Hi everyone, for the past two weeks, I’ve been suffering from repetitive strain injury (RSI) in my wrists from working too many hours behind my laptop without breaks. This has reminded me of the physical limits of my passion. While slowing down has felt frustrating, it’s also forced me to reflect and evolve how I work and what I create – hence this new-look newsletter. Enjoy!
🌍 Can one individual make a difference to the planet?
As a climate activist, I strive to live by this quote from the former president of Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel: "Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out." Our system is beyond the control of one individual, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't do all in my power to make a difference. I shared my thoughts about this and the core roots of our climate & ecological crisis in Henry Clark’s We Need To Talk podcast.
💪 Nourishing your body & mind with a consultant & yogi
In this week’s episode of “Principled?” I explore Principle 6: “Body and mind are one. Nourish your body to create a healthy and productive mind.”Together with guest Emma Schootstra, a consultant and yogi, we discuss the interconnection of mind & body, and exchange our hacks for optimizing your health.
💰 How I redefined my relationship with wealth
Want to make money and conquer the world? That was the attitude of most of my fellow economics students at Erasmus University Rotterdam. I wrote this story about how I redefined my relationship with monetary wealth - as told in Episode 5 of my podcast.
🔥 When passion leads to burnout
Developing RSI in my wrist reminded me of the dark side of passion. When we identify so strongly with our work, we can neglect our physical health and drive ourselves to burnout. I used to believe that if you love what you do, you can just keep working 60 hours per week – that changed after I read this article.
Tip: save the article to pocket to get around paywalls like this one.
🤔 Understanding why Trump still scored 48% of the popular vote
The biggest headline was not that Biden won, but that his margin of victory was so narrow. As a left-wing liberal, it’s easy to condemn all Trump voters or Brexiters as “racists” or “idiots”, but that’s just untrue and doing so won’t change anything. This week I’ve been reading National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy to learn why so many people voted for political parties that I despise. We can only address something effectively if we understand it.
🤝 Mastering the laws of human nature
“Your first impulse should always be to find the evidence that disconfirms your most cherished beliefs and those of others. That is true science.” This quote from Robert Greene’s Laws of Human Nature reaffirms why, if you're interested in learning what's true, it is important to challenge your views and understand other’s perspectives. Check out this summary if this 600-pager doesn’t fit your busy schedule.
The Physical Limits to Passion
We're entering the cold and dreary winter months, yet I’m loving life with a warm feeling inside, even in partial lockdown. I attribute a large part of this to living my passion. On daily basis I do work I care about, but I've overdone it. Overworking my wrists has resulted in RSI.
Passion is like a flame. While it can warm you, it can also blind you and then hurt you, if you stay near it for too long. My hands play a big part in living my passion, and I hadn't realised that. I held them too close to the fire and they got burnt.
This could've been prevented. I'd been experiencing some numbness and pains in my hands, but I worked through it.
Doing energising work felt so good that I ignored the early signals.
Right up until they turned into an injury and I couldn't work anymore.
The lesson here is to stay in touch with yourself. Emotionally, mentally and physically. Whether you do work you think is boring or work that totally absorbs you, you have your limitations; too much of a good thing is a bad thing. (Then again, too much of a bad thing would be even worse, so let's make sure you thoroughly enjoy your work and life first!)
Take some time to check in with yourself. Are you experiencing any discomfort? What might be causing that, and what might it lead to? See if you can find ways to adjust so you don't overdo it. What abilities do you need for your work or hobbies? Your voice for singing, your mind for mental activities, sitting down for a desk job... How might you use or develop these in a sustainable manner? With self-awareness, you might prevent injuries that could hold you back from living your life. Your future is in your hands – don't let them get burnt.
Photo of the Week
When you look back on your career, what do you want to be proud of? This was one of the challenging questions I posed to the young professional network of Croda, during last week’s Impact Workshop. When we think long-term, we can make the right short-term decisions. We sow the seeds that eventually bear fruit in our future – finding meaning throughout our working lives.
