Advent Calendar of Reflections - an Experiment

Early November, I was reminded by my 9-year-old son, that it's time to think about the yearly 'Advent calendar' - HIS advent calendar to be precise.

The?#Adventcalendar?is a deeply rooted tradition in Christian societies. It originated in German-speaking countries. Since the 19th century, it has symbolized the final countdown to Christmas Eve. Kids and grownups alike eagerly await the special moment when they discover a treat behind the 24 little doors of their calendars each day. In previous years my son's calendar was mainly filled with sweets (his dentist might thank me later), sometimes a little toy or even tickets to go to the cinema or a game of our favourite hockey team, the @zsclions. As this year, the second pandemic was particularly rich in drama, I was inspired to create a calendar for my son and honour this popular tradition by sharing a thought a day until X-mas eve in a series of 24 LinkedIn posts. Thank you for the many feedbacks, thumb-ups and encouragement… So here they are, my reflections & musings in the form of an…

…?#adventcalendar?- This is how it ended on December 24, 2021: # 24 / 24

? EVEN IF THERE WAS SUCH A THING LIKE A ‘USER MANUAL OF LIFE’ CONTAINING ALL THE T&Cs, DATA PRIVACY POLICIES OR OTHER FINEPRINT - WOULD WE REALLY WANT TO READ IT???

( Well, probably not, right? A couple of Carnegie Mellon researchers recently published a paper suggesting that reading all of the privacy policies an average Internet user encounters in a year would take 76 work days alone.

Soeren Kirkegaard coined the phrase: Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forward - so, go out, be a tiger (lady) and make your mamma proud! )

Merry X-mas!

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And that's how it started on December 1, 2021 - #1 / 24

“ DOUBTS KILL MORE DREAMS THAN FAILURE EVER WILL… “

( Your saboteurs, aka your inner voice, are well versed in easily talking you out of things. They're probably even better at it than every outside person. Awareness of that is an important first step to converting dreams into your own biography. )

#2 / 24

“ BUT IS THE DEVIL ITSELF “

(I force myself to use ‘yes, and’ instead more often)

#3 / 24

“TRUST IS THE MOST SOPHISTICATED FORM OF REDUCED COMPLEXITY.”

( Giving trust will yield more positive returns than disappointments in the long run )

#4/ 24 “YOU MIGHTL LOSE SOMETHING YOU THINK YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT. BUT IT WILL PASS."

(At the age of 33, Ray Dalio was a poster-boy failure who lost everything on one terrible trade. Today he's a much coveted self-made billionaire. Ray founded Bridgewater Associates in 1975 as an advisory firm. He offered consulting services on how to navigate the financial landscape and published a paid newsletter read by big clients like McDonalds and Nabisco. After seven years, Ray had built a team and a solid client base, but success started to go to his head: He was also trading markets personally, making accurate predictions and building a cash pile. Confidence (and arrogance) was sky high, so he decided to go ‘all in’ on a significant personal trade that bet on a global economic downturn. However, the exact opposite happened... Markets started an incredible bull run and Ray was wiped out and left with nothing—no money, no people. He was so broke he had to borrow $4,000 from his Dad. His reputation was in tatters and - with a young family to support - forced to rebuild his life from scratch. But instead of arrogance this time he chose humility to be his companion. Alone at his desk at home he began regaining the trust of clients - phone call by phone call, newsletter by newsletter. Three years after losing everything, Bridgewater won their first ever institutional fund client to manage directly: a $5 million account from the World Bank employee retirement fund. The floodgates opened and institutional money flowed in. Nearly 40 years later, Bridgewater Associates is the largest hedge fund in the world. Ray summed up that dramatic period: “You might lose something you think you can’t live without. But it will pass.” “Failure was one of the best things that ever happened to me."

#5/ 24

“ THOSE WHO KNOW LITTLE HAVE TO BELIEVE A LOT... “

( Disclaimer: This is by no means a pledge to abuse the trust of non-academians by spreading rumors, fake news or conspiracy theories. Consider it as an encouragement to relentlessly explain, educate and lead by example...)

#6 / 24

“ YOU CAN’T EXPECT YOUR CUSTOMERS TO LOVE YOUR COMPANY WHEN YOUR EMPLOYEES DON’T. “

( When an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If it is broken through an inside force, life begins. Great things always begin inside…)

#7 / 24

“ YOU CAN’T CONNECT THE DOTS LOOKING FORWARD “

(You can only connect them looking backwards. History teaches us, however, to find shortcuts here and there to connect them earlier)

# 8 / 24

“ HOW DOES A CHILD SPELL LOVE? IT’S SPELLED??T . I . M . E. “

(Most of all have busy lives. As a 50% co-parent, I regularly struggle to balance career ambitions, enriching social interactions, and healthy habits with my role as dad of a 9-year-old. But then, no one ever looked back and remembered the nights when we’d got plenty of sleep, right? )

#9 / 24

“ EVERY TIME YOU MAKE A TYPO AN ERRORIST WINS

(I hate typos, particularly in my posts. Sometimes you’re in a hurry to just key in that epic thought of yours with your clumsy fingers on the iPhone keyboard, that just never seems big enough. And boom - spelling or grammar mistakes ruin the whole point you were trying to make by distracting the audience just a pinch too much. Note to self: in this case done ain’t always better than perfect…)

#10 / 24

“ THE BEST WAY TO COMPLAIN IS TO MAKE THINGS “

(Although I reckon the value of locker room talk and gossiping to just let off some steam at times. But at a certain point there’s really no better way to complain than to convert the toxic energy into something meaningful by making things …)

#11 / 24

“ PEOPLE LOVE TO BUY BUT HATE TO BE SOLD “

( Admittedly it took me years to comprehend the true meaning of this statement. Numerous situations in life taught me that empathy and real curiosity can practically convert any qualified ‘prospect’ to become a happy counterpart. And yes, I use that expression deliberately, because it goes far beyond people buying a product or service from you. Everyone is a merchant in some ways, be it for ideas, parental advice, love, care, support or feedback…)

#12/ 24

“ CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES! “

( When you will look back in life one day, you most likely won’t remember that tiff with your neighbor over the size of his hedge or the negative emotions you had when reprimanding your daughter for coming home 15’ late than agreed upon. right ? )

#13 / 24

“ WHEN IT’S OVER YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT IT WAS NEVER RANDOM… “

( Have you ever lost your job out of the blue ? Have you ever expected a firm ‘yes’, but got a ‘NO’, have you ever been in a relationship that ended at a presumably odd moment? Put the anger, the pain and the disappointment aside for a second and ask yourself, what hint the universe might want to send you and you’ll see much clearer - maybe not immediately, but soon... )

#14/ 24

“ IF YOU THINK YOU'RE THE SMARTEST PERSON IN THE ROOM, YOU'D BETTER CONSIDER TO LEAVE IT ! “

( It is said, that you become the average of the five people you are closest to. One can’t expect to find too much inspiration in such a scenario. Thus, I regularly force myself to make new acquaintances or approach existing ones, particularly when the latter raise opinions different to mine. I also like to participate in debates about issues, I’m not too familiar with. That teaches me to listen better and stay humble... )

#15/ 24

“ IT’S HARD TO READ THE LABEL WHEN YOU’RE INSIDE THE BOTTLE “

( Peers regularly ask me, how I manage to make time for sharing insights and thoughts on Social Media. Some even question whether I actually have a ‘proper’ job (fun fact: I got about four or five simultaneously, some even paid - it's kind of a prototype of a #fractlonalexecutive at work...) - Well, time is what you make of it. And I’m truly grateful for the many feedbacks, learnings and even friendships I was privileged to get by going out of the comfort zone of my own cosy bottle. And yes, it doesn’t take an awful lot to become a contributor on LinkedIn & Co, trust me, I’m a salesman…?? )

#16/ 24

“ LEARN / DO SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY! “

( When was the last time, you did something for the first time? Well, every day when I can answer that question with a firm 'TODAY' is a good day. And even if it’s just exploring a new bike route to work or cooking with an unusual combination of ingredients I found in the fridge… )

#17/ 24

“ OUR NERVOUS SYSTEM IS HARDWIRED FOR COMFORT. OUR SOUL IS HARDWIRED FOR GROWTH ! “

( Neuroscientific research shows, that we have got less than five seconds to convert a brain impulse, ie an idea or a reminder, into action. If we fail to do so, the body will take over and turn on energy-saving mode. Though I might not convert every one of the myriad of impulses into something meaningful, I manage to do more than a handful each day … )

#18 / 24

“ WHAT PETER SAYS ABOUT MARY, SAYS MORE ABOUT PETER THAN IT SAYS ABOUT MARY… “

(?this should by no means be seen as an assault on gossiping. That itself is kind of a human right, at least for some. It’s rather a nudge to not only listen to what people say about others but to reflect, on what kind of intentions they might have by telling you these things … )

#19 / 24

“ FEEDBACK IS A GIFT AND IDEAS ARE THE CURRENCY OF OUR NEXT SUCCESS. LET PEOPLE SEE THAT YOU VALUE BOTH FEEDBACK AND IDEAS... “

(?Useful Feedback ought to start with something positive, always. Even the lightest form of appreciation reaffirms the receiver’s self-confidence to an extent, that any critic that follows after it will be more welcome. In societies where ‘nothing said is enough praise’ is standard, this positive-critic combo is a sure way to stand out…?)

#20 / 24

? FEAR IS A REACTION. COURAGE IS A DECISION…??

(?Way too often do we opt for the safe route or the supposed comfort of sticking to the status quo. In the early stage of my career I was ‘guilty’ of that, like most of us. Looking back, I must admit: Whenever I took the courage to move out of that zone, to deliberately dare to move into unchartered territory, I was rewarded with new acquaintances, new learnings and - above all - with a waning fear of being afraid. Fortune favors the brave, truly, medley, deeply… )

?#21 / 24

??NEVER MAKE FUN OF SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS MEDIOCRE ENGLISH. IT MEANS THEY KNOW ANOTHER LANGUAGE…??

(?The language most widely spoken here on earth is BAD ENGLISH, beating Mandarin, Spanish & French by far. No wonder Anglo-Saxons don’t rank highly with language skills. Thus my relentless pledge to diversity & inclusion also encompasses the variety of languages you’ve got in your teams… )

?#22 / 24

??IN TIMES OF CHANGE THE LEARNER WILL INHERIT THE WORLD,?WHILE THE KNOWERS WILL ALL BE BEAUTIFULLY EQUIPPED FOR A WORLD THAT NO LONGER EXISTS…??

(?? Information technology will dominate business ? (my dad in the early 80ies), ? Mobile telephony is more than voice ? (my then future boss?at Ericsson end of the 80ies), ? The Internet will be ubiquituous ? (A random acquaintance at a conference in 1993), ? Trade will move from analogue to digital ? (MIT-Scholar Nicolas Negroponte in 1994)?? The web shall move from broadcasting to bi-directional mode soon ? (A quote in the Economist in 1998), ?What if values could be transferred as easy as sending an e-mail? ? (A speaker on Bitcoin at ′Netzzunft’ in Zurich in 2011), ? Zebras ultimately fit much better into our world than unicorns ? (Essence of my research 2018), ? Web 3.0 & the #Metaverse are more than the next goldrush, it’s a license to leapfrog ? (ok, this one I just made up…??) and ? AI will take your job ... ?? (to the next level... YAY!) ? – In all honesty, I did and do not know whether all these predictions would/will hold when I first heard them. But I was always determined, to explore, try, listen to various sources, discover facts, metaphors, and emerging use cases – above all, I was prepared to invest my resources to LEARN. And despite being ridiculed often, I have never regretted that this is part of my DNA. Note to self: Don’t stop being curious, never settle and improve your prompting expertise by 1% every single day… )

# 23 / 24

? IN A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE ARE SO OVEREXPOSED, PRESERVING A TINY BIT OF MYSTERY IS AN AUDACIOUS UNDERTAKING ??

( In the digital or AI first age, sharing personal news like the successful completion of a project or a further education course, a promotion or change in jobs as well as curating interesting content is just a few clicks away. There’s never been a better time to efficiently grow your personal brand.?I always defend those who dare to make my online bubble inspiring, funny, and yes sometimes irritating through oversharing. Their exposure has earned my respect, certainly more than the myriads of silent bystanders who hardly ever give. … )

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Those were my daily musings this December. It was an experiment and probably also a kind of therapy alike. Was it a 'success'? The jury hasn't reached a verdict yet. But if I have inspired just one reader with some of my thoughts, it was worth the 10 to 15 minutes it took me each day to write a post. To be very honest, the stats on LinkedIn were not epic. Whereas I regularly get mid-4-digit and also 5-digit figures on views of my posts, my #adventcalendar reflections hardly passed the threshold of 1'000. But maybe some of my esteemed followers here might be inspired to get me some hints, on how I might be able to improve that 11 months from now.

DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT !!!!!!!!!

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You little rebel you... I like you already! But since you were so disobedient, you have to share my post in your timeline now... Go out, be a tiger! Thank you...