Looking Back with Arjen Calter on Spin-Off No.4: Be a Philanthropist

Arjen Calter is the man I chose to help for my philanthropist spin-off. For one month, I helped him set up two online projects in the hope that it would encourage him to start living the life he always wanted. In this interview, he shares how he experienced this month.

Young man sitting on a couch.

1. What did you think when Mirha proposed to help you for one month?

When Mirha offered to visit her in Mexico to help me set up my projects, everything fell into place.

Back home, I had trouble finding a job I liked and I did not know what to do. I needed to make changes in my life and start something new.

I wanted to see if I could start making a living out of my passions. But after having been for so many years the employee, switching to a new mindset was difficult.

With the help of a good friend though, who was already living her dreams, I hoped it would be much easier.

2. How did Mirha manage to help you?

There were many practical things Mirha knew about blogging and setting up a website. Her experience and knowledge enabled me to set up my websites in no time.

The most noteworthy thing Mirha did though, was to be a constant motivator.

Overall, I am not an insecure person, but now I was having a hard time believing in my skills and projects. In my mind, I was making up excuses to quit all the time.

Mirha helped me to overcome this. She provided perspective and made my projects come to life. She also helped me to believe in myself and made sure I kept going.

3. What do you miss the most about those days?

Our evaluation sessions.

At sunset, after a day of hard work, Mr. G, Mirha and I always came together on the rooftop to have a drink. We discussed what we had done that day, came up with new ideas and took a moment to be grateful for the amazing life that we were living.

These evaluations made me feel good about the choice I had made and excited about the future ahead of me.

4. How do you feel about helping someone yourself?

We need to make the most out of life, so why not do it together? With a little effort, we can make for life-changing experiences. In the future, I hope I can help people to choose for themselves too.

Tell me what you think. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (links match discussion pages for this post) and let me know: What do you think about Arjen’s experience? What would you, not mind being helped with? And, how could you use your knowledge and experience to help someone else?