Endurance Mindset

Author: Flo

  • Pain is a Biased Teacher: Why Learning the Hard Way Isn’t Always the Right Way

    Pain is a Biased Teacher: Why Learning the Hard Way Isn’t Always the Right Way

    Most people flinch at discomfort. The great ones lean in. Pain isn’t a stop sign, it’s proof you’re getting somewhere. Excellence isn’t talent; it’s tolerance. If you can crave what others avoid, you gain an edge no algorithm can replicate.

    Nobody likes being wrong, but error is a faster path to growth than perfection. We say “failure teaches,” but don’t act like it. We avoid it, rationalize it, try to outsource it. Here’s the truth: if you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough. The key is learning from it faster than others.

    Some lessons hurt more than others. I broke my body chasing performance, literally. My immune system went into overdrive. My takeaway? “Moderation or die.” It felt wise. It helped me heal. But four years later, that same mindset held me back. I passed up chances I should’ve taken. Pain taught me, but it also lied.

    That’s the problem with deep scars, they leave permanent edits on your map. As a coach, I wanted to spare others that pain and I try to teach them lessons on a “smaller scale”. For example if they forgot to fuel a long workout correctly in the winter that’s cool and they have enough time to fix that and learn how to do it right, till the big races in the summer come around.  That worked until it didn’t. Some never learned to course correct on their own.

    At some point, you realize: you can’t walk the path for someone else. Even if you see the wall coming, they need to crash into it. It’s how humans grow. Parents know this. Lovers, too. Wisdom doesn’t transfer easily. Only pain does.

    But here’s the fun part: when we finally do learn, we often overcorrect. We mistake the intensity of the last failure for a universal truth. We build rules that hold us down. “Never push that hard again.” “Always play it safe.” And suddenly, the lesson that was supposed to make us better becomes a prison.

    So how do we get better at failing? Iterate. Bounce off the edges of your box. Test the walls of your physical, mental, and social limits. But also update your map. Apply Bayesian thinking: use new data, revise old conclusions. Don’t just protect the wound. Ask if it still needs protecting.

    Learn from others when you can. It takes guts and some of your own pain to be able to listen to other’s wisdom. Read biographies. Study people you admire and those you can’t stand. They show you the range of human possibility. But in the end, the version of truth that matters is the one you earn.

    Just don’t forget: pain is a powerful teacher, but it’s also a biased one. The lesson might not be universal. It might not even still be true. Your job is to keep learning and not let the scar rewrite your future.

    Flo

  • Build Your Life Like It Matters

    Build Your Life Like It Matters

    I once poured years of my life into an athlete and treated him like family. I believed in his talent more than he did. I optimized every detail: his training, recovery, mindset, even life stuff he never asked for help with. I thought if I just gave enough, he’d finally see it. That he’d shift from chasing short-term highs to building something that could last.

    He never did.

    He made the same mistakes over and over. Self-sabotage, shortcuts, lies. There was always a new excuse, a new crisis, a new way to avoid the long game. In the end, I had to let him go, not because I didn’t care, but because I finally realized: you can hand someone the blueprint, but you can’t make them build the house.

    That moment taught me something: optimization means nothing without ownership. Long-term thinking only works when you actually think long-term, for yourself.

    Long-Term Thinking = the Foundation of Ownership

    The joy of long-term thinking is that it gives you clarity. You sit down, reflect, and align your actions with the life you actually want to build, not the one you’re reacting to.

    When you do this seriously, it doesn’t just lead to better plans, it leads to better morals, better habits, better decisions. You begin to realize that nobody wants to be broke, sick, or regretful. Most people want to feel healthy, fulfilled, joyful, and connected. But the price? Few are willing to pay it.

    Long-term thinking helps you reverse engineer the price of your dreams. You set the vision, and then trace it back to the habits, mindset, and systems required today. That’s why I believe it’s one of the most powerful tools for taking ownership over your life.

    The Presence Trap vs. True Living

    But there’s a trap I’ve seen and fallen into myself. When you go all-in on optimization, you can forget to live.

    Being present doesn’t mean making reckless short-term decisions. It means living consciously, even while making disciplined moves toward the long game. The athlete I mentioned in the beginning? He was always “in the moment”, but not in the good way. He lived in reaction mode. Never slowed down enough to zoom out. Never learned. Never changed.

    Through Becca and life itself, I’ve learned that presence doesn’t mean letting go of direction. It means learning to enjoy the process while walking it. Long-term thinking doesn’t kill presence. It anchors it.

    My Framework – The PRO Playbook

    This is why I created the PRO Playbook for Kona Endurance. Not to just help people train harder or “optimize” better, but to help them master the actual art of living. To build:

    • A body that can handle life
    • A mind that can handle stress
    • And a system that aligns with long-term goals

    We don’t rise to the level of our motivation, we fall to the level of our systems. And if your system isn’t built with your deepest values in mind, you’ll end up somewhere you don’t want to be. More on the PRO playbook soon.

    Don’t Just Plan It. Live It.

    Planning is essential, but overplanning is a disguise. You can build the perfect social media presence, portfolio, company or whatever you are chasing and still be emotionally bankrupt. You can chase the dream and miss the whole point.

    Life doesn’t measure success by how many zeros are in your bank account, how many people follow you or by how many races you won, or even how optimized your routine is. At the end of the road, it seems to come down to something much simpler: Who’s with you when the lights go out?

    I know I’m biased. I believe part of life’s meaning comes from helping others and improving the world around us. But when I read biographies, study history, or listen to people reflecting on their lives, whether they succeeded wildly or lost everything, it’s the same themes that surface again and again: genuine human connection, inner peace, and living by values that feel solid.

    That doesn’t mean you have to follow the crowd. Clear thinking often requires going against it. But goodness: real, grounded goodness, seems to be the quiet thread that ties everything worthwhile together.

    Leaning into that love, into that integrity, won’t just help you reach your goals. It makes the process of getting there feel whole.

    Build Your Life Like It Matters…

    The Timeless Way of Building taught me: Great structures feel alive.
    They’re built on patterns that last, not fads, not hacks, not shortcuts.

    Life is the same. A well-built life has rhythm. Space to breathe. A soul.

    The soul of performance isn’t about intensity, it’s about grace. Patience. The courage to build something that matters. That means taking bold steps forward. Embracing risk. And just as importantly, letting go of what no longer serves the foundation.

    That part can hurt.

    Letting go of that athlete after years of pouring into him was one of the harder things I’ve ever done. But it was also the final gift I could offer him, a clean slate which hopefully opened his eyes.

    Your values are the soil you build in. Get those right, and everything else: your relationships, your work, your health; has something solid to root into.

    Taking ownership doesn’t mean controlling everything. It means committing to the path. It means choosing to build with intention.

    You don’t need to have it all figured out.
    But you do need to take ownership of the direction you’re heading in.

    Reflect deeply.
    Plan wisely.
    Live fully.
    Love well.

    Build your life like it matters. Because it does.

    Flo

    www.konaendurance.com

  • Simplicity Wins – How to be Fit

    Simplicity Wins – How to be Fit

    After 20 years in professional endurance sports (as a pro athlete & coach), I’ve come to deeply appreciate the simplicity behind physically healthy. Achieving optimal health and athletic performance doesn’t require complicated strategies or expensive technology, it relies primarily on mastering the fundamentals: clean nutrition, appropriate daily movement, and dedicated recovery. This simplicity, however, can be deceptively difficult to implement consistently, even for seasoned athletes.

    Why Simplicity Matters for Every Athlete

    No matter your level, from beginner to professional, the principles remain consistent. What changes is your specific execution, tailored to your current fitness level, performance goals, and training volume. Over my coaching career, I’ve learned that most athletes, beginners and advanced alike, often neglect basic habits in pursuit of marginal gains. Mastering the basics first will deliver substantial progress, laying a strong foundation upon which performance can flourish.

    Nutrition: The Foundation of Health and Performance

    Proper nutrition is essential for enhancing performance, facilitating recovery, and sustaining overall health. Eating clean, unprocessed foods doesn’t have to be complicated, it simply involves choosing foods that are as close to their natural state as possible:

    • Understanding Unprocessed Foods:
      • Fresh fruits and vegetables rather than juices or sugary snacks.
      • Lean meats, fish, eggs, beans, and legumes instead of processed meats or convenience foods.
      • Whole grains such as oats, quinoa, or brown rice instead of refined, processed grains.
      • Healthy fats from sources like nuts, seeds, olive oil, and avocados rather than processed oils or margarine.

    Consistently choosing these foods boosts your energy, enhances muscle repair, stabilizes blood sugar, and significantly improves endurance and overall physical appearance.

    Movement: Optimizing Your Training for Your Level

    Your movement requirements should match your experience and ambitions. Understanding your current capabilities helps you determine the appropriate volume and intensity of your training:

    Beginner Level:

    • Commit to at least 30 minutes of daily movement. Suitable if you’re new to training or recovering from inactivity.

    Intermediate Level:

    • Maintain daily movement while adding structured aerobic sessions (2-3 weekly, about 120 minutes total) and at least 20 minutes of higher-intensity anaerobic training (intervals, hill repeats).
    • Include 2-3 weekly strength training sessions to prevent injury and build muscular endurance.

    Advanced Level:

    • Daily movement remains essential, but structured cardiovascular sessions should exceed 120 minutes weekly. Combine aerobic endurance with strategic anaerobic training.
    • Commit to a minimum of three resistance-training sessions weekly, emphasizing compound exercises and functional movements for optimal performance.

    For advanced athletes especially, increased movement is critical for performance gains. However, it’s crucial to balance quantity with quality and sufficient recovery to prevent overtraining.

    Recovery: Your Secret Weapon

    Regardless of your level, recovery often dictates your rate of improvement. Prioritize these recovery basics consistently:

    • Sleep: 7-8 hours nightly, ideally in a consistent sleep window, cool and dark environment.
    • Routine: Establish consistent routines around sleep and wake times to regulate your circadian rhythm.
    • Additional methods: Consider recovery-enhancing practices like sauna, cold therapy, meditation, or focused breathing exercises, particularly beneficial for high-performing athletes managing greater training stress.

    Your Growth Path: Progress Over Time

    Rather than “levels” of a challenge, think of your journey as evolving over time, systematically refining your habits to match your advancing abilities and goals:

    • Early Development: Establish simple, consistent habits. Daily activity, clean eating most days, reliable sleep patterns.
    • Intermediate Advancement: Refine consistency, introduce structured training and targeted nutrition strategies like increased protein intake and hydration awareness.
    • Advanced Mastery: Integrate comprehensive training plans, detailed nutritional strategies including macronutrient management, and optimized recovery routines involving multiple therapeutic approaches.

    Implementing Consistency: Practical Tips

    • Prioritize Consistency: Habits compound over time. Steady, regular actions outperform inconsistent, intensive bursts.
    • Customize Your Training: Match intensity and volume to your current fitness level and long-term performance goals, scaling progressively.
    • Preparation Matters: Meal prep and planning ahead reduces decision fatigue and ensures nutritional consistency.
    • Tracking Progress: Maintain simple, clear records of your training, nutrition, and recovery to stay accountable and aware of your trajectory.

    From years of navigating both overtraining and under training, injury, and optimal performance, the most profound lesson remains this: consistent simplicity wins. Whether you’re just starting or aiming for peak performance, mastery of these basic elements ensures lasting physical wealth, robust health, and sustained athletic success.

    For tips on how to implement this into your life: www.konaendurance.com

    Flo

  • My Coaching Philosophy

    My Coaching Philosophy

    When I was 12, I was scouted for the Olympic Training Center in Germany for cycling, a dream opportunity for any young athlete. I moved to their boarding school, determined to chase the dream of becoming an Olympic cyclist. I never made it to the Olympic team, but the experience shaped me extremely as a professional athlete and human, imparting lessons that later defined my coaching philosophy.

    Over the years, I trained under many different coaching styles, from the old-school, East German “hit the wall 10 times until it breaks” lactate-based approach to modern coaching methodologies that value the whole athlete. I’ve seen the evolution from pure numbers-based training to an approach that actually considers the human behind the athlete.

    One of my first coaches genuinely cared about me and not just my watts, my splits, or my race results, but me as a person. Others, unfortunately, treated us like numbers on a spreadsheet. That stark contrast had a lasting impact on me. I knew from early on: I never wanted to be the kind of coach who only sees the data and not the human.

    Stress + Rest = Adaptation

    One of the biggest lessons I learned over the years—both as an athlete and a coach—is that pushing hard is only half the equation.

    Athletes are great at stressing their bodies. What most aren’t great at? Resting.

    And I’m not just talking about sleep or recovery days. Stress isn’t just training stress, it’s life stress! Work, family, relationships, and even small daily annoyances all contribute to an athlete’s total load. If we ignore that and just keep adding training stress on top, we break, not build.

    That’s why my coaching approach starts with understanding the whole athlete and not just their training plan, but their work, family, and personal life. Because without proper recovery, there is no adaptation, and without adaptation, there is no progress.

    Holistic Coaching: The Long-Term Approach That Actually Works

    I work with both ambitious age-groupers and professional athletes, but my philosophy remains the same:

    • Long-term thinking wins. Many athletes think too short-term, pushing too hard and getting injured instead of compounding progress over years.
    • Big fundamentals before small details. People love obsessing over marginal gains before they’ve even nailed the basics. Don’t worry about aero socks if your training volume is inconsistent.
    • Family first, work second, training third. If the first two are unstable, the third one won’t work.

    The Power of Communication: Coaching Is a Two-Way Street

    I believe in open and honest communication with my athletes. If someone is overwhelmed at work, struggling with sleep, or feeling mentally drained, I need to know. Training isn’t just about executing a plan, it’s about adjusting intelligently and listening to your body.

    This is why:

    • I plan on a weekly basis so we can adjust to life changes in real time.
    • I expect post-workout feedback, and not just data, but thoughts and emotions.
    • I prioritize education, because athletes should understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. That way, they’re engaged, motivated, and training smarter.

    Science-Backed, Athlete-Focused

    Coming from an East German background, I’ve worked extensively with lactate testing, blood values, and ventilatory thresholds. But numbers alone don’t make champions. Application is everything.

    • Technique before volume & intensity. Movement patterns must be sound before we layer on stress.
    • Nutrition matters. Training is only as effective as the fuel behind it.
    • Mental endurance is trainable. Just like physical endurance, your mental battery must be built and maintained. If your mind isn’t willing, your body won’t follow.

    The Bottom Line: Train Smart, Adapt, and Actually Enjoy It

    Endurance training can be brutally repetitive. But that doesn’t mean it has to feel miserable.

    If we train smarter, not just harder, and respect both the physical and mental side of performance, we can push limits while still enjoying the process. That’s the foundation of my coaching philosophy: a blend of scientific principles, long-term thinking, and a deep respect for the individual athlete.

    If this resonates with you and you’re looking for a coach who sees the big picture, let’s talk.

    Get in touch or check out my coaching plans here: www.konaendurance.com

  • How to learn

    How to learn

    The hardest part of retiring from being a pro athlete was realizing how underutilized my brain had been. Besides the identity crisis, obviously. But learning became my way out. My general knowledge base was lagging due to years of hyperfocus on my niche. While this helped me make a living in sport, it also left me feeling vulnerable to challenges in the real world. I needed to catch up—fast.

    Luckily, I was never the most talented athlete. Hard work was always my edge. That same grind mindset became my greatest asset when it came to learning. Here’s how I approach it:

    1. Stress + Rest = Adaptation

    I try to dedicate up to three hours of high-concentration work to problem-solving and learning. Anything beyond that, and the quality of my learning declines. But everyone is different. I treat these three hours almost like a race – I give it my all. Then, I rest and prepare for the next session. I’m utilizing what I learned in endurance sports. You can only adapt and get better if you set the right stressors and give yourself enough rest to adapt.

    2. Find the bottleneck

    Identify the one problem that, if solved, will have the biggest impact. Work on that question and feed it to your brain. Think about it before you do mundane tasks like cleaning, showering or sitting on the toilet and let your subconscious mind work on it too. Important side note: don’t distract yourself with social media or other unimportant things, so your mind can fully wander. And physical movement helps: walks, farm work, or whatever clears your head. Direction matters. Don’t get distracted by minor details, focus on what will create the biggest breakthrough.

    3. Don’t fool yourself

    Once we learn something that works, we tend to stick with it. Even if it stops working. I learned that one from old coaches whose methods were stuck in the past and never evolved. How do we avoid this? This is hard. Don’t be lazy and stay dynamic. Question yourself and your methods and implement honesty as your own safeguard. Be intellectually honest with yourself and avoid the smallest lie to foster this honesty mindset.

    4. Learn universal principles

    My stubbornness helped me to figure out this one. I could either blindly follow orders or I can learn how things work and be my own master. We as humans are wired for routine, which can make us lazy. Keeping an open mind and learning the biggest principles from other fields will help us to connect the dots and see the world in a different light. This also helps with novel problem solving. That reminds me of the famous quote: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” The goal is not just learning things but learning how to learn.

    5. Pain is a great teacher – learn from others

    Some of my biggest mistakes became my biggest opportunities for growth. This is classic value investor thinking—buy high-value assets when they’re undervalued and watch them grow.

    The same applies to life. When something bad happens like divorce, loss or failure, double down and make yourself even more valuable. Pain is an incredible teacher. If you burn your hand on the stove, you won’t do it again. Use this pain to learn and become better. Life happens to all of us: divorce, dramatic events, death. It’s how we utilize these moments and pains that will make a difference.

    Here’s the really interesting part, this is something I’m still working on too. You can learn from others with the same intensity and this is where I utilize empathy, visualization and logic. To understand how Charlie Munger developed such a prudent financial mindset I looked at his life and his pains that triggered him to learn. I then visualize myself in his shoes and connect my own painful experiences with his learning. By tapping into the painful lessons of others, you can accelerate your own learning without needing to live through every hardship yourself.

    6. Do the work

    Comfort is the most addictive drug. Why keep on pushing if you are number 1? Well, it’s not about the others; it’s about you. Take on hard tasks that push your limits because that’s the way you become better. Read books that are beyond your current level, try to get into things you find fascinating but that seem out of reach. Keep on pushing and growing no matter how good you think you are. Learning compounds amazingly well.

    Like all things, even learning can become an obsession. But for now, it’s the best addiction I could ask for.

    Flo

  • Fabric of Reality – Book Review

    Fabric of Reality – Book Review

    Why I Read It

    In my current learning journey, I’ve gone deep into value investing, business, sport science and psychology. While that has been invaluable, I realized I was lacking a more broad science-based perspective. So, I’ve been deliberately reading more books on science and also exploring faith-based works to widen my horizon.

    Quantum physics, the perception of reality, and how our world is fundamentally structured are all topics that fascinate me, and The Fabric of Reality promised a comprehensive take on these ideas. The core argument that resonated with me the most is that knowledge is the foundation of everything. Knowledge drives all progress, innovation, and understanding. Everything that exists—beyond the fundamental laws of physics—is a product of knowledge. The more knowledge we acquire, the more we can influence and shape our world.

    What I Learned

    The biggest takeaway from this book is a reinforcement of something I’ve long believed—knowledge is the key to achieving anything. Whenever I feel stuck, limited, or constrained by a bottleneck, the answer is always more knowledge. If I find myself too deep in a niche or feeling directionless, I know that expanding my understanding will lead to solutions.

    This book reaffirmed my worldview in that sense: knowledge is the foundation of progress. It also made me reflect on how important it is to document and process knowledge, which is one of the reasons why I’m building my blog—to track insights, projects, and ideas in a way that allows me to grow further. Of course, I recognize my bias here: I already believe in the power of knowledge, and this book only pulled me deeper into that rabbit hole.

    What It Reminded Me Of

    Several works came to mind while reading The Fabric of Reality:

    • Stephen Hawking’s books – particularly A Brief History of Time for its exploration of fundamental physics and the nature of the universe.
    • The Feynman Lectures on Physics – which, like Deutsch’s work, take complex scientific ideas and present them in a way that challenges the reader to think more deeply.
    • Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish – because at its core, this book is about how we can systematically build our understanding of the world. Deutsch emphasizes the role of explanatory knowledge, and that connects well with Parrish’s focus on mental models.

    Final Thoughts

    This is a 5/5 book, but it’s not an easy read. It’s dense, and you need to be fresh and focused to absorb the ideas. I made the mistake of trying to read it in bed a few times—nearly impossible. You have to be willing to let the book take you places and give it your full attention.

    I highly recommend having a strong foundation in mental models before diving into this book. If you’re not used to thinking in abstract frameworks, it might be difficult to fully grasp its depth. Shane Parrish’s Mental Models series (Volumes 1 – 4) would be a good starting point, along with some foundational science and technology reading.

    That said, The Fabric of Reality is a book I’ll revisit. It’s the kind of work that rewards multiple readings, as each time you engage with it, your expanding knowledge base will allow you to extract deeper insights. If you’re interested in how knowledge shapes reality and how we can build better explanations to understand the world, this is a must-read.

  • Crossing The Chasm – Book Review

    Crossing The Chasm – Book Review

    Why I Read It

    I picked up Crossing the Chasm to refine my marketing knowledge, especially in scaling businesses effectively. Even though I studied marketing in college and have a master’s degree, I believe there’s always more to learn—especially when it comes to applying strategies in the real world. This book focuses on high-tech startups and how they transition from early adopters to the mainstream market. While my own businesses aren’t exactly high-tech, the core principles of market penetration, niche strategy, and scaling are highly relevant across industries.


    What I Learned

    The biggest takeaway from this book is how to successfully enter a small niche market and then expand into the broader market—what Moore calls “crossing the chasm.” The concept is straightforward but often overlooked: don’t try to appeal to everyone at once. Instead, dominate a small, well-defined market before making the leap to a larger audience. The book also emphasizes second-order thinking—how to structure your company and marketing efforts so that you don’t just gain initial traction but also have a clear path to long-term growth. The “elevator test” was another useful reminder: if you can’t clearly explain your product’s value in a few seconds, you’re not ready for market penetration.


    What It Reminded Me Of

    Reading this book made me think a lot about how tech giants like Facebook (now Meta) started. It reminded me of The Social Network, where Zuckerberg went from a dorm-room hacker to running one of the biggest companies in the world. The book confirms what I already suspected—successful companies don’t stumble into mainstream adoption; they meticulously plan their transition from niche to mass market. It also reinforced that chasing saturated markets isn’t a winning strategy. Instead, real success comes from carving out and owning a new space before scaling up.


    Final Thoughts

    Overall, Crossing the Chasm felt more like a tactical manual than a deeply transformative read. It’s a solid refresher, especially if you need a structured way to think about market entry and expansion. While it’s more relevant to tech startups, the principles apply broadly, and it’s a quick, practical read. That said, it didn’t introduce any groundbreaking new ideas for me, so I’d rate it a 3/5. Worth reading if you need a framework for breaking into a market, but not the most mind-blowing marketing book out there.

  • Reflections on 2024: Growth, and Perspective

    Reflections on 2024: Growth, and Perspective

    At the beginning of this year, I would have never guessed how much my perspective would shift. I was deeply immersed in learning, strategizing, planning 10-20 years ahead. And I still love that—it keeps my brain engaged in a useful way. But what I was missing was the now. I thought that if I wanted to be successful, I couldn’t afford to fully live in the present. That was a mistake.

    Then, life threw me into the fire of experience. I lost my partner and met incredible people, saw life from new perspectives, and realized that embracing the moment doesn’t mean losing sight of the future—it means making the journey itself richer. Now, combining that presence with the discipline that has carried me so far feels like unlocking a new level of life. The balance between planning and presence is where true freedom lies.

    So here’s my perspective right now:

    • Choose love over fear.
    • Live in the moment.
    • Stay disciplined to achieve freedom.

    Good Judgment and the Good Life

    Good judgment isn’t about being right in the moment—it’s about structuring life so that it aligns with what truly matters in the long run. Wise people know this. They understand that life isn’t a rough draft with endless revisions. They prioritize what is meaningful, even when the world tells them otherwise.

    Sometimes, the cost of being wise is appearing foolish to others. People who chase status, fleeting validation, or instant gratification will never understand the person who plays the long game. The person who invests in relationships, health, knowledge, and fulfillment.

    Developing good judgment starts with two questions:

    1. What do I want in life?
    2. Is what I want actually worth wanting?

    If the second question isn’t answered honestly, no amount of decision-making strategy will matter. There’s no value in being excellent at chasing the wrong goals.

    The Art of Living with Intention

    As this year unfolded, I found myself drawn deeper into the question: What do I truly want out of life? Not in an abstract, idealistic way, but in a way that demanded real answers—answers that would shape my decisions, my energy, and my presence. And the list that emerged was clear:

    1. Build a happy, loving family.
    2. Achieve financial independence.
    3. Expand my knowledge as broadly as possible.
    4. Use my freedom to explore and enjoy life fully.
    5. Don’t let pain win—find peace within myself.
    6. Make the world a better place, leaving it better than I found it.
    7. Create space for humans to be seen and understood.
    8. Support my parents through their final chapter with forgiveness and care.
    9. Find beauty in the world, in moments, in people.

    This list didn’t come from theory but from lived experience. Some lessons came gently, others through fire. But all were valuable.

    Learning to Forgive—Myself and Others

    The past few weeks have been all about learning to forgive—both others and myself. I’ve realized that empathy isn’t just about understanding someone’s pain or motivations; it’s also about recognizing that holding onto resentment is just another form of self-punishment. Forgiveness isn’t about excusing actions; it’s about setting down the weight we carry.

    At 13, I left home to train at an Olympic facility, believing it was the best thing for me. And in many ways, it was. But returning home that Christmas to the news of my parents’ divorce changed something in me. Over the years, the distance grew, making it harder to reconnect. It’s easy to blame, easy to see only our side of things. But stepping back, I now see the struggles my father faced—growing up in Eastern Germany, having to rebuild his life after the Berlin Wall fell. Recognizing those struggles doesn’t erase the pain, but it does help me break the cycle.

    Forgiving others is one thing. Forgiving ourselves is another. I’ve reached a point where I can extend grace outward, but now I’m working on giving it inward. And that’s where true peace begins.

    My Current Self-Improvement Stack

    Growth isn’t just about learning—it’s about applying what we learn. Here’s what I’m focusing on:

    • Continuous Learning: Reading advanced books, taking challenging courses.
    • Critical Thinking: Playing bridge, solving puzzles, engaging in deep analysis.
    • Creative Projects: Exploring new creative hobbies, innovating in storytelling.
    • Practical Skills: Hands-on DIY projects, real-world problem-solving.
    • Emotional Intelligence: Practicing mindfulness, deepening empathy.
    • Physical Health: Staying active, training wisely, eating well.
    • Language Skills: Learning new languages and memory techniques.
    • Interdisciplinary Studies: Exploring philosophy, neuroscience, and systems thinking.
    • Social Skills: Getting out of the house more and saying yes to adventures and opportunities when they come up.

    Each of these areas isn’t just about skill-building; it’s about becoming—becoming more resilient, more insightful, more effective in life.

    Closing Thoughts

    2024 was a year of shifts. Of realizing that success isn’t a future state but a way of living now. Of forgiving, not because others always deserve it, but because I deserve the peace it brings. Of balancing discipline with presence. Of choosing the long-term path while still saying yes to life as it unfolds.

    I don’t know what 2025 will bring. But I do know this: I’ll meet it with open hands, a clear mind, and a full heart.

  • BigFoot 200 – Pacer

    BigFoot 200 – Pacer

    When someone asks me if I want to help out with an endurance adventure, I’m quick to say yes—sometimes too quick. A 200-mile trail run sounds crazy enough, but when you add camping, a rerouted course due to wildfires, and pretty much no sleep, you get some wild days.

    Michelle participated in her second 200-mile BigFoot event and asked Janet, Grant, and me to crew for her. I figured that after last year’s RAAM, which went on for 12 days, I was ready. But BigFoot is a different beast. Instead of hotel beds with 4-5 hours of sleep per night, we had tents and somehow I only managed 60-90 minutes of sleep. But who am I to complain? Michelle did the whole thing with just a few hours of sleep in the back of a truck. Huge respect!

    On her second day (she had done 50miles already), I decided to pace her for 20-40 miles. That seemed more appealing than waiting and not sleeping. The course had changed from an A-to-B route to a loop that had to be completed two times, so I opted to do 50 miles to experience the whole course, which was absolutely stunning (check the pics). My body wasn’t really prepared for a run/hike of more than 20 miles, but I went into athlete mode and pushed through. This turned out to be a mistake, as I ended up completely trashed mentally & physically. No sleep for about 72 hours, combined with the 50 miles of pacing, took its toll. I’m grateful for the adventure and for seeing these incredible athletes fighting it out. Michelle finished the race this morning! What a rockstar! This race is a beast.

    What did I learn? Say yes to cool adventures, but I need to work a bit harder to leave my “pro athlete fighting mode” behind, as it can apparently still get me in trouble by ignoring my limits too much. Time to recover & relax and then on to the next one! 🙂

  • GDS Holdings

    GDS Holdings

    What It Is:

    GDS is China’s largest carrier-neutral data center provider, operating 88 facilities—mostly in the prized Tier-1 cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. With over 90% of its capacity in these high-demand areas, GDS is perfectly placed to ride the wave of China’s accelerating digital transformation.

    Why It Has Value:

    • Built-In Moat:
      GDS’s strategic focus on Tier-1 cities means it controls access to scarce resources—land and power quotas—that are increasingly hard to come by. This isn’t just a geographic advantage; it’s a real, tangible moat that competitors simply can’t match.
    • Attractive Valuation:
      Despite some short-term headwinds—think higher power tariffs and regulatory noise—the stock is trading at a significant discount relative to its global peers. In fact, while many companies are priced at a premium, GDS is down by roughly 50% versus global competitors, offering a margin of safety that’s hard to ignore.
    • Solid Management & Growth Potential:
      Management has a proven track record of smart capital allocation and execution. They’ve secured prime assets well ahead of demand, setting the stage for explosive revenue growth as China’s digital and cloud sectors mature. We don’t need to be rocket scientists to see that once the market recognizes this, the upside could be substantial.

    Why I’m Long:

    I’m long GDS because, despite temporary setbacks and a nervous market, the fundamentals remain rock solid. The stock’s current valuation reflects short-term concerns rather than its long-term growth story. With a clear moat, a robust asset base in high-demand locations, and management that knows how to execute, we believe GDS is trading too low. In cyclical industries like this, pain often creates the best buying opportunities—and we’re convinced that once China’s digital appetite catches fire again, GDS will be well-positioned to deliver impressive returns.

    Author has a long position in GDS