Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: brainstorming, conversation, denie, discussion, English, failure, feeling, lie, statement, success
I had several conversations last week about the feeling of not being good enough. What is failure and what is success? We were also talking about pleasing people in order to make sure you were taken care of. Even if you have to lie or to denie yourself (often as a kid we do). This way it is hard to be successful and failure is the easy one to catch. Is this true? Or is it just a black and white statement?
Yesterday after some brainstorming on my own , I came up with next sentence:
THERE IS NO SUCH A THING AS FAILURE EXCEPT IN THE MIND OF PEOPLE
What do you think about it? What is your experience on this subject?
Bea
Filed under: Inventive Theories | Tags: age, choose, inventive theory, soccer
“People who are born (right) after an arbitrary cut-off point are generally more successful.”
Imagine school where age is used to determine in which schoolyear kids are registered. In Belgium the schoolyear is from september to june. Age is, of course, considered from 1st of January till the 31st of December.
The theory, as stated above, says that kids born in january till march (Q1) are more successful then kids born in october till december (Q4).
Let’s take soccer for example. Two kids can pick a team from a random classroom at the age of 6. It’s more likely that the kids from Q1 will be chosen much faster than those of Q4. Why? They are bigger, stronger and more experienced (min. 6 months!) than the rest of their class. Even if they are mediocre at first, because they are picked earlier, they are perceived as better players and thus become better players. When they become better players, they will be chosen even faster and more often then before. This means it will be hard(er) for Q4-children to catch up with Q1-children.
So, why don’t you ask around in your sports team when everyone’s birthday is? According to this theory, the best players will be born in Q1, right?
Let’s bring in the examples, research, experiments and evidence please 
I am curious to see what happens,
Bert
Filed under: English, Inventive Theories | Tags: creativity, discussion, Fun, history, Inventive Theories, logic, research
We all want to know WHY something happens. Ok, some times also How
So, instead of doing years of research I’ve decided to create some Inventive Theories that are totally based on … what actually? On my imagination. This means that some theories will consist of logical and easy to understand reasoning. On top of that I’ll add flavours of pure creativity and imagination. So most of them will look “real” to most people. In fact, my goal is to persuade people or even seduce people into a conversation about it. Some people will instantly share that they know examples of this theory. Some will say that (extensive) research has been done about it. Others will come up with counter-examples. And yes, that’s when the goal of Inventive Theories is achieved
In fact, the creation of Inventive Theories became the subject of what is now called
“Verdonck’s Law” (de Wet van Verdonck). More info on this later…
So, I dare you to come up with proof Why the theory works or not. We might write history together and at least have lots of fun with debating on it, clarifying thoughts, sharing how we feel about them, etc.
Are you ready for the first one?
Yes? Be back next week for the premiere
Have fun, always,
Bert
Filed under: English | Tags: beyond, dance, dream, English, fibonacci, limits, own, rollercoaster
A festival…one guy starts to dance…on his own for quite some time…
Watch what happens!
Do you recognize? 1 1 2 3 5 8 13…..
One man starts to dance…suddenly a second one is showing up and now they are two of them. A bit later number three is joining the party. Very quickly you see two more and then they are five….three more and then they are eight…4 and 1 more then they are 13 and now it is speeding up like a rollercoaster….
What would happen if we all keep believing in our ‘dance’???
Something to ponder!
Dream beyond your limits and dance!!!!
Bea
Filed under: English | Tags: beyond, collected, English, firm, hara, limits, secret, self, vocal coach
As a vocal coach and the creator of the Natural Corset training I cannot tell you enough how important the hara is.
For those who are not acquainted to this subject:
“Hara, or balancing point or gravity point, is the vital center of the self, the focus of existence . It is a prime factor of all human life. The hara is an area located one and a half inch below the navel and one and a half inches inward toward the spine.
A person with a good hara will stand upright, firm and collected. The body would not easily be toppled over if pushed.”
What does this mean in practice?
One day I was giving a workshop and I wanted to demonstrate this principal. I asked for a volunteer to push me away. A young man, about twenty years of age, came forward. He really had very strong arm-muscles. (he looked a bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger). Honestly I was a bit worried. Was my hara that developed that I could resist his pushing me away? But I easily did. It was quite embarrassing for him so I told him my ‘secret’.
David was a student in one of my music classes. He was eight years old and very tiny for his age. He looked quite insecure and after a little while I figured out that they were bullying him on the playground.
I asked him: Do you want to learn how to be strong and how you can resist them without fighting? He didn’t want to believe that anything could possibly help him but I made him curious. We started practising how to use the hara. A bit nervous but very enthusiast he left my classroom. A week later (I do have my students once a week) he ran towards me, completely overexcited: miss, miss, I did it! I did it! They stopped bullying me and some of them already want to play with me!
I can assure you: nothing in the world can pay me for those shiny eyes and big smile of a person who has conquered something and went beyond his or her own limits!!
Cherish your hara!
Bea
A while ago I was sitting in the audience of a coach. He was asking the question: what is an important goal to you in life. A man answered: I would like the things in my life to be balanced. That sentence stayed in the corner of my mind.
Some weeks later I heard someone saying: Balance is not interesting. It doesn’t make you growing. You find challenges and possibilities when you are out of balance. Now I started wondering: is this true for me and what does balance in life means to me?
Suddenly I remembered my cousin. He was a water skier on professional level and I once interviewed him for a magazine.
I asked him what his sport was all about. Keeping up speed, he answered. Then I reacted: But I see you making circles over and over again on the river for about one and a half hour. Isn’t it boring? What are you thinking?
His answer: I don’t think of anything. I only focus myself on every wave. If I catch that wave then I can keep up my speed. If I’m not then I loose speed.
When I started as a beginner I only could focus myself for about ten minutes. That’s what the training is all about: to learn the technique to catch the waves and to build up my focus.
Well, maybe that’s what balance is all about: to surf on the waves of life and to make sure your focus is well enough to catch them in order to reach your goal. And as we all know: waves are coming and going…there is no such a thing as being balanced for the rest of your life. It’s an ongoing process!
Keep surfing!
Bea
Filed under: Beyondia, English | Tags: beyond, connect, fibonacci, golden ratio, habits, multiply, rabbits
As earlier mentioned we are inspired by the Fibonacci sequence of numbers…one of us said to the other: I am interested to start a blog about ‘blablabla’. The other answered: strange I got the same idea. Great….let’s connect and start together. Two days later one called the other and said: guess what! I know someone who is really interested in joining us….and then we were three of us….end of story??? I guess not…
0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 ect…
Leonardo da Pisa (1170-1250) didn’t invent this sequence of numbers but added zero and used this in his book ’Liber Abaci’ to proof the way rabbits were multiplying.
I hope we will multiply as fast as, but not as rabbits !!
Leonardo da Pisa …Fibonacci? Nickname of his dad was bonaccio (goodnatured) and he became filius bonacci…Fibonacci (son of Bonaccio)
I like Fibonacci! He’s Italian. As a young boy he travelled the Middle-East. He got his education in the North of Africa…a perfect mixture, a man of the world, going and growing beyond habits (or rabbits?)!!
Even more special: the higher up in the sequence, the closer it will approach the golden ratio….a thing of beauty is a joy forever!!
Let’s go Beyondia!
Bea
Filed under: Contemplate | Tags: blind, historia de un letrero, perspective, short movie
I am always looking out for inspirational stuff. And this time I found a very interesting short film “Historia de un Letrero” about the history of a sign.
Enjoy the movie
It is amazing how we look at things. Sometimes it takes courage to see the same things from a different angle. By changing this angle amazing things happen, just like in the movie. So, next time you think about a situation or you have a difficult moment, think about this movie and change the way you look at it. I know, it might be a challenge, but by changing your view, you change your attitude and also your outcome. It might not be as bad as you think it is Another opportunity to learn a great lesson…
Anyway, this movie made me reflecting on my way of looking at things. You can be sure I’ll be putting it in perspective again On top of that I also made wonder how “blind” we are…and who will change our sign?
What about you? Did this movie influence you? Did you like the story?
Amazing what a short video can do, right?
Have fun, always,
Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker & Life Coach
