Живеејќи во ЕУ..

Оваа моја колумна предизвика интерес и различни емоции кај голем број луѓе и затоа решив да ја имам и на мојот блог. Многу години немам пишувано на блогот, но реакциите од луѓето од оваа колумна ме поттикнаа да започнам повторно. Прво го пренесувам овој текст, заедно со неколку фотографии со значајни луѓе од моето живеење во Франција, Холандија и Белгија. Само да подвлечам дека имам направено ненамерна грешка во колумната, околу возраста кога се имам преселено во Париз, имено тоа беше јуни 2007 година, и јас имав 23 години (не 21).

.....Пред да си заминам од дома, со куферот спремен за заминување за преселба во странство, стоев пред огледалото во мојата соба и со очи полни емоции, возбуда и страв, се погледнав во огледало и си реков „Каде ли одам?“. Стиснав заби, се поздравив со мајка ми и татко ми, и заминав. Никогаш нема да го заборавам тој ден, кога знаев дека ми почнува патувањето кое засекогаш ќе го смени мојот поглед кон светот и начин на живот. Имав 21 година кога се преселив во Париз.
Првиот ден кога пристигнав, уште на огромниот аеродром „Шарл де Гол“ веднаш го забележав високото ниво на различност на националности, вери и малцинства кои преовладуваат во Франција. Одејќи накај метрото измеѓу колони на луѓе, се чуствував исплашено, но во исто време и возбудено, дека ќе имам можност да ја спознаам сета таа различност и општествениот и вредносен систем кој таа различност ја охрабрува и унапредува.
Една од првите примери за вредносниот систем кој е застапен во Франција, го научив од мојот тим во првиот месец. Требаше да одлучиме за рефундирање на патни трошоци за меѓународната конференција во Истанбул, Турција. Франциско де Соса (Francisco De Sousa), беше член на тимот од Португалија кој последен беше избран и последен се приклучи во тимот. На состанок се дискутираше за дали да се рефундираат средства во ист износ како и за другите членови на тимот. Се дискутираше отворено и во еден момент Орели Коефик (Aurelie Coeffic), французинката во тимот, стана и страсно рече „Каков пример ќе покажеме ако еден член не е рамноправен со другите? Без разлика кој кога се приклучил, тука сите сме исти, и верувам дека сите исто треба да бидеме рефундирани, дури и тоа да значи помалку финансии за секој поединечно од нас“. Сите се погледнавме и знаевме дека има право. Принципот на „еднаквост“ стана столб на функционирањето на нашиот тим. Потоа, како што работев со различни млади од универзитети низ цела Франција, се уверив дека принципот на „еднаквост“ е длабоко вкоренет во образовниот и општествен систем на Франција, земја членка основач на Европската унија. Без разлика кој колку е различен, кој од каде доаѓа, дали е од Того или од Мороко, муслиман, евреин, христијанин или атеист, секој се третира еднакво со другите.

Мојот тим во Франција:

Франциско (првиот насмеан), Рита (канаѓанка со кинеско потекло), Амандин (Французинка), Орели (Французинка), Мирослав (Србин), јас, и Алекс (Француз по татко, Бразилец по мајка)

После 14 месеци живеење во Франција, мојот пат продолжи во Холандија, поточно во Гронинген, северна Холандија, каде работев за мала фирма која произведуваше фотографии испечатени на канвас. Во Холандија останав да живеам и работам 16 месеци. Од пргавите Холанѓани, научив за работна етика, напорна работа и почитување на правила. Во фирмата каде што работев, во работилницата за изработка на дрвените рамки за сликите, имаше претежно млади луѓе од 15 до 20 години. Иако, сите млади живееа со своите родители и можеа да имаат удобен живот, тие сите работеа секојдневно, пред и после училиште. Ми текнува еден разговор со еден од тинејџерите кои работеа во работилницата, го прашав: „Што правите обично после школо?“. Работиме во работилницата – ми одговори. Зарем немате социјални активности, одење на кафе или во кино заедно со друтарите и другарките? „Имаме да, но само преку викенди. За време на работната недела, сите работат некаде“– ми одговори. Тоа ме замисли да размислам јас како го поминував моето време како тинејџер пред и после училиште.

Мојот шеф во Холандија, Халбе Боерсма
Денот на кралицата, 27 април 2009 година

По искуствата во Франција и Холандија, се вратив во Македонија, мотивиран да создадам организација за млади која ќе почива на вредности кои ќе придонесат за одржлив развој и заштита на животната средина, и така се формираше „Гоу Грин”. Моето 2,5 годишно искуство во земјите од Европска Унија, ме направија многу посвесен за вредноста и убавината на различноста и соживотот со луѓе од различни култури и ме научија дека без напорна работа нема успех.
Но, моето живеење во ЕУ не беше завршено. Во 2015 година, добив работа (пракса) во Европскиот Парламент во Брисел, во групацијата на Зелените (The Greens in the European Parliament). Првите службени патувања во Брисел не ми оставија голем впечаток за градот и имав измешани чувства за како ќе биде овој пат.
Првата работа што ми се допадна беше еколошката свест и навиките за селектирање на отпадот кои ги стекнав. Секоја општина си имаше назначено ден кога се собира пластиката, ден кога се собира хартијата итн. Тоа влијаеше на моите навики и свест околу количеството отпад кое го создавам. Набрзо и сфатив дека претходно го немав искусено вистинскиот социјален и културен живот на Брисел. Полн со музеи, паркови, локални пазарчиња, културни и музички настани, Брисел почна да ме воодушевува од ден во ден. Но, тоа што најмногу го обележа мојот 9 месечен престој во Брисел беа саботните пикници во Парк Сeнкантенер (Parc Cinquantenaire). Почнавме да се собираме само Хрвати, Срби, Македонци, и секој следен пат секој почна да вика свои пријатели, и набрзо бевме голема група составена и од Германци, Французи, Белгијци, Шпанци, Италијанци, Грци, Унгарци, Романци, Словенци.. Секој придонесуваше со нешто свое, храна, пиење, музички инструменти, реквизити за забава. Сето тоа измешано со добро расположение и искрени разговори се претвораше во 7-8 часовна дружба и забава. Во тие моменти, навистина се осеќав во центарот на Европската Унија и вистински ја разбрав убавината на таа заедница на различни култури. Секој е како што е, сите различни, а исти, секој со своја приказна и позадина, секој придонесува со колку што може, и секој со чувство на одговорност дека треба да придонесе кон заедницата. Тоа ми создаде чувство на припадност на оваа меѓународна заедница и ме направи да се чуствувам како дома.

Една од многуте собиранки, оваа е на плоштадот Луксембург (пред Европскиот Парламент).
На оваа слика има македонци, романци, хрвати, французи и германец:)  

Земјите од Европската Унија се дел од мојата животна приказна и имаа значајна улога во дефинирање на мојот карактер и личноста која сум. Тој ден кога стоев пред огледалото, знаев дека го напуштам се она што го познавав претходните 20 години. Знаев дека зачекорувам во нешто ново и непознато и тој ден имав измешани чувства и немир. Многу години потоа, можам да кажам дека таа одлука ме направи личност со повисока свест и совест, активист за демократија, еколошка правда, со желба за живот и соживот со сите различни култури, и со чувство на глобален граѓанин. Навистина го почуствував вистинското значење на поговорката „Животот почнува онаму каде завршува комфорт зоната“. Посакувам на сите да ја направат таа храбра одлука и да излезат од она што им е познато бидејќи тогаш суштински ќе направат прогрес, да ја преиспитаат својата перспектива и да развијат вредности и навики кои обезбедуваат просперитет и квалитетен живот.

Соништа

Learning Circles се вечери кога се собиреме со автентични и искрени луѓе и разговараме за некоја тема. Пред некоја вечер темата беше "соништа", па разговаравме различни теми и дојдовме до интересни сознанија. Во текот на вечерта, споделувавме соништа, разговаравме за значењето на сонот, различните аспекти од соништата, соништа пред важни животни моменти, читање на пораките од соништа, репетитивни соништа кои сме ги имале и значењето на истите во тоа време. Забелешки и размислувања кои ги запишав се следните:

Кога сонуваме влегуваме во нашиот подрум (подсвест) и разговараме со човечето кое го живее другиот свет. Другиот свет се сите оние саати кои човекот ги поминува кога спие. Човечето има некоја порака која сака да ни ја пренесе и многу е важно да ја запишеме емоцијата (чувството) на сонот во моментот на сонување за да можеме да ја разбереме пораката. Излезе интересно прашање, ако сонот е комуникација и пренесување порака, дали комуницираш и со оној кого го сонуваш? Дали му пренесуваш некоја порака? Тоа значи дека има сосем друг паралелен свет во кој комуницираме?

Го споделив мојот последен сон и сфатив дека сум во период на развивање на својата лична визија. Како што другарка ми рече, сум бил во фаза на освестување на своите потреби. Кои потреби имаш потреба да ги освестиш Тони? - ме праша. Дисциплина, сигурност и љубов - одговорив. Се подзамислив и сакав да разберам како овие потреби се поврзани со моите лични вредности, интегритет, семејство и различност. Па, логиката излезе вака. Дисциплината имплицира на одговорност, само-контрола, истрајност, односно интегритет. Сигурноста е поврзана со најблиските (семејството и пријателите) и имплицира стабилност и доверба. Њубовта е поврзана со различноста. Мое разбирање на љубовта е блиска на Ерих Фром (се разбираме со човекот), и во неа не спаѓа само еротската љубов, туку потребата за давање и придонес кон заедницата, браќата и сестрите, односно поврзување и придонес кон нешто поголемо од себе.

Потоа продолживме со споделuвање и отворање прашања и дојдовме до една мисла, која ја запишавме и вели: "Your past holds your future a hostage". До оваа констатација стигнавме разговарајќи за егото. Првин, се согласивме дека за терминот его може да се има различно разбирање. Моето разбирање за егото е според Стивен Кови и поделбата на его и дух. Егото го има пониските потреби, духот ги има повисоките потреби. Многумина го разбираат егото во контекст на Фројд, и тоа ид, его и суперего. Во секој случај, се согласивме дека кога зборуваме за ЕГО всушност мислиме на СУЕТА. Всушност, како што стануваме постари ни се зголемува суетата, а тоа главно поради искуството кое го имаме, ставовите кои ги зацврстуваме и нелагодното чуство некој да те убедува обратно. Стануваме ригидни на промени, нетрпеливи за вистинско слушање и затворени и осетливи при примање критика. Што поголема суета, толку повеќе минатото ни ја држи иднината како заложник. Не ни дава да се отвориме кон автентично живеење и прифаќање со искрено срце на промените (еволуцијата) која е неизбежна.

Наредна тема која произлезе од разговорите за соништата беше, дали очекување на еден балкански маж за жената е да биде послушна? И што значи тоа? По неколку минутна дебата, се заклучи дека послушноста е најтесно поврзана со тактичност, трпение и мудрост како очекувани квалитети кај балканската жена, за да може да го има своето рамноправно влијание. Факинг булшит - искоментира другарката. Јебига, Балканот е така кроен векови наназад и тоа се провлекува и ден денес, жената мора да знае во кои моменти да му дозволи на мажот да се почуствува "алфа" мажјак, и тактично да премолчи за да не ја направи премногу гласна дискусијата. Сепак ќе му докаже дека не е во право, со дела или во друга посмирена ситуација. Затоа, тактичност е важна. Одбери го правото време за пренесување на пораката. За жал, иако кај нас многу мажи, интелектуалци, со "модерни" сфаќања елоквентно зборуваат за демократски принципи и еднаквост кај мажите и жените, сепак во подсвеста уште доминираат предците од претходните генерации со нивните стравови и потреби и преовладуваат во секојдневното однесување на многу мажи во комуникација и очекувањата кон жените. Ќе бидат потребни многу генерации за свеста колективно да се смени и да еволуира во култура на еднаквост и почит.

Ете, до какви размислувања и заклучоци не доведоа соништата. Се надевам некои од речениците ви поттикнаа на размислување или ви дадоа друга перспектива. Бидете спремни на следниот разговор со подсвеста и размислете за тоа што има човечето да ви каже, ако ништо друго ќе ви даде интересна тема за разговор со самите себе или некој друг;)

Добра ноќ и sweet dreams:)
Т

We need a CHANGE!

Hello people,

It has been a while since I wrote, I was getting connected with Mother Nature and became passionate environmentalist meanwhile :) 2010 has been an incredible journey so far and I will share my experiences some other time.
In this post I want to reflect on our "human" behavior and the need of change that is evolving, as we continue to exercise our lifestyle. This post is inspired from an excellent book I read during my holidays in Croatia. "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" is an international bestseller written from Thomas Friedman, providing a holistic overview to the world issues focusing on achieving environmental sustainability.

Women love shopping! Men want "big" stuff!
We live in a consumption-based society where growth is driven by demand. The Government always pushes "economic growth" agenda, the companies are trying to convince us that we need their products, the media is constantly showing the fabulous lives of people that own a lot and have everything - from big houses, fast expensive cars, latest fashion brand clothes to exotic yacht parties. And what happens with us, the ordinary people? All this society forces create a mental picture of a lifestyle where we desire more and more of all kinds of "things" that we believe will make us happy.
The demand is here alright and with the over-population trend will definitely stay, but what happens with the supply side? Can Mother Earth provide all the natural resources needed for production of all those "things" we need? Are we are aware of the price we pay with our current demand-supply mindset?

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, first produced by the United Nations in 2005 with scientific analysis by 1,300 experts assessed the consequences of ecosystem-change for human well-being. The report concluded that the ability of the earth’s ecosystem to absorb human impacts is rapidly diminishing. Human activity is putting such strains on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet’s Ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.
The World Wildlife Fund’s Living Planet 2008 report concluded that we were already operating 25 percent above the planet’s biological capacity to support life.
The Australian Paul Gilding, a former head of Greenpeace put it this way: We have been taking “a system operating past its capacity and driving it faster and harder. No matter how wonderful the system is, the laws of physics and biology still apply. And those laws are telling us that we, as a species, cannot continue on the growth path we are on. We need a new normal – one that is much more sustainable and healthy for the Market and Mother Nature."

Indeed, our "normal" has become too excessive and unsustainable. We have undermined the environment and its capacity to support the demanded economic growth. We have underpriced the true costs and the risk of what we were doing, we got used on "I'll be gone" behavior (when the bill comes due) and we have socialized the losses for private individuals to gain profits - argues Thomas Friedman in his book.
We definitely need to adopt a different, more sustainable mindset, if we want to survive as human species on Planet Earth. We owe this to the future generations. I like the quote: “Real wealth is something you can pass on in a way that others can enjoy”.

We all need to make money and afford all the things we believe will makes us happy, and we need to do that according the laws and structures of the society, but we should all become aware that the ENVIRONMENT is inevitable part of this growth circle. We all need to adopt the mindset of sustainable development because it provides a framework for humans to live and prosper in harmony with nature rather than... at nature's expense.

Ultimately, it comes down to the values that are shaping our behaviors, and when it comes to developing sustainable values it comes down to: integrity, transparency, honesty and shared responsibility.
"Sustainability" as a value is the opposite of "I'll be gone" mindset. Instead it says that I will behave as if I will always be here and always be held accountable for what took place when I was there.

I have clearly understood that finding personal meaning in life is finding an area that is connected to something larger then just yourself. What can be larger then devoting your life into making sure that your children and future generations have the same right of freedom and pursue of happiness as we have in our time?

Change is needed and it starts with the individual. I will finish this post with one of my favorite African quotes: "If you want to go quickly go alone, if you want to go far go together".

Let's go together...

as 2009 is passing by...

Hello there world!

Few hours left from 2009.. It has been a turbulent year definitely!
Important changes in my life that brought me back to Skopje! :) I feel truly happy that I am back home cause I can see the dots connecting and that makes me excited!

Sometimes you feel that you are not making the right choices (by taking the easier way) but in the end of the day all ends well.. Just believe that everything happens for a reason and just find another way, different way to get to your dream..

2010 will definitely be very exciting and I'll be back with my posts in a new style and a different layout! ;) Sharing is caring (sometimes scary!:) but I will do my best to share my reflections and experiences because every story is a beautiful story! And I believe it is becoming even more beautiful when everyone is involved in it!

Receive my best wishes from Skopje, don't drink too much and be safe! ;)
Talk to you next year!

Toni

Loud thinking

Hey people,

How have you been lately?
How do you feel?

I find the last question very interesting and honestly, sometime intense question to answer if you seriously give it a thought.
Today, I am grateful to be asked "how do I feel" from Cisco, my portugese friend and that made think deeper and write this post.

Hmm.. How do I feel? Well, lets see.

I am starting to realize that when you start thinking about money your worldview changes. The world is becoming a jungle where you need to survive, people just see other people out of interest and they do not truly mean the question "How are you?" when they ask. And the worst part is that you also get used to saying, "yeah, I feel great, thanks. Whay about you?!" but your answer comes automatically and you are also used to that answer. But, the truth is that we don't really feel like sharing and we are just closing and suppressing our deep feelings inside.

I started thinking about this, when I noticed that I haven't posted on my blog since March. Not having the NEED to share with the world, made me ask myself the question, am I scared from the world? Is MY WORLD CLOSING UP? and why is that?
I can find some reasons in the above paragraph..

Another thing which I realized how important it is, is to "enjoy the journey to the destination and not only reaching the destination, itself". I remember Dey's final speech on IC in Turkey 2007, talking about enjoying the beauty of the road while reaching the final destination.. I would add to that: "while working on your long term goals". Balancing between "momentary pleasures" and "gratification" is very important.

Well, all that is nice, but how am I?
Despite of fighting in the jungle and trying to survive in the cruel world, I can say I am doing fine.. I can always do better..

I am grateful for having a job that gives me a lot of "responsible freedom" as I call it. I am experiencing "intrapreneurship" and it's really cool. Learning by doing and observing a small company grows is amazing experience to have. All my gratitude to my boss, Halbe, who is true entrepreneur and gave me this opportunity.
Apart from that, I watch the NBA playoffs and read "Dreams from my father-Barrack Obama" in my free time. Not to forget that I spend most of my social time with Jirka and Mehmet, my Czech and Turkish friend :)
The future looks very exciting as well. Anyways, I wish you a good night and I'd be glad to hear from you soon.
What's up with your reflection lately?

T.

Value Driven Organizations!

One of my main work responsibility in the previous 3 months was preparing and facilitating the Strategic Meeting of my company, here in the Netherlands. As I described in one of my previous posts (post: "Strategic Planning Process"), it was a pleasure for me to read and learn about different Strategic Organizational Tools and to customize their approach in order to get the most out of our "SM". In the end, the approaches I chose to use, were: "Appreciative Inquiry" and "Value Driven Organizations".

You have probably heard about "Appreciative Inqiry" - organizational tool that is about search for the BEST in people, their organizations, and the relevant world around them. It affirms and builds on what is positive and strong about an organizational culture – what it gives LIFE. In its basic form, Appreciative Inquiry is a guided process for creating meaningful and transformational conversations; But in this post I want to write more about the approach of "Building a Value Driven Organizations". The author of the book, Richard Barret gave me this book on the "EBBF Annual Conference" on September 2007. He is also the author of the well known book "Liberating the Corporate Soul".
His approach is based on "whole system change" where he connects the development of an individual with the development of organizations.
"Whole-system change begins with a shift in the personal cosciousness of individuals and ends with a shift in the groups actions and behaviours. Organizations don't transform. People do!"
He starts with describing the 7 levels of Personal Consciousness (an extension of "Maslov hierarchy of needs") and goes into 7 level of Organizational Consciousness. Each level focuses on particular excistential need that is natural to the human condition. Indivudual and Organizations grow in consciousness by learning to master the satisfaction of these needs.
The 7 levels are the following:
Level 1: "Survival" - satisfying our physicial needs
Level 2: "Relationship" - feeling safe, respected and loved
Level 3: "Self-esteem" - feeling a sense of personal worth
Level 4: "Transformation" - finding freedom by letting go of our fears about survival, feeling loved and being respected by our peers.
Level 5: "Internal Cohesion" - finding personal meaning in existence
Level 6: "Making a difference" - making a positive difference in the world
Level 7: "Service" - leading a life of selfless service.

The "basic" needs (levels 1 to 3) focus on our personal self-interest or meeting the needs of the EGO. The "higher" needs (levels 5 to 7) focus on our spiritual needs or meeting the needs of the SOUL. The focus on "level 4" is transformation - a shift from self-interest to common good. This is where the ego learns to let go of its fears so that it can become ONE with the soul.
The fears of the EGO lead us to believe that we do not have enough of what we need. Consequently, we are never fully happy because we do not have enough money, love or respect. Individuals who focus exclusively on the satisfaction of the lower needs, tend to live self-centered, shallow lives. On the other hand, individuals that focus on satisfying exclusively on the satisfaction of the higher needs tend to lack the necessary skills to operate effectively in the physical world. Or with other words, "they are not grounded".
To be successful in the world we need to learn how to master the satisfaction of all our neefs so we can operate from full-spectrum consciousness. The successful mastery of each stage involves two steps: first, becoming AWARE of the emergent need and second, developing the skills that are necessary to satisfy the need. And this personal approach is translated into 7 levels of Organizational Consciousness.

One of my main goals of my company's Strategic Meeting was to bring "awareness" about "where are we now?", where do we want to go? (Appreciative Inquiry) and "what do we need to get there" (strategy).
The first 2 days were a great success, where we answered the first 2 questions and now this week comes the time for the third question, which will also determine my near future.. Well, let's see what will happen, I'll keep you updated in some of my next posts! :)
By the way, reading this book made me reflect about the level of personal consciousness I operate and made me aware about where should I improve..

From which levels of consciousness do you mostly operate?

anTONIo

Society and OUR Life!

We are born.. Our parents take care of us, they teach us what is right, what is wrong, we go to school, teachers reward us for studying hard, they punish us for not doing our home work. The society influences us by its voice of telling us what should and shouldn't we do. And for that we get certain rewards (it doesn't have to be in material form) or get punished.
The essence of socialization is to make people dependent on social controls, to have them respond predictably to rewards and punishments. And the most effective form of socialization is achieved when people identify so thoroughly with the social order that they no longer can imagine themselves breaking any of its rules.
Our experience as humans becomes externalized while we are being dragged from one corner of the street to another longing to become something that the "outside" world expects from us!
In a complex society, many powerful groups are involved in socializing, often pulling us to contradictory goals. On the one hand, official institutions like schools, banks, try to turn is into responsible citizens willing to work hard and save. On the other hand, we are constantly called from advertisers and manufacturers to spend our earnings on products that will produce most profit for them. Finally, the undergroung system of forbidden pleasures, run by drug dillers, gamblers, pimps (which is (in)directly linked with the official institutions) promises its own rewards - provided that we pay. The messages are very different, but their outcome is essentially the same: they make us dependent on a social system that exploits our energies for its own purposes.

IS THIS ALL THERE IS?

There is no question that to survive it is necessary to work for external goals and to postpone immediate gratifications. But a person does not have to be turned into a puppet dragged through life by social controls. My believe is that we should gradually become free of societal rewards and learn how to substitute with rewards that are under OUR powers, by developing set of our own goals. If a person learns to enjoy and find meaning in the ongoing stream of experiences, in the process of living itsels, the burden of social controls falls from our shoulders. Before all else, achieveing control over experience requires a drastic change in attitude in WHAT IS IMPORTANT and what is NOT?
When is the last time we have reflected on WHAT WE VALUE in life? Are the things that I am doing now connected with WHAT TRULY MATTERS to me?
Understanding "what we truly want" makes our lives much simpler and focused in our pursue of happiness and fulfillment.
As I had in my first post on September "So far..", I focus my attention into putting my efforts 3 areas: Career, Family and Friends. I believe, being successful in each area will get me closer to self-fullfilment and happiness..

Which are the area's you want to spend "your hours" of life?

anTONIo

Strategic Planning Process of my company!

I am excited to be part of a very interesting and critical moment of the development of my company.
We are launching a new product on the market (joepiedepoepie.nl) and we are doing very well with our current product (canvascompany.nl) Demand is getting higher for both products and it will increase even more in the upcoming months (Christmas period) Employees stay in same number, but more resources are needed.
CanvasCompany.nl is becoming the "CashCow" for our Star product "JoepiedePoepie.nl.
We are facing some internal challenges with our efficiency because of switch in priorities within the company. We need to standardize and improve our internal efficiency processes in alignment with our objectives! There is a need to create a strategic plan and understand what do we want to do and how are we going to do it!

I took the responsibility of creating the Strategic Planning Framework and facilitate the entire Strategic Process with the top management of the company.
We are going to start from "personal" assessment and building the team and continue with "organizational" assessment and creation of the Strategic Plan.
Before going into the whole process I involved two people to support us by performing an External Research and Structuring the Internal Processes. The Strategic Planning Process will most probably start on 5th January and will continue with 3 more meetings along the month.

All this is gonna be a lot of fun as I am interested in SME's development, seeing the challenges and supporting them in achieving their goals.
I wanna start reading a book on "Strategic Planning for SMEs", I still don't have anything concrete book in mind, so feel free to recommend me some and to share your opinion on this..

Thanks,
Toni

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..

JUMP! My decision of living one year in Paris, France!

I simply JUMP!

This is where my emotions go when I think about my decision of applying for President of AIESEC in France! After one year as a President of AIESEC in the Republic of Macedonia..

I stand on a 14 meters high rock and I see the raged sea ready to embrace me in its
undiscovered beauty! Blood is pumping in my heart, my adrenalin is reaching its MAX and I feel.. Scared, Excited, READY... me! ... and I JUMP!

Since my 23 I lived in Skopje with my parents. City that has around 650.000 inhabitans in a 2 million small, but beautiful country, Macedonia. At that time I was the national President of AIESEC Macedonia, going through the most intense experience in my life!
I felt I can do more! I felt that everything in what I believed in was denied and everything around me didn't make any sense.. Battle of EGO and my HIGHER need was swallowing my energy! My potential was not reaching its impact..
AIESEC France was an organization that was in a similar state..
Enourmous potential not seen from its local members guided by the lost belief of what the organization is all about!
I reflected on what I truly BELIEVE in, I envisioned the person I want to become and decided to go and just be MYSELF! I saw this OPPORTUNITY and I BELIEVED in me!
I went on the French National Conference and I won..
I became the President of AIESEC in France for the term 2007-2008!
I was about to live for one year in Paris, city with 10 mil people, world's cultural center! and lead a national organization with 14 local offices!

I felt scared, excited, READY! and I JUmPed...

My experience in Paris was wonderful in the end.. I achieved everything I envisioned and now I am walking on the path towards the person I want to become and the impact I believe I CAN have..

Fullfillment at work!

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? Are you 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..

So far..

Dear reader,

I would like to start off my blog with sharing couple of words for myself in order to get to know me better and take a look at my way of seeing the world..

1. Family
I have a younger brother (Frane) and we live with our parents Sime and Jadranka.
Me and my brother had an intense childhood going through some challenging experiences, but I believe that made us stronger and more connected as brothers..
I have a lovely family always supportive and together in difficult situations.. I can not be more grateful for them being a BIG part of myself..

2. AIESEC
Amazing organization that made me put different pair of glasses in seeing the world.. More brighter, more promising.. Made me believe that one can make a difference!
I was member for almost 5 years, 3 years in Skopje local office and 2 times president of National Teams (Macedonia and France).
It is an organization that provides you an experience of building a positive vision for yourself and makes you more self-aware if you are going into the right direction.. you can read more about AIESEC on www.aiesec.org

3. Future
The experience of living "alone" in Paris for one year (until July '08) was one of the most intense experiences in my life.. On many aspects.. personally, culturally, proffesionally, spiritually.. But in the end it showed me that I can be even more succesful! I had positive results with the organization, I maintained the relationship with my girlfriend and it increased my awareness of "what is most important for me"!

I spend my life into putting efforts in 3 elements: Career, Family and Friends. I believe, being successful in each area will get me closer to self-fullfilment and happiness..
Currently, I live and work in Groningen, The Netherlands and I feel very happy..
I have a great job in CanvasCompany (www.canvascompany.nl), Frane and my parents are doing good, I keep in touch with my friends..

4. Feel free..
I am not afraid to share who am I and where am I going..
Going through many different experiences I have created my opinion on many different subjects and in this blog I will be writing about my QUESTIONS, my LEARNING and MY DIFFERENCE in this world..
Feel free to share your questions, your learning and how you see this world..

All the best!

Warm regards from my room in Groningen,
Toni