Think and grow rich: the 6 steps that turns dreams into reality

Dreams become reality
Dreams become reality

The world famous self-help book "Think and grow rich" by Napoleon Hill describes a method by which desire for riches can become reality by following six definite practical steps. I personally don’t agree or believe that life is about making as much money as possible. But I believe the method works for other dreams as well and therefore I have decided to rewrite the golden formula here:

1. Fix in your mind the exact dream that you desire. It is not sufficient to merely say "I want a good job, plenty of money or a nice boyfriend". Be as specific as possible.

2. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the thing/dream that you desire. (there is no such reality as "something for nothing")

3. Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the thing you desire.

4. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.

5. Write out a clear, consise statement of the thing you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for it, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.

6. Read your written statement aloud twice daily, once just before going to bed at night, and once after getting up in the morning. As you read – see and feel and believe yourself already in possession of the thing/dream you desire. If you can also produce an image of the the thing/dream you desire it will be even more powerful.

Good luck making all your dreams come true.

The spring has finally arrived in Copenhagen

Suntanning on the rooftop terrace
Suntanning on the rooftop terrace

The spring has finally arrived to Copenhagen and I feel ecstatic.

The weather is Copenhagen was 14 degrees today and we had a bright blue sky.

I am so fortunate to have an apartment with access to a beautiful rooftop terrace on which there is always sun and no wind. So today I spent most of the day suntanning and reading on the rooftop terrace.

The trees are also starting to get green leafs, but the wind is cold when you drive on bicycle. So I think I will just stay on my 30 degree warm rooftop terrace and pretend it’s already summer 🙂

“Hygge” – an insigt into Danish culture

Danish "hygge" in the summerhouse

“Hygge” is a very essential issue in Danish culture. There is no literal translation of the word, but when something is “hyggeligt” it is definitely comfortable and cosy.

Different cultures obviously have different views on what is cosy and comfortable – and in this way the Danish definition is rather unique.

“Hygge” is also often associated with the female gender and referred to when women meet or there are women among the people who meet. It is more likely to hear men say that it was fun to meet a friend than “hyggeligt”.

So what does Danish “hygge” entail. Well a lot of times it involves food – whether this being snack food or dinner or cakes. Generally we enjoy ourselves and feel cosy when we eat. It also covers things like: candles, dim light, fireplace, intimate atmosphere (anywhere) and a lot of other things (add more yourself :-))

So when you visit Denmark just remember that one of the main things for us is that a social gathering has to be “hyggelig”.

“Hygge” (written like this is also slang for goodbye).

No television (TV) – saves me 3 hours a day in Denmark

I have not had a TV for many years already and this has led to the funniest comments from friends and acquaintances over the years. The most common comment being: “What do you do with your time?”

While living together with Thomas I used to answer “we argue”. It was an ironic joke to illustrate that there are many things to do besides watching TV. Instead of watching TV we used to have long dinners and talk, hang out with friends, write articles for the website or make pod-casts and videos, do sports, read books, go on trips on the motorbikes and many other things. Needless to say we would have had even more activities if we had children with whom I am sure we would have wanted to spend as much time as possible.

In Denmark I get exactly the same question when people visit me for the first time. They enter my living room and say “Where is the TV?” and are very surprised when I say that I don’t have a TV. I rarely find enough time to do all the things I want to in a day – I really don’t need a TV to clutter up more time.

But I do often wonder how people find time to watch TV? Most people I know tell me that they are really busy and it is normal in Denmark to arrange to meet up with friends at least a week in advance – to make sure that both parts have the time. Interesting.

According to statistics from 2009, Danish people watched TV on average 3 hours and 2 minutes a day: http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Indland/2009/10/14/180601.htm

The article suggests that people watched more TV in 2009 than 2008 because the selection of TV programmes were bigger and that the financial crisis kept people at home instead of spending time out.
But I honestly don’t think this is the reason. I think it comes down to habit. Danish people are simply used to being entertained by the TV instead of spending an evening playing games with their spouse and children, reading books, going for a walk, talking, creative activities like painting, listening to music etc.

And really I think it’s fine that people entertain themselves with the TV – I just hope it is not at the expense of other things.

I guess the best way to evaluate an activity is to ask “Does this activity enrich my life today and will I look back at it in 10 years and think that it enriched my life?

And in the case of TV – “Does watching TV enrich my life today and will I look back at it in 10 years and think that spending more than 1095 hours a year (10.950 hours in 10 years) watching TV enriched my life?

Enjoy life.

Amager Fælled: The green get-away in Amager and Ørestad, Copenhagen

On this cold afternoon, in a month that should be spring, I went for a long walk with my darling sister and gorgeous niece in Amager Fælled.

Amager Fælled is a nice, swampy nature reserve where you can walk, run and cycle and enjoy a break from the traffic on Amager and the new constructions in Ørestad.

The place originally served as a shooting range for the military, when they trained in gun use, but was abandoned in 1956 for park use.

In the 1990s Amager Fælled was declared protected.

Video: Delhi – a truly multidimensional metropolis

Delhi – with its dusty air and millions of people and cars seems overwhelming to many travellers. It is very confronting and in your face.
But give it a few days…if you can see past the dirt and get used to the noice and huge amount of people around you all the time, there is a good chance that you will actually really like Delhi.

I really like Delhi…it feels to me like walking through a history book when I parade around in the old part of the city which is sprinkled with glittering gems: captivating ancient monuments, magnificent museums, and colonial buildings. And when you go down south you will find everything a modern city has to offer…fancy high-rise buildings, any kind of restaurant you can dream of, fancy cafees and clubs etc. Delhi is a truly multidimensional metropolis.

For those of you who have only scratched the surface and seen people doing the toilet thing along the railway tracks and been confronted with seedy characters in Paharganj…trust me – there is a lot more to Delhi!

The video above shows you a few places in Delhi: the Red Fort, Connaught Place, Janpath market, Delhi metro and Paharganj.

Video: Tourist cruise on the backwaters in Kerala, India

The backwaters is definitely one of the highlights of a visit to Kerala in the south of India. Between the coast of Kerala and the far inland is a vast network of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals which all goes under the name of “backwaters”.

I took the tourist cruise from Alappuzha to Kollam (400 Rs for 8 hours). The boat departs at 10.30am and arrives at 6.30pm. On the way you will see many beautiful things such as: shallow, palm-fringed lakes with Chinese fishing nets, small settlements where fishermen and their families live and narrow, palm-fringed canals.

It is a really beautiful trip (as you will see from the video below) and I would definitely recommend it.