Podcast #16: How near death experiences & loss recently impacted my life
November 22, 2021
November 22, 2021
Recently, a number of emotional things have happened in my life.
I would like to share 3 events that have all made a big impact on my life and the choices I have made recently.
Sometimes by facing death, by experiencing loss, lack or limitation, you can come to a deeper realisation about what really matters and how you want to live your life.
In my latest video I share more about this:
Never before had I lost someone dear. Certainly not someone my own age who was that close. When I got a call from a mutual friend of ours and heard that Vincent had passed away, it made a deep impact. This has been the first event in a series of different events that have changed my life.
The cause is a series of bad luck that caused him to die from a scooter accident. A script that no one could have imagined. It started with not being able to rent a helmet, because they (in Colombia) were afraid that there might be a Corona virus on it. Very sad to lose someone so full in life. Vincent is an example of someone who really lived his dreams and changed many people’s lives for the better.
A month later my father called me with the news that my sister was in the ICU fighting for her life. This seemed like a far-from-my-bed show and yet it was true. In a split second I decided to come back to the Netherlands.
At first she was sent home with a Corona test, which almost killed her. When she came back the second time, she was taken seriously and it turned out that she only had 70% oxygen in her lungs. In no time she was hoisted into the ambulance and 12 doctors gathered around her and said, ‘Madam, you are very ill.’
My sister turned out to have a rare streptococcal bacteria in her lungs. It’s a miracle that she’s still around and that made a deep impact on me. Life can just be over.
I felt displaced when I arrived in the Netherlands. From my dream life in Bali, I suddenly found myself in an emotional situation in the Netherlands. It was a very strange sensation. I knew I wanted to be with my sister, but I never thought about what I left behind.
Not only did I miss Bali, but also my best buddy. Every day we fantasized about where we would meet again. Until suddenly it was quiet. For ten days. I didn’t understand it.
Later it turned out that he had had an accident in which his knee was broken into five pieces, among other things. He entered a violent healing process in which our contact at the time was diluted.
He didn’t want to bother anyone with his process and do this on his own. That also hurt me a lot and made me think.
Every new day of your life can be a second chance. ​​By making 1 decision you can change your destiny. And sometimes you overcome things in life where you don’t have a choice. How do you deal with that? As long as you have your health, there are so much is possibilities.
What if you had 3 months to live, how would you live it? Or what if you only had one month or one week left? How would you fill your life then? What words would you say? Which places would you like to visit? Some people are motivated by triggering pain. So what if there was never a tomorrow?
I love the speech of Steve Jobs about death, where he says:
‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what i am about to do today. Whenever the answer is no for too many days in a row, i know i need to change something.
Remembering that I’ll be dead soon, is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.
Because, almost everything, all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure, these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.’
I believe this time is about ‘Going beyond our fear and choosing to discover our inner strength.’ We are all so much more than we think. I think this is a time for humanity to make the journey from our head to our hearts.
The more you get into your heart, the more you will see who you really are. I hope to motivate you to live more from your heart and to choose love over fear. If we all do that one by one, we will change the world one step at a time.