Seriously

“Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.”
– Elbert Hubbard –

What a great quote this is! We often take ourselves way too seriously, don’t we? Most of our problems are problems of our own mind. We can focus as easily on the solution as on the problem, but most of us tend to stick with the problem. The others, not you, of course 🙂

Haven’t you experienced it before that in front of a challenge that you were terrified, having difficulties to find a way out and it looked like you were stuck and your whole life depended on it, while afterwards, when reflecting on it, how could you have been so seriously about this? It wasn’t such a biggie after all…Sure, it was a lesson to be learned! And did you learn the lesson or what? What do you mean: NO? So you had to go through this a couple of times? Right, so did I, but no longer…

Do you take yourself so seriously all the time? Why? Are you that important? Really?
Loosen up, have fun and enjoy more 🙂

In fact: Enjoy Every Day,

Bert Verdonck
Create, Connect & Contribute

Radio Host!

The Lifehacking Show, the Easiest Way of Life is a brand new radio show that is hosted by yours truly 🙂

Don’t miss my debut on XL Radio, the Inspiration Station. XL Radio is an extraordinary channel and one of those great ideas that simply resonate with the ever-growing number of entrepreneurs, including XL Life Members and other people attracted by the XL Values, 2020 Vision and Mission from around the globe.

It’s exciting and it’s different! And XL Radio has some really fascinating ‘twists’ that makes it hugely attractive for you if you want to grow as a person, develop your business or contribute to society. Just check out their content on business/ finance, health/fitness/nutrition, relationships and personal growth, investing/sales/entrepreneurship and many others.

I will be presenting a new Lifehacking Show every two weeks. You will get several lifehacks in each episode, so get back to XL Radio regularly to stay up-to-date! From 2009 on, I will spoil you with a weekly show 🙂

Check the weekly schedule to see when I am on air (21 times this week!).

Listen, learn and let me know your feedback…

Enjoy every day,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker

Shoot and Proof

A picture tells more than a thousand words, especially when we talk about damages, insurance cases, expert files, accidents, etc. It would be wise to always have a digital camera at hand or a mobile phone with a built-in camera works just fine too. So, upon arriving at the scene, you can take pictures and use them later on for your case, even if you have to go to court. Unfortunately, those pictures do not have legal value and are not effective against third parties. You can also easily change details and “Photoshop” them to alter the content…

You can solve this very easily with the following lifehack : Shoot & Proof, a system that provides a service to create certified pictures, which are timestamped, georeferenced and send to a secure server. They are archived for 3 years and are only accessible to you. Every picture is authentic, reliable and has legal value.

The possibilities are enormous for:

• Building and public works professionals
• Distribution: distributor or advertiser
• Legal professionals
• Local authorities
• Maintenance and upkeep
• Poster advertising: poster advertising company or advertiser
• Real estate
• …

Shoot & Proof provides the ideal combination of the digital photos’ speed and the reliability of authentic pictures. When you can proof without any doubt that where, when and by who this picture is taken, there is no more room for disputes about the pictures.

At their website you can try 5 photos for free!

Enjoy every day,

Bert Verdonck

Lifehacker

Worst-case scenario…

Imagine going on holiday to a tropical island like Bali, the Maldives or Tahiti – and suppose your suitcase doesn’t arrive. At Lost & Found you have a hard time describing your belongings and you also have to prove you are the rightful owner. And to make things worse, also your wallet, including your passport have been stolen too. How do you identify yourself? You might need to reach the right people at your embassy, explain what happened and somehow find a way to prove your identity. On top of that it is costing you hours, if not days of frustration…

Here’s where a lifehacking technique could save you. If like most people you own a digital camera, you can take pictures of your suitcase and its contents before leaving home. Photograph your passport, flight tickets, credit cards, driving license and other documents too. Email all these pictures to your email address, which you can access anywhere through the internet (any webmail will do). If you go to an Internet Café, download your photos and print them. You’ll have everything you need to prove who you are, what your luggage looks like and what’s in it, plus a copy of tickets, etc.

Easy and simple, right? 🙂

Now, you could continue to use your camera as a useful tool by taking pictures of the hotel you’ve just checked into, the hourly schedule of the busses outside the hotel, the street signs (especially if you can’t read the signs (e.g. China, Thailand, Greece, …)), etc. In case of a problem, you can show the picture of the street sign and the locals can guide you easily back to your hotel.

Enjoy your trip,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker

Be who you are

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
– Dr. Seuss –

Well said and think about your own situation. Are you always who you really are? Why not? We sometimes don’t share our opinion, because we are afraid of the reactions of others. We don’t tell our friends what we should tell them. So, how real is your friendship really?

This quote made quite some impact on my life. I can truly say, that I step up more and more and tell my personal opinion to the world, whether they like it or not. Some people say I am more direct than I used to be. Others let me know that they appreciate it that I openly share my thoughts.

What about you?

Enjoy every day,

Bert Verdonck
Lifecoach

Speak up

Are you also looking for a great way to record your audio-message? Must it be very easy to use? And of course you want a library of extra effects, just in case? Or you just want to mix your own (real) ringtone or music? Tired of searching the web and finding 500 audio applications that seem to do everything, but you have no clue which one to choose?

Well, I am using and recommending Audacity! It’s quite dummy proof (a simple red button to record immediately) and has excellent features. Needless to say it’s free and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, in case you were wondering 🙂

Just download it and try it for yourself…

If you are looking for a device to digitally record your message or interview, then it might be handy to know that I bought the Zoom H4 recently. It’s small, light, has 2 excellent microphones, 2 extra plugs and above all an outstanding digital recording quality (4 tracks!). You can even use it to record your own music!

No more excuses for not speaking up anymore 🙂

 
Enjoy every day,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker

Quick update

Just a quick update:

• I just returned from holidays, yes, indeed fantastic : France, Spain, Andorra. Thanks for asking!
• A whole new bunch of mindblowing lifehacks coming soon!
• A brand new step forward in my life: stay tuned for the announcement 🙂
• International Blackstar Day in Belgium : 22 nd September in Antwerp
• Next Ecademy Antwerp event : 23rd September in Antwerp
• Created a book in 2 weeks for “In Shape for September” (with Greet Wilssens)
• “In Shape for September” was a big success! To be continued!
• XL Belgium : Power UP session in August : I shared and demonstrated several lifehacks with other life members
• Outstanding, life changing results with several coachees. I hope they agree to share their story with you too.
• Brilliant Brainstroming & Creative sessions for a client in the HR Industry. All upfront criticism was blown away by the amazing results…

And how was your second half of August? Are you in shape for september? 😉

Enjoy every day,

Bert Verdonck

Lifehacker & life coach
Create, Connect & Contribute