During the first episode of the 100 Day Warrior I asked a handful of people from the creative industry to send me questions that they would like to be answered by the participants of the 100 Day Warrior. Out of approximately 30 questions I selected 13 that seem to cover most of the curiosity of most followers. Karim is the second of the 100 Day warrior II to answer them.
1. What were your expectations from the 100 Day Warrior? And have they been met?
When I started out I was primarily looking for a structured process to change my eating, exercise and other lifestyle habits drastically. For years I had been telling myself I should eat healthier, exercise more, meditate daily but that never really happened. You could say, I didn’t have the discipline or that I didn’t make it a priority. You could also say and this definitely hit me hard about midway through the program, that my lifestyle was self-destructive. When I realized what the 100 Day Warrior was and that it offered exactly that chance to break these self-destructive habits and really make a change, I jumped on the opportunity.
My expectations have been met and then some. Not only did I meet all my goals but something else came out of it that I was not expecting and that has really had a profound impact: peace of mind.
2. How does the 100 Day Warrior affect you?
From the start, change was already happening just because I made the decision to participate. It felt awesome to make this kind of investment in myself and my well-being. It worked well for me that it was quite precisely described what you were supposed to eat and what not. It took some getting used to, but within a few weeks I was already noticing a lot of changes, especially that I really enjoyed healthy eating!
3. How long before you started experiencing results?
Within 3-4 weeks my body really started responding to the physical training. I’m a trainer by profession, which means whole days on my feet. This used to be much more tiring and I could be physically exhausted after a days work. Now, I can do a full week before I start feeling it at the end of the day. Change from the meditation practice was slower but more profound.
4. What was your biggest misconception of the 100 Day Warrior?
That it would be hard to not drink coffee or alcohol. It wasn’t at all, I stayed off alcohol for the full duration of the 100 Days and that in itself was a big achievement.
5. What impressed you most so far?
The realization that we really for the most part can self-define our outlook on life, how we want to live and who we are.
6. What was most challenging, scary or demanding?
The most challenging was finding the discipline to do the work and only when I did do the work did it really start paying off. So it’s very demanding to spend a couple of hours on yourself and your well-being each day. I constantly asked myself ‘where do I find the time?’ but once I got in to the rhythm and basically just made the decision to do it everyday I really started noticing a big change.
One of the scariest moments – and there were definitely more – was when I really struggled with the theme ‘sacrifice’. In the past I have been inclined to sacrifice almost everything and definitely my happiness and well-being for a cause I believed worthy. Twice before I pushed myself too far, taking me to the brink of a breakdown. When we talked about that in one of the sessions, it really freaked me out because that was a road I never wanted to go down again. Only later did it sink in that sacrifice can co-exist, has to co-exist, with strength and courage. And those do not happen when you are not taking care of yourself.
7. What is your biggest revelation until now?
This ties in to what impresses me most. That we decide what is important and how important we make something. I really realized this in a profound way. There is really nothing important until you give meaning to it and that means we really have the freedom to choose how we live our lives.
8. Which part of the 100 Day Warrior program would you rather have started 10 years ago?
All of it! Haha. I mean it really hits you in a big way, how can I have been spending so much time not taking optimal care of myself and not being on a path to bring out the best in myself? I have really embraced that. But the biggest direct benefit, the one that really stands out is feeling peace of mind most of the time. And if I don’t feel it, I notice that and can quickly find it again.
9. How does the 100 Day Warrior serve you in daily life and work?
Living peacefully first of all. Putting my own needs first which sounds very selfish but is not in the way I see it. Being whole, strong, powerful and courageous means I can serve the world better and have a bigger impact.
10. Does the 100 Day Warrior have an impact on the way you relate to your life?
I have really taken a chill pill. Like I said before, I decide what to make important and what to not spend energy on. So I have noticed that tons of things that used to be a big energy drain have just disappeared.
11. What do you expect from the 100 Day Warrior in the long run?
A commitment to my well-being and seeing a lot more fun in everything around me. And a renewed passion for making things better.
12. What does the term ‘warrior’ mean to you?
A Warrior leads an honest and courageous life and is committed to making the world a better place. And knows the only way to do this is to constantly better oneself.
13. What is your wish for the future?
That Warriorship really spreads. This program is awesome because it really makes you a better person in so many ways. Better people serve the world better. And that’s what we need a whole lot more of.
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Karim Maarek (38) is a passionate social entrepreneur, an international trainer and a highly skilled facilitator especially interested in “crowd accelerating” sustainable and creative projects, believing that it takes powerful, heartful leaders to ignite the crowd. He is the founder of Teach to Fish, a company that helps creative, social and commercial enterprises, startups and organisations with crowd funding, crowd activation and finding new business models. He is also a faculty member at THNK, The Amsterdam School of Creative Leadership. If you want to connect with this inspiring man, click here.
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