It has been a while since I participated in a training course, where people were just as important as the theoretical part. After 1 year of conferences, seminars and what not (the Norway period) I believed that I have seen everything and no emotion is new to me. This seminar opened me up again and made me realize that it is actually good to be with people.
The training was meant for JCI local chamber’s board members or people who will be local presidents or board members (I will be neither) to prepare them for the next year. It started with getting to know each other and sauna (you can’t have an event without a hot sauna and cold dip in the water late night in Estonia :P). the next day was dedicated to discussing what JCI is for each and every one of us, how to introduce it to new people, etc. The regular.
The really surprising part came along with lots of african drums (they probably had another name I don’t remember). Reigo Ahven taught us to play with drums and explaned us a lot of every-day life situations, like that just like everyone’s clap of a hand is different, so are we different. Like Wrong is a New Right. It was truly fun to let yourself go and bang the drums, to make your own music, the music of your soul.
After that it was more talk about the role of JCI local board and members which was very useful, since it was quite long time ago that I learned the management topics.
The whole 3 days were filled with the comments and observations by the participants (who I mostly saw for the first time). I managed to talk to all of them and they all had something to teach me. One guy had a good eye for “simple” things that we usually take for granted, another was embodiement of a very effective, ambitious, sweet, multi-sided and full of energy witha positive attitude-lifestyle. There was a girl who was radiant and I loved to hear how she has organized her life around things she likes as a hobby and gets money for it (just the way I do it ;)), Then there was one person, who I, I don’t know, she had this depth, knowledge, a wise person who has kept her feet on the ground. Then there was another person who opened me up mentally, made me somehow feel safe and see the world in a new way, though he did nothing. He had a great impact on me, I actually can’t even express it with words. There were some others who all had a part in making this training a real training of life for me. By the end of those days I realized that I have to go back to the people. I have been too egocentric and individual for too long.
The expression I got from there (one of many) and tend to follow was: “Don’t choose, take the next one. The golden fish will come one day”.
Oh, there was another saying that was deep:
“Men die when they fail, women when they are not loved” There you go.
I am a pillow-fairy now 😉