Posts
Written on January 27th 2007
“It’s very important to find what you love early in life. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.” I must recognize that, as far as lovers are concerned, I’m still quite far from finding a true love (or maybe closer than I think), but as far as my work is concerned, I think I’ve found it. And indeed I know that I’m in love with what I want to do. Thinking about coaching and the way I see myself doing it, I realized that it fits! It fits my vision, my purpose, my role… It’s so cool! I really enjoy being in love (with a true heart), for I can say that I AM in love, like never before.
What’s rather strange about this is that I was pissed off by the fact that, as I thought, I found what I loved to do in life much too early, therefore, I couldn’t do anything (or not much anyway) about it. I stand corrected by this man, who says that the earlier you find it, the better it is. And I can see why: because, even if my business is destined for failure, even if I have to listen to another thousand people that tell me that I’m too young, too inexperienced, too fucked up, or whatever to do this; I will know (in my head and, especially in my heart) that I am more than able to do this whether it’s at a personal level, in AIESEC, involving companies or whatever and no matter if I do it now or later on in my life, I know that I will do it and that I will be better and better at it as time rolls on. I know and nobody can tell me otherwise! (And I’m also happy with this)
Food for thought: Renton from “Trainspotting” says something like: “If you ask me, we’re heterosexual by default not by decision”. Is it the same way with empathy?
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
The wonderful speech delivered by Steve Jobs
Written on January 17th, 2007
I just came home after a meeting with a very special friend of mine. I’m enjoying music on the new headset I got today and thinking randomly.
I love talking to this girl. She’s one of those people that you know you don’t have to “draw” what you say because she gets it, and if she doesn’t, she ask you to repeat. I think more should have that attitude. Anyway, I was telling her about that wonderful, wonderful speech that Steve Jobs delivered at one graduation at Stanford University. I was telling her that it would be useful for her to write down anything that she felt like; or anything that she felt after listening to the speech. I then realized that I, myself, never did that and that it might be useful also for me. As I listened to that speech for over 30 times, I have it all in my head.
I’m thinking about the part when he says that leaving college was one of the best decisions he took. That the dots will connect as long as you trust they will. It’s been three months now since I left @Bucharest, and I must say that my last experience in AIESEC (faci at ICPS), which was a great one for me, wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t. I know I had some hard times in these three months, but the horizon that I’ve just started to see makes it up to all the grieving moments and all the dirty language I used with others just because I was angry at life.
I think that all your decisions have the potential of being great decisions, as long as you don’t lose faith, as long as you are proactive and as long as you don’t let yourself contest your own decisions. “It was an awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it” are some of the words that loiter in my mind now. “Sometimes life’s going to hit you in your head with a brick; don’t lose faith”!!! I know that I was in a deep state of depression for about two weeks: I had no purpose for my life; I couldn’t eat, sleep, go to school, or other shit like that. But I never abandoned myself there. I was always thinking: “I have to find the things that I want to do, the things that I LOVE”. It took me about two weeks before my first wrong idea came. I was so into it (because of the fact that it took me two weeks to dig it up) that I didn’t see that it was bullshit at first. Afterwards I did see that.
And another appeared. I now have to focus on my exam session in school, my responsibilities with NEXT (in @), my potential role of coach for @Pl and my business. If these things go well (and I will “strive for excellence”), I think that I will say, without a doubt, that leaving @Bu at that moment was one of the best decisions I took as these things (except my exams) wouldn’t have been my focuses if I hadn’t left.
Food for thought: When do meaningful words become “buzz words” and why?
I just came home after a meeting with a very special friend of mine. I’m enjoying music on the new headset I got today and thinking randomly.
I love talking to this girl. She’s one of those people that you know you don’t have to “draw” what you say because she gets it, and if she doesn’t, she ask you to repeat. I think more should have that attitude. Anyway, I was telling her about that wonderful, wonderful speech that Steve Jobs delivered at one graduation at Stanford University. I was telling her that it would be useful for her to write down anything that she felt like; or anything that she felt after listening to the speech. I then realized that I, myself, never did that and that it might be useful also for me. As I listened to that speech for over 30 times, I have it all in my head.
I’m thinking about the part when he says that leaving college was one of the best decisions he took. That the dots will connect as long as you trust they will. It’s been three months now since I left @Bucharest, and I must say that my last experience in AIESEC (faci at ICPS), which was a great one for me, wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t. I know I had some hard times in these three months, but the horizon that I’ve just started to see makes it up to all the grieving moments and all the dirty language I used with others just because I was angry at life.
I think that all your decisions have the potential of being great decisions, as long as you don’t lose faith, as long as you are proactive and as long as you don’t let yourself contest your own decisions. “It was an awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it” are some of the words that loiter in my mind now. “Sometimes life’s going to hit you in your head with a brick; don’t lose faith”!!! I know that I was in a deep state of depression for about two weeks: I had no purpose for my life; I couldn’t eat, sleep, go to school, or other shit like that. But I never abandoned myself there. I was always thinking: “I have to find the things that I want to do, the things that I LOVE”. It took me about two weeks before my first wrong idea came. I was so into it (because of the fact that it took me two weeks to dig it up) that I didn’t see that it was bullshit at first. Afterwards I did see that.
And another appeared. I now have to focus on my exam session in school, my responsibilities with NEXT (in @), my potential role of coach for @Pl and my business. If these things go well (and I will “strive for excellence”), I think that I will say, without a doubt, that leaving @Bu at that moment was one of the best decisions I took as these things (except my exams) wouldn’t have been my focuses if I hadn’t left.
Food for thought: When do meaningful words become “buzz words” and why?
Taking ICPS home
Written on January 16th, 2007
Last week I’ve been to Slanic Moldova as a facilitator for ICPS. In terms of experience, it was a great one. It was one of those moments when you could actually see the impact you and your team created. It’s very nice to see that a bunch of people, very different from one another in terms of background and life experience, get to share the same thoughts, attitude and dreams after a four-day conference.
It was a rather successful conference: a lot of A-ha moments, a lot of challenges (including an agenda that had its own personality) that were, eventually, overcome, networking all around the place, “fun & pleasure”, key learning points, shock, frustrations and victories - a truly comprehensive learning environment.
What was it for me? First of all, it was a dream come true, as I’ve always fantasized (starting with my LTS) to be faci at a national conference. Second, it was a big challenge that meant placing AIESEC as a top priority and sacrificing some exams and stuff like that. These are the things that I knew even before I left for ICPS. What happened there?
Well, first of all, I slept for four hours (on the way there) only to wake up in the faci pre-meeting. I managed to get over the feeling of a fish on land and, then, I really tried to make my brain cells work. Second day: the delegates are coming! As soon as the Opening Plenary began, I was as Zen as I’ll ever be. I knew that I have to be good.
I know now that the main things that helped me are: being sincere, learning a lot from other people’s experiences and being spontaneous. So, now at the end, how was it?
Yesterday, after the conference finished, I felt rather bad because I didn’t deliver my session due to the lack of delegates. I was really looking forward to it, as one of my key objectives this conference was to improve my ability to receive live feedback from the plenary. That feeling was ameliorated once I remembered some of the other objectives that I had fulfilled. It now became happiness. Happiness that I’ve been there, happiness that I gave my best (and I think it showed), happiness that we (the faci team) realized the impact, happiness that I’ve met some really, really cool people, happiness that I am one experience smarter and, finally (or maybe not), happiness that I got to dream big again.
Food for thought: When you say “yes” but mean “no” or vice-versa, what do you expect others to understand?
Last week I’ve been to Slanic Moldova as a facilitator for ICPS. In terms of experience, it was a great one. It was one of those moments when you could actually see the impact you and your team created. It’s very nice to see that a bunch of people, very different from one another in terms of background and life experience, get to share the same thoughts, attitude and dreams after a four-day conference.
It was a rather successful conference: a lot of A-ha moments, a lot of challenges (including an agenda that had its own personality) that were, eventually, overcome, networking all around the place, “fun & pleasure”, key learning points, shock, frustrations and victories - a truly comprehensive learning environment.
What was it for me? First of all, it was a dream come true, as I’ve always fantasized (starting with my LTS) to be faci at a national conference. Second, it was a big challenge that meant placing AIESEC as a top priority and sacrificing some exams and stuff like that. These are the things that I knew even before I left for ICPS. What happened there?
Well, first of all, I slept for four hours (on the way there) only to wake up in the faci pre-meeting. I managed to get over the feeling of a fish on land and, then, I really tried to make my brain cells work. Second day: the delegates are coming! As soon as the Opening Plenary began, I was as Zen as I’ll ever be. I knew that I have to be good.
I know now that the main things that helped me are: being sincere, learning a lot from other people’s experiences and being spontaneous. So, now at the end, how was it?
Yesterday, after the conference finished, I felt rather bad because I didn’t deliver my session due to the lack of delegates. I was really looking forward to it, as one of my key objectives this conference was to improve my ability to receive live feedback from the plenary. That feeling was ameliorated once I remembered some of the other objectives that I had fulfilled. It now became happiness. Happiness that I’ve been there, happiness that I gave my best (and I think it showed), happiness that we (the faci team) realized the impact, happiness that I’ve met some really, really cool people, happiness that I am one experience smarter and, finally (or maybe not), happiness that I got to dream big again.
Food for thought: When you say “yes” but mean “no” or vice-versa, what do you expect others to understand?
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