I know that very few people meet their soulmate or even a significant other during their lifetime. I guess I am just lucky (although I don’t believe in luck)

Many people often ask us what the secrets are of our long-lasting relationship?

It is rather difficult to come up with an exhaustive list that will make any relationship work. Remember that we are not experts in this matter, we are only experienced

But if I have to come up with some elements, then here they are:

• Acceptance : accept who you are and especially who the other person is. Accept his/her beauty and his/her “faults”. Don’t try to fix him/her!
• Trust : if there is no trust, there is no relationship! Give each other enough freedom too. It’s OK to do things apart from each other.
• Openness : be open-minded and listen to what the other person is telling you. No kidding, really listen. You can always answer (or judge) later on.
• Being there : if you are not there, you miss the most beautiful moments together. You might grow apart!
• Grow together : inspire each other to grow. Create space to develop yourself and the other person too. Learn from each other.
• Honesty : be honest to each other and talk, communicate as much as possible. And please listen! Didn’t I tell you that already
• Magic : create some magic in your relationship. Keep the romance going. We have one evening during the week that we call “date night”.  We take turns to discover new places together, doing something new, eating out, walking or just talking. Where is the magic in your relationship?
• Fun : create time to do fun things together! Tonia is my best friend. We laugh a lot, no we are laughing every day! If you can’t have fun together, why are you still together?

Like I said, these are only some points that are making a difference to our lives. And we are glad to share them with you!

Enjoy and have a great life (together)!

Bert & Tonia

P.S.: It might also help to say : I ♥ YOU  to each other (regularly)!

“˙˙˙uǝǝɹɔs ǝɥʇ pǝuɹnʇ ɹo pɐǝɥ ɹnoʎ uo ƃuıpuɐʇs ɹǝɥʇıǝ ǝɹɐ noʎ ‘sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı”

Isn’t that great? I like it!

Now, how did I do it? Well, there is a Genius Shortcut for writing upside down. Typeupsidedown.com

Typeupsidedown.com is an easy website with 2 textboxes. You fill out the first one with your message. Simultaneously it will create your text upside down in the second box. Now you can easily copy and paste the upside down text to other applications and have fun with it!

What can you use it for? Fun! Ok, I admit, I haven’t found a serious application for it yet. I use it to update my LinkedIn-status, Twitter or on Facebook. I even put it in my LinkedIn Profile and  I sure some people will want to know more about it

Have fun too, always,

Bert

I even came up with an acronym for it: PAMAP : Play As Much As Possible!

Yes, indeed, we should find ways of “playing” in whatever we do. This way we will have more fun and… be more productive at the same time!

Now ask yourself, when was the last time you had fun at work?

Exactly, most of us can’t even remember and those who do, are just recalling one of the teambuilding events or some “after work” activities. These don’t even count!

So, I asked myself what is keeping me from having fun at work? Nothing really! Some partners I work with, call me even the Funmaker! It is not that I am making fun of others, but I contribute to creating a more relaxed and fun atmosphere. You see, I am convinced that work and play go hand in hand. By creating a “lighter” environment, I see the improvements of the results and the happiness of our team. We are spending so much time at our work together, why can’t this be a happy time?

I am not talking about ways to offend others or to reduce their productivity, but to stimulate them to laugh more. We all know the consequences of these chemical reactions creating more endorphins.  So, what can you do to have more fun (at work)?

Here are some examples of what others did and it is up to you to take the next step!

Enjoy!

So, when I tell people that I turned this around and do exactly the opposite, most of them look at me with a puzzled face. They either don’t get it or don’t believe me. Luckily some do and these are the ones that are open to change and improvement.

Having said that, I came to the conclusion that most people are really stuck in their everyday situation. The sad part is that they know all this. So do you, right? Why are you stuck? Why are you settling for it. Why are you doing the stuff you are doing?

I want you to have a life full of dreams, possibilities and meaning! You deserve it! And sure, it might not be the easy way, but at least you’ll have a life… It takes clarity, focus and commitment to build it and to enjoy it.

Most people don’t know how to step out of their every day life. They don’t know (it anymore) what it is to really enjoy. Or to really play and have fun. So, one of the first steps in setting yourself free and stepping outside of your current framework is to Just Play!

By just playing, you start to rediscover the joy of fun, laughter and good times. Start with playing a game you liked as a kid or invite some friends over and play any kind of game. By playing we release tension and relax more. We get into the habit of smiling and fun. Imagine what our world would look like if we all had more fun…

So, would you commit to do something of fun this weekend? Would you commit to Just Play in 2010? Even if it doesn’t set you free, at least you’ll have a great time, right? Let me know what kind of fun you love to have, we all might enjoy it…

- Bert Verdonck -

This is definitely another perfect quote for me. GTDWF, Getting Things Done with Fun! What I really mean is that a lot of people are so focused on GTD alone that their life becomes a mechanical process. They might have a “mind like water”, but are they happy? Do they have fun? Some successful GTD-addicts don’t know what to do with their free time? How’s that possible? Why did they start applying GTD in the first place?

So, as a Creator,  I know that I always want to improve things. I am great at starting new things and new projects. And I admit, I am sometimes less of a finsiher. But, I am always looking to have fun! And the fun takes me to some extra steps, sometimes the necessary ones to finish a certain project. Here is my advice : Have fun, always!

It’s up to you to do something with it (or not). And if you’d be looking for ways to improve your life, how would you approach GTD with more fun? What action do you take?

Anyway, have fun in the process, always

Check it out and enjoy every second :

Yes, I used Gawkk to find this one

Or if you prefer a more electronic genre, check out this human beatbox group from Austria : Bauchklang

Amazing!

Have fun, always,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker & Life Coach

So, several people look at me to be inspired and share some great ideas on how to crack practical jokes with friends, family or colleagues.

This happened to my dad somewhere in a restaurant a couple of years ago. Nope, it wasn’t me, but I found out how they did it

Here is a small list of interesting websites to find more fun:

April Fools

April Fool Zone

Best Geek April Fools’ Pranks

Several Gadgets for April Fools’ Day

For PC : Bluescreen Screensaver

For iPhone or iTouch

Twitter Premium Accounts

Not out yet, but promising : Cublice Warfare

2008 April Fool Jokes Review

The Top 100 April Fools’ Day Hoaxes of All Time

If you still haven’t found what you are looking for, just contact me

Have fun, always,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker & Life Coach

Have a look at this great prank, which turned into a commercial for Samsung.

Well done guys,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker

Yes, I know, a lot people hear me saying this regularly. Time to put it on my blog as well

So, why did I come up with this quote? I enjoy life! As you probably know, my motto is “Enjoy every day!”. You must know that for most Belgians eating and drinking are very (very!) important. Most of you know that Belgium is chocolate’s heaven…And there is a strong link between having fun and eating chocolate, right

Now, why would I share this with you? Well, every day can be our last one and I see too many people waiting too long before they have fun. They work too hard and keep postponing the fun part for another day or they will benefit from it, once they retire. They tend to forget that some never reach retirement. So, why are we so seriously all the time? Why don’t we play anymore and have fun like when we were kids… How enthusiastic were we with the smallest things in life? Did you forget that too? Well, I don’t and I insist on having more fun too!

On the 31st of December, I had a great conversation with a friend and fellow coach, who needed some clarity on his bigger purpose in life. I asked him : “Why are you here?” He told me all he wants to do, is play! Playing and having fun are his biggest drivers. He is so enthusiastic about playing that I am convinced he could inspire a lot of people to play more! So, one of his intentions for 2009 is…play more!

At the beginning of this new year, I think it is important to reflect on our lives again and look forward. Time to create a new set of wishes! And let’s be careful with what we wish for, because we might get it So, what are your wishes?

Anyway, I’ll be an example and start by having fun today (and by eating a magical piece of Belgian chocolate )!

Enjoy every day,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker & Life Coach

I am a fan of Tony and this quote is one of my favourites! Some people are just too scared to do anything and end up having a mediocre life. Others just go for it and achieve everything they dream of. Why? Good question!

Most successful people start with setting goals. They take action towards their goals. They revise their goals along the way. Yes, that’s another difference : they change while enjoying their journey. Others don’t even start…So how do you expect to get to the finish without crossing the startline?:-)

Anyway, everyone has the right to make mistakes and the duty to learn from them. A lot of people only look at the negative part of their experiences and forget about the positive outcome as well!

What’s your choice? Acting normal or being weird? Having fun or weeping at home? A life worth living or worth forgetting about? Choose now and join in on the positive side of life and get a life!

Enjoy every day,

Bert Verdonck
Create, Connect & Contribute