In August 2011, André van Hall suddenly and unexpectedly lost his eyesight. When it would have been easy to fall into depression and frustration over such a life change, André chose to embrace curiosity as a key to move forward with a positive attitude.
A native Argentinian, André discovered hospitality during his military service. This sparked a passion that sent him to Hamburg, Paris and finally onto Cornell University to study Hotel Administration. A demanding sector, hospitality is what grounded André in the core belief that hard work and curiosity can take you anywhere.
In this invigorating conversation we discuss how curiosity can decrease your stress, spark a new direction and build initiative in your life and career.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
We begin the episode by discussing André’s introduction into the hospitality sector from humble beginnings as a pot washer and go on to discuss:
- Volunteering as a positive way to integrate into new communities
- Adapting to new cultures
- How losing his eyesight shifted his career focus
- Creating a unique lane in professional speaking
- The acceleration of change and how we can embrace it
- Why adversity warrants humility
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Don’t judge – assess.
- You can choose pity or you can choose curiosity.
- Take responsibility for your life. Take initiative.
QUOTABLE
“There are different needs in our communities. Right here, in our backyards there are needs that are important to fulfill.”
—André Van Hall
“Change has happened. Accept it. Don’t see it as your enemy. See your enemy as your attitude towards it.”
—André Van Hall
“If you want to bring about change to your community or your life, you’ve got to bring initiative.”
—André Van Hall
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
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