Category: Reflecting On

  • Reflecting On: Traveling and Healing

    Reflecting On: Traveling and Healing

    So today I’m writing this while sat in a train in the middle of Europe. I thought that it would be great to take a long weekend off and start seeing Christmas markets earlier this year. And it’s been super cool! And what better place to write this than in a 2h night train, with all covered in snow and full of mist. So I’ll start putting my words out here and – hopefully – they’ll start making sense by themselves by the end of the post!

    I love Christmas, and I’ve been dreaming of visiting Christmas markets since I was little, watching these Christmas TV movies at home, hoping to be there one day, in all that crowded christmasy atmosphere. And to be honest, I didn’t know what I could really find there, but I just wanted to be there and experience it!

    And it’s really been like that since forever. I’ve always been in love with the idea of travelling, getting to know new places, taste new food and meet new people. So the first opportunity I got to travel abroad, I took it. I was about 20 years old, and I had never been outside my country ever before, so you can imagine with all that anticipation, how getting to my first destination felt like.

    I was surprised by everything I saw. The buildings, the nature, the people, the food, the smells, even the air! Everything felt brand new and exciting to levels I hadn’t felt before. And I enjoyed my first abroad stay so much, that I had a hard time going back to my routine back at home. I was thinking all the time about the next trip, and working towards it! That’s what I really worked for, my motivation really.

    And don’t misunderstand me – it still is in a major way. I love to travel, meet new cultures and bring open to new experiences! It’s one of my biggest motivations to this day. But lately it feels different – in a healthier way, which I’m very proud of.

    My latest trips have been great, but the thing is that now I don’t feel that feeling of rejection when the time to go home comes, and I believe it’s because I feel more comfortable with where I’m at in my life and with the responsibilities I have at home. I link this mostly to where I’m at with my professional life, ‘cause it’s something that used to haunt me in the past. I felt anxious about it, I was procrastinating around it as much as I could, and – basically – trying to avoid the thought of it.

    But that has changed recently apparently! I feel great in my current position. I also feel great in my personal life, which just adds points to this feeling of comfort.

    In summary, I felt like sharing this piece of my mind, where traveling doesn’t feel like escapism anymore, but more like a way to extend and enrich my day to day life with new experiences, findings and ways of thinking, all this by getting to know new places, people and ideas!

    “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” – Andy William

    I think I’d name it something like “Mindful travelling”, but I don’t want to enter the culture of mindfulness and peace of mind gurus, but I think it’s the best term to define the idea of traveling I want to share. An idea of you travelling because you want to actively learn about new cultures, ways and ideas, starting from the curiosity and aiming for self-growth. The idea of leaving a new place being a slightly different person than when you arrived there. Probably with more questions and doubts, but because you learned something new!

    I hope you liked this post, and if you did, just leave a like or a comment, cause I’d really like to know about what you really enjoy about travelling and if you went through similar like me!

    PS: checkout the main page for my all time favorite travel song! 🫶🏻❄️

  • Reflecting On: The Beauty Of Stillness

    Reflecting On: The Beauty Of Stillness

    There’s a certain comfort in the moments when life becomes quiet.
    Not silent — just warm and gentle in a way that makes you breathe a little deeper.

    Some time ago, I found myself wrapped in my scarf on a cold morning, sitting on a wooden bench by the water.
    The air smelled like roasted coffee drifting from a nearby café, and the light had that soft Nordic morning glow that makes everything feel calm and familiar.

    I didn’t have anywhere I needed to be.
    I didn’t have a plan.
    Well, I did have one. Buying one of those coffees and a cinnamon bun.
    But it felt like it was just me, the crisp air, and the slow rhythm of the city around me.

    And in that tender quiet, something inside me softened.

    A Quiet That Feels Like Home

    There’s a kind of stillness that doesn’t feel empty —
    it feels full.
    Full of warmth, of presence, of the simple beauty of just being.

    I watched a few people pass by:
    someone walking their dog wrapped in a knitted sweater,
    an older couple sharing a thermos of something steaming,
    a cyclist who rang their bell not to rush anyone,
    but simply as a friendly hello.

    Everything felt… right.
    Peaceful in a way that made me feel safe —
    the same way a soft blanket feels when you pull it up to your chin on a chilly evening.

    The Kind of Stillness That Stays With You

    There’s a softness in moments like these —
    a quiet that invites you to notice things you usually overlook:
    the way the light dances on the water,
    the sound of distant footsteps on wooden planks,
    the comforting smell of cinnamon coming from a bakery you can’t see but somehow feel.

    Stillness becomes less about pausing,
    and more about returning.
    Returning to yourself,
    to your senses,
    to the gentle truth that presence is its own kind of warmth.

    A Small, Cozy Realization

    When I finally stood up,
    I carried something with me —
    a peacefulness that lingered,
    like the last sip of a warm drink on a winter afternoon.

    Maybe that’s the beauty of stillness:
    it doesn’t demand anything from you.
    It simply reminds you of what’s already there.

    A Warm Reminder

    Now that I’m writing about that quiet morning in Stockholm,
    another kind of moment comes to mind —
    one that couldn’t be more different,
    yet carries the same emotional warmth.

    Those summer evenings at a beach bar with friends,
    beer in hand,
    the smell of espetos drifting through the air,
    the sound of the grill crackling,
    and that golden light that makes everything feel suspended in time.

    Moments where you don’t have to try.
    Where you don’t have to think about being present —
    you just are.
    Moments that feel like home,
    no matter where you are or who you were five minutes ago.

    It’s funny how stillness can look so different.
    Sometimes it’s a cold morning wrapped in a scarf,
    sometimes it’s a warm sunset with salt in the air —
    but the feeling is the same.
    A gentle sense of belonging.
    A quiet warmth that settles somewhere inside your chest
    and reminds you that life is full of small pockets of peace,
    if you let yourself fall into them.

  • Reflecting On: Redefining Success

    Reflecting On: Redefining Success

    It was a cold morning in Stockholm.
    I wasn’t in a rush — no alarms, no meetings, no unread emails waiting. Just that rare kind of morning when life feels spacious.

    I was walking by the water, watching the city breathe slowly.
    A couple of cyclists passed by, a family fed the ducks near the pier, and the air smelled like coffee, buns and calm.
    It’s funny how a place you only visit on vacation can feel more like home than the one where you spend most of your days.

    Somewhere between that quiet rhythm and the contrast with my usually busy routine, the thought appeared:

    What does success really mean to me now?

    The Picture of Success

    For years, success had a very clear shape — a checklist of milestones: promotions, projects, recognition, a stable life.
    Things that looked great on paper.
    But lately, it feels like that definition doesn’t quite fit anymore.
    Like a shirt that used to be your size, but suddenly feels tight around the shoulders.

    When I was younger, I thought success was about doing more — faster, louder, better.
    Like those American movies where everyone’s rushing somewhere with a coffee in one hand, a briefcase in the other, and a watch that keeps reminding them they’re late for something.
    I used to think that was the picture of success — constant motion, constant purpose.

    Now, I wonder if success could mean doing less, but doing it with meaning.
    Less noise, more peace.
    Less pressure, more presence.
    Maybe real success is the ability to wake up without dreading the day ahead.

    Lagom

    In Stockholm, everything seems to move at its own rhythm — calm, unpretentious, intentional.
    There’s something fascinating about how people here embrace lagom, the Swedish idea of “just enough.”
    Not too much, not too little. Just right.

    It makes you think that maybe the secret to success isn’t reaching higher, but finding that enough point for yourself.

    What Really Matters

    I used to chase goals because I thought they defined me.
    Now I see that how I live says more about me than what I achieve.
    I don’t want to live to impress. I want to live to feel — connected, grounded, fulfilled.

    Maybe success isn’t about adding more to our lives, but about removing what doesn’t belong anymore.

    Coming Home

    As I left the city that day, I realized something simple:

    Success isn’t a destination we arrive at. It’s a state we return to.

    Every time we feel proud of who we are becoming, even if no one else notices.

    So, here’s to redefining success.
    To finding it not in noise or applause, but in calm mornings, meaningful work, shared laughter, and the quiet certainty that you’re walking your own path — one peaceful step at a time.

  • Reflecting on: The Little Things

    Reflecting on: The Little Things

    Realization

    It was the third time the alarm clock was going off. “I just want another five minutes” he said while turning his back on the clock. “But I need to wake up or else I’ll be late to my morning meetings” he thought to himself. He woke up, took a shower, pet their cats, had coffee with a toast and turned on his work laptop.

    After his nine to five, Derek attended his boxing class, which he loved by the way, but he was feeling a bit off today. He finished class, took a shower and went for a walk by the beach with his wife at sunset. After that, they enjoyed a good dinner at home and went to sleep.

    Next morning, Derek woke up and he felt really sad. He didn’t know what was going on, but he felt off. He attended work, hit the gym again and spent some time reading and chatting with friends. But still, he didn’t feel good.

    “It’s like nothing I do makes me feel fulfilled. I need to change my life. I feel empty.” he thought one day after several days feeling the same.

    Breakthrough

    He had been working at the same company for five years now. He knew all processes around and was one of the top employees, everyone would ask him for guidance, and was seen as a legend by all juniors joining the company. And yet, he didn’t feel satisfied with his job. To be honest, he didn’t like his job at all, but he studied hard for it at college at a time when he didn’t know who he was, and it paid well. So why would he leave? He even had a family now – a wife and two beautiful cats.

    Derek had dreamed of his current life for years when he was a young adult studying, and yet he couldn’t understand what was wrong about it. Everyday felt the same: wake up, work, lunch, gym, dinner, sleep and repeat five times a week. The guy was good looking too and a lot of people looked up to him. He was an achiever.

    “I don’t know what can be wrong. I don’t understand it. I have all I once dreamed of” he was telling his wife one night during dinner. “I think it’s simple, honey. You are not enjoying the important aspects of it: the little things” she said.

    That left him thinking for a moment. “How so?” Derek replied. “I think you focus too much on achievements and less on enjoying what you already have. Sometimes you just need to slow down and look at life from another perspective”.

    Progress

    Three months later, Derek was the same good looking fella, with the same old job and the same life he had three months ago. But something was different in him: his day-to-day attitude.

    Instead of snoozing the alarm three times, he would try to wake up at the first rang – I said try. He would find himself trying to enjoy slow mornings, with a good coffee, a good toast and the looks of his cats trying to steal some of that good bread for them.

    At work, he would feel more fulfilled, having realized that he had great colleagues – which he already knew, but didn’t value as much. He would make more time for coffee breaks now instead of focusing all day on work.

    Those boxing sessions? He was crushing it all the time now and even made some friends in the class. And those sunset walks by the beach? He was already enjoying them, but always worrying about the future or tomorrow’s work.

    But, okay, how can this change of attitude have such a great impact?

    Reflections

    Derek did some great findings those three months. He started being grateful for all the people, things and love he had in his life, enjoying ten times more every smile, laugh and empathy gesture shared with his loved ones.

    In those three months, he came across the eternal question: Why are we here? What is our purpose? The answer is easy: no one knows. And another fact is that in 200 years from now, no one that you know or that will ever know you, will be alive, so we might as well try to enjoy our time alive and find joy in it.

    With this realization, Derek thought “It’s about time that I start learning more about airplanes”, since he always enjoyed flying and was completely fascinated by it – “and even learn more about Physics!”. The guy had been always fascinated by all the megastructures the human species had built over the years and he wanted to know how they were even possible. Have you seen the Burj Khalifa or the International Space Station? Those things are Engineering wonders if you ask me.

    On a personal note, I’ll try to be more like the new Derek and find joy in my day to day, because in the end we are not as f*cked as we think we are. There’s always something to complain about and there will always be. Once you solve a problem, another one will come. That’s life.

    Be thankful for what you have and try not to lose yourself in this fast-paced mediatic world. And if you do, don’t worry, we all are lost in this life, we just think we know what we are doing. The only thing keeping us sane is the love we see around us.