Gratitude is an immense motivator of mine. Focusing not only on the future, but
on the past and present as well, just being thankful for what was and is.
Nothing is perfect or permanent, but there is intrinsic beauty in both
imperfection and change.
Being grateful for lucky encounters and uplifting chances while not holding a
spite against deviations from a planned path allow to enjoy the vast majority of
life without being brought down by matters out of one's own hands. Focusing on
the good sides of what happens is not naïve, but merely optimistic.
Values
Appreciation
Serenity
Calmness and tranquility bestow inner peace and prevent regret. Unless requiring
immediate action, situations often can be resolved more efficiently by the
subconscious parts of one's mind. While determination is admirable, it can be
detrimental as soon as it turns into obsession.
Acknowledging that to a large extent, emotions originate within oneself and can
thus be mindfully governed, unnecessary haste can be avoided and effort can be
directed towards a more polished, complete outcome without stress.
Awareness
During everyday life, we filter out the vast majority of impressions surrounding
ourselves. This is required to maintain focus, but can lead to getting
routine-blinded and missing out on important cues, effectively hindering
progress by maintaining too much of a focus.
Taking a few steps back and focusing on sensing the ambience, pausing for a
brief period to just take in the moment, may allow to obtain a new perspective
on what was thought to be entirely seen through.
Holism
Regardless of the actual domain, I have made the experience that
nearly everything in life is a matter of perspective – and that no perspective
can capture anything in its entirety.
Thus I have taken to viewing everything with a holistic point-of-view, acknowledging
that no model can reflect a system's or entity's behavior altogether. By adapting
this mentality, the significance of multidisciplinary approaches to challenges has
gained an immense amount of value in both my private life as well as work and
research.
Adaptability
Recent times have shown us in an unforgiving way that nothing in life can be
taken for granted. Adaptability means to me accepting things that cannot
currently be changed and focusing on where a positive impact actually can be
made.
In modern times there is so much more information available than we can
realistically process, which is why I would also class the art of prioritization
as part of adaptability. Not clinging to former conceptions but going with the
flow, integrating change and adapting to new circumstances has been a key factor
for both my personal as well as professional emergence.
Balance
Just as Oscar Wilde once said: Everything in moderation, including
moderation
, I do strongly believe in the importance of balance in life.
Observing matters from a variety of different angles allows to pass one's own
judgement instead of just taking on an existing, biased view. Assuming one's own
perception to not be skewed to some degree would be naïve, but building an
independent impression of phenomena allows to build a frame of reference
originating from one's own personality while also extending the boundaries of
the individual horizon.
Integrity
The key to developing a solid identity, in my opinion, is to stay true to one's
self. For me this begins with honesty and respect, both towards oneself as well
as towards other individuals.
Maintaining a sense of persistence allows to react to events based on an
individual foundation instead of simply following a majority. Consistency is key
to advancement both in the inner and outer world and trust is earned by
establishing a solid authority representing one's genuine core to the outside
not just through words but via actions.
Optimization
While I value work also as the process to gaining knowledge, I strongly believe
that whenever there is potential to automate & optimize, this chance shall
be taken.
This does not mean that all such labour shall be immediately replaced,
especially if there is joy to be taken from the work, then by no means must it
be replaced. But having the option to automate the task allows to both
accomplish the task while also focusing on different matters, increasing the
efficiency while reducing the required workload.
