1. How Quickly Relevance Can Disappear
I am always fascinated by how quickly priorities and perceptions of relevance change the moment you cross a border.
If you leave Germany by car and find yourself in a neighboring country just a few kilometers later, you quickly notice that hardly anyone there cares about what the German Chancellor posted the night before or which political debate is dominating the German media. Topics we discuss passionately back home lose their significance almost immediately just a few miles away.
I experience the same phenomenon in business. Anyone who changes companies or industries quickly realizes that the issues everyone debated intensely yesterday suddenly no longer matter. Instead, completely different topics become highly relevant. Relevance is surprisingly often a function of where you are - and of the bubble you happen to be living in.
2. Our Own World Is Smaller Than We Think
This phenomenon is not limited to politics or business. It also exists in culture.
Almost everyone knows a handful of international stars. Beyond that, popularity quickly becomes a national matter. How many people outside the German-speaking world have ever heard of Helene Fischer? Conversely, I suspect that very few people in Germany know the Italian singer-songwriter Ultimo.
At least I certainly didn't.
A few weeks ago, Instagram randomly showed me a black-and-white video of the young artist. He was standing on stage, singing directly into the camera. Behind him was a huge stadium filled with people singing every single lyric at the top of their lungs. Although I barely understood a word, the video had an incredibly emotional impact on me.
3. A Concert with 250,000 People
Curious, I started doing some research.
I discovered that Ultimo is one of Italy's most successful singer-songwriters. Last Saturday, on July 4, 2026, he performed a concert in Rome for an audience of around 250,000 people. The event had been sold out for an entire year.
I couldn't stop thinking about it. Here was someone who was a superstar for hundreds of thousands of people in a country that is geographically and culturally so close to Germany - yet hardly anyone back home had ever heard his name.
So I did something I would not normally do. I spontaneously booked flights to Rome, managed to secure tickets through various channels, and set off.
4. Our Comfort Zone Ends Sooner Than We Think
In more ways than one, I left my own bubble behind.
A different country. A different language. A crowd of 250,000 people, probably half my age on average. And music I had never listened to before.
Yet the evening felt surprisingly familiar - and it was an unforgettable experience.
The emotions were exactly the same as at any great concert filled with passionate fans. People sang together, laughed, celebrated, and simply enjoyed the moment. Right behind us, during a quiet love song, a young man proposed to his girlfriend. Everyone around them applauded and shared in their joy.
Once again, I realized that many of the things that connect us do not require a common language.
5. Why Perspective Shifts Matter
The same principle applies to many areas of life.
Most of us spend our time in the same companies, the same industries, the same social circles, and consume the same media. It is easy to start believing that our own world is the world.
Yet sometimes all it takes is changing companies, travelling somewhere new, or spending one evening outside our usual routines to realize how relative many of the things we consider important actually are.
I believe these changes of perspective are particularly valuable in business. People who experience different industries, different cultures, or consciously step outside their own bubble often develop a deeper understanding of people, new ideas, and different ways of thinking. Perhaps that is one of the most important prerequisites for good management and good leadership.
6. My impuls
When was the last time you consciously stepped outside your own bubble?
When was the last time you experienced something completely outside your usual interests, your industry, or your everyday environment?
And how often do you ask yourself whether the things that seem so important in your own world matter at all outside of it?
Perhaps another world really does begin behind every border.
And sometimes, all it takes is a small shift in perspective to see your own world differently.
