I used to struggle badly with hay fever. 🌿🤧
My mom put me on a golf course when I was six.
I still remember being mostly focused on figuring out how many tissues I would need and how on earth I was going to fit them all in my pockets. 😂
But these days, my hay fever is so much better.
I still have the occasional bad day in spring, but it’s at least 80% less than it used to be.
And actually, I think it’s a pretty good example of how you grow by stepping outside your comfort zone.
Or, even better:
Throwing yourself straight into the deep end.
Literally, too.
My mom used to throw me into the swimming pool when I couldn’t even swim yet.
I don’t remember it myself, but my cousins still bring it up at family gatherings. 😂
And honestly?
The same goes for sports.
And maybe even more so for entrepreneurship.
Growing up, I wasn’t handed money.
As a student, I had to borrow, work and, most importantly, learn how to live with very little money.
That taught me one thing very clearly:
I don’t want to live like this later.
So I went for it.
And that’s probably also why I can work as hard as I do today.
Because believe me:
That definitely wasn’t me back then.
I was pretty lazy.
I didn’t like working hard.
I didn’t enjoy studying either.
I’d much rather sit on a terrace or hang out at the pub. 🍻
People around me used to say:
“Michiel is smart enough, but that work ethic…”
So yeah, expectations weren’t exactly sky-high. 😂
And no, I’m not some huge success story.
But I am someone who has far exceeded the expectations people had of me.
The expectations of others.
And perhaps even more importantly, the expectations I had of myself.
So what’s the lesson?
- You can learn anything.
- You can develop yourself.
- You can change.
- You can get better.
But only if you’re willing to challenge yourself.
To do it anyway.
Even when you don’t feel like it.
No pain, no gain.
Let’s go. 🚀
