150. Live in flow or in a dream?

Hi Gerard,

Sometimes we do not seem to be so alike. I had big dreams when I was a teenager while practicing with a tennis racket at home against the walls of my bedroom working on my volleys. I was playing the quarterfinal at Wimbledon against the defensive Björn Borg. But when I once played tennis against you to win a large glass of yogurt with fruit and then lost, I knew that this dream was not feasible.Since then, I believe life is a series of random events. And that these events give you opportunities. And ultimately, it is you who determines the intensity of your life by going into all the opportunities or ignoring them.

For instance, I always planned to go and live abroad. Partly for this reason, I was going to study international law, I then studied some MBA courses in the United States and later I worked as a trainee for a German bank in Frankfurt. And just when I was about to make a change, I met my wife in Amsterdam and I started working at the same time for OHV. I am still with both my wife and OHV to this day and I have never again considered going to work abroad. But was it a planned decision to work in Amsterdam? No, certainly not but both OHV and my wife crossed my path and I took these opportunities.

Then OHV pointed me at the opportunity to become a partner. And I took that offer. Had I gone abroad I most likely would have worked for a large international bank and always remained an employee. Possibly I would earn more than I do now. But then I would not have experienced the same intensity and diversity. But was it a deliberate decision to become an entrepreneur? No the chance crossed my path and I took it.

Regards

Erik