If today was your last day

Dorita published this song on her blog and I found it so much related with this moment of my life... :)

Hope you like it!

Nickelback - If Today Was Your Last Day Lyrics

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day’s a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day
and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
If today was your last day

Against the grain should be a way of life
What’s worth the prize is always worth the fight
Every second counts ’cause there’s no second try
So live like you’ll never live it twice
Don’t take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day
and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every time you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce of memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you’re dreamin’ of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it’s never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
So do whatever it takes
‘Cause you can’t rewind a moment in this life
Let nothin’ stand in your way
Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day
and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?

Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every time you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce of memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you’re dreamin’ of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

principles

Whoever comes are the right people...
Whenever it starts is the right time...
Whatever happens in the only thing that could have happened...
When its over its over....

Gratitude, Fairness, Equity and Justice to my list of personal strengths

Juan's post reminded me to take the VIA Signature Strengths assessment as part of the activities my team is running to support each others career development.

We are using the frame of The International Leadership Strengths Research Project of Mr David Pollay, AIESEC aumnus, from the University of Pennsylvania. The project aims "to encourage these leaders to fully develop their strengths in support of their goals".

The cool thing is that I found my results when I took it for the first time, 3 years ago, when I was starting my experience at the AIESEC in Colombia office as National Vice President of Talent Management, just returning from my internship in Brazil. :-)

It seems that my humor, optimism and future-mindedness continue really strong in my personality. But what happened with my curiosity with the world, my critical thinking and judgment? My theory is that I have explored too much the world in these last 3 years that I am loosing that enlightenment. :P

On the other hand, Gratitude, Fairness, Equity and Justice are the additions to my list of personal strengths and Industry, diligence and perseverance scaled up to the first position... I think it totally reflects my experience and leanings this year in AI :-)

Here are the results (without analysis), below you find deeper descriptions of the strengths. Note that the frame is based on 24 strengths.


August 2006 results: Read my post about this in 2006

• Humor and playfulness

• Curiosity and interest in the world

• Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness

• Industry, diligence, and perseverance

• Judgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness

Today, 2009!

• Industry, diligence, and perseverance

You work hard to finish what you start. No matter the project, you "get it out the door" in timely fashion. You do not get distracted when you work, and you take satisfaction in completing tasks.

• Humor and playfulness

You like to laugh and tease. Bringing smiles to other people is important to you. You try to see the light side of all situations.

• Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness

You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it. You believe that the future is something that you can control.

• Fairness, equity, and justice

Treating all people fairly is one of your abiding principles. You do not let your personal feelings bias your decisions about other people. You give everyone a chance.

• Gratitude

You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person because you always take the time to express your thanks.

seeing clearly...

As part of the 7-weeks transition of AIESEC International, me and my team (the current one) have had an awesome "Heading for the future" program...

Being honest, I didn't think this period was THAT important in the experience you live in AIESEC. I mean, I thought that get ready to lead a team, to move to another city, to meet a new culture, to manage big budgets, being responsible for a number of corporate accounts or to lead the strategy of a global organization was something that deserve a HUGE preparation for any member able to perform it... but, to get ready to leave the organization is something that is even MORE important than the previous ones.. is to put you in front of the world you want to change.. is put you in front of yourself!

I have taken the time to wrap up my current experience from all the angles and also start preparing myself physicalyl and emotionally for the next one, either in AIESEC or outside of it.

One the best learning I have had in the first 2 weeks of the program, is analysing myself from the perspective of my daily life (routines). Who am I when I am not in the office? What are the things that make me happy?. What am I doing to challenge me to be better?.. to evolve?.

Seeing clearly is that moment when you start analysing who you are..
what you like and you don't like of you.

Parallel, recently I saw clearly the big mistakes I made with people that matter to me. Facts that I was seeing with other glasses, only from one side of the mirror, from a really selfish position, those things I thought I had changed of my personality, but haven't yet.

... The discovery was like rewinding a movie and seeing the scene not from the killer perspective but from the victim... and it made me feel sad with myself.. things that I cannot do much now, only accept it, apologize, analize and make the deep commitment with me to fix it.

I really appreciate the people who made me realize this. The ones that don't keep their thoughts with themselves, those ones with the courage to say it with the total honesty, not with the intention of hurting me, but to help me on being better, those are the ones I can call my friends...

For the moment, I will start to build my routine for a happy and purposeful live, with these small adjustments in my daily activities: waking up at 7:30am, having breakfast at home and reading news in the morning before I go to the office. I have re-started my Gym routine three times in the week. I also will spend more time with my friends, helping them, listening them, giving all what I can do... not asking without giving as well.


If I am able to deliver this promise with myself -that will bring me happiness and a much more relaxed life,-I will be able to have whatever I want...

reflections after a cup of coffee with myself....

• Communications is what definitely I'd like to continue doing... no meaning me saying what we ALL should say or think, actually is making people communicate between each other, making them closer doesn't matter how distant, different, diverse they are. All of us have incredible stories and opinions to share, lessons to take... we can inspire people, we can make things much better only by connecting with people that matter to us. Why don't we only do it?

• Technology, from a positive perspective, is the best way to connect people... I am understanding now that the Internet is not a privilege for some people in the world, it should be a right for all the individuals in the planet basically. The challenge is 1. to make the Internet accessible to everyone, in those regions, countries -even continents- where the access to the technology is really poor; and 2. to educate the people how to use internet in a proper way, a tool for development of societies. God! imagine how amazing and great thing you will be able to see happening in the Internet to change this crazy world..

• I don't see myself, for the moment, contributing actively in other place different than my Latin America! The bunch of opportunities to impact there are countless: in Education, Technology, digital divide, entrepreneurship, health, children care, communication, sustainability, business creation, family, culture, politics... I also keep in my mind the faces of the people of my country, Colombia, those ones that have huge dreams and are making all possible to make it a reality: To finish primary school, to buy a house, to have a family, to travel by plane, to see the beach, to have a proper breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday... and I will do my best to contribute in making that happen...

• I am loving Europe! without intention of generalize all the European countries, but these are 3 years since I came for the first time, and one year living in The Netherlands, I can see how different and equals we are. I see how the world can be seen from other perspective, much better and much worse sometimes... I like the culture, the diversity, how things can be possible, how government can work and cannot.. how people are more aware of what's happening in the world, how good education can make the difference, how easy is to connect people by having a good infrastructure... I feel more citizen in these cities, without be afraid to be outside, to enjoy and take care of the public spaces to contribute and think in others as a community....

I find myself as a small piece of a big puzzle, finding my place to fit well to make a comprehensive and beautiful picture :-)

R.I.P Mario Benedetti an awesome Latin American writer | Q.E.P.D un grandioso escritor latinoamericano

Tactic and Strategy
By Mario Benedetti

My tactic is
Looking at you,
Learning how you are,
Loving you as you are,

My tactic is
Talking to you
And listening to you
To build with words
An indestructible bridge

My tactic is
Remaining in your memories
I don't know how
Nor with which pretext
But remaining with you.

My tactic is
Being frank,
And knowing that you are frank,
And not selling each other
Simulations
So that between us
There is no curtain
Nor abyss.

My strategy is,
However,
Deeper and
Easier,
My strategy is
That one of these days
I don't know how
Nor with which pretext
You finally
Need me.


--

Táctica y Estrategia
Por: Mario Benedetti

Mi táctica es
mirarte
aprender como sos
quererte como sos

mi táctica es
hablarte
y escucharte
construir con palabras
un puente indestructible

mi táctica es
quedarme en tu recuerdo
no sé cómo ni sé
con qué pretexto
pero quedarme en vos

mi táctica es
ser franco
y saber que sos franca
y que no nos vendamos
simulacros
para que entre los dos
no haya telón
ni abismos

mi estrategia es
en cambio
más profunda y más
simple

mi estrategia es
que un día cualquiera
no sé cómo ni sé
con qué pretexto
por fin me necesites.


Escuchalo en la voz de Mario Benedetti:
http://www.caracol.com.co/benedetti/poema.aspx?id=806182

y si, todavía hablo español....

[To my non-english-speaker friends that are asking me how is my Spanish going :P ]

Es curioso, recientemente hablaba con un gran amigo y colega mio de la Universidad y me preguntaba como iba mi trabajo y como iba mi.... idioma (?), al principio creí que era en broma, pero me hizo analizar algunos detalles que estudiaba y que cuidabamos mucho en la U, más si estudias Comunicación.

De hecho, y lo admito, mi inglés es perversamente malo a comparación a como era mi español en la Universidad... siento honesta, saber lo necesario en inglés me ha ayudado a pensar mucho mejor mis ideas y a comunicarme de una manera más cuidadosa, debe ser porque selecciono las palabras que puedan ir mejor para hacerme entender... el proceso es a veces cansón, porque necesitas pensar rápido y dejar fluir lo que sepas en tu vocabulario, que jamás será tan rico como el tuyo nativo.

Recuerdo las clases de Narrativa, en la que nos pedían no solo contar lo que haces, sino PINTAR con las palabras lo que dices. No es como que tomaste un baño de agua fría, sino la electricidad que extiende desde la nuca hasta la parte baja de la espalda al primer toque del agua fría en la ducha... cosas por ese estilo... y eso, realmente extraño de escribir y de comunicarme en español.

Tambien pensaba que es interesante como los seres humanos ciudamos mucho el lenguaje verbal para comunicarnos, pero no muchas veces cuidamos el lenguaje no-verbal para mandar mensajes... la manera como miras, el sonido que produces, tus señales corporales, la risa, el movimiento del pelo, los gestos de la cara, transmiten tanto y a veces somos tan pobres para comunicarlo efectivamente... y ahora estando en un ambiente tan internacional he empezado a analizarlo con atención.

Sigo leyendo en español y de hecho hace mucho tiempo no escribía un post en español (he aquí mi tributo!), pero tambien siento que el mundo es tan grande y tan diverso y tan bellamente rico en diversidad que para qué limitarlo a comunicarnos en un idioma...

...ojalá pudieramos ser unos excelentes comunicadores no-verbales, o que exisitiera otra manera de hacerlo, que no necesitaramos escribir un perfecto español o pronunciar un perfecto inglés para expresar lo que sentimos o pensamos....

He aquí otro dilema, este post sólo le llegara a un porcentaje de mi network que pueda entenderlo, ya por default deje por fuera mucha gente que le sería útil, solo porque no hablan español o en sentido contrario si lo hiciera en inglés... wow! que mundo tan complejo, pero divertido a la vez!


Hablamos lueguito!

Salu2!