Hello everyone! Yes, I am still alive, but it feels as if life has started anew. Almost two months ago, Bren and I moved into our new home in Apeldoorn. We finally got the chance to buy a house with a garden and enough rooms to create some much needed personal space, after living in a studio apartment for nearly a year, which wasn’t the best place to live together as two introverted persons.

Now I finally felt that it was time to take up my blogging and writing. We’ve settled nicely and done a lot of work. I switched jobs in between all the moving too, so it’s just been a mega hectic time and writing was just something I could not find the time for. Thankfully, the dust has settled mostly and it’s time to pick up where we left off. In the case of my blog, a site that I haven’t touched in a long time, but one I never forgot. The blood is thicker than water, so here we are, back in business!

New blogs coming up!

With all the big changes, I’ve learned a lot about life and have changed perspective on some subjects, too. In the meantime, my Stoic practices have really helped me pull through some tough choices and times, but at the same time, showed me that under a lot of stress, I am not as infallible as I hoped I would be. Guess I’m Human after all 😉

Of course, the past half year was one big emotional rollercoaster ride and I am so glad I made some of the toughest choices I had to, like quitting my job and choosing my own happiness. I collected most of my thoughts on paper and I’m certain they’ll make some nice blogs for you to read in the near future.

Some reading recommendations

One thing that really didn’t stop during these hectic times was my reading. I’ve read quite a bit of books, not as many as I wanted, but now that I have a daily commute and spend at least one hour in the same train I can catch up reading books, instead of listening to audiobooks! There’s still a bunch of books I want to recommend that I finished in the time that I haven’t blogged.

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity

Normally I’m not really into health books, but seeing as Audible kept recommending this one to me, I decided to bite. I have to admit that this book is a bit on the dry side and sometimes things were a bit too medical for me. But one thing this book does wonderfully and that is help you to recognize the four horsemen of disease that usually cause us to die early. Things like diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and heart issues. After explaining major causes of these, the book then goes into detail how we can attempt to reach a hundred years healthily. I definitely picked up quite a few pointers for my own health and am really trying to live in a more healthy way.

The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves

If you ever needed a reason to feel good about the state of the world, then try this book! Matt Ridley has convinced me that things aren’t as bad as we often think they are. By teaching you to become a rational optimist, you’ll be able to see the good in the world, while still keeping a rational view on things. We often say that things were better in the “Good old days”, but is that really the case?

What I loved about this book is that this book doesn’t just cover the present day and recent history of our planet, but goes back all the way to when Humans were roaming the Earth as hunter/gatherers and how trade changed the entire game for our species. Then Ridley goes on to show how restriction of free trade causes major stagnation and how specialization in different trades causes the world to flourish and stimulate our collective brain so we can go above and beyond. The book is rational about our big problems we face in this day and age, but I really enjoyed the positive outlook on things and that’s why I recommend this book to basically everyone.

Tune in soon for more!

I’ve also started a course on Growth Mindset, which I plan to share some insights from as well. We’re never too old to learn, to take that step, to quit our jobs in favour of something better. Life truly is what we make of it and all of these lessons I learned, and insights I’ve gained, I plan on sharing with you all soon!

Happy Monday!

Jeffrey