Bright blue skies and sunshine over Eibelstadt near Würzburg. -7°C make the human, animal and plant world freeze and pause. For me and my cocoa fairy Anka, it is clear that this is not the weather for packing cocoa. We send out the urgent Valentine's Day orders and head outside. Breathe, be free, chat with strolling pensioners and just let things be. A Hawaiian mantra rings in my ears. It is not uncommon for me to stand in the cocoa factory for 7 days in a row, doing and completing things. After the seventh day at the latest, I have noticed, I start to forget. Myself, my vision and the reasons for what I do. I can no longer see any light or reason for all the to-do lists and mountains of emails. That is also the moment when my body signals to me that it has had enough. When my bones become heavy and my heart feels dull. As if it were far away. I did everything "right"!

Surrounding myself with beautiful people (my customers), doing the right things (everything related to cocoa) and doing yoga every day, meditating and maybe even taking a cold shower! And yet it is there, the emptiness. This emptiness that teaches me modesty by showing me that life is not a race. That it is not primarily about being more, doing more and achieving more. I am allowed to learn again and again that the goal of my existence here is to experience myself in my nature, my truth and my uniqueness. Myself as a person, myself as an inner child, myself as an entrepreneur, myself as a lover, myself as a player, myself as a feeler, myself as a dishwasher. To give all these facets space, in the trust that the world accepts me as I am. My being is welcome. I can show myself exactly as I am and STILL achieve everything I strive for.

How else could I leave a lasting impression on the world if not with my innermost truth, with my core being, my essence. And that doesn't fit on a to-do list. It's behind me. It underpins my actions as long as I respect myself, my body and my limits. If I don't do that, I'm promptly reminded of it. Sometimes very gently and sometimes with a universal slap in the face that's a real slap in the face.

After 7 days of hustle, there is at least one, if not two or three days of vacation. A mini-retirement in which everything is allowed and doesn't have to have anything to do with cocoa. A time in which my cell phone stays in "do not disturb" mode all day and I simply reject every call that somehow gets through. Just go away! The tax office can wait - paper is patient, the man from food inspection told me. And mom will understand, I know that. <3 Only in this room can I find my essence again, only in this detachment can I find my way back to my vision of a world that is free and light, just like me on this day. And it always takes courage... What if that was the "decisive call"? What if customer XY really, really urgently needs her cocoa for this very special full moon ceremony? THEN I can't help either, unfortunately. THEN in this case it means: No to you is yes to me. And that is radical. Radically honest, radically brave and radically important. For me, that is the epitome of setting boundaries. About maintaining and respecting my own, self-chosen boundaries. Boundaries.

And the more often I stand up for my boundaries, the more often I am rewarded. The less the world demands of me. Because it is only when we do not set our boundaries clearly that we feel pressured, overwhelmed and uncomfortable. Then we forget. Then we are in a bad position and are soo busy. Today I decide to let go. To simply accept what needs to be done and to be relaxed about it. To write these lines and know that it is enough when it feels right for me. And the time can come at any time. Maybe now? Or now? Yes, I notice the time has come. My day is going on, just three more things on the to-do list and that's it. This evening I'm meeting up with my visionary sister Eva Lara for a chat. Maybe there'll be cocoa. Hopefully there will be snacks. I love my life. I love you. Thank you for hearing me.