The Power of the Past

Why is it that we humans keep revisiting the past? Why do we go there even when the destination is a painful one? Why do we tend to romanticize it so much and convince ourselves it was better than the present or the future, even when the evidence says clearly otherwise?

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Rediscovering happiness

A few days ago, I was reminded of a sad, yet eye opening truth: our brain is not designed to make us happy, it is designed to keep us safe. And by that, I don’t mean that it doesn’t have the capacity to build neural pathways that are involved in the state of happiness, but that its first and primary function is our safety.

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Farewell, dear 33!

I remember feeling right from the beginning that it would be a special year. I wanted it to be about joy and authenticity, and in many respects it was. I started writing more frequently, created more content in various forms, explored new hobbies and made a career change. It was a year about healing, regrouping, spending time with my family, as well as saying goodbye (my grandfather and two childhood friends passed away this year).

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What kind of a friend am I?

Sometimes I wonder: am I a good friend to my friends? Am I able to be there in times of sorrow, in times of joy, or when they need me the most? What kind of a friend am I: the cane that supports them to walk further or the umbrella that shields them from bad weather?

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What about change?

Yesterday, I was talking with a friend about the changes happening in his life. While things seemed to be moving forward for him, he was not sure if they were heading in a positive or negative direction. This made me reflect on the nature of change and our mental constructs about it.

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The quest of mutual understanding

A few days ago, I finished reading The Culture Map by Erin Meyer and, because of it, I gained a deeper understanding about how subtle cultural differences are at times and how important it is to be aware of them to prevent misunderstandings. It made me very curious to discover how my personal profile compared to that of Romania and other countries and so I took Erin Meyer’s test. The results were quite surprising.

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Freedom and restraint

It’s funny how a conversation or a music lyric can trigger us to self-reflect. I recently saw Winter’s Bone, one of the early Jennifer Lawrence movies, and I just can’t get out of my head the last line in the movie. Having a conversation with her younger brother and sister, a 17 year old adolescent ends the movie saying this: [I won’t go anywhere] I’d be lost without the weight of you two on my back. Such a fascinating metaphor!

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A thought…

For as long as I can remember I have been a very curious person, with a lot of questions: Why is this or that happening? Why am I here? What’s my purpose on this planet? What are the underlying reasons that make us behave in certain ways? What can I learn from everything I experience? How do things work? How can I best solve the situations I confront? and so on…

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A lifetime in a month and its lessons

I am a huge fan of observing the common underlying principles in different settings. After experiencing an amazing adventure on the Camino de Santiago in the Summer of 2019, I started thinking about what made it so great and what can be replicated in a work environment.

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