Things for People - 28 december 2022

The past year has been one to remember, and personally, it was a major leap forward for me. I moved to my dream city, Rotterdam, which has given me a lot of energy and motivation to progress in my career and personal life. I'm looking forward to seeing what 2023 has in store!

Cycling - Cyclocross, Yearly Goals and the Rapha500 🚴‍♂️

It's the season of Cyclocross, and Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are really pushing the pedals hard these weeks. Wout van Aert won in Dublin with a piece of cloth between his chain while Mathieu gave a masterclass in Antwerp. A class of their own.

The Rapha 500 is also in full swing this week, and I saw that the guys at FatPigeon are doing an epic Crazy500 ride from France to the Netherlands, passing through Belgium and Germany along the way. While I won't be participating in this year's Rapha500 due to a knee injury, I'm hoping to complete the distance next year.

Yearly goals

As the end of the year approaches, it's becoming clear that I won't be able to reach my goal of completing 12,500km (unless I ride 1,500km in the next 3 days). This is the second year in a row that I haven't reached this goal, and it's been playing on my mind. But then I realized, why does reaching that goal even matter? Why should a year full of amazing rides be discounted just because I didn't hit a specific kilometer target? It's important to remember that goals are just a means to an end, and the value of a ride or a year of riding isn't determined by a number on a page.

My goals should be focused on completing challenges, not riding a certain amount of kilometers.

Thoughts - Being Socrates 🏛️

Last week, I revisited a book I read last year called 'Socrates on Sneakers.' The book helps you become more 'socratic' in your life, which means approaching conversations with an open mind and a willingness to learn from others. As Socrates believed that he knew nothing, he approached learning with a blank slate.

Being 'socratic' means being open to hearing and learning from others, even if you initially disagree with them. It can be challenging to try to have no biased opinions, but practicing the socratic way has helped me better understand the opinions and beliefs of those around me.

Here are a few tips on being socratic:

1. Listen actively to what the other person is saying. It's easy to start thinking about our response while the other person is still talking, but this can prevent us from truly understanding their perspective.

2. Ask open-ended questions. These types of questions are not biased and give the other person the space to share their thoughts and ideas.

Essentials - 2022 🎒

To celebrate the end of this year, I’ve listed some of my discovered essentials from 2022:

• I'm excited to try out Arc, a new browser from The Browser Company 🤖. which has features like separate spaces for cycling and work.

• ChatGPT was a game-changer in 2022 – it could be seen as a major milestone in the history of AI, such as The Wright Brothers or Yuri Gagarin.

• The Karcher Mobile Pressure Washer is a lifesaver for washing my bike when there's no power outlet available.

• The book Extreme Ownership taught me the importance of taking responsibility at all times, Linchpin by Seth Godin showed me how to become indispensable in the workplace, and Start with Why by Simon Sinek inspired me to align with my employer's mission of ‘making an impact and inspiring others to do the same’.

• The Nalgene 1 liter bottle helps me stay healthy by encouraging me to drink more water, and it's also sustainable 🌳.

• I have been using Obsidian to build my "second brain," inspired by Tiago Forte, for the past few months.

• Podcast over Media and the community on Telegram.

• Midjourney, an AI art tool, has inspired me to be more creative and explore different styles and artists. Some of the art I've made includes a cowboy looking into a dystopian wasteland and a forest giant with an elf.

Before we end

Last week, the first ‘Things for People’ newsletter was published, it is exciting to share things that are on my mind. I'm still figuring out the best format for this newsletter, so you may see a few different styles in the coming months.

Just a quick note to say that I really appreciate all of the amazing subscribers who signed up – your support means the world to me. If you have any tips or feedback for this newsletter, please don't hesitate to send me an email at [email protected] 😁