My 'Waye of Life'
Welcome! Let me introduce myself
Ok, we have a lot to cover here.. I want to tell you a bit about myself, my journey and how I have taken a leap of faith and am starting a new career (for not just me, but the world in general) as a professional plogger.
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Let's give you the cliff notes with links to the detail if you want to know more
(there is gonna be talk about plogging everywhere.. if you don't know what that is, start here)
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Before I start, here some immediate links
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Geen nederlands - I am sorry, but for the time being this is English only. Read more
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No A.I. - these are my words. Not ChatGPT, speeling errors and way too many ...... Read more
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Mission statement - every one needs a mission statement. Read more
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Hi, I'm Paul
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​Currently 57 years old (I might never update this page so that I stay the same age haha)
I was born in England, in the land of Winnie the Pooh (Hartfield, East Sussex)
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I moved to the Netherlands at the end of 2000 with my Dutch wife, Karin and am now also a proud Dutch citizen!
Karin is an awesome ceramicist - give here site a check out: katharinaceramics
​I have two adult kids; Finley and Maia.
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IT professional for over 30 years (LinkedIn)
In 2017, I did a reset.
I realised that I was slowly (ever so slowly) getting less and less happy each day.
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If you asked me in 2017 if I was happy, I would have said yes. But if you were to change that question to if I was happier than the year before? Then the answer would have been different.
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The spark was fading. This upset me as there were moments in my life when I was deeply joyful.. so I decided to try and return to them.
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I asked myself what made me happy and tried to bring back those elements
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Running!
I switched from triathlons to my one true love of running. I now run around 4000km a year and try to do a couple of marathons a year.
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Vegetarian..and now Vegan!
I went back to being vegetarian and then went a step further and became vegan on Jan 1st, 2019.
I explain the reasons behind this in an Instagram post see here
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Plogging and more importantly.. caring
I became more idealistic. As a 17 year old I cared more than I did as a 50year old. I missed that person.
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... and I committed to plogging on every run, bike or swim. My first mention on social media of picking up litter while running was back in 2011. I did it before that date (like many people did) but it was not that often. Then I made a switch to trying to inspire others to do the same. To make a bigger impact.
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I now wanna become the best plogger in the world! hahaha​​
Go crazy - Go creative
​I want to be seen. If I get seen I can reach more people - and that can make a difference.
If I can influence 1% of people who follow me, then I want that 1% to be as many people as it can be.
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So I like to do crazy things and I like to be creative in doing them (see the 'Waye of Life' challenge below)
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A perfect example is - next May I am plogging over 1000km during the month of May in a banana suit and running around the ENTIRE Netherlands! Seriously!! - check my #12StedenPlog challenge out
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I have a huge section on this site just showing of some of my projects. It is crazy to think what I have been able to achieve all while having a full time job. Here are my favourite projects​
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Instagram is where it is at
But it you were to ask me where I make my biggest impact? Simple. My daily plogs. ​
If I can get enough people to sponsor me then this is where the real work is done
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Yesterday I was running in town picking up trash like I do every day. I had my banana suit on this time. And the impact was not the trash I picked up (160L), but the interactions I had. So many kids shouted out 'banana!!!' and often I heard a parent say "oh, look, he is picking up trash"
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Each day I post on Instagram and tell a positive story about the day. About my mission.
We need that in the world today. So check out instagram.com/wayeoflife
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Mine is a positive story about actions we can all make.. Lets talk about that.
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Social Media - and proving I do all this
Social Media provides a way to reach a bigger audience.
It gives me a chance to be seen – AND FOR THE WORK I DO WITH MY SPONSORS TO BE SEEN!
It also keeps me honest;
I use social media to;
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bring a positive message to people.
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give people a smile.
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reach and inspire new people.
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show you what I am doing (not what I did 6 months ago).
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keep inspiring existing people.​
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Which every platform you are on, just search for WayeofLife
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This is a POSITIVE story
A sustainable future requires change in us all; a collaborative union between governments, companies and society.
As a plogger I focus on inspiring change in our daily behaviours.
As a participant I show that these actions are fun!
It is only sustainability if it is sustainable and doing it with a smile is the easiest way to achieve that.
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I want to bring a positive story into the world today that helps us protect the future
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I suck at Life
​But.... don't get me wrong.. these are the few things I am proud of. I suck at most of my life. I am crap at nearly all the other aspects of my life (some really badly). So don't think I am an angel.. I am far from it.
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I am also not an eco warrior. BUT.. I do try and become better and better in my decisions. Improving a bit each year.
If you are interested, the best place to follow my adventures is on Instagram here
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Thanks for reading!!
Paul (big smiley face)
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