Very good question indeed, dear reader: what is an almost spring post ?

It is a white page that I fill with hope and joy that I made it through the winter, – in Berlin, perhaps not where you live in the world, making it through the winter is an achievement – and that I look forward to the breakthrough spring is announcing.

The theme of seasonal changes has represented an important part in my writings as well as in my personal life. Seasons are to nature what life is to humans.

The bridge – our spring break from work

Everyone has a different perception of spring: for students it means a certain type of vacation, for a housewife it infers some good cleaning, for an artist it expresses the rebirth of nature, for some animals it is coming out of hibernation, for some humans it is synonym with allergies, for businesses it implies a decisive quarter in their planning starts.

To me, it means the sun is getting up early in the morning to wake me up in a sweet light romance to push me to the gym. Also, as the weather is going to be nice again and we will be able to do our long walks in Berlin –in summer, we even have our midnight walks around the Tiergarten on Saturdays.

Knowing a new phase is about to start in our lives, we thought we should take the time to have a break. Here we are, taking a couple days off from work, to come to the Freie Universität Library in Dahlem to write, read and enjoy precious moments together.

The building of the Philologische Bibliothek has the signature of Norman Foster and will soon celebrate its tenth anniversary. It is a source of quietness in the middle of the Dahlem campus. With a shape of a human brain spanning four floors, the architecture offers a silent haven for students to work in a bright-lit building. My tip, if you are not scared of heights, is to sit at the last floor: the view and the roof are inspiring.

The university also boasts a cafeteria, called Mensa in German. Even if you are not a student, you can enjoy the access to a variety of foods including some organic ones. Everything is made for you to spend the whole day there: to work and to study, to have a lunch break, to enjoy an organic coffee in an environmentally-friendly cup, to breathe some fresh air in the garden and so that you can come back to your seat to be productive. What a blessing it must be to be a student in this city!

Next, what’s the plan? – Business Principle Applied to Life

Well, a plan without a target is just a dream. That is the reason why my husband and I, at the end of every year, sit together and ask the questions: what do we want to achieve next year, and what do we need to do to reach that target?

So we have goals that are specific and measurable. We divide our goals into days, weeks, and months so it becomes a matter of numbers. My husband for example, has a gym and a trading log, which helps him assess his progress and performance. I, on the other side, have a calendar on the wall, on which I mark my gym days. Also, I have my journals: my daily journal, my daily prayer journal and my list of the books I read. For the videos, I just keep track of how time-consuming a project is. At last, for my writing, I don’t log anything; I do, however, always have a pad-on-the-go (a booklet, stickers, or any device that automatically synchronizes with my other devices) to take notes whenever and wherever needed.

The plan is to keep doing that until the work is done and the target fully reached!

Almost Spring! 

I believe the secret is to keep pushing even when it is hard. Keep going to the gym everyday although you had a rough workday. Keep believing despites the difficulties. Keep encouraging your partner because two are stronger than one. Do not let passivity become your motto: if you don’t like it, change it, then you can say there was indeed nothing more you could have done.

It’s almost spring, the sun will be back to wake up Berlin, its nature and its inhabitants. Early dawn will help you jumpstart your day and late dusk will provide you more light to extend your day. So what will you do with these extra sunshine hours?

It is time to spring clean your mood and re-focus on your objectives.