Riding bikes and life! :)

"Life is like riding a bike. To keep the balance you must keep moving!"

Just a thought..

"Being able to see an opportunity means being able to visualize a picture of the future, from the things you see in the present.."

"Generation Y"

The first time I heard more about "Generation Y" was on IC '07 in Turkey. It was one my favorite panel discussions on the Congress that got my complete attention. Since then, I read and learn more about this "generation" of people that are shaping global life styles, becoming future customers, employees and leaders of organizations.

What is Generation Y actually?
These are the people born between 1982 and 2001.
Research shows the biggest divide facing our society is not a gender or racial
divide, income or technology divide, but it is the generational divide. Those different generations are:
• Lost Generation (1883–1900)
• Greatest Generation (1901–1924)
• Silent Generation (1925–1942)
• Baby Boomer (1943–1960)
• Generation X (1961–1981)
• Generation Y (1982–2001)
• Generation Z (2001–)
Obviously the age or life-stage of each generation makes them unique. Generation Y are young and with that they have different priorities and different needs from older generations, obviously because they go through a different experiences. These different experiences create the paradigms through which the world is viewed and decisions are made.
Baby Boomers were influenced by the advent of the TV, Rock and Roll, the Cold War, Vietnam War and the threat of nuclear war. Xers saw in the Personal Computer, AIDS, single parent families, the growth in multiculturalism, and the downsizing of companies. Generation Y’s have lived through the age of the internet, cable television, globalization, September 11, and environmentalism.

What most influences Generation Y?
While the Boomers make decisions based on data and facts, post-modern youth are more likely to make a decision based on the influence of their own peers. Rather than making independent decisions based on core values, they live in a culture encouraging them to embrace community values, and to reach consensus.
Young people today are less idealistic than generations past due in part to the media and pop culture that fills their life. Movie, TV and internet are the most influential shapers of Generation Y.
Generation Y people require more flexibility at work and they search for meaning in their lives. They are not looking only for friendships, but they want to feel part of a bigger community.

Companies that are ignoring these evolving values and different needs in young people are doomed to wasting a lot of money on meaningless marketing campaigns. As generational marketing experts say: “Marketers who don't bother to learn the interests and obsessions of Gen Y are apt to run up against a brick wall of distrust and cynicism. Most marketers perceive them as kids. When you do that, you fail to take in what they are telling you about the consumers they're becoming.”

That is why I believe people interested in Marketing and Entrepreneurship should explore and learn more about this topic in order to define the right strategies and be successful in their businesses. I usually read by googling "Generation Y", but if anyone has a more extensive and reliable sources for learning, feel free to share it.. And also to share your opinion on this ;)

Kind regards,
Toni

See what you CAN do and not what you CAN NOT!

Circle of influence!

It is simply one of the strong elements that the book from Stephen Covey "7 habits of highly effective people" influenced me.

Focusing on things that you have power to change and stop bothering with things that you can not influence creates a sustainable change!
and everything starts with YourSelF! As you move into a certain direction by working on the things you CAN change, your power of influence increases and you are able to DO a larger-scale CHANGE!

It is one of the things I strongly believe! It makes me push harder and go into a certain direction!
That is why I mainly don't bother with politics! Especially in Macedonia! (and on the Balkas in general). I think that many, non-political studying, young people on the Balkans, bother too much with politics and that makes them stuck in a "not-moving" BOX! And they actually don't do anything about it!
I mean if you really want to do some change, don't just talk about it, but involve yourself into! See what are you doing in your everyday life in order for that CHANGE to be created! And create the CHANGE in what you believe in!
Do you know in what do you believe? What do you want to succeed in? Do you work hard to achieve that? Do you Walk your talK?

My current chosen fields of development are Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development. I bother about things connected with these areas and I am working hard to achieve my objectives!
And I am grateful that my current working environment is also supporting me in that direction and makes me successful!

Look around you! Maybe not the people around you need to change!
What could YOU have done better in order for you to have more positive output in each situation?

Stephen Covey is one of my favorite writers and I would suggest you to read some of his books when you have time..

Well, I am going to finish this post with one of the most influencial quote from Gandhi:
"Become the CHANGE that YOU want to see in the world!!"

Have a good evening,
Toni

Education in Macedonia vs Netherlands!

I am currently working closely with the International Business School in Groningen as part of my JD in CanvasCompany.

I can immediately recognize the difference in quality between the Educational Systems in Macedonia and Netherlands. The students that "exit" the Faculties and Business Schools are more prepared to enter their professional lifes and start their careers more prepared.
The Educational System in the Netherlands (and Western Europe in general) are providing many different experiences to their students, from academic, professional and cultural aspect. The students follow their theoretical lectures, work closely with the private sector, have internships in good companies and going for studying semestar abroad for 6 months.

As a graduated student from Macedonia, I must say that the Educational System in Macedonia (and on the Balkans in general) is only 1/3 from the whole experience mentioned above.

I believe that many of our faculties and ministries are putting a lot effort in improving the Educational System, but it is going with a slower pace.

I might be interested in involving myself in improving the Educational System on the Balkans and I believe there are many ways to provide full development experiences to the young people in Macedonia!

I enjoy myself working wiht IBS Groningen. I learn a lot and I meet really cool people. And I am thinking about the future.. ;)

Toni

Toni vs Antonio! What do you think?

Hey all!
My real name: Antonio. My nickname: Toni
When I call myself Toni, I identify more with my childhood, close friends and Macedonia, because this is the name I grew up with.
Antonio is my "official name" that teachers, collegues and new people I meet, call me. I like them both and I took this test just for fun. What Toni/Antonio means? I believe both names descripions reflect me in certain way.
What do you think? Which parts describe me? Toni or Antonio? :)

What Toni Means

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

What Antonio Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic “Type A” personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Post your comments! ;)
Thanks,
Toni

Fullfillment at work!

I have received several comments that my post was not readible because of the font, so here I copy-paste the post with "Ariel" font. Hope it's ok now..

I believe that having a fullfilling job is one of the most important things in life, we all have to achieve..
I sometimes hear the concept "work-life" balance and I wonder:

Isn't work part of your life? Do you become a different person when you go to work?

Work consumes more then 60% of our time and I believe we all have to strive to be truly happy and enjoy that time with all the people that surrounds us. We can not park our personality in front of the building and enter with our fake smile and pretend to be happy.. And then at 17h be happy that you are going home, so you can be yourself again.. I believe that by doing so, the frustrations are pilling up, we are becoming more inpatient and one day we just explode at our dear ones! At the people that we expect them to understand..

I believe for having a fullfilling job, that makes us truly happy, there are 4 human needs that it needs to be satisfied
1. Phisycal. The money we receive should satisfy our basic and material needs. It should allow us to enjoy the sweet pleasures of life..
2. Intelectual. Our job needs to be challenging and responsible enough that will make us LEARN each day.
3. Emotional. Working within a TEAM and meeting new PEOPLE makes our ability to connect with people, even stronger! Your emotional intellegence is getting stronger and you are able to understand, respect and CONNECT with different people from different social groups.
4. Spiritual. One of our deepest needs is having the feeling that we are doing the RIGHT thing.. I believe our job should have MEANING.. We have to have a feeling that we are MAKING A DIFFERENCE in this world, that our "work" is not for nothing..

It is definitely difficult to always find fullfilling job, but that is why I like entrepreneurship. You are the creator of your dream job! Being an Entrepreneur is not an easy job to succeed, but it pays off.. Many people are satisfied with the feeling of receiving the salary in the end of the month, that gets the bills paid and lets us to enjoy the momentary pleasures in life.. But then again, we are deciding our own limits..
What is your limit? How far will you go?!

I want to be an entrepreneur.. I am striving for a fullfilling job that will make me truly happy..
And I am sure we are all doing the same..