him for three weeks. I left the last week of May for the border of Spain & Portugal.

And here I am … At the beginning of June. Living my very best life. Studying 10h+ a day in a house with 4 friends. My study breaks consist of extensive running sessions through nature as far as the eye can see. Progressing faster than ever. Happier than ever. Working towards my future. I have no clue what is coming next, but I’m looking forward to it!

Reach out to me: https://linktr.ee/GingerKingB

I’m a 24 years old guy from Belgium.

I graduated with my master’s in Industrial Engineering Electromechanics in the summer of 2022. However, I did not feel satisfied with my field of study. Thus I decided to shake up my life entirely and fully commit myself to my future! I strive to grow in every aspect of my life. Every day.

My current interests: • Self-development → Becoming a better version of myself every day • Personal health → A variety of sports and a healthy lifestyle • Programming → Web3, machine learning (AI), more to discover • Content creation → Videos, writing, and potentially podcasts • Entertainment → Delivering unique experiences to other people • Traveling → Discovering nature and other cultures

Self-development

I started keeping a diary in 2019. It was the best decision I ever made in my life. By doing so I dwell on what happens in my life and evaluate my actions and decisions. I rarely read back what I wrote down. But I can if I ever want to.

My diary is the most valuable thing I own and it is irreplaceable. It has been the most consistent act in all the phases and flows my life has been through over the past 5 years.

At the end of 2022, I wrote a year's resume (60+ pages) and messages to my future self. I plan on doing this at the end of every year. Every day I thrive to become a better version of the person I was yesterday.

Personal health

I love sports and want to be good in all sports I try. I sport to improve my focus and filter my thoughts. Especially individual sports act as a form of meditation to me. My goal is to be in the best possible shape athletically so that my body can never limit my options in my adventurous life.

The sports I consistently perform: • Running: 3x week • Swimming: 1x week • Fitness: 2x week • Ski-/snowboarding: 1 week a year • Hiking: vacations during summer

Sports I would like to learn/do more: • (Kite-)Surfing • Diving • Calisthenics • Skydiving • Paragliding • (High alpine) climbing

In my sleeping pattern are 8 hours a night planned during my routine periods. If 8 hours are not met then I take a nap during the day when I lose my focus. However, during vacations, weekends with friends, events, … I can incur a lot of sleep deprivation and like to push the boundaries.

My eating habits consist of healthy food and eating 3–4 times a day. Fast food and other treats are avoided as much as possible and rarely occur. Drinking enough water is essential as well. I don’t follow any particular diet but meat in every meal is definitely not essential in my eating pattern.

Programming

I got very interested in web3 in the past two years and became interested in its beautiful ideology. Rebuilding the internet in its purest form where all data is self-owned and where transparency and decentralization lead to equal access without the potential for discrimination.

So, I decided I wanted to learn programming and crypto to pursue a job with like-minded people in this innovative and promising industry. I want to help build the future of the internet. I thrive to contribute a piece of the puzzle in the long roadmap to create the fair and rightful way the internet was intended.

Currently, I am learning: • Computer Science on Codecademy • Solidity through coding courses • Blockchain Development at University

Once these three are finished I would like to dive deeper into machine learning, data processing, and cybersecurity. I am aware that my interests will become more specific once I learn more about the possibilities in different fields.

Content creation

Even though my whole life I’ve never thought of myself as being creative, it has excited me more and more. I like to write a lot (in my diary) and suppose that this could also be used for a broader context if people are interested in my writings. In the past, I wrote down my lucid dreams for a while and blog posted them already.

I’m also learning bit by bit to video edit and would love to share my experiences and progress through my life with an audience. Currently, only a few videos have been made but more are coming in the future. I own both a GoPro and an Insta360 camera. I’m an adrenaline junkie and like to do adventurous things.

A podcast seems like a nice idea to do as well in the future, but this is not an immediate priority. Need to take on my ambitions step by step.

Entertainment

My whole life I’ve been a member of scouting. This experience of entertaining children and organizing events and summer camps has left its mark. I love to lead groups and be the spokesperson for entertainment. I’m very adventurous and like to deliver a unique experience to other people. It makes me genuinely happy!

This year I joined a traveling organization. As crewmember it is your responsibility to be the point of contact with participants and spark their excitement for activities. I would love to climb up inside this organization and join multiple trips each year.

But this also includes friends and encounters with strangers. Every moment is one to cherish and every encounter with people should be one to remember and make the best of.

Traveling

The world had so much beauty to offer and it would be a shame to only see a fraction of it. Most importantly nature itself. I can’t wait to see it, preferably in its untouched form. But also experiencing other cultures and getting to know people with different views and mindsets. Every person has a meaningful opinion and I’m eager to learn from each and every one of them.