Last week I was asked to contribute my ‘bipolar bio’ for a revised edition of Bipolar Disorder for Dummies. Joe Kraynak, one of the authors of the book, wrote to me: ‘We’re currently revising Bipolar Disorder For Dummies and are looking for people to contribute “Bipolar Bio” sidebars.’ It is funny how such e-mails always arrive, when I am losing faith in my project. Thank you Joe Kraynak!

The last but one weekend the weather got really hot in Slovenia. I ended up whining again: »Oh, it’s over. No more jogging till September.« Then one morning I went for a walk and while I was approaching our apartment building, someone asked me, if I had been jogging. I replied: »Oh, no. I went for a walk. It’s too hot.« I knew I was only looking for excuses. So I went jogging right afterwards. I had to stop in a shade several times and bow down in order to let the blood supply enough oxygen to my brain. But I did it. Instead of whining I did something. Whining is well developed in our...

Those of you, who have been reading my blogs for a while now, know that I used to be a volunteer at a local home for old pensioners (assisted living). After 4 years I got tired of volunteering there and I automatically assumed that I was a bad person. On the contrary! I just needed a new job, new problems to solve, I needed to change the subject. Now I volunteer for a group of organic farmers, because I believe that this is our future. It matters a lot, what we put into our mouths. First I did a translation from German for them, then I helped them pluck weeds and last but not least I helped them...

The successful people still strive, when everyone else is partying. They do not care, if they are given labels like: workaholic, weirdo, crazy person etc. Or at least they pretend not to care and they carry on with their projects. When they succeed, they are not hurt, when other people say to them: »You are so lucky!« To sum up: the successful people are not hurt or at least they recover quickly, when almost nobody seems to remember the effort they have been putting into their projects. Let alone the scorn they have been exposed to due to their extra effort. And they almost always have somebody in...

There are many theories about the so called competition – the guys that are in the same business as you. I am not a wise one on this subject, since I have little experience in business. Yet there is one thing I am sure of. ‘You should not be afraid of your competition.’ You do not necessarily need to fraternize with them, just respect them all. And fraternize with those that you would also like to be friends with in your private life: the honest guys, ready to share, but not too intrusive and most importantly not envious by nature. I would really enjoy reading your insights on...