You Are a WOW Project!

In this e-book, you will discover:

• The WOW Project: Human Being
• The 7 Wonders of the World
• WOW Memory
• Designing WOW Moments
• The WOW Company
• A Modern Adventure
• The WOW Day

Have fun reading and trying things out! Best wishes from Author and Publisher Stephan Landsiedel!

Introduction

“All of you have once been the fastest, having won the first race of your life—the sperm cell on its way to the egg cell, from which YOU were created. That’s why I say: You are a victor, a winner! Because you won that first race, because you get to participate in this grand game called life.”

“You are a WOW Project! Become aware of that.”

Many people are not truly aware of what it really means to receive the gift of life. Every moment is precious, life is precious, and it was given to us not to be labeled as “everyday” or “mundane.” Our task is to spin this miracle further, recognizing how much each one of us carries within ourselves and can actually take from it in our lives. I personally realized that existence—or basically its very beginning—can hang by a thread, in the past few months.

It was a frightening fifteen minutes when I had to tremble and worry due to complications at my son Aeneas’s birth, hoping he could overcome that last small hurdle on his way to life and emerge from it healthy. He is now my new personal WOW Project! And the same is true of all of you—every single one of you is a WOW Project! In this talk, I do not want so much to convey mere content but rather to share an idea with you: You are all successful, all winners, with the privilege of shaping a wonderful life—your life!

The WOW Project: Human Being

The Seven Wonders of the World

“It’s astonishing what we humans are capable of, what we can create with and through our own hands. How often, though, do we take it for granted what we have? Human beings themselves are the greatest wonder—each of us is exceptional.”

When it comes to the seven wonders of the world, who among you knows them? Who has actually seen one of them or can list a few? Every person is an individual with widely varying values and morals. Therefore, it seems logical that there can be no definitive declaration of which are the seven wonders of the world. Certainly, factors such as size, length, or breadth might be decisive for such an evaluation, but ultimately—like so many things—it’s in the eye of the beholder.

This viewpoint is shared by a girl in the following short story:

A class was asked to list what they considered to be the seven wonders of the world. A fact-based enumeration of various structures and monumental buildings yielded the following ranking:

1. The Pyramids of Giza
2. The Taj Mahal
3. The Grand Canyon
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican
7. The Great Wall of China

After some time, while collecting the students’ papers, the teacher noticed one girl was still writing and asked if there was a problem. The girl responded, “Yes, I can’t really decide. There are so many wonders.” The teacher then encouraged her to read out what she had noted so far. After some hesitation, the girl read aloud: “For me, the seven wonders of the world are: The wonder of seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, feeling, laughing, and loving.”—the entire classroom fell silent.

No large wall, no monument, no natural spectacle fascinated this little girl as much as the miracle of life, of being human. She marveled at the complexity of our eyes and ears, the incredible circulatory system of the body, and its enduring reliability. All the things each person carries within themselves yet often forgets, things they can use again and again. “How often do we take that for granted and fail to realize what a miracle we ourselves are.” YOU are a WOW Project, become aware of it!

The WOW Project: Human Being

“The architecture that began in every one of us with just two cells is gigantic and unique.” The body’s structure, its stability, functionality, and impressive performance offer us, as human beings, ideal prerequisites. The only question is: What do you do with that? Do you use your resources, build on this foundation, and shape your own WOW Project? It’s crucial that you do what you set out to do. Don’t postpone everything to “someday” or “later” when you’re old or retired—when you’ll have time. “Create those WOW Projects; do them now! Ideally, make every project a WOW Project. As many as possible.”

Because WOW Projects affect not only the outside but also—above all—the inside. They make your heart open up, they give you strength and energy, and they are like a sort of life elixir. Some have already tasted them more than once. Another WOW Project is the miracle of love.

What makes a WOW Project is that it transforms, changes, takes our breath away for a moment, and makes it clear that you have something to contribute. WOW Projects are the things that matter, that you’ll still recall later on, which fill you with pride when you look back and say: “Wow! Yes, I did that. I was part of it. I accomplished something truly special.” It doesn’t matter where these WOW Projects are realized—whether at work, at home, or while pursuing a hobby.

“Create those WOW Projects; do them now! Ideally, do nothing but WOW Projects—as many as possible.”

One morning, I woke up and had a WOW idea. I wanted once again to do something differently in my life. I did enjoy what I was doing, but I still asked myself that question. And that was the start of my first WOW Project. At the moment, I’m on my third, at least in my internal ranking, and plan to do many more of them. “When I wake up and I’m at work, I feel like I’m doing something meaningful. I’m channeling my energy efficiently.” Perhaps you also often feel like your work doesn’t interest anyone, and that it’s pointless to keep going. So I’d like to urge you: consider what YOUR next WOW Project is.

All of us carry unique talents, whose realization can mesmerize us and lead to something truly extraordinary. Imagine for a moment that you did what you always wanted to do—something that makes a difference to the quality of your life and possibly also to that of your surroundings. What would that mean for your life force? For what’s happening inside you right now if you say: “Wow, I’m on my way, I’m making that dream come true.” VAKOG!—Visualize your WOW Project, paint it in your mind! Use all your senses.

“I believe we exist in this world to live a wonderful life and to enrich, supplement, and expand our environment and fellow human beings a little further. It’s our task to look at what my next WOW Project might be, what I’d like to take on.”

Examples of WOW Projects

Below are a few examples of WOW Projects. Keep your eyes open in the next few days—be on the lookout for your own possibilities.

The Cathedral

Don Justo Gallego Martínez is 83 years old and comes from Madrid. This elderly man has tasked himself with building a cathedral—entirely on his own. For 48 years now, he’s worked daily (except Sundays) from 6 AM to 8 PM on the completion of that structure. The materials he uses are exclusively scraps he finds somewhere or occasionally receives through donations. He isn’t a trained architect, nor has he studied the science behind it—he learned from books and by simply observing other churches. Only for very difficult tasks does he accept external help. I can only say: WOW!

Facebook

The founder of the world’s most successful social network, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, dropped out of college in 2006 to realize an idea—his own WOW idea. He’s now considered the world’s youngest living self-made billionaire. The numbers are unimaginable and incredibly impressive: Germany has 20 million Facebook users, compared to a population of around 80 million. So, every fourth person is registered on Facebook. Worldwide, there are as many as 500 million users. “Amazing how a young student’s idea can change the world!”

Grameen Bank

The origin story of the “Bank for the Poor” is quite moving. Professor Yunus, who grew up in Bangladesh, after completing his studies in business administration, wanted to see how he could use his knowledge and skills to help his homeland. At that time, Bangladesh was afflicted by severe flooding and poverty. Yunus thought: “I have to go there, I need to see how people live.” And so, he did. He traveled from village to village, encountering heartbreaking fates in each place. One woman, who made baskets under extremely harsh labor conditions, ended up with just a few cents at the end of the day. The professor asked her about her situation—why her income remained so low. She described how she was exploited by a man on whom she depended to set prices for her baskets. Yunus asked the woman further what she would need to become self-employed and thus independent of anyone else’s prices. The answer: $2.49. When he went to the bank and asked why they wouldn’t lend the woman this small sum of money, they responded she had no collateral or co-signer. Yunus found this system absurd and considered how to address it. In several more villages, he identified a similar issue.

Thus, he founded a bank—a bank that grants loans to impoverished people who have no collateral. The bank operates more than 2,000 branches, employing over 20,000 staff members. Its repayment rate is above 98%. Yunus created a system that helps people and is simultaneously financially successful. For me, this is the mother of all WOW Projects: doing something that truly adds value. I believe that people in our society are increasingly paying attention to what companies actually do—how they act, how they operate, and what genuinely matters to them.

“I hope many people follow that example and come up with ideas that produce Win-Win-Win—a win for me, a win for the customer or partner, and a win for the rest of society and the world.”

A Gigantic Financial Windfall

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett launched a charitable donation drive in which they each pledged to donate half of their fortune. Following their lead, forty more American billionaires likewise promised to donate at least half of their own net worth. Buffett alone, with an estimated fortune of about 50 billion, has donated over 40 billion. Incredible! Just imagine how difficult it can sometimes be for you or me to part with even twenty or fifty euros. By comparison, it likely doesn’t feel any different for a millionaire or billionaire. What a fantastic gesture!

WOW Memory

Boris Konrad set a world record by memorizing 201 names and faces flawlessly in just 15 minutes. He also memorized 21 individuals’ names and birthdates in just two minutes. This man undeniably possesses a singular and extraordinary talent that fascinates people. Yet YOU also have amazing abilities! You have the same foundation as all these people who serve as role models; you too can accomplish all this—kick-start a WOW Project—your WOW Project! This doesn’t imply you need to develop a WOW Memory or become extremely wealthy, nor does it mean founding a massive corporation. These examples are merely impulses meant to spark an idea for your personal WOW Project.

“YOU can achieve astonishing things, amaze people, and do something genuinely meaningful for the greater good! You have a mind, a heart, energy, and passion—everything you need to create a WOW Project. Dare to do it!”

Designing WOW Moments

“A WOW Project already begins with a WOW moment.” Sometimes life is akin to a string of pearls, each one representing a special, magical moment in your life. How many magical moments have you had? How many did you create? How many come to mind when you think back? And especially, which ones could you create soon, perhaps very soon? Assume for a moment that life is a game—purely virtual, a computer simulation in which you can choose freely. You decide whether to buy an apartment or perhaps a house, you choose whom to meet and whom not to.

Imagine that life were set up in such a way and you had to decide how to get married—your choice! Will it be a calm, intimate gathering with your close family, friends, and relatives? Or maybe a huge, wild, and spirited party? Will the ceremony take place in a church or in a more unusual setting, like a beach on an idyllic island? I chose to have a dream wedding on the island of Mauritius—a day I will never forget!

It’s entirely in your hands! Craft individual minutes, hours, or entire days of your life so that you definitely won’t forget them. Share these WOW Moments with as many people as possible, because in our interactions with others lie most of our WOW potentials. Too often, we simply rush through them, unknowingly missing out on something truly remarkable.

“Create your WOW Moments and dare to bring them to life. Shape your life—it is yours!”

The WOW Company

In 1998, while still a student, I founded a training company. That same year, I published my first book, “Way Up—Living One’s Own Dream.” Over the following decade, I built a successful NLP institute featuring me as the trainer, gradually becoming better known in professional circles. Eventually, I was teaching over 260 days per year, prompting me to ask: “Do I want to do even more or not?” At that point, I decided to spin my WOW Vision further. To bring NLP to even more people, I formed a broad network that now extends to more than 25 locations. I began supporting trainers whom I had certified, enabling them to teach NLP in a different city each.

As I played a bigger role as an entrepreneur, launching a new career, a new profession—I was basically back at the start. “But I decided to throw myself into my role as an entrepreneur with the same enthusiasm I had as a trainer.” Inspired by “Imagine!” by American management thinker Tom Peters, I started turning my company into a WOW Company. I wanted it to become a place where my employees and I love to be and can work with inspiration. Our goal is not just to have satisfied staff and customers, but to truly delight them. I created a new vision for my company and presented it to my employees by saying, “That’s our path—this is where we’re headed!”

“More than 10 days worth of 7-day work weeks, full of passionate dedication, first with debts and then with little to no profit...and now they find their purpose!”

The Challenge

The point is to shape, grow, create, design, or re-invent this company! I realized I could shape it—my company. We share an interest in ensuring that the company isn’t just boring, tiresome, commonplace, old-fashioned, serious, or normal. Fitting in with norms, following rules like “this is how people do it,” is not what we want. We want to be mega-successful, relaxed, innovative, excellent, and extraordinary—recognized as outstanding by anyone who experiences us.

“Normal—that used to be a harsh insult for me. If you wanted to offend me, you’d say, ‘You’re just average, normal.’ Then I’d do my absolute best to stand out.”

How do we get there, or at least start out? By building a company that reinvents the entire industry, delivering a tremendous contribution to peaceful and economic growth for people. Our mission is to create “Happy People”: happy employees, happy partners, happy customers, and happy trainers. A small, refined international enterprise with top-class trainers in numerous countries around the world—a WOW Company, that is my vision.

“It demands everything from you...

Creativity in full.

Total dedication.

Meticulous attention to detail.

Complete heartfelt involvement.

Perseverance and discipline.

An entire intellect.

A zest for creating.

An iron will.

Boundless curiosity.

Strong team spirit.”

But the WOW effect does not happen automatically. It requires extraordinary deeds, rules, exceptional thinking, and remarkable employees. Your commitment, your passion, and your energy are needed if you want to truly call it a WOW Company.

A Modern Adventure

An innovative idea that has struck me—and one I’d also like to proclaim to others—is: The adventure of life isn’t at home on the sofa watching TV, but it happens daily at your workplace.

“In the past, these small goals have never really interested me. I’ve always been fascinated when the goal was somewhat bigger and everyone else said: ‘You want that? That’s impossible! You can’t do it!’”

That viewpoint may well differ from many people’s experiences, who search for adventure in their leisure time, pursuing their hobbies. Their job or profession stifles them and prevents them from creating real WOW Projects. “Love it, Leave it, or Change it.” No one forces you to do that job—you still have a choice. If you feel you have no choice because you’re bound by certain conditions to your job and salary, then change your perspective. See how you can start doing something differently where you are, in your current position. Don’t restrict yourself to operating only within the given boundaries—because that’s normal and adapted, bringing no real change. If you want to remain in your comfort zone, that’s perfectly fine—nobody judges. But if you want to grow and develop further, you will have to confront your personal limits and inevitably face resistance. That is the challenge by which your character is tested, revealing how much potential lies hidden in you.

“Do you know what I believe? I believe you’re a WOW Project! I believe you can cross many boundaries. Don’t do too many at once—grow step by step.”

“Often, it takes effort, it often demands courage. We must show some bravery, stepping beyond our limits to some extent.”

Boundary Experiences

Crossing borders: If I go to a foreign country, crossing a border, and they ask: “Do you have anything to declare?” I answer: “No, I have nothing except me, my head, my mind, and my heart.” With those alone, I can build everything: meeting new friends, finding partners. Even if I lost everything or had absolutely nothing with me, I could still rebuild from scratch.

Lottery Winners Study: Studies show that those who win millions in lotteries tend, about ten years later, to be poorer than before. Yet a real entrepreneur who built something up, lost it all to an accident, and found himself in debt is still more likely, after ten years, to end up wealthier than the lottery winner. How is that possible? Because the personality of these “lucky lottery winners” hasn’t grown at the rate that their fortune has.

“This shows how much power and influence we have when developing our personalities.”

Lifelong Learning:

“I want you, even in 20 years’ time, to feel proud of this period in your life!”

Life is an adventure. Unexpected things often happen, surprises you have to manage. Personally, I’ve experienced a lot of setbacks and events that weren’t pleasant. Still, I know: that’s part of the game of life. I’m determined to never give up, to handle challenges and ask myself: “What can I do with this moment, with this instant, with this person, and in this encounter?” I’d like to offer people impulses, tips, and ideas, encouraging them to keep going and do something. There are so many ways to keep learning and thus grow: the internet, audiobooks, podcasts—remain proactive and aim to surpass yourself each day just a bit more. Because you can’t achieve extraordinary results with ordinary behavior. You need extraordinary behavior and an extraordinary mindset—and that starts in your head!

Those who do average work get an unsatisfactory salary. Those who put in effort and do some thinking on the job are average. The same applies to anyone who only does “normal” tasks. Nothing truly outstanding comes from that approach.

Push your limits! Maybe you see that as a small incentive if you’re already doing well to say, “Maybe I can do even better!”

The WOW Day

“It’s not only about ‘Work Hard,’ but also ‘Work Smart.’”

Every now and then, take a day all to yourself. On that day, do only what you want to do—whatever relaxes you internally and lets you unfold. Design your WOW Day. All of us need, alongside our daily tasks and obligations, moments to recharge our batteries. For each person, doing “something beautiful” can mean something different. The place where I can let my soul rest is a wonderful spa in Nuremberg, for instance. Every visit opens me up to new ideas and thoughts. It’s amazing and continues to surprise me how effortlessly my mind runs at top speed when I’m in that spot. Find your own source of inspiration.

Ask yourself every morning: What am I proud of? What makes me happy? What ignites my passion? What inspires me? What am I looking forward to today? Whom do I love and who loves me? Some people seem to purposely dwell on negative or troubling thoughts, basically painting a scenario of everything that might go wrong, or which unpleasant tasks they have today. They start their morning with poor questions like “How can I stay in bed as long as possible?” or “What must I do to get back to bed quickly?” By seeking something negative, they undermine their own mindset. They do it to themselves, damaging their psyche and beginning the day unmotivated. So it’s better to ask those bigger, more positive questions, to which your mind can easily provide positive answers. Activate your favorite anchors, delight other people by giving them compliments. Because it’s like magic—the things you radiate outwards come back to you the same moment.

“Whatever you focus on, whatever you direct your attention to, happens—that’s what you perceive. And you can aim it at the things that help you, at goals that move you forward, at pleasant thoughts—or you can focus on whatever doesn’t work.”

Visualize your dreams: sit back and relax, put on some quiet music, find a calm space, maybe gather colored pens and paper. Spend each day at least 15 minutes weaving dreams, and even if only a few of them become reality, it’s worthwhile—but first you have to dream them!

“Dream as you’ve never dreamed before! Spend at least fifteen minutes each day dreaming. If even a few of those dreams become reality, it was worth it. But you have to dream them first!”
—Virginia Satir

“YOU are a WOW Project, every single one of you! Therefore, make your days into WOW Days!” —Stephan Landsiedel

About Stephan Landsiedel

Diplom-Psychologe and international NLP Master Trainer.

Thanks to his outstanding academic performance, he received a scholarship from the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes. Even as a student, he started working independently as a trainer and attended countless seminars given by the top speakers of that time. Over the last 15 years, he has conducted more than 2,500 seminar days, both at home and abroad, as an organizer and presenter. Most of these were open seminars with 4-200 participants. CEOs, staff, and salespeople from companies such as Kodak, Opel, DVAG, HP, SAP, Allianz Versicherung, and the City of Frankfurt have attended his seminars.

Stephan Landsiedel is the founder of Landsiedel NLP Training with over 25 locations.

He has authored several books and audio programs. In 1998, he published his first book: “Way Up—Living One’s Own Dream.”

Thus, he founded a bank—a bank that gives loans to impoverished people who have no collateral. The bank operates more than 2,000 branches with over 20,000 employees. Its repayment rate is above 98%. Yunus established a system that helps others while simultaneously being financially successful. To me, this is the mother of all WOW Projects—doing something that truly provides value. I believe people in our society will increasingly care about what companies do, how they act, how they operate, and what truly matters to them.

“I hope that many people follow this example and come up with ideas that create a win-win-win: a win for me, a win for the customer or partner, and a win for the rest of society and the world.”

A Gigantic Financial Windfall

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet started a charity initiative in which they themselves gave away half of their fortunes. Following their lead, another forty U.S. billionaires have pledged to donate at least half of their assets. Warren Buffett alone, whose net worth is estimated at around 50 billion, contributed over 40 billion. Incredible! Imagine how hard it can sometimes be for any of us to let go of even fifty or twenty euros. By comparison, it likely feels no different for millionaires or billionaires. A wonderful gesture!

WOW Memory

Boris Konrad set a world record by memorizing 201 names and faces perfectly in just fifteen minutes. He also memorized names and birthdates of 21 people in under two minutes. Without a doubt, he possesses a remarkable and extraordinary gift that impresses people. YOU also have great abilities! You share the same basic potential as these exemplary individuals; you too can accomplish all that—start a WOW Project. Your WOW Project! That doesn’t mean you need to develop a WOW Memory or become super-wealthy. Nor does it imply you must establish a large company. These examples are simply impulses or ideas that might spark your own personal WOW Project.

“YOU can achieve great things, astound people, and do something genuinely meaningful for society! You have a mind, a heart, energy, and passion—everything required to design a WOW Project. Dare to do it!”

Designing WOW Moments

“A WOW Project already begins with a WOW moment.” Sometimes life is akin to a string of pearls, each representing a special, magical moment in your life. How many magical moments have you had? How many have you created? How many come to mind when you look back? And especially, which could you create in the near future—maybe even right away? Suppose life is a game, purely virtual, in which you can choose freely: whether you buy an apartment or a house, whether you meet certain people or not.

Imagine life set up in such a way that you must decide how you’ll get married—your decision. Will it be a calm, intimate gathering among immediate family, friends, and relatives? Or maybe a large, boisterous, exuberant party? Will the ceremony take place in a church, or in a more extraordinary venue, such as on a beach of an idyllic island? For my wedding, I chose the island of Mauritius and a dream-like celebration. I will never forget that day!

It’s entirely in your hands! Plan certain minutes, hours, or even days of your life so that they’ll be truly unforgettable. Share these WOW moments with as many people as possible, because it’s in connecting with others that the greatest WOW potential emerges. Sadly, we often rush past them, unaware that we’ve missed something very special.

“Create WOW moments for yourself and be brave enough to make them happen. Shape your life—it’s yours.”

The WOW Company

In 1998, while still a student, I founded a training company. That same year, I published my first book, “Way Up—Living Your Own Dream.” Over the course of the following decade, I built a successful NLP institute where I served as the trainer. In professional circles, I grew increasingly well-known. Eventually, I was delivering more than 260 days of training per year, which led me to ask, “Do I want to keep expanding?” At that point, I decided to further refine my WOW Vision. To share NLP with even more people, I built a major network now consisting of more than 25 locations. I started supporting trainers I had trained so that each could teach NLP in their own city. More and more, I found myself in the role of entrepreneur—a new career, a new job—essentially back at the beginning. “But with the same passion I had as a trainer, I realized I should approach my entrepreneurial role now.” Inspired by the book “Imagine!” by American management thinker Tom Peters, I began turning my company into a WOW Company. I wanted it to be a place where my employees and I enjoy working and feel inspired. Our goal is not just to have satisfied employees and customers, but to have them thrilled. So, I created a new vision for my company and presented it to my team with the words “This is our path—this is where we want to go!”

“More than ten days packed into seven-day work weeks, filled with passionate dedication, starting in debt and then with little or no profit...and NOW they discover their true calling!”

The Challenge

It’s about shaping, developing, creating, designing—essentially re-inventing—this company! I recognized simultaneously that it was indeed my company, so I can design it. It’s in our shared interest that the company not be tedious, draining, commonplace, outdated, serious, or normal, conforming to how things are “usually done.” That’s not what we want! We want to be mega-successful, relaxed, innovative, excellent, and extraordinary, recognized as outstanding by all who encounter us.

“‘Normal’ used to be a big insult to me. If you wanted to offend me, you’d say: ‘You’re average, normal.’ Then I’d do everything I could to stand out.”

How do we plan to achieve—or at least strive for—this goal? By establishing a company that reinvents its industry and makes a tremendous contribution to people’s peaceful and economic growth! We aim to create ‘Happy People’: content employees, partners, customers, and trainers. A small yet remarkable international enterprise with top-tier trainers in numerous countries. That is my vision for a WOW Company.

“It demands everything from you...”

Full-on creativity.

Total dedication.

A meticulous eye for detail.

A whole heart.

Great stamina and discipline.

A brilliant mind.

A passion for creating.

An unwavering will.

Boundless curiosity.

Steadfast teamwork.

The WOW effect doesn’t just appear on its own. It requires some extraordinary actions, rules, exceptional thinking, and distinctive team members. It takes your commitment, your passion, and your energy in order to genuinely bear the title of a WOW Company.

A Modern Adventure

A revolutionary thought that reached me—and one I want to pass on to others—is this: The adventure of life does not take place at home on the couch watching TV, but is lived out every day at the workplace.

“I used to find small goals never really appealing. I was always fascinated when the goal was somewhat larger and others said, ‘You want that? That’s impossible, you can’t achieve it!’”

This perspective may differ from the experiences of some who look for adventure in leisure time through their hobbies. Their job or profession limits them and keeps them from creating genuine WOW Projects. “Love it. Leave it. Change it.” Nobody forces you to do that job; you always have a choice. If you feel you have no choice because you’re tied down by circumstances to your work and paycheck, then change your mindset. Look at how you can begin doing something differently right where you are, in your current position. Don’t confine yourself to merely operating within set boundaries, because that is standard and yields no transformation. If you’d prefer to remain in your comfort zone, that’s entirely okay—nobody judges. But if you want to grow and move forward, you’ll come to your personal limits and inevitably face resistance. That’s the test that reveals your character and the potential you carry.

“Do you know what I think? I think you’re a WOW Project! I believe you can cross many boundaries. Don’t do too many things at once—grow step by step.”

“Often, it demands effort; often, it calls for bravery; often, we must show courage and push ourselves a bit beyond our comfort zone.”

Boundary Experiences

Crossing borders:
When I travel to a foreign country and cross a border, they ask me, “Do you have anything to declare?” I reply, “No, I have nothing except me, my head, my mind, and my heart.” With those alone, I can build anything—finding new friends, business partners. Even if I lost everything or came with nothing, I could still rebuild.

Lottery Winners Study:
Individuals who win millions through the lottery are usually poorer than before about ten years after their windfall. A genuine entrepreneur, however—someone who’s built something but has lost it all through misfortune and ended up in debt—will, with higher probability, be wealthier ten years later than the lottery winner. How so? Because these “lucky” lottery winners haven’t developed their personalities in line with their newfound fortune.

“That shows how much power and influence we have through developing our personalities.”

Lifelong Learning

“I want you, even twenty years from now, to feel proud of this part of your life!”

Life is an adventure. Unexpected things happen all the time; surprises you must cope with. I myself have faced many setbacks and experienced unpleasant events. Yet I realize: this is part of the game of life. I’m determined never to give up, to manage challenges, and to ask, “What can I do with this moment, this instant, this person, this encounter?” I want to offer people impulses, ideas, and suggestions—and encourage you to keep at it, to do something. There are so many opportunities to keep learning, thereby growing—via the internet, audiobooks, podcasts. Stay proactive and surpass yourself a little more each day, because you can’t attain extraordinary outcomes with ordinary actions. You need extraordinary behavior, an extraordinary mindset—and that begins in your head!

Those who do average work get a meager salary. Those who invest effort and thought in their work are simply average. People performing “normal” tasks remain “normal.” Nothing extraordinary is brought forth from that sort of approach.

Push your limits! Perhaps that sparks you, even if you’re already good, to say: “There could be even more!”

The WOW Day

“Not only ‘work hard’ but also ‘work smart’.”

Take some time off for yourself every now and then—a day just for you. On this day, do only what you want, what relaxes you internally, and what allows you to flourish. Design your WOW Day. We all need some time amidst our daily tasks and obligations to recharge our batteries. For everyone, doing “something nice” has a different meaning. My retreat, where I let my soul unwind, is a wonderful sauna complex in Nuremberg. Every visit sparks new ideas and thoughts in me. It is astonishing and continually surprises me how effortlessly my mind operates at the highest frequencies when I am in that place. Find your own source of inspiration too.

Ask yourself every morning: What am I proud of? What makes me happy? What ignites my passion? What excites me? What am I looking forward to today? Whom do I love and who loves me? Some people seem to deliberately focus only on bad or negative thoughts. They vividly imagine everything that could go wrong today or all the unpleasant tasks they must do. These people ask themselves miserable questions in the morning such as “How can I manage to stay in bed a little longer?” or “What must I do to get back to bed as quickly as possible?” By seeking out anything with a negative connotation, they damage their mindset. Their psyche even gets undermined by self-imposed negativity, leaving them demotivated as they start the day. So, instead, ask yourself the much more important and equally positive questions that will easily yield uplifting answers from your mind. Trigger your favorite anchors, bring joy to those around you by giving compliments. It is like a miracle—the more you give out, the more it returns to you in that moment.

“What you focus on, where you direct your attention, that’s what happens—you perceive it. And you can direct it toward things that support you, goals that propel you forward, beautiful thoughts, or even toward what isn’t working.”

Visualize your dream by sitting back comfortably, turning on some soft music, finding a quiet place, and perhaps gathering some colored pens and paper.

“Dream like you’ve never dreamed before! Spend at least 15 minutes each day weaving dreams. And if even a few of those dreams come true, then it will have been worth it. But first, just dream!” – Virginia Satir

“YOU are a WOW Project, each and every one of you! That’s why make your days WOW Days!” – Stephan Landsiedel

Stephan Landsiedel

Graduate Psychologist and International NLP Master Trainer.

Due to outstanding academic achievements, he received a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation. Already as a student, he became self-employed as a trainer and attended countless seminars by the world's leading speakers at that time. In the past 15 years, he has conducted over 2,500 seminar days both domestically and internationally as an organizer and speaker. Most of these seminars were held as public seminars with 4-200 participants. Executives, employees, and salespeople from companies such as Kodak, Opel, DVAG, HP, SAP, Allianz Insurance, and the City of Frankfurt have attended his seminars.

Stephan Landsiedel is the founder of Landsiedel NLP Training, which has over 25 locations.

He is the author of several books and audio programs. In 1998, he published his first book “Way up – Living Your Own Dream.”