My Love for Feet

Is it strange that I have a huge affinity with miles, feet, Fahrenheit, pounds, inches, cups and gallons?

I love talking in that language. But most of the world doesn’t know what the heck I’m talking about especially here in the Netherlands. It’s too bad because they really are nice measurements to work with yet I cannot tell you exactly why.

Side note: I bring this up because today I met an American who’s been living in Amsterdam for 2 years and she said she signed up for a 40k walk for charity and told her Dutch boyfriend about it. He asked her long she thought that was and she said it couldn’t be that bad, it’s only around 10 miles or so. Oops. Let’s not even go into the fact that the walk starts at midnight and begins in Rotterdam and ends in Den Haag. That would never happen in America.

I love that the U.S. has been holding out for years not to convert to the metric system. However my google search found that in 1975, the US Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act and in ’76 there was an appointed U.S. Metric Board. Sounds like it was a great use of the American tax dollar because I think the only thing those guys on the board did was make sure our middle school teachers taught us how to use cross conversion and memorize King (Kong) Hates Doing Math During Certain Months (though some may have learned King Henry Died Drinking Chocolate Milk). I honestly can’t believe I still remember that and I think the last time I used it was in 8th grade math class.

Let’s face it. We’re not going to get rid of our gallons of milk, juice or water. Or change our road signs, scales, ovens, recipes, heights, gym weights, etc, just so that we can be like the rest of the world and join the metric system. It would be easy to change everything though a bit costly and it would be much easier for expats to talk measurements with the locals but we’re too proud of our measurements. It’s not going to happen and if it does I hope I die before it happens because if we convert then I know we’ve gone off the deep end.

Here are a few arguments as to why the U.S. measurement system is quite convenient..

• Fahrenheit gives you a better idea of the temperature outside than Celsius. From freezing all the way to 100 degrees, that’s 68 degrees of temperature to work with as opposed to Celsius where you have 37.8 degrees to understand what the temperature is. It seems to me you can get a more accurate idea of the temperature and what to wear using F. Plus who wants to see that it’s -18 degrees C outside? That just sounds friggin’ cold! 0 degrees F, at least it’s not below zero. Much better on the psyche.

• You save time saying the US measurements which are all mostly 1 syllable words. Metric system: mostly 3 syllables. You lose. I can say ‘the Walmart is 3 miles away’ faster than Europeans can say ‘the cafe is 5 kilometers away.’  The same goes with pounds verses kilos. In the case of the quickest language/laziest tongue, the US systems wins.
• There are 2 (some could argue 3) great songs with the word ‘miles’ in the title. 500 Miles by The Proclaimers and Many the Miles by my favorite Sara Bareilles. How many great songs have the word kilometers in the title? Betting none.
• The US measurements are adopted more in the English language. Phrases like ‘just an inch more’ or ‘pour me a cup’ are used much more frequently than ‘just a centimeter more’ or ‘pour me 8 ml,’ that just sounds weird or am I bias?

As for getting around and surviving using the metric system here in Amsterdam, I can get very anxious. When I go to the market everything is measured in kilos. What does that mean? I have no idea in what relation a kilo is to a pound so how do I know how much to buy or how much I’m getting? Most of the time it’s a surprise. I still haven’t gotten the hang of it.

Don’t ask me to tell you what the temperature is outside. If I give a European a number over 30 (or 20 here in Holland) they look at me like I’ve lost my mind or I’m playing a horrible joke on them. I’ve stopped being the weather girl just to avoid this look though sometimes it can be quite funny.

It’s also quite funny when you drive. I remember being on the German autobahn and our driver is going something like 177 kph and thinking ‘dear God, 177…kph. Whew not miles but then wait that’s still over 100 mph.’ But 177 sounds a lot worse just as Celsius does to me.

When it comes to the oven I have yet to bake anything here because of a lack in an oven but I can probably foreshadow that wouldn’t go over really well with all the weird mL and other measurements that you have to get exactly right if you want your brownies or cake to turn out good. Do they call them measuring cups here too? I also have no idea about the temperature of the oven. 220 degrees doesn’t sound hot enough to bake or broil my veggies but I’m pretty sure that’s not case. In fact I only know that 220 is perfect to broil veggies so therefor horrible to bake a cake but again, no idea what that temperature would be. I do hope soon I get the chance to test this assumption. It would be quite the experience.

So yes I’m still adjusting to this metric system and I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to the point where I don’t freak out even for a millisecond (<—OMG did I just use a metric measurement?) but I do miss talking in Fahrenheit and miles but if that’s the cost of living in Europe then the costs aren’t that bad.

My favorite road sign located on route 70 in Maryland. I know exactly how long it will take me in miles to get to Ohio, Missouri, and Colorado from my home in Maryland. LOVE

If Books Were People I’d Marry All Of Them…Well Most Of Them

You can learn a lot by reading and watching tutorials. Who needs a school when you can learn everything you need to know through the internet and a really good public library? I have found that I’ve learned more in my 4 years of life after college than I did in the 5 years in college all because of the books I chose to read.

Accounting 101, 102, 201, & 202…yep still have to google “difference between credit and debit”

4 semesters of German and all I can say is Ich bin and Tchuss. Ok and I can read a bit more but wasn’t the point to communicate?

I remember doing a case study on Meg Whitman, the CEO of Ebay, but I don’t remember what the point was.

Financial analysis degree…I couldn’t financially analyze your company or tell you what stocks to invest in.

And what the heck do I use all my communication classes for? We didn’t actually learn how to truly communicate with people. Nothing like what nonviolent communication teaches you.

Am I just not capable of retaining information or did I really not learn much in 5 years? 5 years!

I think I could argue that there was a lot of invisible learning going on in my 5 years of university. I was forced to write and become better at English. I worked on my presentation and speaking skills. I am familiar with business jargon. I know how to write a business plan. And I trust there’s a lot more I learned and it comes out when it needs to. Dear God, I hope so.

So why did I decide to go back to school when I believe you can learn most anything from books and online tutorials? Because it’s about being challenged in a group environment. It’s about the guidance and figuring out the directions I need to take (getting lost is great!) in order to get to my ultimate goals. Getting the confidence through experience (in a ‘safe’ environment) to be able to take those steps. And adding tools to my toolbox (man, I wish I could come up with a different metaphor, feels overused).

At Knowmads we are empowered to create our own education. What is it that we need right now to help us with projects, business ideas, communicating, and really anything? The options are pretty much wide open. I suggested that I wanted a workshop on speed reading. Why? Because there are so many great books out there that everyone is suggestion “You must read!” but if you spend all your time reading up on how to create a successful marketing plan, a company culture, or how to lead, you never actually do.

There’s just enough time in the day.

I remember hearing Tony Robbins say that he once read 700 books in 3 years by speed reading and retaining what he needed from them. He just studied the heck out of books and then tested theories out on himself, people, and the world. Now look at Tony. He’s one of the most sought after speakers in the world and the guy didn’t even get a college degree.

That says a lot to me about the power of books and self-learning.

Now I want to share with you the books that I believe have helped me along the way since college and will benefit anyone who wants to learn about leadership, business, mental toughness, communicating with people, and how to look at the world.

Recommended books:

• Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss
• Your Erroneous Zones by Wayne Dyer
• How To Make Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Good to Great by Jim Collins
• Outliers by Malcom Gladwell (as well as the summaries of Tipping Point and Blink)
• Purple Cow by Seth Godin
• Mind Gym by Mack and Casstevens
• Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
• The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
• The E-Myth by Micheal Gerber
• Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoski
• The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra
• Infinite Possibilities by Mike Dooley
• Manifesting Change by Mike Dooley
• Jonathon Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
• Tribes by Seth Godin
• And all other Seth Godin books
• How Yoga Works by Micheal Roach
• The Magic of Thinking Big
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Guy Kuyasawki
• The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
• The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
• The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer
• Manifesting Your Destiny by Wayne Dyer
• Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life by Dyer
• A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
• The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
• You Can Heal Your Life by Louise A Hay
• Ask and It Is Given by Esther Hicks
• Unleash the Power Within by Tony Robbins
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
• All Micheal Pollan books
• The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
• The Go-Getter by Peter Kyne
• The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John Mann
• The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
• The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn
• Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
• The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer
• How Successful People Think by John C Maxwell
• The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player by John C. Maxwell
• Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden
• Leading With the Heart by Mike Krzyzewski
• The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen
• QBQ! The Question Behind the Question by John G. Miller
• Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson

I’m sure I’m missing more books that I’ve read that have shaped my knowledge the past few years but this is all I remember. Feel free to suggest books! I’m always up for suggestions. However, the next post will be all the books I will read next and hopefully fast with my new tool speed reading.

 

Living Courageously

How many of you can say you live life fearlessly courageously?

You feel the fear and do it anyways?

I look at myself and think I live this way 50% of the time. What am I doing the other 50% of the time? Telling myself stories. Not just any stories but stories that dis-empower me. That keep me frozen. Held back. Chained to someone I don’t want to be.

This year I’ve been living a pretty courageous life compared to all other years. I moved to Europe with nothing but a big suitcase and my yoga mat. I had no idea where I was going to live or how I was going to earn money. And I decided to go to a business school that is so far left and had no idea truly what I was in for. With no exams, papers, or diplomas, putting all the responsibility on myself to prove what I’ve learned.

What made it all scary? The fear of the unknown.

Are these actions/adventures the past few months been the scariest things I’ve done in my life? I’d like to think yes but then what am I doing with the other 50% of the fears? The ones I’m not overcoming?

Most of the Knowmads had some 1 on 1 personal time with Tsila this week to get some personal coaching and insight about what it is we are dealing with in our lives and at Knowmads. I mentioned to Tsila that my #1 need in life is adventure. I need change and excitement in my life to feel like I’m living life to the fullest. The 2nd need of mine is connections.

At the moment I believe Knowmads is about overcoming our fears so we can live the life of our dreams. Getting rid of our fears so we can fulfill our passions (through business).

Thus I think it’s important to address one of the most universal fears: The fear that we’re not good enough (and then we won’t be loved).

As a business student, entrepreneur, and a human being, I am constantly dealing with this fear. Am I making a big enough contribution to the group? Is this really going to work? Do people really care what I say? I could go on and on.

The 50% of the fears that I take on courageously are the easy fears. The ones that I look at and say “this isn’t going to be easy but it has to be done and I’m going to do it. I know I can do it.” They’re the manageable fears to overcome because I get into a state where it’s easy for me to create a story about myself that empowers me. I tell myself I’m a certain type of person and I figure out how to over come the situation no matter what.

Because I tell myself I’m an adventurous person, that I love to see where the wind takes me, it’s easier for me to live courageously in that part of my life.

But let’s take my need for connection and place it into the fear microscope.  I don’t usually express my emotions because I live in fear that I may get someone upset or I’ll feel extremely vulnerable. And let’s be honest, 1/2 the time I don’t even know exactly what I’m feeling or how to express it. Sometimes I expect people to understand how I’m feeling or pick up on the hints I’m putting out there and to ‘pry’ to get me to open up. Yes, I know most of the time it doesn’t work so I end up dealing with it on my own.

When it comes to these fears I come up with stories in my head of why my life is like this and that it’s not my own fault. This destroys me.

If people start talking about themselves like this to me, I immediately stop them and tell them to cut it out because it’s not who they are. But when it comes to me, it’s so easy to talk myself out of something because of the criticisms I tell myself as well as the negative beliefs that keep piling up on each other about who I am.

Living courageously is about feeling those fears and doing it anyways. It’s about becoming aware of the stories we tell ourselves and then acknowledging that it’s a load of crock then replacing those inhibiting stories with empowering ones.

When you live courageously I believe you are being your true self. You are not letting any person or circumstance stand in your way of what you want to do. That’s courage. If you want to do something or be someone, learn to tell yourself empowering stories about who you are. You may think of it as a lie or trickery but isn’t that what you are doing when you let fear win? At least this type of ‘lie’ enables you to do what you want to do. #Winning

I’m giving myself a challenge for my year at Knowmads and in Europe: Fear the fear and do it anyways. If someone asks me to do something or I want to say something and I start hearing myself tell dis-empowering stories then that’s my cue to do it. I’m pretty sure I will be in many vulnerable situations but I want to live courageously in every area of my life so the goal is to figure out a way to over come things no matter what it takes.

And when I say vulnerable situations I mean I’m afraid of what people may think of me. There I said it.

 

Marketing Magic at Knowmads

Check out my post I wrote over at the Knowmads Business School website about the marketing a few of us our doing at Knowmads. We’re brewing up some MAYhem so watch out! And if you or someone you know could use a little Knowmads in your life come to our Open Day, Saturday, May 12th.

Remember to ‘like’ us on Facebook too because I know you’re curious as to what I’m actually up to at Knowmads.

Find us on Facebook at Knowmads Business School Amsterdam.

 

The Dutchies and Their Streets

I love that the Dutch think it’s normal that a street will change it’s name 3-4 times within the city. How does that make sense?

To me it seems there were a lot of ego-centric men back in the planning period of Amsterdam where all these guys wanted street names after themselves.

The Dutch should’ve just built their city on rock and roll

With Amsterdam being such a big city for tourist, the city certainly doesn’t make it easy on us with streets changing on you all the time. Many times you end up thinking that you made a turn you shouldn’t have and then having to go back to consult your map to realize “Oh, it’s just the silly way the city set itself up. Let’s continue.”

When I first got to Amsterdam, I would small freak outs because I thought I was on another street and made a turn that I shouldn’t have. But really what happened was that the street name changed on me so I was a little less lost than a few seconds ago.

The other day I was looking for Crossfit and the map said I needed to follow Beethovenstraat to Van Leijenberglaan where the gym is located. Since my iPhone is now an iTouch, I didn’t have the best satellite map portraying my exact position so I got a little freaked out especially because I was running late.

Turns out Van Leijenberglaan is the same street as Beethovenstraat…go figure. Would have been a lot easier (and less stress!) if the street names stayed consistent throughout the city. Just sayin’.

To be fair, the canal streets do stay the same so there is some consistency.

But check out this map and you’ll see that a lot of the yellow (geel) streets change names.

The Hunger Games is Lekker

Friday night I had my first movie theater experience in Europe to see The Hunger Games.

Rebecca and I excited to see Hunger Games

I went to the movies with my sweet Swedes, Filippa and Rebecca. The theater was called Pathe de Mint which you would think translates to the Mint Theater but google translate says otherwise. The cost of the movie was €10 about the equivalent of a movie back in the States depending on where you live, so yeah, not too shabby.

When we ordered the tickets the girl at the counter asked us where we’d like to sit. Huh? Excuse me? I thought we can just go into the theater and pick whatever seat looks the best. In Dutch they would use the word gesellig here which basically means looks or is comfy/cozy. The Dutch love this word as well as another which you’ll soon find out.

So apparently here in the Netherlands as well as in Sweden, according to Filippa and Rebecca, you don’t technically get to choose where you want to sit in a movie theater. The only thing you get to choose is if you want to sit in the front, middle, or top. What does that mean exactly? How do I know what’s considered the front, middle, or top if I’ve never seen the inside of the theater? Filippa, ignoring my rant chooses the middle.

Next thing is to buy snacks and candy. At the Pante, the big concession stand is set up differently than what I’m used to. They had all the candy, chips, drink, ice cream, and popcorn out in the open like a store. Pretty sure this wouldn’t fly in the States. We don’t trust each other and with all those hooligans without chaperones running around, they’d probably steal all the $5 candy and $10 popcorn.

How would the theaters make any money?

But I was actually pretty impressed with this set up as an adult and could grab what I wanted. The one issue I saw was the popcorn and that you didn’t know how long it was sitting there. This could also be the case back home but I feel at ease when I see fresh popcorn constantly being popped out of the machines believing that it will be mine.

When we gathered our snacks (I bought a magnum chocolate ice cream bar) we headed through ticket security. I gave the guy my ticket, he did his usual thing, and then told me what number our theater was and to enjoy the movie all in Dutch. Got it, I’ll lead the way.

Knowing that our tickets were row 11 seats 9,10, &11, I walked into the theater and saw all these great seats open (you know, the ones in the back row right in the middle of the theater). It was already past 22.30, the starting time, so I figured most people had already found their designated seats. I proceeded to the ‘middle’ of the theater in the middle of the row and sat down (the row was 4 rows from the top but the Swedes seemed to have believed me). Filippa and Rebecca followed but Filippa wanted to make sure we were sitting in seats 9-11. We were sitting in 8-10. I told her I didn’t want to sit next to some random person if there were so many other seats available and if someone does have our seats then we’ll move.

To me this was like playing “get the best seat” when you’re at a baseball game. Sure, you paid $10-$15 on a ticket in the nose bleed section but you’re not really gong to sit there. Only suckers do. You’re going for the $200+ ticket seats. You’ll be sneaky and slowly move down to the good seats, right down by the field. If someone with those tickets comes late to the game, you play innocent and find other seats, better ones (closer to the field).

Here we are back in the theater and a couple walks by us looking for seats 9-14. Whoops, that’s us. Turns out we weren’t in the right row

So we gathered up all our stuff (popcorn, drinks, m&m’s, ice cream bars and all) and proceeded to the 11th row which is NOT the middle of the theater. In my book it’s the front but we stick with the seats because that’s how it’s done here (grrr). I end up sitting next to some random guy in a seat that’s off center from the screen but at least we’re in our seats and no one can make us move now. <yes, I realize I’m complaining but it’s only because my choice was taken from me>

Do I like the ticket system they have set up here? Clearly not. I like choice. If you want the best seat in the house then you make sure you come early. And if you don’t want someone to sit next to you then put your coat there to look like it’s saved. Concerts and sporting events they tell you where to sit. Assigned seating doesn’t belong in movie theaters. There’s no need for it. You won’t find people being forced to move their seats during the movies interrupting everyone in theaters in the States because we stick to our seats WE get to choose. I really take my free seating back home for granted.

As for the movie, the best part had to do with the subtitles. They had the Dutch subtitles and even though the 3 of us don’t know much Dutch, we all found ourselves reading them. The eyes just naturally go there.

There’s a part in the movie where Katniss feeds soup to Peeta. She asks him how it is and he says “It’s really nice.” The Dutch subtitles say one word of course, ‘Lekker.’ We all crack up at this point because the Dutch love their word ‘lekker’ which can be used for basically anything that tastes, feels or looks good. Really a great word. It was definitely a moment you had to be there for but a moment I want to easily recall because it just says so much about the Dutch language to me.

And I’m curious…Would you like to have assigned seating at the movies or open seating?

It wouldn't be a European theater without a cafe