This must have been the most hilarious website I’ve seen recently and definitely the most disturbing to read while being confined between the 4 walls of my office: http://www.theadventurists.com
The idea of Adventurist is simple. Take the smallest and least practical vehicles available in an entire continent and throw it into a charity race at some of the most ridiculous and least hospitable terrain on our good earth. Brilliant! And incredibly dangerous. But I love it. The races come in different shapes and forms: the Mongol Rally, the Rickshaw Run, the Africa Rally and the Mototaxi Junket. Woohaa!
Caminante, no hay camino
Camino se hace al andar
Al andar se hace el camino
Y al volver-se la vista atras
Se ve la senda que nunca
Se hay de tornar a pisar
Caminante, no hay camino
Solamente las stellas in el mar
You walking, your footprints are
the road, and nothing else;
there is no road, walker,
you make the road by walking.
By walking you make the road,
and when you look backward,
you see the path that you
never will step on again.
Walker, there is no road,
only wind-trails in the sea.
- Poem by Antonio Machado, English translation by Robert Bly
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities
no doubt have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely
and with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with
your old nonsense.
This day is all that is
good and fair.
It is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on yesterdays.
I’m sipping on my fresh Cuban Breeze Mojito while typing the night away in the hotel lounge of Novotel, in Bandung. Who would have thought 11 months ago.. where to start writing this long overdue update on my life? I’m not the most succinct in style, so I’ll have to do this in several times
Why did I decide to go overseas?
I left Belgium on the 19th of Nov 2008 for Singapore, to start my first professional steps outside the safety and comfort of AIESEC and my student life. The 3 months that led to my decision, I mostly spent on the road doing some soul searching, reading and meeting enriching people.
I knew I needed to leave Belgium again, to find my way. I felt it was holding me back and couldn’t carry the weight of my expectations and aspirations. I always wanted to discover Asia – the one continent I knew the least about. But I wasn’t quite decided on what to do there, to find my next peak.
Of course, it had to be something that was aligned with my long-term goals of living as responsible global citizen, with humility and integrity, and of setting up my own change management consultancy focused at “world-work”. The questions I eventually ended up asking myself were:
- What opportunity is most unique at this point in time and aligned to my vision?
- What lifestyle do I want?
- And what qualities do I want to develop in the next year?
The answers came in the reflections and conversations I had on the road:
# The most unique experience would be to live in a continent I knew least about and a have a job that required intense challenges intellectually and would maximize my exposure to business fundamentals. I choose Asia as place and management consultancy as professional field.
# The lifestyle I envisioned was one where I could slow down and focus on myself. These may sound selfish, however during my years in AIESEC my focus gradually moved from my own personal development to serving the organization and its members. In the process, my attention moved away from my own identity. I needed a year for ‘me’. The other element I felt strongly about, was mobility; to explore new cultures, places and people – but also to finally have the financial independence to stand on my own two feet, to follow my heart and express my values in my economic actions. In short, I was looking for a new “life-mix” and a diverse but yet balanced environment where I could develop a career and have my space.
# Finally, I thought long and hard about the qualities I aspired. In my years in AIESEC, I developed a strong sense of intuition and learnt a great deal about people and what drives them. It has been the perfect place to develop the life skills that will allow me to navigate life’s hurdles with determination, joy and meaning. However, by living several lives in one – juggling with university, AIESEC, and my other personal investments – I was running the marathon and along the way undervalued slowing down; to appreciate the breath of fresh air that comes with deep sensing and balance; understanding problems more profoundly and systematically in order to act with more leverage; to value my own body and physical experience. Using Wilber’s integral framework, I envisioned a year focused on the “body” and the “mind”, as compared to “heart” and “spirit” in AIESEC. One interesting reflection was my need to actively use my analytical and strategic skills again. Although my last role as president was supposedly “strategic” in scope, I felt the AIESEC lifestyle and “operating system” (with 1 year cycles) did not truly allow for anything beyond tactical thinking.
This led me to define 4 simple decision-making criteria:
1. A job in management consultancy in Asia with client facing time and high-impact projects involving significant change. Access to different industries was a bonus.
2. Early on, much responsibility to contribute to the content and process of my work – e.g I had to find an international-minded and ambitious SME, with a leader who would be willing to invest in my learning.
3. Ability (time, money & context) to invest in my lifestyle: identify exciting urban areas and regional hubs in Asia where “many worlds meet”.
4. Rational criteria aside, I needed to feel excited and happy with the opportunity. My heart and intuition had to be singing in chorus.
I shortlisted a large number of places in Asia, down to India (Mumbai, Delhi), Singapore, Hong Kong and China (Shanghai, Beijing), and started researching websites, talking to my network and generally putting all my feelers out there.
At first I was hoping to find exciting consultancy opportunities through AIESEC’s internship program, but quickly realized these companies usually don’t advertise through recruitment channels like AIESEC.. at least, not officially. Needless to say, it left me wondering to some extend about the quality of options AIESEC offers, beyond the personal network. Eventually, 4 weeks of search later through my network, I got interviews in Delhi and Singapore with management consultancy SMEs that fitted the profile.
Singapore got the upper hand; it offered a more professional opportunity with (not surprisingly) much better remuneration package, with regional traveling as opposed to India-wide, and a better gateway to the multicultural facets of Asia. Though no contribution to AIESEC’s exchange numbers (god, how often have I been reminded by my fellow AIESEC friends hehe), I signed up as business analyst.
So, what do I actually do then? That’s for my next mojito..
Some people see more in a walk around the block than others in a lifetime
A paragraphg in a recent article of The Economist on “how business schools should change change”, recalled a conversation I had with Dustin, on the relevance of Corporate Fools as official role descriptions in large organizations.
“Business schools need to make more room for people who are willing to bite the hands that feed them: to prick business bubbles, expose management fads and generally rough up the most feted managers. Kings once employed jesters to bring them down to earth. It’s time for business schools to do likewise.”
Now, that’s a powerful call for the creation of Corporate Fools! Dustin stumbled upon an initial job description written by certain D. Verne Morland. Fantastic stuff! Take a look at here.
Posted by andries on Jul 30, 2009 in Change, Musing
I am subscribed to daily Philosopher’s Notes and find them very refreshing, perfect to get me inspired about my daily attitude and experience, at the start of the day. Here is one I particularly enjoyed:
The Five Pillars of Wealth: Financial, Relational, Mental, Physical, and Spiritual. Without these five pillars, you might be rich, but you’ll never be wealthy. Interestingly enough, I’ve found that the more you reach this state of true wealth, the more money rushes to you—and all that money can provide. The universe is at your command and lines up in joyous support of your awakening.” ~ “James Arthur Ray from Harmonic Wealth”
The essence of “Harmonic Wealth” is the idea that we need to have “harmony” between the different areas of our lives. Think of a great symphony–you’ve got the musicians playing different instruments and it’s the harmony among them that makes for an outstanding performance. Same thing with our lives! If we don’t have the Five Pillars (Financial, Relational, Mental, Physical, and Spiritual) harmonized, it’s like we’re at a REALLY bad concert.
James continues: “Understand that your pillars are interdependent: When you attend to each of them, all increase in strength. When you take care of your health by working out regularly and eating well, you create multiple benefits. Sexual relationships become enhanced by your greater confidence and stamina. Business booms from your increased energy. You’re more alert and receptive in spiritual pursuits. You’re more alive. Similarly, spiritual growth translates to deepening intimacy in friendships and romantic relationships, fueling your desire to keep up with your physical exercise.”
I like the idea of balancing out these pillars or finding your “life mix” just like a business needs to fit its marketing mix I have been intrigued by the Integral Life Practice kit of Ken Wilber ever since I saw it, as it combines a balanced approach to lifestyle, personal development etc. and hope I can pick it up myself soon.. I realize I am procrastinating it, as I feel I want to share it with my partner in the morning and fail the discipline and willpower to rise up in the morning and practice alone. To ponder on, especially after my previous post on revitalizing morning habits!
You can’t be success at everything. Any vision of success has to admit what it is losing out on, where the element of loss is. – Alain de Botton
I’m in! Going to start tomorrow morning, not sure with what yet but I’m sure inspiration will come in the moment
From their post: Some Extraordinary Things You Can Do Before Breakfast
1. Contact a friend you’ve lost touch with
2. Write a letter to the editor or your congressman
3. Write a gratitude Letter
4. Brainstorm Solutions to your life’s most pressing problems
5. Exercise
6. Do a random act of kindness
7. Set up a romantic gesture that will make your loved one swoon
8. Finally: get organized, get on a budget, get scheduled, get a life!
9. Write a timeline of your life so far (and then where you’d like it to go from here!)
10. Take action for some cause online (sign a petition, spread the word, send money, get educated, etc.)
11. Meditate
You are the developed world.
I am the developing world.
You think that most things have been developed.
I look for new opportunities.
You look to your own part of the world for good ideas.
I look everywhere for the best ideas.
You know all about your world.
I know all about my world. And yours.
You are stuck in the old infrastructure. thinking – mindset
I absorb and adopt the latest technology.
You teach.
I learn.
You try to protect what you have got.
I am determined to get what is mine.
Your dream for tomorrow is to keep the status quo.
I am dreaming great dreams – and making them come true.
Change makes you uncomfortable.
For me, it is as natural as breathing.
You are used to being in the lead.
You take it for granted.
You think that this gives you an advantage,
And you say it will take us a hundred years to catch up.
I know better.
You live in the developed world.
I live in the developing world.
You do not know where you are headed.
I am already embracing my dreams.
Posted by andries on Jun 21, 2009 in Change, Musing
I read an inspiring post on Worldchanging to commemorate the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. It celebrates his words of wisdom and the power of his speeches to challenge our societal worldviews – especially the notion of unsustainable economic progress; the continues pursuit of “Growth for Growth”, creating in effect the largest Ponzi scheme of all (though our health care systems around the world make for a nice scheme as well!).
R.Kennedy’s words are surprisingly relevant, 41 years later.
Though R.Kennedy is from a different time, his moral leadership transcends the issues of his period. He was not president himself and may not have afforded to speak out against the tabacco industry if he were, yet I can still imagine the power of these speeches on the zeitgeist at that time.
EnlightenNext wrote a blogpost last year, on the power of speeches at the occassion of the democratic acceptance of Obama as democratic candidate, calling it the “birth of a moral leader”. It is a beautiful celebration and reflection of leadership, morality and the power of speeches. I particularly enjoy the introduction of the notion on “grown-up idealism”, referring to leaders, like Obama, “not afraid of the most progressive ideals, that is not hesitant to think in moral terms, and that is willing to embrace the kind of difficult realism needed to actually make change happen”..
From my limited experience, I sense getting the balance right between this progressive idealism needed for the betterment of the future, and the realism required to move the current state towards that desired future, is the key to sustainable change. My boss speaks of something similar, though arguably more pragmatic as view. The key line-manager’s skills are to (1) campaign for a vision, (2) and then put structure, rigour and discipline around it to execute and get things done. Much of what I am professionally engaged with in Asia Now is exactly this; supporting leaders/managers in MNC to do find the clarity and language to define their vision and develop a conceptual solution, and then put structure and detail around it to execute.
“My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.”
– Ted Kennedy eulogy for Robert Kennedy after his assassination.
After 6 days of Bangkok I am back in, what very much, feels like home – Singapore.
Overall Thailand left me with good impressions. People are extremely friendly and helpful, ever-smiling. Despite what everyone says, Bangkok is not as chaotic as I would have imagined. Sure there are traffic jams and people seem to make up their own traffic rules on-the-go, but I’ve seen much worse in cities like Istanbul, Cairo and Manila – not to mention anywhere in India.
And besides, the skytrain and MRT get you to most landmarks. The pollution though is far more disturbing. In the evening, my eyes were burning from wearing my contact lenses in the polluted air.
I stayed in the MC house of AIESEC Thailand, in the south of the city. Every morning and evening, I took a motorcycle down to the closest skytrain. It was so much fun. To be honest, I have never really felt comfortable sitting on a motorcycle, as if I was not in control – even sitting on the back while someone else drives. Though, the sensation of speed and the freedom that comes with a motorcycle excites me obviously. Hence it was so refreshing to drive through the city in Bangkok. I can’t wait to the next opportunity, and to actually getting my driving license (yes, it’s been on my todo for more than 8 years, go figure..)
Though I’ve only stayed for a short time, I feel I got a good sense of the culture and the business environment, to a large degree thanks to the conversations I had with an ex-business partner of my boss whom I met for some business development, my visits to the chamber of commerces, and my night out with locals. When we went out in Route 66, one of the hip nightclubs, I noticed so many Thai girls were hanging out with farangs (“white guys”, like me). A friend of mine told me, these were for most part of them Thai students, which couldn’t necessarily afford going out every week and decided to keep white guys company in return for free drinks.. Yuki, a Japanese AIESECer told me both Japanese and Thai culture resembled each other, being “submissive”, and he had little difficulty integrating. Surely, the large amount of Japanese businesses and cultural influences (they sell mangas at every street corner!) won’t hurt either.
I can’t wait to return and hopefully next time I’ll have the chance to go to Ayutthaya.
