Answering Obama's call?

Over this weekend I was part of a discussion about Barack Obama and his role in the world, I believe the questions was Can he change the world? It was an interesting discussion which lead me to 2 insights.

First, I was exploring a question of what context did it enable for Obama to succeed in what he has done? His message of hope and change needed such context to be heard, understood abd to become so effective. And as the response was so overwhelming, it proves for me that the world is in fact in a state where we realize very clearly that something big needs to shift and it is hungry for new questions to be posed and new answers to be found.

The second insight was around a question : what does it mean for ME in MY context that Barack Obama is now a US president? How do I answer his call for acknowledging what’s so and moving decisivelly towards future possibilities for all of us? How do I answer the call for co-creation, colaboration across boundaries set by old paradigms, how do I bring this to my context, my community, my life?

I work in a consulting and leadership development industry and often I see separate entities competing for the same piece of work with beautiful intentions yet at the same time making the final impact on individual, collective and system level much smaller because only one group of incredibly talented people has a chance to do what they intend. And I am thinking, is there a way how we can collectivelly committ to the highest purpose of ourselves and our actions and from this place then choose who will be the people making the transformation happen? Are we able to collaborate and grow together rather than make ourselves smaller? Are we able to find a common purpose that will make all the quarels look small and insignificant? Is there a way where we can all do justice to what we sense is possible?

This is just consulting industry. There are many others that would benefit from leaving asside the endless battles and being able to satisfy individual needs while at the same time being in harmony with the entire system. Imagine this would be possible for entire industries, across sectors, across nations.

I do feel a global movement emerging there needs to be a way how we all collectively transcend the boundaries of divisions and engage in the co-creation of the new future which is not dependent on where we are and what access to resources we have. This works on all levels from individuals all the way to national states.

I believe this journey will start with individuals, because it is in everyday little moments where the crucial game is played. Do I include and co-create or do I block and destroy. One moment, simple choice. In many shapes or forms, across geographical and cultural boundaries, yet the same choice. First or second. If we are able to find a way how to shift the second to the first all around the world, all the above things will become possible as all the systems we have created as humanity are just a sum of individual choices that created them.

About Barack Obama's inauguration speech

During yesterday's speech I felt beautiful to be alive. Listening to the words and the well crafted speech, thinking about what's possible and feeling the shift happening around, it was amazing. The speech felt complete, like there was nothing missing, no words forgotten, no sentence incomplete, it just felt like everything was said the way it should have been, not a word more, not a word less. The speech covered widely all the major challenges and opportunities that are in front of us, hanging as an invitation to be explored, invitation for change. I found amazing the determination and calmness with which Obama named all of them, in a simple acknowledgement, wihout hate, nervousness on how to address them, withou despair, he was just listing these as if just describing what needs to happen and what is in front of us. As if he was speaking from the future where these are already overcome, non-existing, that's the only explanation I could have for the calmness in his being considering the seeming magnitude of the challenges he (and we) are facing.

The speech was maybe speaking about challenges for America and at the same time it felt like a historical moment for humanity. It was showing a way to address these challenges for all of us and for all what it's worth. Acknowledging that we have things to solve, mindsets to change, behaviours to shift. And all done in a way, like the campaing itself, by harnessing the power of collective co-creation with a strong and determined purpose.

I really felt this was showing humanity where to go and the recipe for the transformation to happen. I love the world we live in and I see beauty everywhere I go. At the same time, I feel saddness and pain in the world around me. There is so much left unexplored, many possibilities undiscovered, many places to go to and solutions to invent that we don't even see from the standpoints of our paradigms and mindsets. We might not have the answers now, none of us individually that is for sure. But through the co-creation and accessing the collective intelligence of all of us I have no doubt whatsover that we will reach these solutions and will co-create the world we can all love and be proud of, world that will be sustainable and aligned with our highest possibility as humanity...

I totally agree that it is a privilige and an honor to be alive today and thank you Barack Obama for the impulse and inspiration that will legitimize that this is the way to go for all of us. I am so happy to be part of this and curious where the wave will take me. And us. And the world... The door is open now...

Pangea day reflection

Wow, what an amazing experience today was. I will never forget how it is to dance with the whole world to the shared rhythm all as individuals yet all together.

Few common themes emerged for me from today...

· We are all the same

· We are all one together, interconnected, not separate from each other

· There is so much beauty already out there that we refuse to see

Events and ideas like this inspire. And... Pangea day is not along. Same themes, events, ideas, actions and outcomes are emerging all around us. There is so much beauty happening already. But then there is also the world we see on evening news every day...

I believe we have just crossed the threshold. We don’t need to strive for it, chase it, seek it, we already have it. There is enough ideas, actions, understanding, love and passion already present out there and in us to turn this world into what we all feel it is, as individuals and as humanity. We feel it in our best moments, whatever they are, in moments of compassion, loving, dreaming, inspiring, action, relatedness, in moments where we marry who we are as individuals with who we are as a collective. We all know how the only possible world of tomorrow looks and feels...

I believe we need

· To connect all the separated beauty out there and contain it within ourselves

· See the world in its full beauty and cease to be afraid that it is there

· Choose to act in unison with what we see

· Do this all as a collective not as individuals

· Enjoy together the ride of possibility

Thank you for Pangea day and all the inspiration :)

Would love to hear your thoughts and stay connected to make this all happen...

4 step guide to transforming the world :)

1. Choose one thing that you would like to transform (transforming the world is a big task, take it one at a time... :)

2. Communicate it clearly and powerfully to everyone around you

• Let go of all the fears
• Share the reality that troubles you
  
• Share the future possibility of the world after the trouble dissapears

3. Let go of it happening

4. Flow and see what happens :)

Do it for yourself, for others, for your communities, countries, for the world... And let me know how it goes :)

About opinions and facts

Recently I have finished a great book, State of Fear by Michal Crichton. It is a great mixture of scientific facts and fiction that builds on the idea of environmentalists groups that use any opportunity to strenghten their agenda about global warming, that is as much biased as the one of the industrial groups. It speaks about the nowadays often debated problem from yet a different angle, the one that seems to be against the conventional, standard or fashionable.

I don't want to debate here the reality on non-reality of the global warming phenomena, for that I feel largely under-informed. In any case I feel that refardless of its existence, there is nothing wrong in increasing our level of responsibility towards more sustainable use of available resources, towards nature, perhaps also towards other people or ourselves, one that is feasible in our different realities in the different parts of the world each of us lives in.

But reading the book was quite striking to me as it reminded me that there is rarely only one side to consider about any issue in the world, many times there is hidden agenda behind what we receive as information or what we consider to be the reality. And human beings tend so much towards having a strong opinion on everything, without necessary knowing the facts and moreover they are very good in arguing their point and engaging their emotions towards the ones that are different. One can almost say that the less people know the more definite their stands are, I think the wisdom comes rather in being open to differing points of view and accepting that there are no black-white problems and that the only good solutions are the ones created through dialogue and building commong understanding between ALL the affected stakeholders.

In this way it becomes clear that sollutions toward more sustainable use of resources and treating the nature will only come after we study and seek to understand the past and the present and will create steps that are not dictated from the western paradigm of the world but that reflect the differences in realities we live in. In the same manner, the movement towards sustainability in business world should be created amidst corporations, NGOs, society and governments taking into account the needs of all combined with a desire for more sustainable set-up of the world. Any other sollution I believe, will only shift (or strenghten) the current win-loose situation.

In essence, it is not so different from a group of friends trying to figure out where they will go for holidays, they also need to understand what each of them need and want and create a compromise through listening to each other, rather then imposing their point of view onto everyone else.

Following is an extract from one reflection I have written couple of months ago about opinions...

I think it is interesting to observe how many times we take strong stands, whether it is about judging someone, something, the world, often there is also lots of anger and personal insecurities behind what we say. Throughout the course of my life I have learned that there is always one more opinion to consider, always the other side of the coin that can change everything, always the other truth than our own.

It is useful to have opinions, it helps us to get through our life... In the same manner our brain makes us see square instead of four dots on the paper, we tend to connect the little dots of our previous experience and values with the situations that are around us and we form our opinion. However, it is necessary to be aware of the limitations this poses for us and use such assumptions as a starting ground for our opinion to evolve and include those opinions that can help us to see bigger picture. The journey of seeking then is the true wisdom, not having quick opinions about everything we encounter in the world.

At one episode of the Star Wars movie, Yoda, the Jedi master says once, referring to the Sith way of thinking (Sith represent the dark side of the force). “Only the Sith deals with extremes”. And it is the same with the opinions, none of the things in the world are only black or only white, but when you take strong opinion, you are making an extreme statement without considering the other side of the reality, which might be natural, yet not unchangeable.

www.kiva.org - lending entrepreneurs worldwide

I have just come across an amazing project, at this web page you can see entrepreneurs from all around the world and on micro-credit principles lend them small amounts of money that will then help them in their business and within a specified timeframe will be repaid to you. At the moment, the demand for being able to loan is so big, the organization has decided to limit potential contribution to $25 in order to enable more and more people to be able to contribute. A great idea and way to make the micro credit scheme work on a global scale.

So I have looked around and made my first business loan, to Juan Gamon in Paraguay... Here is a bit about Juan...

Juan Gamón is 34 years old and is married to Margarita Ocampos, who is 32 years old. They live in their own house in the Arroyo Pora neighborhood and have a six year old son, who lives at school.

Juan began to work when he was very young as an employee in a very important and well-known auto repair shop in Encarnación, and over time acquired the necessary knowledge to open his own shop.

With some savings that he managed to put together, Juan bought some equipment and tools to start his own business. He began providing services changing and patching inner tubes for motorcycles, cars, trucks etc. Over time, thanks to his dedication and good management, he capitalized and started selling new and used tires for all kinds of vehicles.

The loan he is asking for is to purchase materials such as tires and inner tubes for cars and motorcycles to match his daily growing demand, since he can obtain valuable discounts by buying in large quantities.

It took me about 10 minutes to select Juan among the other entrepreneurs and send my part of the loan he is trying to get. How easy. Sitting in Czech Republic I can support a well being of one person and his family in a country I have never been to on the other side of the globe. How awesome... All my best Juan :)

So who is your favorite kiva entrepreneur?

How to climb mountains in Finland :)

I have just come back from an amazing experience of chairing ACCESS 2007 in Finland. It was great to get back into the atmosphere of AIESEC and let myself be inspired as well as pass some of my thoughts to the mixed crowd of people representing the present and future of AIESEC in Finland. Also great to get2know Finish people, hard working, intelligent, humble and capable people that love hard rock music and speak in a distinct accent :) The conference theme was Running up that hill and as a part of my chairing contribution I have created a story of a mountain climber to help illustrate the agenda flow but as well to relate the experience of the conference to a metaphore for delegates to better relate to the theme. In the last letter I have created few recommendations that I would like to share with you as they apply not only for achieving things in AIESEC or climbing mountains, but I believe they fit well also for achieving things in life. Enjoy reading ...

• Know Why - do not go up there because other people tell you to, go there for yourself, for what you believe, for what your heart longs for. There will be moments where you will be alone, during these, knowing why will pay off...
• Remind yourself of what you want - obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes of the goal. In the toughest moments, imagine yourself standing there and feeling happy, proud and strong, it will help you to regain your energy.
• Do not walk alone - have people around you that share your dream with you, lead them and allow yourself to be lead. Grow together, laugh together, fail and succeed together, help each other, remind yourself of what you can do, what is possible...
• Look back - the journey can be hard and long, looking back on what is already behind you will allow you to see how much you have already achieved and will give you energy to continue.
• Learn along - every day, every minute, there will be things to learn. Stay open, inviting and humble. Allow for things to come.
• Enjoy - journey is as valuable as the goal, enjoy it as much as you can; new sights, nature you will see, new discoverie... Enjoy it...
• Balance - know when to rest and when to climb, only this will make you sustainable all the way to the top.

Good luck in climbing and thank you AIESEC in Finland :)