Marc Engel

Change your environment, change your mindset.

Change your sunglasses, change your perspective.

Looking at something from a different perspective is such a powerful tool:

Tapping into someone else's perspective is about empathy.

Looking at a problem from a new angle is about creativity.

Zooming out and taking a higher ground is about pattern recognition.

Personally I feel that in today's world, where there is so much debate about hot topics from climate change, gender equality to race, having the capacity to tap into someone else's or actively look out for another perspective is a superpower - especially if it's a perspective from the opposite side, or one you don't like.

Without it, we risk being too one-sided, oversimplifying problems that are more complex in reality, and in the extreme, move towards ideological thinking.

Which perspective could you take today that you haven't tapped into for a while?

How could you serve today? What could you give or contribute today?

Every journey is a voyage of self-confrontation.

Around 2.5 years ago, I followed my passion and became self-employed as a coach for creative co-founders, teams and wholehearted professionals.

I assist them in riding their emotional roller coasters, transforming challenges into catalysts 🎢🚀

But boy is it occasionally a roller coaster for me, too! 😅 From celebrating victories, overcoming challenges, to dealing with ongoing difficulties.

I am constantly confronted with different parts of myself. It's not always the confident, hard-working, grounded and smart parts. Sometimes, and in some periods more frequently 😉, there is my lazy part, the avoiding one, the frustrated one, the doubting one.

At first, I considered the latter problematic, in the sense that I wanted to get rid of them. I constantly was looking to be a better version of myself. And it worked: I analyzed my strengths and weaknesses, discovered my purpose and my values, set clear goals of who I want to become, recognized inner barriers - and I evolved. This journey reflected my personal self-authorship.

Later, though, I realized that I was constantly in an inner conflict. A constant battling with the parts of me I disliked.

The shift began once I started to embrace greater acceptance. Welcoming who I was and who I am. Acceptance carries a paradoxical effect: the urge for change diminishes. You start to relax. You embrace your authenticity... and that's precisely where new things become possible.

I believe that personal development, whether in private life or in leadership roles, is about playing a polarity: the interplay of self-authorship and self-acceptance. 🦋

Negative emotions are emotions like stress, frustration, anger, guilt, shame…

How do you relate to them? Do you honor them? Avoid them? Shove them away?

“Negative” is just a category, by the way, not an evaluation. There is nothing bad about negative emotions per se.

But acting on these emotions is a different story. Ever blindly followed your anger? Most people regret it after it happened.

Emotional fitness is about working with these emotions. Becoming aware of them, holding them and giving them space to transform.

For me, this is a key ingredient for grounded, balanced, resilient and authentic leadership.

Leadership is about relationships. And the conversation IS the relationship.

My typical mornings start with a morning mindset routine.

I set aside 1 hour for this.

The routine involves meditation, journaling, stretching to QiGong and breathing exercises.

This is how I want to start my days.

I came across Maik Baum's song "Museumstag" at the last weekend (which kind of poses the question below).

How do you want to start yours?

Let’s go Greator festival!

Deepen a thought that is going through your mind.

Deepen your breath.

Deepen an insight you are having right now.

Deepen the next sentence you are about to share with someone.

Deepen your relationship with the present moment.

In any form of communication - coaching, sales, or negotiations - experts emphasize the importance of silence, shutting up, and listening - moments of "not talking".

A lot of people strive to be productive and constantly working. They stress themselves out. Consider the power of moments to pause, breathe, and ground yourself - moments of "not working".

Pause and learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.

The Power of Pause. So simple.

Even if it’s just one deep breath. Almost too simple.

Yet so effective.

3x3 minutes each day. That’s all it needs.