This is an image from the 1950’s of how they envisioned the future. It looks pretty awesome to me. I would also love a flying car. I think this image also is quite telling. How would a future vision look today? My first guess is doom and gloom. The trajectory is so different. This old picture can only be created with a positive mindset and hope. Without hope there can be no meaning. Society is so weird nowadays. When riding a motorcycle, the very first and most important lesson is that you go where you look. You control the bike with your eyes first and foremost. The same goes for civilisation. If our society is unable to come up with an equally nice picture of the future, where do you think we’re going to end up?

Family, PhilosophyRikard ÖqvistAugust 23, 2024future, hope, meaning, children, familyComment

The greatest gift

One week ago, we were blessed with our third kid, our first daughter. The first few days are magical and there is a saying that an infant is the closest thing to seeing the face of God. That one is absolutely true. There is nothing that can come close to it. I have managed to check out temporarily from work these two weeks and for that I am very grateful. It is a rare occasion to have something in front of you that is important for real and not just a misplaced priority.

FamilyRikard ÖqvistMay 10, 2024focus, children, kids, lifeComment

Kid routines

Routines are critical for a successful life. They are the foundation upon which the house of your life is built. With a solid foundation, the house can endure tougher challenges than were it built on clay. When we got our first son in 2019, we had to build new routines. It took about two years to iron out everything. Then, son number two arrived in 2021 and all routines were blasted into smithereens, and we had to restart the routine building process for another two years. In about a week, it is time to destroy the routines once again.

Family, HabitsRikard ÖqvistApril 26, 2024children, family, habits, routinesComment

How to get 1% more of something that has infinite value

The most invisible form of wasted time is doing a good job on an unimportant task. This quote comes from James Clear, and I like it very much because it hits so close to home. When doing a good job, I usually feel good or even great afterwards. Hence, it becomes very easy to soldier on without much afterthought. The key issue here is how to determine what is an important or unimportant task. For that, I think you need some kind of judgement. And I have never had any better judges than my kids.

Philosophy, ParentingRikard ÖqvistJune 26, 2023father, children, focus, prioritiesComment

Fifteen minutes a day keeps the divorce away.

A couple of weeks ago, me and my wife introduced a good habit. Between 06:20 and 06:30 we enjoy a fresh cup of coffee together. At this time, the sun has just risen above the sea, bathing everything in golden light while the boys and dogs are sleeping. There is zero chance that you will be interrupted by a phone call or an email or just about anything. Those ten minutes per day will add up incrementally over time to something very special. A relationship is the sum of 10 000 atomized tiny actions.

Diary, Parenting, Philosophy, HabitsRikard ÖqvistMay 15, 2023routine, ritual, habit, marriage, children, parenting, relationshipComment

The closest thing to seeing the face of God

We were just about to leave for Christmas celebration this past Saturday, when my soon to be 4-year-old son shouts out “Wait dad!” and runs off back into the house to our two Labrador retrievers. First the old one got a big hug and a “Merry Christmas Gibson!” and then the 2nd dog got an equally big hug and a “Merry Christmas Jussi!”. And then he tells me “Dad, we must give chewing bones to the dogs because it is Christmas eve, and they should also get gifts.” I was so surprised by this spontaneous display of love and couldn’t stop laughing and smiling because it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. It was so nice of him, and I was not expecting it at all. But he had it all figured out. That’s one of the coolest (and scariest) things with kids. They are always at least one step ahead of you. I.e., they always understand a lot more than what you think.

Diary, Philosophy, ParentingRikard ÖqvistDecember 27, 2022children, love, parenting, growthComment

The purpose of writing

This is the 140th week that I publish a blog post and I have finally figured out why I am doing it. I had no clue when I started what the purpose was, but I always knew it would come to me eventually. That, and the fact that I have become a better writer compared to three years ago, which is a useful skill no matter how you look at it. I am writing these blog posts to my kids. It is a one-way communication from my past self to them when they (perhaps) read this in a couple of decades from now. By summarizing the most important ideas I have been thinking about the past week, every Monday evening, the project has now become a journey. And a kind of time-machine, which now makes it 10X more enjoyable.

ParentingRikard ÖqvistAugust 9, 2022time, parenting, dad, father, writing, kids, childrenComment

Mental bloatware and the remedy

It is a good idea to completely wipe your computer occasionally, because it tends to clog up with all kinds of bloatware with time no matter how good care you take of it. And after a complete format and reinstall, everything feels 10X snappier. I think our mind has some similarities with this principle. I’m not that old yet, but I am starting to see a pattern in my own life history when my mind became so full of “bloatware” that the best way to sort it out was a reinstall of the “operating system”. In the case of the mind, that could mean a long vacation and/or change in environment so that the mental flywheel of the mind can come to a complete stop (it takes a lot of time). Only then can you give it a proper service and grease the bearings.

ParentingRikard ÖqvistJune 21, 2022father, children, dad, parent, kids, vacation

Don't miss it

The company Kodak had a slogan many years ago – The Kodak Moment. That was a very good tagline that meant that the best photos aren’t the ones that are staged and prepared. The best ones are taken in the spur of the moment. Because they are real. The picture you see here is one of those moments. I was visiting my great grandmother this weekend with my family, and when I was playing around with my son I looked out through the window and the view stunned me. The lake was literally 100 % calm, like a mirror. Not a single ripple on the water. I knew instantly that this was a picture that was to be taken now or never. So, I grabbed my phone and took the shot right through the window. It turned out pretty good. This is one of the best things about modern smartphones. A great camera is always nearby when you need it.

Philosophy, ParentingRikard ÖqvistSeptember 27, 2021photography, children, photo, smartphone, camera Comments