Celebrate - quietly and loudly. Are you there?
"Celebrating means emphasising the special!" - I like to say. But "celebrating" doesn't always have to be loud and big, you can also celebrate quietly. I turned 50 last year and have resolved to celebrate the joy of the life that lies behind me, lies ahead of me and lies within me - for a whole year.
The last big celebration was in December with my friend Gea and her husband Menno - she invited me to Holland and spoilt me. At some point, the statistics got mixed up - but I have celebrated my milestone birthday with 40 or more small and large events so far. Loud and quiet.
MORE - Celebrating encounters
Then I celebrated in a different way. At the beginning of January I was at the MORE Conference - 12,000 people gathered there to be inspired for faith and life at the beginning of the year.
I had rented a stand space and enjoyed being in the centre of the action and meeting lots of new people. I also met many people who already knew my books and me - a pleasure!
We had T-shirts made with the slogan "There is MORE than you think". That's my motto for the year. I would like to encourage other people to broaden their thinking and to trust God and themselves more. There are still a few of the T-shirts left - if you would like one (for 15 euros + postage), let me know by email or in the comments.
Celebrating writing and creativity
After the MEHR, I was a bit gobsmacked. In November, I had received an enquiry from a fairly large publishing house asking if I would write a book for them. I hadn't actually planned to write a new book at all. My current book The good life had only just finished writing.
That's enough for now, I thought. After all, it was book no. 10 (you can find the other titles here). That covered my book-writing needs for the time being - I preferred to write the new book celebrate and bring to the readers what I had just written.
At the same time, of course, I very much want to inspire and influence people. The idea of writing for a publishing house that reaches about 10 x more people than my own Down to Earth publishing house, I found it quite appealing. I said "Yes."
Celebrate regeneration
I realised that I didn't want to write another book "on the side". As much as I love writing, it was exhausting to write for several hours a day from May to October. I was also running the publishing house, coaching people and coordinating the publication of the book from graphics to typesetting.
So I signed up for a small Guest house in Saarland which is run by Christians. I enjoy being wonderfully cooked for and lovingly looked after: "What's your favourite thing for breakfast?"
There is also a health centre attached to the guest house. I had a thorough check-up and, in addition to writing, I also treated myself to a few treatments to regenerate my body and make it fit for the next challenges. That's also celebrating.
Celebrate inspiration
Speaking of writing: as much as I love blogging, my time is limited due to my other tasks. But I don't just blog, I also write a newsletter every fortnight. Every month I focus on a different topic. In January 2018, for example, the topic is Vision.
- How do I create a vision by planning backwards from the goal??
- How do I persevere once I have found a suitable vision? (dispatch next Tuesday)
If this is something for you, I warmly invite you to sign up and tell your friends about it. You can sign up for the inspiration letter here.
Celebrating development - learning on the side
Writing, relaxing... I wouldn't be me if that was enough to keep me occupied. And so I enjoy having enough WiFi here - unlike on the ship - to watch online courses on the topics that interest me.
Currently, iPhone photography, experimenting with Instagram and business development. I am very excited to see what the new year will bring for me and what I will celebrate at the end of the year.
And you - what are you celebrating right now?
I look forward to every question and every comment from you.
