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a little goes a long way

22. März 2022

This is the first time I missed my bi-weekly Friday slot to send out my Butterflies. It's also the first time we ever took in a refugee family. After weeks of feeling overwhelmed and helpless looking at the terrible war in Ukraine, we had an opportunity to make a difference for someone in need - and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. We had registered on several platforms at the beginning of the war, offering a room for a small family, but the moment I received several Whatsapps from strangers asking whether they could stay with us made me quite nervous. Was I underestimating the support they would need? Would the kids get along and be able to...

Clay Man With No Ears

4. März 2022

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I don't know about you, but I have the hardest time finding butterfly moments these days looking at the pain and misery inflicted on people right outside our door steps. I am not saying I am no longer experiencing joy with the kids and at work, but everything feels tainted right now. So I was not even sure whether I wanted to send out a message at all at this point in time. The news tickers are bursting with updates, lots of humanitarian projects are bubbling up on social media, everything seems to have been said and it feels like I am lacking the right words to express my feelings anyway. Whenever that happens, I turn to poetry instead. For days, a line from a poem by Joy Harjo has been ringing in...

Your Day

18. Februar 2022

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I have to admit: I sometimes envy people without kids. Not long ago, I used to be one of them. Choosing how to spend my evenings instead of falling asleep at my toddlers' bedside. Waking up after a full night's sleep. Finishing an entire meal in peace. Making plans for the day without planning around someone's naptime. Before I had a family, I wasn't even aware of how much me-time I had. So as I said: I sometimes envy people without kids...

Dear 2022

4. Februar 2022

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It’s been quite a ride. While the world was struggling to get back to what we once knew to be normal, I was finally getting comfortable with being odd, off and peculiar, with feeling all the feelings. Fed up with being worried about any sort of competition, I slowly started carving my way back to feeling unique. Not in a presumptuous way, more in the way we all are unique once we find our spot and stop overwriting our true nature with some sort of social consensus. For the truest version of ourselves, there really is no competition out there. For me, this process involves a lot of writing. My writing has always been dead serious to me. And this year, I finally got serious about...

Fluidity

7. Januar 2022

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It’s been the third time now that I start the new year with 30 days of yoga practice. Not with the primary intention of becoming fitter, more flexible or to shape my body in a specific way. Rather to remind myself that when I really set an intention, I am able to carve out 30 minutes a day to make it happen - even and especially on days that feel like there is not a minute left to even brush my teeth. I show up for myself every day, and it really means something to me every time. I myself am definitely not particularly good at yoga. My tree is shaky, my down dog curved and my crane keeps crashing...

Ready

1. Januar 2022

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Just a few pounds less to finally wear that pair of jeans.Just a couple more grand on your savings account to start your sabbatical. Your new business. Your early retirement. Just a tad more work experience to ask for that promotion. Just a bit more talent to sing in public. Join that dance class. Write that book. Just a few more years until the kids are older to re-claim your life.Just a little more certainty to marry your partner. A little less worries to start that new chapter of your life. ************* Who would you be if you were no longer afraid of not being ready? What would you do differently if you considered yourself enough - right now? What if we were to start the new year less focused on how to improve, but more...

Good-bye 2021, hello 2022! Opting in – opting out

17. Dezember 2021

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Chasing butterflies – this is what I set out to do in 2021. Not the easiest thing to accomplish during a global pandemic… And I wouldn’t even dare to say I’m half way there, but the intent really matters and in hindsight I’m glad this was the mantra I set for myself this year. It has become a constant reminder that what I am really looking for is a life filled with joy and moments when I’m deeply connected to myself, the world and the people I care about. A reminder to spot opportunities to rejoice and to not take life too seriously all the time. Serendipity is something an open mind can encounter – even in a year like this one. Here are my biggest...

Ready to die

26. November 2021

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My parents are ready to die. And I truly appreciate it. Don't get me wrong: They are in good health, and I am looking forward to spending decades with them. But they took care of everything - and as much as I hate to think about the day they are going to leave this world, at least they will not leave us with bank accounts we can't access, passwords we need to guess, storage rooms packed with piles of crap or - most importantly - doubts on how they would like things to be handled when the time has come. I can't thank them enough for being so thoughtful and proactive about everything that needs to be taken care of - I know for a...

Part-time

19. November 2021

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As many of you might know, I am capping my work load for Product Academy at 40%. I work two mornings and one full day per week and grant myself an extra 15 minutes on the other days for urgent voice messages in order to unblock people I am working with. That's it. Whatever I get done in those roughly 18 hours per week determines what happens at my company and how fast it is growing. Allowing myself to work part-time has been a liberation. Not just, because I get to spend more time with my kids (which, to be honest, can also be exhausting at times...

Not ready to talk

15. Oktober 2021

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After five years of changing multiple diapers a day for the kids, I just needed to take a moment to celebrate: both kids are now diaper-free (at least during the day ;-) So let me take this opportunity to tell you a little diaper story:When I used to ask my little son Matteo whether he needed a new diaper, he often replied "I don't wanna tell you" ("Will ich nicht sagen") with this sweet stubborn look on his face. More often than not this meant he really needed one. Sometimes it did not. What it always meant: He did not want to tell me. He was busy. Embarrassed. Annoyed. Or not sure yet. "Will ich nicht sagen."For my friend Judith and me this has become a running joke - and a...

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a little goes a long way

Clay Man With No Ears

Your Day

Dear 2022

Fluidity

Ready

Good-bye 2021, hello 2022! Opting in – opting out

Ready to die

Part-time

Not ready to talk

Tanja’s Butterflies

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