As a child I often daydreamed and was surprised at many things. What would the future look like? I sat in the back seat of the car, dreaming of winning a gold medal as a gymnast at the Olympic Games, just like my great example Nadia Comaneci. I was close … trained at Papendal … but unfortunately did not succeed. Fortunately, as a visitor, I was able to enjoy athletes at the Olympic Games. As a young sporty girl I was fascinated by sport and how to develop myself and get better quickly. Winning and being the best are very important! In large people’s language it is called Performance Management. I did everything … but forgot one thing …
I still daydream as a 48-year-old mother. What is the best way to prepare my children for the 21st century? History repeats itself…
I watch my son sitting on the couch dreaming of a tennis career, inspired by his great example Roger Federer. Watching the Wimbledon final together while simultaneously playing Fortnite on his tablet.
As Director of Digital Transformation, I wondered why transformation is so difficult, why does everyone focus on technology rather than on the human side? And that while depressions, burnouts, broken relationships, loneliness and addictions are growing problems in Dutch and Western society. Conclusion: something is completely wrong in our society. That worries me and sometimes keeps me awake.
While working for an IT company I saw how technology & people integrate more and more. Technology helps us move forward and perform better. But I also saw the downside, IT and customer-unfriendly IT. Technology connects us “anywhere, anytime, any place”, but are we really connected?
Teenagers don’t talk, they chat all day long. In the workplace, we reorganize instead of tackling real profound transformation. We hide ourselves behind screens. Don’t get me wrong, I love technology and its endless possibilities. I embrace it wherever I can. Now everyone is talking about digital transformation. But within a few moments, months, years … everyone is digitally transformed and there is something new again. For decades we have seen that change is the new constant and that its speed continues to increase. Keep this picture of the future in mind and draw the only possible conclusion: the most important 21st-century skill is learning to learn new skills. Why?
Constantly renewing and transforming, that’s what it’s all about. Just like all the cells in our body that renew every day. Real-life learning! It is an old theme. Only a new perspective on learning is needed. Redefining it as something everyday. That is how the HumanFits mission began: enabling people to become or stay Future Fit!
In my personal life I have experienced what it means to transform in many aspects. Experience both sides of the coin – pain and love. Deep inside, I felt that change was needed. Difficult choices were needed to become who I am. Supported by lovely people around me. Some are now connected to HumanFits such as Noor, Suzanne, Margôt and Marcel. New contacts also crossed my path on my way to my mission!
I feel the urgency to help transform our society. Our head has become so dominant that nowadays we forget how our body is doing. The fact that we work and live a lot behind screens does not help us. But banning or denying technology makes no sense. It’s there … and never goes away … we just have to learn to deal with it. So get in touch with yourself, others and the larger systems and realities.
… And that is exactly what I had forgotten, listening to my inner compass. I had become a “Human Doing” – performance oriented – instead of a Human Being!
History does NOT repeat itself if we break patterns and look in the mirror at our dark side. Beyond the comfortable feeling of the happy, light side. It is not for nothing that the HumanFits logo consists of two people with a dark and a light side. Blue and green, because we are part of a larger system … nature. We are nature!
When André Kuipers looked at the earth from space, the only thing he saw was … a blue, green sphere, or; circle. Circularity, more important than ever to preserve our planet and better pass it on to future generations. That is the great mission that humanity – aided by technology – now stands for.
As a Transformation expert together with the HumanFits team and the HQ Open Society, we help individuals, teams and organizations to find their “fuel for change” and development. By stimulating all the senses, discovering and experiencing your motivation and talents, we help you to find direction and sense of purpose. ‘If human fits, we grow together’. And hopefully – by combining ‘doing and being’ – we are building a ‘truly connected – non-toxic – society’.