Sam D’Haeseleer - Massage therapist, dreamer

What gives you the most energy?

Synchronicity, the coming together of puzzle pieces, a momentum that sometimes lasts only a blink of an eye, usually a very personal experience that is impossible to fully capture with a smartphone, let alone ‘share’ on social media.

The silhouette of a bird gliding in front of the sun during Golden hour, while you, flanked by friends, enjoy one of your favourite bands at a summer festival.

A sea lion surfing the waves in the surf, emerging with a graceful turn from the water and making eye contact just 5 meters away, during a multi-day hike in New Zealand when there is no one else on the beach.

A blue butterfly that catches my attention at a fork on a beach path in Tulum, showing me the way to an idyllic cabana.

A class of Nepali children deciding to give me a hand with litter picking while I was doing a silent retreat in Kopan Kathmandu.

As a massage therapist and Reiki practitioner, I am convinced that there is a universal life energy, which reveals itself if you have the courage to view things differently with a clear outlook and open mind. Finding beauty in details, looking with your soul.

What is the biggest challenge, the most important lesson in life?

Maintaining (emotional, mental) balance in the face of adversity. Life is falling, but mostly getting back up. Escapism is a carousel, so situations will keep repeating themselves until lessons are learned.

An aspiration to be the director of my life and not an actor who, as a passive object, plays different roles.

In the face of a tidal wave of emotions, find acquiescence and confidence. Trust your journey!

Sam D Haeseleer Sun

What would you say to your younger self today?

Doubt and fear are a mental cage that prevents you from truly living. Don’t wait for approval from others to like yourself. Show respect and try to stay human, everyone has their struggles. Show more discipline, persevere, be responsible and guard your own boundaries as a people-pleaser or, as my grandfather said, be wise and sensible, and don’t desert.

You will more than often feel misunderstood and unheard because you see and feel things differently, but as an ENFP, you are a campaigner full of passion and fire to bring change. You just see and feel things in a unique way.

And that’s OK.

Who do you look up to?

Bruce Parry, a British TV documentary maker (Tribe, Amazon, Arctic) who has travelled the world with infectious enthusiasm, childlike curiosity, humility and charisma, staying with various Indigenous peoples. Letting go of his own Western habits and daring to surrender to the moment.