I’m back! This summer I took an unplanned two month blogging break and it was one of the better decisions, although it was not a conscious one. Why? Because I had to open up my mind again.

I just read something in Creativity Inc (by president of Pixar Ed Catmull) and all I could think was: yes, yes, yes! How can the man be right about everything. Truly: if you haven’t read it yet, you must.

Here it is:
“When a new company is formed, its founders must have a startup mentality—a beginner’s mind, open to everything because, well, what do they have to lose? (This is often something they later look back upon wistfully.) But when that company becomes successful, its leaders often cast off that startup mentality because, they tell themselves, they have figured out what to do. They don’t want to be beginners anymore. That may be human nature, but I believe it is a part of our nature that should be resisted. By resisting the beginner’s mind, you make yourself more prone to repeat yourself than to create something new. The attempt to avoid failure, in other words, makes failure more likely.”

Amen.

“By resisting the beginner’s mind, you make yourself more prone to repeat yourself than to create something new.”

It was exactly what happened. After blogging for three years I lost my startup mentality, the mentality that gave me so much energy and inspiration. Instead I relied more and more on ideas that had previously worked out. Making the whole process of blogging less of a challenge and as a consequence less fun. I forgot how much I need learning to stay motivated and how much drive I get from being a beginner.

So I changed things up. Took a few online courses, tried out making short vids for my other company Duwtje (so much fun!) and even began taking stupid dancing lessons again. I also read books about everything that slightly sparked my interest. But most of all: I’ve build in time to see. To look around, think and generate new ideas. It’s so easy, yet so hard when you’re going full steam ahead.

Cheers to a beginners mind!

P.S this also means I’ve no idea where MyDubio will go and what it’ll be. #notsorry ;)

P.P.S I’m in love with this t-shirt by Bas Kosters, a Dutch designer. It means “I don’t know” and has a bit of “I don’t care” mixed into it. Best message!