A colleague helping out in our company wrote, she wishes much success for all the upcoming new creative projects in 2026 but she does not like the word success, she means joy, recognition and a positive resonance with others.
How nice is it when other wish us a successful New Year! I love that! At the same time I was astonished she would trace back and shy away from the word success.
Well, I don’t. I like the word, I like the meaning, it’s gorgeous.
It’s all about defining what success means to you. To you personally.
When we don’t take the time to do that, we might end up in a cul-de-sac and stop moving towards our personal goals.
Which of course would ruin our fulfilling life path.
What lets us form the idea that the term success is something to avoid?
Comparison with others.
From an early age on, schools teach us that humans are comparable. They fill in the same test, so they are comparable. Well, they are not.
They are comparable in how well they memorize this, that and the other. But one’s ability to memorize is something vastly different than .
Listen up: You are NEVER EVER comparable to me. You are fantastically unique. And you will always be that!
Being trapped in failure.
We all fail. There is no one who does not fail now and then. That’s not a problem. Only if we make it a problem. In my view there are always only two options:
1 – You win. Or
2 – You learn.
No failure anywhere. When something goes wrong or we make mistakes, well, no problem. We analyze the situation and then we make it right. Tell people: I did this wrong, I made a mistake and now I understand that and correct myself. – It’s ok, no problem.
“It’s only me”.
I have a friend who uses to phone me and say: “Hi, it’s only me.” And I always laugh when I hear that. Only? There is one single you in this Universe, no one else is alike – how spectacular is that? There is no “only me”.
We tend to think, well the others are great, they are capable, they can do so much, achieve so much. But me? Well, I can’t.
– You can. Look at what you do right every day. Look at your beautiful self. Look at what you have done so wholeheartedly. Look at what you built. That’s amazing.
So, I DO wish you much success in 2026, unequivocally.
And hope you realize how successful you are all the time already! 😉
Much love,
Anselma
The European basic idea that all state systems are based on is rooted in giving support. I was never aware of this fact – until the day my orchestra made a concert tour to India. As artists, we resided in luxurious hotels, with huge bedrooms and bathrooms all in marble. I had never been to more elegant und exquisite accommodations than in India. We were driving around in air-conditioned busses and had all the conveniences a person could think of.
Nikolaus Maler is principal bassoonist at the Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz and holds a position as professor for bassoon at the Musikhochschule Nürnberg, Germany. His YouTube Channel „Fagottmusik“ is reaching a large fan community. Prof. Maler is known for his exceptionally wide repertoire, including contemporary rarities. Quite a few pieces have been dedicated to him in the past and he wholeheartedly supports young musicians and engages in educating the ambitious bassoon youth.
The other day I read about a guy, who gave his employees T-Shirts that say TGIM.
Dag Jensen is a world-famous bassoonist, a very unique soloist and recognised virtuoso. Born in Norway, he started his career early on as an orchestra player. He won the ARD competition twice and quickly established himself as a celebrated chamber musician and brilliant bassoon soloist, playing with eminent orchestras and high-ranking conductors of our time. Through his recordings he not only introduced famous works in new elegance, he also inspires his world-wide audience with new and rare repertoire. Dag Jensen shapes new standards in the bassoon world with his artistic oeuvre and holds the position of bassoon professor on the Academy of Music Oslo, Norway, and the Musikhochschule München, Germany.
Fall is coming and with it some new opportunities.
When I was in my teens, friends introduced me to a lady. I admired her for her wisdom. She became my beloved mentor. From an early age on, I liked to pick some heroes and tried to learn from these people. Instead of reading fantasy novels I bought biographies and studied how people with outstanding character and strength navigated their personal challenges.
When I was a student, we had an audition training with a timpanist. He patiently listened to our bassoon Mozarts and excerpts, thought about what to say and finally told us:
Sometimes we make wrong deductions.
What are young entrepreneurs at Stanford University – striving to build world spanning mega tech corporations – taught at their first course?
