Question 7: How often do you actually talk to yourself?

I don’t do that. I love silence and hardly ever enjoy chatter in my head, unless it’s a deep, interesting conversation. Moreover, the spoken word resonates far less with me than the written word. Audiobooks are also not for me.

I have real conversations with myself through writing. And of course, I have inner dialogues in my head, but I must also honestly admit that my mind is wonderfully quiet. Especially when I’ve been in nature for a long time.

Ohhh, now that I think about it longer, there is an exception. I do talk out loud to myself when I’m in a dire situation, when I’m scared, for example, when I’m hopelessly lost or dealing with a fear of heights.

In those moments, I coach myself towards safety. It’s like talking to a small child: “Come on, Marnix, you can do it. One step forward, carefully, look closely, another step, hold on, breathe in. You’re doing great.”

Asking questions costs nothing. Do you have a question? Every Sunday, I answer one.

Vragen kost nix is Dutch for “Asking costs nothing.” Nix is a playful, made-up word. It doesn’t actually exist in Dutch. It’s a phonetic spelling of niks, the Dutch word for nothing, and it’s also a nod to my name, Marnix, shortened to Nix. Every Sunday, I publish a new edition of Vragen kost nix, where I answer a question from one of my followers. It can be about my travels, life on the road, or anything else they’re curious about. So, if you have a question, just ask. Asking costs nix!