Archive for the ‘English’ Category
Silence here
It has been silent here for some time. Now, my mood and energy levels are picking up again, I look forward to write about my new steps in life here again.
I do miss Heleen a lot and I will ever do. But I can handle missing her and doing things at the same time better now. So that’s what I will be doing.
I didn’t forget to smile 
She was my very special sister and she will ever be.
Heleen in honour
Rutger (my husband) and I have created a memorial point for Heleen on internet. For you to see and share pictures, stories and comments about Heleen.
Create a future you would like to be part of
I forgot the source, it was probably a book I read when I was in Romania with my sister. Trying to shape a new future for her and for myself. I wrote down these questions to help me focus on my new life.
What do you want your life to look like in 1 year?
What do you want your life to look like in 3 years?
What is your inspiring and compelling vision for the future? For your business? For your personal life?
I never got to ask the questions. I do think they can help me now to look forward, to create a future that I do want to experience and live.
In memoriam to my sister Heleen
The last week I have received more than 200 messages, through email, comments on this weblog and on another closed forum (BlackStar).
I want to share a few thoughts and sentences that touched my heart.
Always Remember
—————-
Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.
Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But don’t forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.
Always remember to forget
The troubles that have passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.
—–
* Success is never final. Failure is never fatal…Courage is what counts. -Sir Winston Churchill
Heleen you are in my heart and you have taught me many valuable lessons. Despite the fact that I will miss you being around me.
She is not there anymore
This is really awkward to say for me. My sister is not there anymore, since tonight. I am sorry to state this so bluntly. But I feel I need this to get over it. I am hurt, I didn’t see this coming, and yet I did.
A few of you know that I went to Romania for the last two weeks with my sister, to help her start a new life. Now I understand her calmness and peace. She was not looking for a future. She was looking for peace.
She has found it today, driving the coolest car she had. A tree ended her life. She is now together with my mom and 2 grandpa’s. She is home again, I know that is what she feels like.
English writing Dutch woman
People ask me several times. Why do I write in English? Isn’t it easier writing in Dutch?
Yes, my english is pretty okay, nevertheless Dutch is my mother tongue and I still write better in Dutch.
I do write in English, as it is a good habit to practice my English writing, and actually when I am blogging, I am in my English mode, as most of my online communication is in English. I feel I am getting lazy sometimes writing in English, just to get my message across. Although in the end I would like you to really like what I wrote, more than just understanding my thoughts.
Anyway, I would prefer making my blog into a multi-lingual one, and maybe I will do that someday. So I can start practicing writing in Portuguese, Romanian or even Chinese. And I’ll show some Dutch written blogs as well.
Today I am in Hungary waiting for my flight, and have a hard time communicating in any language I know. As I do not speak any Hungarian, and I didn’t meet any person who could communicate in Englisg with me. Still arrived fine at the airport, without using english, my body language has never been better
Learning Chinese in Romania?
Just before I left Holland to go to Romania, I started my Chinese Mandarin classes. I really had a hard time in class, couldn’t hear the difference between the different vowels and consonants.
As I went to Romania, and couldn’t be in class, I hoped to study here, as I would be missing Chinese classes for two weeks. Well, I can assure you: learning Romanian and Chinese for me, is not something I could cope with.
So, I focused on a few words and sentences of Romanian, and I thought my knowledge of Portuguese would help me here. But it didn’t
Now, on the night before I go back to Holland, I am picking up on my Chinese. Repeating the different vowels and consonants to create a small knowledge base, that I still didn’t manage to build.
Buna seara! (Good night)
Sunt Marieke (I am Marieke)
Sunt din Olanda (I am from Holland)
(Romanian)
Create your vision
I received this article in Alicia Forest’s always inspiring e-zine. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Next to that I hope it inspires you to take charge of creating your future.
Imagineer Your Success
by Alicia M. Forest, MBA
Multiple Streams Queen & Coach(TM)
One of the strategies I teach to PULL your business forward, almost effortlessly, is to create a powerful vision for your business. My private clients have found this exercise to be both motivating and inspiring, and I’m certain you will too.
Once a year, I take a short retreat to work on revising my vision for my business (and my life). This is an annual break I take away from my business (but with my family, although some of my clients prefer to go it alone, which is perfectly fine) to really think about and decide what I want the next 1 to 3 years to look like. I write my vision and I create a whole bunch of goals for my business. I also use this time to talk with my husband about my vision and goals. He is a great sounding board for all the ideas I come up with… and we usually have this conversation while hanging out on the beach…
Being near the water definitely has some powerfully positive effects on my brain, and I always come away from this retreat with a renewed sense of energy and passion for my work. (This was my view at this year’s retreat in Aruba – breathtaking, isn’t it?)
Creating a powerful vision is your first step on your path to imagineering your own success. Knowing where you are going will make the journey that much easier and faster, as well as simply more enjoyable.
Here are two steps to get you started…
Step 1: Book your retreat
Book a 2-3 day retreat so that you can work intensively on your detailed 1 to 3 year vision. Get a very clear picture of where you intend to be 3 years from now. Book the time to do this. Make the commitment now.
I have booked the following dates for my vision retreat:________________.
Step 2: While on your retreat, answer the following questions:
What do you want your life to look like in 1 year? In 3 years?
What is your inspiring and compelling vision for the future?
For your business? For your personal life?
The truth is that you can design the perfect life and you can design the perfect business. How does it sound to you to be earning 6-figures a year, working less than part-time? It doesn’t have to be just a dream – it is most definitely achievable. It won’t happen overnight, but – with some planning and hard work – it can be a reality sooner than you think.
A few notes for your vision retreat:
You don’t have to go (far) away to go on your retreat. Go wherever you feel most creative and inspired, and where you are least likely to be interrupted.
Some people think and write better in silence, while others think and write better when there is a lot going on around them. Choose whatever works for you.
Before you begin to write, close your eyes and really see in your mind’s eye how you want your entire life to be. For example, see your dream home. Is it a large home or something more cozy? Do you live on the ocean or near the mountains? Or are you in a fantastic apartment in the middle of NYC? Write about it in detail – and don’t hold back! Do the same for your business: Do you want a waiting list of clients? Or do you want to stop working one-on-one and move to working with groups only? Do you want to implement at least three new streams of income? Do you want to write your first print book? Do this for all the other parts of your life as well – for the tangible things (like your home, your car, your vacations, etc.) to the intangible (like who you want in your life, how you will give back, etc.).
Get the picture? Once you have written your vision, I promise you’ll be really excited and motivated towards making that vision your reality!
© 2006 Alicia M Forest and ClientAbundance.com
WANT TO REPRINT THIS ARTICLE? You may, as long as it remains intact and you include this complete blurb with it: Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach(TM), founder of www.ClientAbundance.com, and creator of “21 Easy & Essential Steps to Online Success System(TM), teaches coaches, consultants, online entrepreneurs and solo professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit http://www.ClientAbundance.com
Spring cleaning Outlook
Today I have finally cleaned up the most of my inbox. Man, it took me about 4 hours, but now I have managed to file/act/delete my inbox from about 700 to 232. I am very glad.
I am sorry for all those people still waiting to be heard in my inbox. Love you all!
I will get there, I just don’t know when.
Leaving the Netherlands for the better?
The number of entrepreneurs emigrating from Holland to elsewhere is rising fast. What the reasons are, I can only speculate.
Maybe they are tired of paying too much for too little, the complaining culture of the Netherlands, or all the rules & laws that make Holland not very attractive to work.
Anyway, a very positive reason, is that the Dutch people were very international and trade oriented. Remember the 17th century, the gold age?
Read what Sprout says on this issue (in Dutch)
I have a thousand reasons to leave the Netherlands. And I am looking forward to the day to step in an adventure somewhere else in this world.
Live your values
No matter how much money is made, without shared values; disruption, dysfunction, and disappointment will be the result.
Failure to live your values is not a setback; it’s a real failure.
-mark victor hansen-
Acts of Kindness
“No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.”
– Amelia Earhart, female aviator
LinkedIn Dashboard is cool
Did you download the new LinkedIn Toolbar already? It is cool. My Outlook is my workenvironment and LinkedIn really improved my Outlook workenvironment giving me an overview with the LinkedIn Dashboard.
It is really making my LinkedIn life easier. I am not the quantity connector, but I do like to get -really- connected with people through LinkedIn. Get to know people.
The LinkedIn Dashboard gives an overview of all the LinkedIn email you have in your Inbox. Which connections can you invite that are already on LinkedIn, which connections are waiting for a reply.
Some functionality is a little crossing over Plaxo’s strong assets, like showing a birthday reminder list. But anyway, I love the rest.
Hard working woman
Still in Cluj, yesterday our goal was to take good care of ourselves. So there we went, to the beauty salon, for a new hairstyle and to do our nails. The manicure was a young woman of 18 years old and she could talk English very well. As the others didn’t, we talked with her.
This young woman worked for 2 years already as a manicure, she had 4 brothers and 1 sister. And was earning the family money. Her parents didn’t work after raising six children they were tired, as she said so. She was also taking care of her brothers and children. Her parents were just watching television most of the day or went out.
I believe somewhere they traded places, this young girl and her parents. She feels so responsible for her brothers, as she sais, she loves them so much. She cannot leave them alone. But they help her very well in the house, with doing the needed chores.
Respect is what I have for this girl. She is working a 60 hour schedule, from monday to saturday. And yet she is enjoying what she does and takes upon her the responsibility to create a better life for her brothers and sisters.
There are many strong people here in Romania, and I hope to meet more of them, like this young woman. They are a great inspiration and are able to grow Romania.
The sun is shining in Cluj, Romania
Last wednesday I arrived in Cluj, Romania. The day before, I decided to go, together with my sister. My sister went through a hard time and wasn’t feeling emotionally well, so we decided to get her out of her environment and start up a life in a new environment.
Here we are….
Although I have been in Romania before, I still arrived with a culture shock. Now, a few days later, I can see more than the not-so-modern buildings and I forget to miss the luxury I am so much used to.
I was on a track to get an awesome office and super place to live together with my husband and kids in Amsterdam. Last week we cancelled all our plans. To live in a great house and have all ease and comfort is making me and my family happy. But what is making me more happy is to make other people become happy and help them to build a future that not only is good for that individual, but shines through on people around the individual.
I have no clue what to do here, other than do nice things and make my goings a little more comfortable.
Have a great day, the sun is shining here. If you see the sun shining, consider this a source of joint support in minds of many people around the world, especially for you!
Test to find out where to live in the world
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Your personality type is SLUEN
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| You are social, moody, unstructured, moderately accommodating, and moderately non-intellecutal, and may prefer a city which matches those traits. |
| The largest representation of your personality type can be found in the these U.S. cities: Reno, Philadelphia Area, Charlotte, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Buffalo, Baltimore, Columbus, Long Island, Las Vegas, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, New Orleans and these international countries/regions Romania, Thailand, Poland, Scotland, Hong Kong, Mexico, Austria, England, Argentina, Japan, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Guam, Indonesia, Ireland |
What Places In The World Match Your Personality?
City Reviews at CityCulture.org
Vision versus dreams
Vision is a gift to see what others only dream
Thank you Jean-Francois Migolet for this inspiring quote.
Google adsense matches content
Yes, it works!
For one moment I was thinking that the Google adverts on the right weren’t actually functioning. But it really did! I have earned an amazing USD 0.78 until today, for three clicks!
Okay, it is money that is easily earned. But I guess not many people are interested in the adverts. If the effects stays the same in the coming months, I will delete the adverts to use the space for a better goal.
To be clear, I am not impressed by the earnings of Google Adsense. Although my blogs are frequently matched with interesting ads.
Make history
“Well-behaved women rarely make history.”
Laurel Ulrich Thatcher
Podcasting is hot
Did you have your own iPod already? I do and I am planning to have iPod docking stations everywhere in my new house. Totally cool.
iPods are hot worldwide:
* over 16 million people purchased iPods over Christmas,
* there was an unprecedented surge in podcast downloads during the last week of the year (after everyone opened their presents)
* there are 60 million people forecasted to be downloading podcasts by the year 2010 (that’s only 4 years away…).
Time to start your own personal Podcasts. I would like to hear your story, hear about your passion. When do you have it available?