{"id":5392,"date":"2026-07-18T13:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/?p=5392"},"modified":"2026-07-18T14:50:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T12:50:57","slug":"hoe-licht-ons-leven-en-werk-lichter-mooier-maakt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/hoe-licht-ons-leven-en-werk-lichter-mooier-maakt\/","title":{"rendered":"How \u2018Light\u2019 makes our lives and work lighter and more beautiful"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cThere is always light; we just don\u2019t always see it\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Both literally and figuratively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Literally infinite light<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do I mean by literally? Just step out into space beyond our atmosphere, and it is infinitely pitch-black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But is that really the case?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, what if our eyes were Hubble telescopes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of our limitations (or our limited senses), we mostly see darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We miss the infinite field of light emanating from all those trillions of galaxies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invisible to \u201cour\u201d eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if our eyes were as sensitive as Hubble telescopes\u2014or even more powerful\u2014space wouldn't look black; it would be filled with light! Space wouldn't be dark, but rather an infinite ocean of light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could view the stars we see with our own eyes as pinpricks concealing an infinite energy field of white light!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cStars are like pinpricks concealing an infinite energy field of white light\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So, behind every darkness lies an infinite field of light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And not just literally, but figuratively too\u2014something you can tap into in your work and life to make them lighter and more beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infinite spiritual light <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In essence, there is always Light in our lives and work.

Working and living from a place of \u2018spiritual light\u2019 means, in concrete terms: working and living peacefully, kindly, compassionately, lovingly, tolerantly, curiously, and with a willingness to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my book \u201cSpirited Personal Leadership\u201d, I refer to this as working and living from \u2018Spirit\u2019\u2014an infinite and all-encompassing consciousness. It offers concrete definitions, case studies, and exercises that you can apply immediately to your work and life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why is it, then, that we often fail to experience life or work as light or beautiful?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has everything to do with the fact that\u2014both individually and collectively\u2014we remain stuck in our soul wounds and keep wearing our \u2018ego-tinted glasses,\u2019 thereby keeping ourselves in the darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At most, we occasionally glimpse a point of light or a star in our work and life, but we fail to see the infinite field of light hidden behind those pinpricks of light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a narrowed to an expanded consciousness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, how do you ensure your work and life become lighter and more beautiful?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. PERMANENT SELF-REFLECTION
It begins by showing the courage to look\u2014and look \u201conly\u201d\u2014at yourself, constantly. Your consciousness expands the moment you can view yourself from a distance; when you become more aware of which of your own behaviors and choices lead (or have led) to specific consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. REFLECTING ON YOUR EGO AND SOUL<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your behavior is driven from within by factors such as your ego and your soul. Since an ego that is too small\u2014but above all, one that is too large\u2014leads to polarization, a lighter and more beautiful way of working and living remains out of reach. Furthermore, holding onto unresolved soul pain leads to choices and behaviors that do not make life lighter or more beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. LEARNING TO MODERATE THE EGO<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ego can be a magnificent vehicle for giving tangible form to your healthy soul expression and spirit\u2014especially in a world where the density of the ego is so high. Without an ego, you can easily become a victim here if you fail to develop a healthy one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why it is so valuable to develop a balanced ego that comes to your aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. HEALING SOUL PAIN AND GIVING YOUR SOUL SPACE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the renowned trauma expert Peter Levine, we all carry traumas\u2014whether small or large\u2014with us. There is nothing to be ashamed of here. However, if you allow that soul pain to persist and do not choose to heal, you continue to move through life as a wounded soul. The choices and behaviors stemming from this state can be extremely destructive\u2014to yourself and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In doing so, you keep a beautiful, lighter life in the shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you engage in the healthy processing of grief and trauma, you can leave that old, heavy emotional baggage behind. This releases an existential energy that allows your soul to feel freer and lighter. Your choices align much more closely with your true self, your desires, and your talents, making both work and life feel lighter and more beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. CHOOSING, WORKING, AND LIVING FROM \u2018SPIRIT\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you act from a place of spirit in your career, your daily work interactions, and your life in general, your behavior changes. You begin to operate from a place of peace, kindness, compassion, love, tolerance, curiosity, and a genuine desire to become a better person yourself. It makes for a much more enjoyable experience\u2014give it a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do you want to make your work and life feel lighter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Houdt dan niet je ego-bril op, maar verruim je bewustzijn. Kijk voorbij je ego- of oogkleppen en ga aan de slag met de vijf suggesties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I predict that your work and life will become significantly more beautiful and lighter as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warm regards, Martin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a9 2026: Martin Thoolen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#spirit #soul #ziel #ego #synchroniciteit #synchronicity #persoonlijkinspirerendleiderschap #spiritedpersonalleadership #persoonlijkleiderschap #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #personalleadership #leiderschap #spiritueelleiderschap #spiritedleadership #executivecoaching #leiderschap #leiderschapsontwikkeling #teamcoaching #collectiefleiderschap #professionalcoaching #coaching #businesscoaching #psychologyofselves #voicedialogue #egozielspirit #egosoulspirit #awarenessatwork #martinthoolen<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cEr is altijd licht, alleen zien we het niet altijd\u201d Zowel letterlijk, als figuurlijk. Letterlijk oneindig licht Hoezo letterlijk? Ga maar even de ruimte in buiten onze dampkring en het is er oneindig pikzwart. Maar is dat wel zo? Want, wat als onze ogen Hubbletelescopen zouden zijn? Door onze beperking (of onze beperkte zintuigen) zien […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artikel","category-nieuws"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5392"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5399,"href":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5392\/revisions\/5399"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martinthoolen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}