Life lessons

There is only today

Live like a child

When I spend time with my kids, I realize they have something we all lost as an adult and that’s to embrace life to fullest and live in the moment. For a kid, the day ends when they go to bed. They’re excited to wake up and realize there is a whole new day. Young […]
Living without stuff for a month

It changed me forever

Living without stuff for a month

The other day, I was reading Albert’s post Freedom from Wanting and it reminded me of the time we moved to [...]
Details

Attention and awareness are not the same things

Details

Yesterday, I remarked that is funny how the brain works. I am that person who judges when I go to a hotel and the [...]
Dealing with life

The mind is a funny thing

Dealing with life

When you are doing something hard or dealing with major life events, you are trying to get through it. Often it [...]
Take people on a journey

Amazon HQ2 failure

Take people on a journey

There has been written a lot about Amazon’s HQ2 contest and their decision to go to New York and then pulling [...]
Plan B

It’s good to have one

Plan B

I’ve a rule and that’s to always have plan B no matter how certain particular path, project or goal is. [...]
The road not taken

Keep your eyes on the prize

The road not taken

A long time ago, I was chatting with an HR manager at Philips. He was a veteran. At the time Shapeways was a [...]

It ain’t done when it’s done

Little things

A few years ago, I bought a car. I had a great conversation with the sales guy and the whole experience was very pleasant. I got to test drive it and we discussed a couple of things which were wrong with it and they would fix them. At closing, I asked if they could put […]

A simple realization with profound insight

What Drives You

Yesterday, someone asked me what drove me. It’s a good question. Some people know from “birth” what drives them, for other people like me it takes longer. I can remember the day I realized what drove me. Let me tell you the story. Back in 2007, we started Shapeways. I worked, nurtured and grew it […]

Growing startups

The hardest thing is giving away

You always end up with less when working at an early-stage startup. The company grows and you've to give away roles and responsibilities to others. It is inevitable for a growing company. But it's ok.