My first accordion lesson

When I was 6 years old, I was a big fan of Manke Nelis and I wanted to play the accordion. Don’t know who Manke Nelis is? Let me fix that right away for you with a video. You’re welcome 😉

My parents -practical people- decided to give me a flute they still had in the attic. In the years that followed, I played that flute, and the accordion dream shrunk to a hardly noticeable size.

Fastforward 37 years (yes, I am that old) and yesterday I had my first accordion lesson! Loved every minute of it. I had SO MUCH energy that I finished my weekly planning in one day. One day! That’s what happens if you take a step towards realising your dreams apparently.

Over the last 25 years I thought about playing the accordion now and then. The thought gave me sparkles.

Immediately after the sparkles, the following would pop up in my mind:
I am so busy already
It’s a serious investment in both time and money, somethings got to give
Everyone says it is a difficult instrument, so I am probably not good enough
I have young kids at home
And a social life that I would like to keep
I also do a lot of sports
Sleep is important too
So, what’s the use of even trying?

I often speak to researchers who use the same arguments when they tell me they decided to not even apply for a grant. It makes me feel so down when they talk themselves out of their dream.

Let’s turn it around. Think about an impressive research grant. A big one. One that scares you. Imagine you actually do get that grant. It’s all yours!

How would you feel?
What would you do?
What would you never do again?
What would get better?
How would work change?
How would that arrogant b*tthole of a colleague treat you now?

Just go for it!
Fear only stays with you for a moment, regret lasts a lifetime.

And about that fear, I can help you conquer it, when you join my new online presentation training

Just click that link, join us, and learn how to have fun and relax while you obtain your research funding. It’s a new way to create a winning pitch to score your grant. Time and time again.

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