Do I really need a challenge?

To live well is natural for humans from our society, different than what movies and television series may show. We all want to have a place in which we feel safe, peace of mind and we want to be surrounded by people who give us the sensation of protection.

Paradoxically, our society stimulates us to leave our comfort zone and it encourages us to DARE, to live life as an adventure: check the movies! Check the TV series!

So, how to balance both ideas? Do we really need a challenge right now? Should we stay in our comfort zone eating popcorns while watching something?

In fact, both things are not exclusive – to want to live well and comfortable, and to want to live as an adventurer – and they can be easily complementary.

First of all, focus on your inner side, that space inside your mind… and feel the peace that is there. It is yours. It is you. Going there is a very special adventure…

Second, challenge the things that don’t contribute to that peace – watching movies, TV series, popcorn. That is the real daring, because even though they give you the sensation of external peace, as soon as they are over, that peace goes away too. Challenge them and start an innovation in your life by meditating, studying something that enriches you or learning some wonderful new skill.

Then it is possible you feel a wave of boredom, after all you have had a habit. Just remember: you have that inner space, full of peace, just inside you. Think of it and you will be there… Much better than a watch party!

Giving up, or giving… up…

Many times in life we just give up: school, children, marriage, career, life…

It happens because we are tired or we realize this would not be what we wanted. An unwanted outcome is the sense or repentance: what would have happened if I went along with my school, career, and family? And the incredible sense of having done something wrong.

However there is another way. You can give… UP…

This means to keep on doing what you are doing, to stay with the people you are right now and to follow a similar routine, but with a different awareness.

Most of the problems are related to your perception of what others, situations and you are; you change that perception from the source, by changing your awareness, and the reality also changes. Maybe it is not 100%, but you will feel the difference when you start to relate to the world in with a different consciousness.

So, what are you waiting for? Give UP, without giving up… take care! 

Silence and power in modern society

I was trying to do a research of silence in the modern world, but I think I will share my own experience of silence, what silence REALLY is and how it works.

My personal belief is that silence is what is missing in the world. I am not talking about shut up silence, but the silence that comes from being fulfilled, which helps to feel an inner satisfaction. More than a lack of words, it is the state when words are not enough or not necessary to express the feelings.

It is missing because the present society is very noisy and specifically the noise of the social networks makes it unbearable for anyone to make a real decision, to set proper goals or just enjoy themselves, as there is always another person’s suggestion, opinion and influence.

When I get into silence, naturally I am able to prevail over all that influence and make my own decisions, and this is by far the biggest benefit of silence in the present environment we live.

So, everyday I experience silence in two different ways, and sometimes, when it is needed, I do another exercise:

• I meditate and I let that silence quieten my mind, my emotions and my intellect, giving them time and space to understand reality and help me dealing with it.
• Particularly during early morning, I prefer to not talk. I enjoy those experiences of silence as they clear my mind and my purpose towards the day.
• From time to time, I face crisis; silence helps me to charge the self and overcome the challenges.

I invite you to join me in this experience of silence…

Living your dream

The biggest challenge of a visionary like you is probably to live the dreams and transform them into action.

What do you need to do so that your dreams can be seen, heard, touched and live a footprint in the universe?

• Of course, first thing is to have a dream, which must be something that even though is unreachable today is still possible. Maybe lots of effort is needed…
• Then you have to awake, that is, to put your dream into reality, to transform the intangible thoughts into tangible actions or at least a plan…
• …Because another step is to discern a pathway for the dream to come true.
• Now you must walk the designed path, making a step by step process towards your dream.
• At the same, you need to empower yourself, after all, when a dream comes true it changes your reality and you need power to face the obstacles that come with it.
• From time to time, check where you are and correct the path if that is necessary.
• One day, you will see your dream in the reality of your life. Celebrate and help others to reach their dreams too.

This post is a humble homage to Prajapita Brahma, who is my subtle mentor and whose day I celebrate today.

Open to adventures!

As a young boy, I was the last person anyone would think to be adventurous. A nerd-to-be, I was even scared to cross the street…

But situations helped to open something in the soul. First, due to a lack of finances, I had to go walking to school every day. It was about half an hour, a long time for a little boy, and that time helped me to develop some physical resilience and even mental as at some point, I was attacked on my way back, which was during the night… Nothing bad happened, but I developed some sense of how to deal with the world around me without running away or isolating myself.

Years later, because I wanted an education my family would not provide, I’ve enrolled into a military school. Those three years at the Air Force were a big adventure and they opened my taste for the different and the risk.

My first life outside my birthplace, Brazil, was in Chile. Learning Spanish was very complicated and getting a job without speaking the local language, at a time when Portuguese was not a fashion as it is today in Latin America… The only position I got was as a salesman, but I was such a bad salesman that I ended being the boss.

That is the reward of risking and the adventure: you learn, a lot. It is much more valuable than any course or anything other people may formally teach you, because you are embedded in the environment like a weird rock at a beach, being molded by others and circumstances.

Every time there is a challenge, I know it is an opportunity to experience something that is there, just waiting for me…

Come on; let’s embrace our next adventure together!

Teamwork: the secret…

I remember a scene where my mother tried to make me get a few friends. Her strategy was practically throwing me out in a group of other boys and girls, while she was talking with her own friends. Sometime later, a crying boy went to her, begging to leave the place and going back home, which was quite nearby.

Years later, that same boy is still amazed on his ability of getting involved in groups or teams in general. Many years have passed by and it helped to study at a military school where he had to share a room with two hundred other guys and to move out from my original city and country.

We are human beings and social relationships should be natural, but it is not always the case. That is why companies spend lots of money (or they should…) to train people to work and live together.

In my experience, both as a person and as a consultant who train people to work in teams, I could summarize the main need as the need of bonding with others. In other words, it is just a question of helping people to understand why and how to link with other people at some level.

Many years ago, when I was trying to leave India, I had problems with the airline as they did not consent me to carry more than the allowance. It was a big deal at that time and I had to leave around 10 kilos at the airport…

When the plane landed in Moscow, before getting an international connection to my final destination, I was feeling the need of being with other people I could talk and relate. I realized there was a Chilean guy in the plane, so I’ve approached him and we started talking. Soon, we were around 8 Latinos enjoying ourselves in a very cold night at the airport.

Bonding comes from finding a common ground, solid enough you and others can step on. The second important element is sharing what is valuable for others and accepting what is valuable for you.

One of the companies I have worked more in Colombia was in a very nice city called Barranquilla. I used to travel quite often to that part of the country, near the Caribbean Sea. My job specialty is mainly outdoor games as they open people for possibilities and it is very funny.

The Human Resources manager of that time came at the end of the day, after many games. She was surprised when saw two people bonded – literally, bonded by a rope. They were working with the rest of the team, looking for accomplishing something and she told me they had serious problems between themselves and they could not work together…

As bonding is not natural, if it is not happening it is important to stimulate it. Challenges help that to happen, if you follow this simple formula: big enough to create interest, but small enough to be conquered.

When bond is there, team work will be a natural consequence.