My name is Ward Eijkman,
I'm the founder of Winning Stories.
(and also its only employee, but that shouldn't matter, right?)
I am obsessed with the concept of winning. Also, I love creating, sharing, and listening to stories. No, it did not take long to come up with the name Winning Stories.
After going through many wins and fails, books and experiences, and happy versus unhappy periods, I’ve learned quite a lot. Now I want to share it all (and learn even more).
Welcome to Winning Stories!
Who am I to talk about winning?
Let me give you a quick 3-part resume.
Master's student Sports- and Performance Psychology at the University of Amsterdam
> Trained to analyze critically and interdisciplinary.
> Aiming to understand theoretical findings in practical settings.
Personal Trainer with 3+ years of coaching experience
> Helping clients to big gains in their physical- and mental fitness.
> From understanding individuals to facilitating major progress from self-love motivation.
Avid reader and tester of
anything winning-related
> Understanding theoretical insights using self-experimentation.
> From self-development books to the powerlifting platform, from meditation to the Muay Thai ring.
If you’re curious about why I started Winning Stories, read this story.
The Philosophy
Winning Stories is built around the question “How can we win more?“
More scientists are delving into the positive side of psychology. Instead of only piecing together what is wrong with people (which can be many things, they’ve found), now is a time to uncover all the capabilities and possibilities of the human mind.
Uncovering what is happening under our skin – in the literal and figurative sense – can teach us how to live a happy, fulfilling, and winning life.
From my years of coaching experience, academic background, and many hours of reading and experimentation, I’ve learned that there is a recurring theme when finding out how we can win more:
We win more by focusing on our well-being.
It starts by realizing what winning means to us and figuring out why and where we want to win. By creating more awareness about our drives, we can find out how to make our dreams into a reality.
When the goal is to become the best version of yourself, the process starts by asking yourself who that person is. That means:
- Figuring out your core values and needs.
- Understanding where your drive comes from.
- Defining who you want to become.
Self-development is about more than “just work harder”. It is about understanding the self and creating our drives from who we want to be instead of who we have to be.
A recurring theme in performance is that healthy, self-loving habits create better sustainable progress..
Do topics like self-compassion and self-acceptance sound a bit too lovey-dovey for you to engage in?
Well, suck it up (if you want to win big).
Get to know me
My existence described in bullet points.
Things that fascinate me
- Chasing the best version of yourself.
- The bridge between body and mind.
- Men opening up about mental health.
- Stories about underdogs who won big.
- Masculinity going into modernity.
- Where people’s goals originate from.
- The capabilities of the human body.
- The capabilities of the human mind.
- Morning routines and night routines.
- Hacking the nervous system to live better.
- The definition of a happy life.
Some of my favorite books
- Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself (Kristin Neff)
- Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World (Cal Newport)
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (Angela Duckworth)
- Happier No Matter What: Cultivating Hope, Purpose, and Resilience in Hard Times (Tal Ben-Shahar)
- Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life (Susan David)
Other notable things...
- I am trained as a Body Image Health professional (helping people deal with a negative self-image and build a positive view of their body).
- I used to be majorly obsessed with powerlifting. I loved to deadlift (because I have long arms) and hated to bench press (because I have long arms).
- I ran a half marathon with an injured ankle and a fever and it was the most horrible thing I did in my life.
What can I do for you?
Listing the ways I can offer you my help.
I can speak for you.
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I can coach you.
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I can write for you.
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