SΩ22 - The Breath of Giving

They strode side by side, a tall man with a scruffy elderly man. From their amiable chatter you’d guess they were close friends or perhaps relatives. In fact they just met earlier in the nearby park. The elderly man was ecstatic for the companionship and the invitation to share a warm meal. You see the park has been the elderly man’s ‘home’ for the last 4 years. As fate would have it the tall man’s evening route brought him to the park and united the two. The tall man visits this neighborhood weekly to comfort the ill-fated people congregated here from his homeland. 

For him being concerned for others is as natural as breathing.

This realistic tale was inspired by a friend’s experience with the inherently communal culture of Moroccans and Berber hospitality. Discovering this anomaly I asked myself;

How can more of us develop this natural habit of giving and supporting others?

To explore this idea further, I decided to actively grow this giving habit in myself. This November my objective was to spend a half hour to give or support someone each morning from Monday to Friday. This quickly transformed into the November Giving Challenge, which I encouraged others to take part in. In the end there were over 76 visits to the challenge page from 9 different countries. To my knowledge there were over 10 people who contributed to the challenge. This included a teacher in the US who had a 10-minute giving challenge in her classroom. Perhaps the biggest success came from participating in the periscope #AttitudeOfGratitude live event.

As this adventure is coming to an end I’ve started doing a bit of deeper reflection. From all the lessons learned I'll highlight a few of my discoveries.

• Many of us already give and support each other (i.e. knowledge on the Internet)
• There are countless ways both online and offline to support one another
• In communities with common values/interests there is a higher likelihood of giving
• We can develop a habit of giving and supporting others 

Giving Communities
What was actually inspiring to realize is that many of us already give and support each other on a daily basis. A great example of this is the knowledge we share online. Especially prominent is the support in online communities that share common interests and/or values, such as personal learning networks of educators like Edumatch or the BCN startup slack community. It would be interesting to explore how these communities can be linked together to tackle global problems?

The Giving Comfort Zone
Another big success was seeing my personal growth. The last weeks of the challenge ways to support and give often popped up naturally. I think this is because my perspective had been opened up and I was more willing to go beyond my 'comfort zone'. Many of us are more than willing to support family, friends, or people within our personal communities. This is what I mean with our 'comfort zone'. Helping strangers outside of this 'comfort zone' is a struggle. The tough reality is that those who truly need support are either far from where we live or outside that ‘comfort zone'.

You all have the power to develop the habit of giving and supporting others! The first step is realizing that we all share challenges and we must come together to deal with global challenges. Also you can become aware of those around you and listen attentively. Even starting small can be great! Going past November you all have the chance to evolve your Breath of Giving.

Links & Relevant Posts
November Giving Challenge
SΩ12 - Our Global Impact
SΩ13 - Think, Give, Love (Holiday Gift Ideas) 
 

SΩ21 - Mastering Time

We live in a time where ‘I’m busy’ is a catch phrase! Yet if we look deeper is everyone truly ‘busy’ or instead struggling to manage their time? In the fourth lives session of our slack group we had a stellar three-man panel: Rob and Carlos (two entrepreneurs) and myself (freelancer). Rob’s startup, iRecargones, provides unique telecom services. Carlos’s startup, Iyiyim, provides event planning solutions. Myself I'm a freelance English teacher, writer and blogger.

If this post inspires you to become the master of your time, make sure to check out the mini-guide at the end. Without further ado, here is the meat of our Q&A session:

Q1 (Peter): When someone, a superior gives you some work, how do you decide on the deadline?

Carlos: Make sure to clarify with your boss the task & deadline

Rob: 1) Do it right away 2) If your schedule is clear 3) You have the available resources 4) You can do the task

Mario: Know the priorities of your company and your role

Q2 (Alejandro): What do you do when minor and urgent tasks distract you from the most important ones?

Rob: Delegate and get the most important tasks done first.

Mario: Knowing how much time each task takes and finish what you started, unless the urgent task can be done quickly. Urgency is relative, right?

Q3 Shahid: How to balance your personal and professional life especially when you’re company is demanding?

Carlos: Make the work schedule clear, before signing a work contract.

Mario: When a task is not your responsibility be firm about it, with your boss, yet communicate it with care. Depends a lot on the company environment and relationship with your boss.

Rob: If the company/job requires extra hours, it really needs to have a great environment such as 24 hours food service (free), open bar (no kidding), and a lot of activities.

Q4 Mario: If you had to give 1 time management tip, what would it be?

Rob: Find ways to break down a goal into manageable steps, instead of overthinking it.

Carlos: Keep in mind that tasks always take at least two or three times the time you initially think they will require.

Mario: If you want to be successful in life, know clearly what your priorities are. Stop spending time on everything/everyone that keeps you away from your personal priorities.

Mini-Guide: Time Management

1. First and foremost as you can see from the Q&A time management strategies vary based on each person. The best is to try a few different methods and see what works best for you. 
2.  Likely the most important part in time management is realizing your personal life priorities. Here you might also consider your preferred work versus life balance.
3. Take a few weeks to track how you use your time. Are there activities/people that keep you from accomplishing your main priorities? For example how much time do you spend on work, social life, fitness, watching TV, etc.
4. Create a daily, weekly, and/or monthly schedule from all the tasks/activities you want to do. This step is unique to the person, yet something like a to-do list or tools like Trello can help.
5. When creating your schedule, be realistic! We are only human and have ~16hrs per day when we are awake. Hopefully, you’ll see even if you accomplish a few tasks per day your time will become more manageable.

I strongly believe that becoming the master of your time will lead to a more fulfilling life! Time management is a valuable skill and one that does take practice to learn. Please share your own methods in the comments or continue this discussion below. 

SΩ20 - Our Bodies Talk

The evolution of Society Ω and slack group has far exceeded my expectations!

Since April we’ve had a live session nearly every month with a diverse mix of topics.

What’s exciting is that over half of the 20 members have participated. To join our next lives session, feel free to ask for an invite on Twitter or LinkedIN.

Here are the topics we’ve covered so far:

• Live #1 (April): Brainstorm Session
• Live #2 (May): Entrepreneur Q&A
• Live #3 (July): Languages
• Live #4 (July): Time Management Q&A

For the third live session we discussed Languages. It started off with the discussion of how communication can be improved between cultures. The idea of using 'text to vector' translation was brought up. We also discussed ways of learning a language. If you’re learning a language, here is a proven method of doing so: The Lingu Leap. This evolved into a lively discussion of how body language plays a large role in communication. One question left unanswered was:

Are there universal body language cues or are they culturally dependent?

Now I’d like to take a closer look at body language. Research by Albert Mehrabian claims that communication is 55% body language, 38% tone of voice, and 7% verbal.  Now if this is true, what about our tech driven shift to text based communication? Based on this study it would seem like we can barely communicate via text. Most would agree we tend to communicate better by speaking face-to-face rather than text.  Yet I believe that this also depends on the type of message(s). The four-sided communication model says there are four parts to a message: factual, appeal, relationship, & personality.

My strong belief is that non-verbal communication often is vital for expressing emotions. Thus non-verbal communication is likely reflected in the personality and relationship parts of a message. A prime example is that lovers will express their feelings more through intimacy than verbally. Now think about having a heated disagreement via text versus a verbal one. Typically speaking, which one is more effective in reaching a resolution?

To put it simply, body language communicates who we are and what we are feeling. As we are emotional beings the importance of body language is evident. So next time you’re flirting or in an interview, just be aware of what your body is saying! With that I leave it with the following question;

How can text based communication be improved?

Relevant Posts

The Lingu Leap

Cultural Tales

Slack Peek: Entrepreneur Q&A

Exploring the Job Jungle

SΩ19 - Life Path

The people in our lives both shape it and inspire us. In fact this post was inspired thanks to a few people. In particular thanks to members of the Society Ω Slack community. During a recent chat with a member it brought about the following question in my mind:

How is our life path determined?

Before you respond, just think about all the factors that influence us. Even before being born: genetics, your parent’s location, and more decide what you’re able or allowed to do with your life. Just imagine if you’re handicapped or poor, this already puts a great restriction on the activities you can enjoy and the life options that you can choose. Never the less, these restrictions actually just make it harder to follow certain paths, not impossible!

During your childhood your options are rapidly shaped by your parents, friends, your education, and even your country’s government. For example in certain cultures like China, parents often push their children towards an education or career that guarantees financial stability. Another example is how education worldwide tends to promote the STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering, and math. And at some point one has to think, who decides the value and importance of all the fields and careers? For example who decided that a scientist or banker has a more worthy job and thus earn more than a teacher (in most countries)?

This brings about the question:

How can I be in control of my life path?

I realize that to regain control of one’s life path can be difficult. In fact I struggled with this for the last 5 years. A good way to start is decide how you wish to divide your daily and weekly time. You can do this, by writing down your top 3-5 priorities in life. In most cases your life path will be steered by your 1st priority.

Figuring out all your priorities can be a daunting task. Yet you’ll likely figure those out as you start spending more time on what brings you happiness and fulfillment. At this point you may wonder well how can I build a career from my priorities? Yet, even a priority like friendship can help develop your career! At this point it’s time to explore and try out options. In the last 5 years, here are some of the options I’ve tried. They are roughly ordered by how effective they have been for me and how much of a change is required:

• Explore
• Even just finding a new restaurant or park in your city can bring a spark of inspiration.
• Travel
• This can help you see new perspectives on life and meet new people to inspire you.
• Relocate
• Whether it’s to a new city or country, relocating gives you a clean slate and gets you to adapt to a new place. Relocating to a new country will definitely push you to question your mindset.
• Try new activities and hobbies
• This can help free your mind and perhaps even shift into a career. Perhaps learn a new language.
• Writing and/or blogging
• The beauty of writing is how it can help focus ones thoughts. Especially with blogging it has given the freedom to explore, yet also help me realize what my interests and priorities are.
• Start a personal project(s)
• You can view this like a testing ground for a career you wish to pursue. Personally, I’ve started countless projects and my most recent one has turned into a career opportunity.
• Find new friends and/or social circles
• We’re all face uncertainties in life, yet the right friends can truly push us towards greatness!

Although change can be scary, if you’re on a frustrating or unfulfilling life path, why keep doing the same things? Perhaps, for many relocating may seem to go against their priorities like being with family, yet just realize it doesn’t have to be permanent! For me all these changes have helped shift me towards my life path. Most likely moving to Barcelona, blogging, and my personal projects helped the most. What works for you is likely different, the key is to try a few and see what works best! Let's continue this discussion in the SΩ Slack group. If you want to join us, you can ask for an invite here.

Related Posts & Links:
Learning a Language - The Lingu Leap
SΩ Slack & Blogging - 2015 and Slack to the Future
Travel Stories - Global Kindness: Cultural Tales II
BCN Youth Tech Challenge

SΩ18 - Slack Peek: Entrepreneur Q&A

In January the Society Ω Slack group was born. At first the idea was to give readers a space to ‘e-meet’, provide post feedback, and discuss ideas related to the blog. In just a few months it’s developed to more than that! This is largely thanks to the superb members who are eager to partake in all the wild conversations & ideas. We’re always happy to embrace new members, either contact me for an invite or join here.

The group has also evolved rapidly in the last few months. Our new purpose:

‘An open group promoting global collaboration to better the world 1 day at a time’

Furthermore we have 3 different opportunities for members:

Live - A place where regular live sessions take place centered on a pre-chosen theme

The Agora - Here members can have fun and relaxed chats about anything

Weekly Question - If a member is facing a challenge, needs answers, and/or suggestions they can ask here

In our latest lives session we had a Q&A with Patricia on entrepreneurship. Originally from Holland and now living in Barcelona she has a wide array of business experience ranging from working at Nike, having her own business consultancy, being vice president of mentoring at PWN, and much more. Here is a link to her current business and her linkedin. Without further ado, here is a glimpse at the Q&A.

 Peter:

If I’ve been an entrepreneur for years and have yet to earn a profit at what point should I reflect on my experience, accept defeat and move on?

Patricia:

If you’re not reaching your business goals and objectives in 2-3 years it’s time to reconsider your next step. If you’re unable to live your preferred lifestyle with your business, it’s also a good idea to reassess your situation. Just remember few businesses are an overnight success, many entrepreneurs and freelancers struggle in the beginning to get where they want to be.

It's difficult to let go of your dream. A good choice before doing so is to review your situation and challenges with a business consultant or mentor. Often all you need is some focus and a different approach. A fresh pair of eyes can help you see things from a different angle.

Jaka:

Do you have any pointers on how to set up a marketing strategy based on knowing who the target group is?

Patricia:

You also need to know who your competitors are. Many people forget to address how you are different from your competitors. You need to position yourself in front of your target market. My suggestions:

1. You need to understand how your competitors position themselves
2. You have to highlight what you do differently from your competitors
3.  You need to identify what customer needs are filled by your product or service
4. What is unique about your product/service, your location, etc. 

Jordan:

What are the best channels to put your advertising budget?

Patricia:

Again this depends highly on where your target customer is. If they are online, social media is a good choice. If they read a specific magazine, go there. If you’re big and need a large customer base than TV & radio are good. As people are overwhelmed with messages all around them make sure to be as targeted as possible. A good book to read in that regard is “Purple Cow” from Seth Godin.

Josh:

What's the best way to gain followers when first starting a twitter account for your business?

Patricia:

Identify your target group and find them on Twitter. Follow them and most people will follow back. Post content that interests your target group. A good way to start is posting similar content your followers tweet or retweet. Engage with your followers by talking to them, thanking them, liking their tweets, etc.

If this all sounds exciting to you, feel free to join us. Contact me for an invite or join here.

SΩ17 - The Lingu Leap

Why should you learn a second language? We are in an era of globalization. Whether you like it or not, chances are you will meet people from other countries during your daily life, your studies, or work. With English you can communicate with ~14% of the global population or about 1 billion people (see below). However, if you learn one or more languages you’ll be able to communicate with 1 out of every 3rd people you meet! Furthermore, you’re perspective and knowledge of the world will expand greatly.

Source: ethnologue.com

Why My Experience Is Relevant?

Hopefully, I’ve convinced you to start learning another language! If you are indeed interested, you’ll find a guide below of how I suggest you learn any language. Before I do that, I’d like to briefly share my experience with languages. So far I’ve learned 4 languages, yet am only able to use 3 of them. Currently, I’m learning my 4th language (Chinese). Now the reason I mention this, is because my success has varied significantly!  Below you can see a chart with details.

Additionally, I’ve been giving private English lessons for over a year now! From my experience it got me thinking, how do we as children learn a language? Below you’ll see the rough process I’ve thought up.

Think about a child, they often say words, which they rarely know the meaning of (mimicking)! Furthermore, they make mistakes left & right, yet still continue speaking. So why do many language courses put such an emphasis on grammar & using the language ‘correctly’? This often discourages students and they stop learning the language. Let’s flip that around & encourage language learners to speak confidently first & then focus on the ‘visual’ side of the language.

How to Learn any Language?

From my experience with languages thus far, I developed this method (below) to learning any language. Try it and adjust it to your liking. Of course everyone learns a bit differently!

Finally, I’ll offer 3 tips to learning any language:

1) Practice makes perfect

To excel at a skill requires practice. How you do that is your choice, yet socializing tends to offer a nice motivation boost. Ideally try living abroad! Otherwise, find a language partner in person or online.

2) Jump right in, make mistakes, and keep learning

As mentioned before, children make mistakes, so you can too! Also it takes years for you to learn your first language, so why should the second language be any different?

3) Have fun!

Most likely if you have fun while learning you’ll progress quicker!  Listen to music or watch videos in the language that you’re learning. Get excited even if you understand a few words!

SΩ16 - 3 Tales of Nomad Peril

The life of a modern nomad is filled with adventure & risk. Traveling alone is truly freeing and a rewarding experience. However, I’ve realized that it can be filled with peril as well. In this post I’ll share some risky travel anecdotes. Along with each tale I’ll share some tips on safely traveling alone.

As I stepped out of the airport I was greeted with a gust of smoggy air. Shortly after a man strode up to me speaking in broken English. He quickly escorted me to a nearby taxi. Just as I was about to enter he blocked the door and told me to pay him in advance. Although skeptical I was to tired to argue and handed over the 200 ¥ (~$30/25€). At the end of my taxi ride I soon learned that I had been swindled! The fare was just 20 ¥ (~$3/2.5€)! What a nice welcome to China, wouldn’t you say? As taxi scams come in all forms and are found worldwide the best bet is public transport! If you truly must resort to a taxi, research common fare prices (tripadvisor.com or taxifarefinder.com), ask the fare before the ride, request a meter, & pay the driver directly at the end.

A few years later I was off to the World Cup in Brazil. Boy was I nervous about this trip! All my research, even talking to Brazilians, suggested I might barely return alive. Although I landed in the evening, I got on the local bus, which was supposedly going near my hostel. On the bus I met a petite Russian girl. We had a nice chat along the ride and agreed to meet up again. A few days later we met and were off to a nearby beach. When we arrived I discovered her back and both arms were covered in bruises! Apparently the night we arrived someone attacked her and tried to steal her backpack. Lucky the police were close by and saved her. As the days passed in Brazil I began to relax and only ended up getting pickpocketed (~$30/25€) while partying in Rio. The take away from that is to be aware of your surroundings, especially at night. Also, while walking around try to carry the small amounts of cash, for me it’s usually ~$20-40/18-35€. Keep the rest distributed among your personal items.

My most recent tale happened while visiting the last great wonders of the world: the Pyramids of Giza. While exiting the metro to catch the bus a well-dressed gentleman & his son walked alongside me. Coincidently the father was showing his son the Pyramids. He invited me for the drive there. As he seemed so kind, how could I refuse? Our chat was pleasant and he invited me to his home for brunch. Then he ended up going to a mosque prayer, which ended up lasting...1.5 hours! At this point my patience was running thin, as this ‘kind man’ had wasted a large chunk of my trip.
Finally, as we got to the pyramids he said I best take a camel or horse, which I politely declined. As we arrived at the main entrance he asked me for money to pay for gas and brunch. Mind you at the start he said “There is more to life than money”, but that he was a successful businessman. My lesson is that chances are people approaching you near tourist sites or public transport tend to be scammers. In the first few minutes with a stranger find out what they want. If it sounds fishy, just politely decline their ‘kind offers’. Scammers often come off as being too nice to be true! My best experiences have often been with people around 20-30 years old who just wish to practice their English.

So for those who brave a solo adventure, it’s worth it, just make sure to stay safe! As a side note for women who travel to ‘dangerous’ or Muslim countries, I’d highly recommend walking with a companion or friend as you’re easy targets for mischief. Here are my solo travel tips:

• Try to blend in with the locals. Look like a tourist and you’ll often pay the price
• Give strangers 2-5 mins & risk more time if they seem 100% genuine (It may be worth it!)
• Carry small amounts of cash ($20-40/18-35€) & know when to give it up, your life is more valuable!
• Always remain calm; yet if you feel uncomfortable give a firm, but polite “no”

Remember to join the discussion in our slack group: goo.gl/forms/bnm9RIFsyr

SΩ15 - How to Choose the One...MOOC

The mention of EdTech (Educational Technology) often results in a mixed reaction of intrigue and bewilderment. Here is my interpretation of EdTech; it is any technology that assists in the learning process. In the 21st century this is mostly comprised of online tools and mobile apps. In this post I’ll focus on the popular trend of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

During my bachelors (2007-2010), this trend started with universities across the US offering open courses. Usually, this is a video series of a course from a prominent professor. My go to source was MIT OpenCourseWare. This sparked a parade of MOOC providers into existence, to name a few: Coursera, Udemy, and EdX. These providers soon introduced a broader range of courses, including topics like languages, programming, etc. Now in 2016, with all these possibilities, how to choose one?

Having tried a few courses from the mentioned providers, I’ll help guide you to your next MOOC!

1. Choose a topic you wish to learn. In my experience, having the motivation to learn a topic prior to the MOOC pushes you to complete it. To stay self-motivated throughout the course can be a challenge.
2. Now it’s time to find a MOOC. I suggest testing out 2-3 MOOCs from different providers for a few weeks. Here are some search tools: coursetalk, class-central, and mooc-list. The reason for testing a few is because the quality and style of courses can vary greatly from one provider. After 2-3 weeks, choose the one that works best.
3. When testing, here are a few aspects to compare:
   • Enthusiasm of Instructor(s) – Just like in school/university the teacher/professor often creates the mood of the class and stimulates student engagement. Chances are if the instructor is excited about the topic you’ll be too!
   • Live versus Achieved – Live MOOCs happen over a set period of time and new material is typically presented on a weekly basis. Achieved courses provide all the material at once. The live MOOC tend to provide more engagement and provides a frequent reminder to continue the course.
   • Quiz versus Tasks – Usually a MOOC will have several quizzes or tasks to test your knowledge. Usually the tasks require the user to apply their learning. The quizzes tend to be multiple choice & provide limited learning opportunities. A good MOOC will likely have short, but engaging tasks that take about an hour to complete. If the quizzes/tasks are too difficult from the start, I’d suggest trying another MOOC!
   • Platform for Peer Engagement – While learning many of us will have questions and opinions. It’s great to be able to discuss topics with peers. Those MOOCs that provide a space to discuss with instructors and peers help further learning and boost motivation. Peer assessment and discussions also help to complete tasks.
   • Free versus Paid – Start off with free MOOCs! I’d only pay if there is a trial version & you feel it’s worth it. However, if you pay, do it for the material rather than certificates. My guess is only a few MOOC certificates are valued similar to a qualification indicator.
4. You get out of it what you put in! Just like an education, job, etc. this especially applies with MOOCs! If you want to try a MOOC, try to put aside 2 or more hours per week. Use the MOOC as a starting point to learn more about a topic. 

As my experience with MOOCs is still developing, please share your thoughts in our slack group.
Join us here: goo.gl/forms/bnm9RIFsyr

Recommended MOOCs:
Chinese Made Easy: An Exciting Start To Chinese
Implementation and Evaluation of Educational Technology

MOOC Search Tools:
coursetalk
class-central
mooc-list

SΩ14 - 2015 and Slack to the Future

Feels like 2015 just flew by! A year ago I wrote my first post, in which I shared my vision for ‘Society Ω’. Thus, it feels fitting to write a post reflecting how the blog has evolved and the plans for 2016! Ask for your slack community invite: here (explained below).

Discover a Better You by Blogging

The blog has often surprised me as if the blog has developed a mind of it’s own! For the most part this blog has acted like a playground for soul searching. As cliché as it may sound, blogging has helped me become a better person.

It’s allowed my creative side to flow and discover some of my closest interests: questioning the norms, bridging cultures, and shaping altr-umanity. Another outcome was uncovering that educational technology feels like the career path for me. I also discovered that every word counts and strive to keep a one-page limit per post. This has greatly improved my communication skills.

Most importantly, I’ve come to enjoy producing content that provides value to the readers! This got me thinking of how some of my posts entertain people and other posts can provide some guidance of issues I’ve faced. On a deeper level, it’s exciting to get people to question the world around them!

2015 in a Nutshell

Looking at the numbers, the blog was viewed in 44 countries and had over 1,600 page views.

Based on page views the top posts for 2015 were:

1. Global Kindness: Cultural Tales II 
2. Our Global Impact
3. Exploring the Job Jungle 
4. Cultural Tales
5. Culture Talks: Digi-Comm & Laughter

Clearly the cultural posts are the most popular! It’s great that the top two posts also had rather deep messages. However, with limited numbers and feedback, it’s tricky to tell what made these posts so appealing!?

Slack to the Rescue

In fact that’s a constant struggle! How can I give readers what they want, while sticking to my beliefs and the aim of this blog? Furthermore, how can I push the blog into actions? That’s when I realized all you readers deserve a voice as well! If used wisely ‘slack’ is a tool to develop and strengthen such a community. So here it is: societyomega.slack.com! Please ask for an invite: here.

I’m also considering new ways to present my ideas. Although text is here to stay, it’s clear that video is dominating the internet. I hope to create a video of sorts in the near future! I could definitely use some collaboration with that.

The target for 2016 is to have been read in at least 100 countries! Do you have some brilliant ideas of how to achieve that? Please share them in the slack community!

Finally, here are a few teasers to possible posts. Please tell me, which you'd like to see:

• Exploring Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) 
• Idea for the ‘Giving Vacation’ 
• The bliss of a minimalist life

SΩ13 - Think, Give, Love

‘It’s the thought that counts.’ This age-old saying suggests that an act of kindness should matter, regardless of how small or imperfect it may be. It’s definitely worth considering as we start hunting for our holiday gifts. The tradition of gift giving is rather fascinating and is one that spans both time and across cultures. There are various events that involve gift giving from birthdays, to weddings, to Ramadan, to Christmas, to Chinese New Years, to Hanukkah, and many more.

Yet the cultural and personal differences in gift giving are just as vast! Regardless of those differences, I believe it’s important to put some thought into the gifts we give. Also, to consider our reaction to receiving a gift! The idea of this gift-giving post is to spark some thought in your gift giving.

To help me with this my cousin Sarah, all the way in Australia, will give her thoughts in this Q and A style post. It's worth noting that although we are blood related, we've only met on two occasions back in 2012. Both our paths have been rather different and yet our values do tend to cross at times. Hope it'll be of use to you this holiday season!

What’s your personal interpretation of ‘gift’?
Sarah	Mario
A gift can be defined as: ‘a thing given willingly to someone, without payment’. This seems apt. A gift doesn’t require or expect reciprocity, giving is selfless. At least, it should be. Gifts can be objects, actions, words, etc., yet the core essence being an act of generosity & kindness, without desire for equitable return.	It’s usually an unspoken form of communication that conveys to someone that you are grateful for his or her presence. Although most of the times gifts are physical objects, I believe time and actions are often gifts we tend to take for granted. For example cooking a meal for someone or teaching someone a skill.

Is it better to give or receive a gift?
Sarah	Mario
I believe this depends on who is on the other side of the transaction, when both giving & receiving. Every holiday I go over my budget on gifts. I love finding things that are perfect for my friends and to a lesser extent family; but even some of my closest friends aren’t all that great to give to. A grateful recipient heightens the joy of giving! As a recipient, getting a spontaneous gift, or one that I know has been bought because the giver knew it was right for me, these are the best times! Overall though, I enjoy giving more than receiving - I have everything I need and if presents are just bought because they should be, I’d prefer to be given the cost in cash rather than accumulating more ‘things’.	This is a rather conflicting topic for me. Over time I’ve grown to appreciate mutual give and take. Is pure altruism even possible or realistic? Although, I prefer giving it does feel better to get a thanks and a gracious smile. It’s like a receipt for giving. Additionally, we often take human kindness as well as the time and effort people spend on our behalf for granted, myself included. After all, how much does a sincere ‘thank you’ cost? Finally, some of us will take more than they give, sometime unintentionally. Thus, I feel it’s key to balance give and take. To start off, be more aware of the give and take that occurs around us. For example if you enjoyed this post, you may like to know Sarah and myself gave at least a few hours to write it. If you wish to keep up the giving, how about sharing this post with someone?

What is your advice for getting the ‘perfect gift’?
Sarah	Mario
Follow your gut! So often I will pass a shop window, or come across something online and just know it is right! I flatter myself that I’ve gained a reputation for giving ideal gifts; I’m able to do this because I know the people I am buying for. This doesn’t simply mean knowing their likes & dislikes, it also means knowing what is important to them, knowing their values and goals/dreams. I may not be the nicest person on the planet, but I am generous and I do care that recipients of my gifts are affected by them, just as I am when I walk past the shop window…	My suggestion is to gift an experience and better yet one you can share! This works best if you listen to someone and know them. A few years ago, I invited my father (biologic father) to the Moers jazz festival. Before this I had never even listened to jazz. As the festival commenced, his jazz filled world engulfed me. In many ways it was a chance to truly be with him. I shamefully wonder if I got more out of the gift than he did. Even if you’re unable to gift an experience, I think the perfect gift should be something that adds to a person’s life based on their interests and/or personality. The key is to listen.

Do certain events, like Christmas, make you feel obligated to give gifts?
Sarah	Mario
Yes. I love Christmas, for what it means and the traditions but, if I had my way, I would be spending the day with friends and it would be that shared time which constituted a celebration, rather than the unwrapping of gifts with family. Buying gifts for people is a pleasure, but at Christmas one can feel pressured into the action. I would prefer to buy for people as I see things they would like, rather than having to find gifts at particular times of the year. However, on the flip-side, friends who do not like getting spontaneous gifts, Christmas is an excuse to give to them!	A few years ago, my ex-girlfriend randomly gave me a wallet. At the time I was rather ungrateful, since I had a wallet, albeit beat up. Only later, did I realize it’s more natural to just give whenever we feel compelled to. After all Christmas should be about spending time with loved ones, right? So just consider that while you’re out buying gifts this holiday season! Embrace the spirit of Christmas and ignore Mr. Consumerism. By the way I did switch wallets and still use it till this day. Thanks Huihui!

What is one gift you’ve received which feels like it keeps on giving?
Sarah	Mario
For my birthday, perhaps six or seven years ago a friend bought me a chess set, knowing that I didn’t play the game. He then took me to the pub after work and taught me the game. While we have less time than in the past to engage in this pursuit, it still remains one thing that is ours - playing chess at the pub. It is a game which still frustrates me, but I am glad I know how to play and one day, I will win.	This may sound bizarre, yet it’s for sure running. When I was younger my dad (step-dad) would bring me on runs. At first it was frustrating, since I could only run a fraction of what he ran. Yet over time it grew a part of me. Feeling the wind woosh past me  truly reminds me that I'm alive! Since, 2011 I’ve been struggling with different injuries. Yet a few weekends ago I had an orienteering race and the joy of running came flowing back to me. Thanks Dad!

From what Mario and I have written, I think it is clear that both of us value gifts that have been thoughtful and that we ourselves do not give frivolously. This has been an interesting exercise for me to see both our similarities and differences, especially since we've just been in touch for the last few years. This indicates that thoughts and feelings about gift giving may be quite universal. If you’ve found our writing interesting or useful, feel free to share it. Also, we’d like to hear your thoughts on gift giving!

SΩ12 - Our Global Impact

Beauty and chaos exist side by side in this world. Having children is a perfect example of this. It’s a complex balance of showing one’s child the best of the world and at the same time preparing them for all the uncertainty and hurdles to come. When parents are unable to remain together it opens an entirely different beast. Looking back on my childhood, I do feel my parents prepared me for this world.  Yet I believe they could have handled their separation differently. Reflecting back, I believe that had they dealt with it as a team and supported one another, it would have been far better for all. However, the past is the past and so I’ll focus on what came from it: my desire to help others.

I think as a child this ambition developed unconsciously, sparked by my parents’ separation. Digging through some of my previous texts, I came across a snippet I wrote at 19: “I will try my best to better society & make it livable for my children and the generations to come”. Although I have no recollection of what this piece was about, this message still rings true.

For me it seems clear that if humanity wishes to progress it must develop a collaborative environment. Although that has been clear to me for many years the way to reach this has developed over the years. During my university years, I was certain that bringing technology, like solar energy, to underprivileged countries was my calling. After university I realized that although this will help, it’d only make a tiny dent in improving societies ways.

Another realization was that the world’s inequalities, in many ways, have been created by society, especially due to trade & capitalism. Remember that we are globally connected and many of our actions have a direct/indirect impact on other people in the world. Shortly after moving to Barcelona I had a eureka moment: education was the answer! Children are key to building a truly collaborative society. What we teach our children shapes the global boundaries they perceive and follow.

 

Yet the reality is that although I believe in helping others and a collaborative society, my knowledge is limited on how to do this successfully. To educate myself, I’ve been finding ways to help others. To further this this knowledge, I created ‘The Project’. In a nutshell, I ask people to anonymously submit a problem and I try my best to provide advice/suggestions to solve it. Last month I asked 7 people to test it. Here are the 5 abridged queries I received:
  - How can I help the Syrian refugees?
  - What is the most efficient way of finding one’s calling in life?
  - What is the best way to help others?
  - How to budget if wages are fixed & living costs keep increasing?
  - Should I date, if I’m still uncertain of where I want to live?
You’ll find the detailed problems and suggestions here: The Project

My findings thus far are quite revealing. Here are my observations & follow-up questions:
  - People seem reluctant to ask for & accept help from others
     - Why do people feel they need to solve their problems alone?
     - What’s the best way to offer someone help, if you don’t know his/her problem(s)?
  - How we help people can differ from what someone needs
     - How can we improve the way we help others?
  - Helping others can feel amazing, especially if we know we’ve helped
     - How can we encourage people to provide honest feedback?
     - Why is appreciation difficult to come by?

Now I’m opening ‘The Project’ to the public! If you believe in a collaborative society, voice your ideas, feedback below in the comments. Also, if you need help with a problem, post your burning problems & queries here: The Project Form. For now, I'm accept 10 queries per month.

SΩ11 - Welcome to Alpland

This is where it all began (for me)! The place some might call the ‘land of Alps and perfection’: Switzerland. Although, I’m a purebred Swiss the reality is mentally I’m Swiss-American. For this reason I have a mixed perspective on my homeland. Thus, I decided to find someone with a contrasting viewpoint.

To properly introduce this post's co-writer we go back to 2011. I was back in Switzerland and starting my first proper job. Fortunately, I was not alone and met a diverse group of Canadian interns. They introduced me to the joy of traveling. In particular, I met one whimsical intern with Indo-Canadian roots: Parth. Our travels thus far range from the Fjords in Norway to the cobblestone streets of Firenze, Italy. Like myself, Parth has a unique perspective on life and society. We recently reconnected after he discovered my blog. And now we’ve agreed to co-write this post.

Without further ado, let’s discuss Switzerland! This will be a Q&A style post where both Parth and I give our insights. Have any more burning questions about Switzerland?  We’ll gladly answer them in the comment section below.

How was your experience with Swiss people?
Parth	Mario
When I first moved to Switzerland, I felt a bit like a hatchling leaving his nest for his first big adventure. It was both exciting and intimidating at the same time. Making friends was key to surviving and maintaining my sanity. Luckily, there were other students in the same boat. However, for someone who is the infamous “Sheldon Cooper” of the group, it was quite difficult making new friends. Surprisingly enough, it didn’t take me long to bond with the locals as they quickly accepted me and my shenanigans. The Swiss in their prime seem to be far more sociable and welcoming to friendship than in other countries or those in other age groups - not sure why that is. Also, I often prefer to confide in my Swiss friends than my Canadian friends. This is mainly because when I ask them for advice they provide direct and efficient advice as is the local culture. In my experience, the Swiss and even long term expats offer a refreshingly unique perspective to my queries and problems. Suffice to say, I made many friends during my stay in Switzerland and still remain in touch with several of them. I can count on them to be there in my time of need.	“Grüezi!” The sound of Swiss German rings right to my core. My gut reaction is to connect to whoever is speaking, but at the last moment I hold my tongue. This bizarre phenomenon shows my mixed feelings towards Swiss. At my core I believe in a few Swiss ideologies. Swiss seem connected to nature and humanity. Many Swiss enjoy both nature and take care of the Swiss environment. Also, the Swiss believe in peace. War isn't a reasonable solution to any problem. In terms of national politics, it’s great that the top parties must share the executive power. Oddly enough, mingling with Swiss isn’t my cup of tea. While living in Switzerland I tried to connect to Swiss both at the various running clubs I went to and at university. However, many Swiss have a tight circle of childhood friends and few seemed interested in new friends. With the Swiss willing to talk there is often an utter disconnect. The topics and humor are rather flat. Also, Swiss reactions seem predicable, like they’ve all been programmed with the ‘Swiss Life Rules’. Finally, the Swiss wealth has placed them on pedestal and few Swiss seem open minded to the outside world. Yet there are always exceptions. Parth seemed to have quite the opposite experience. There’s also a rumor that Swiss friends are honest and loyal.

Why is the cost of living so high in Switzerland?
Parth	Mario
I really think the cost of living in Switzerland is high to discourage immigration; the Swiss have a very pretty country, and want to keep it that way. In many ways, even though I am an outsider, I agree with them and their methods. Why pollute what you already have with an influx of people, and not have anything to show in the future? If you discourage immigration - the benefits are 2-fold; keeps foreigners from taking jobs away from locals, and it also encourages tourism. This is essentially a double-win for the Swiss government as it improves the GDP by reducing the exports (keeping jobs local), and also generating income via the various sectors funded by tourism.	Did you know until the 19th century most Swiss were poor farmers? There are a few factors that led to Swiss prosperity. My father, always full of stories, was kind enough to share his historical wisdom on this topic. Along with some further research, I explain the Swiss prosperity. Being a landlocked nation with limited resources the Swiss missed the chance to lucrative colonies. However, the industrial revolution presented the train to Switzerland. In the 1850s Alfred Escher founded Credit Suisse to finance his railroad company. The railroad system also brought tourists closer to the Alps. The first tourists were Brits obsessed with Alpine peaks. In the 1890s the Norwegian sport of skiing brought even more tourists. This trio (trains, tourists, & banks) was the key that led to quality products and services. The majority of those tourists were wealthy and excepted ‘the best’. The trains and banks supported this high quality market. Shortly after in the 20th century Switzerland became the safe haven of Europe. The Swiss neutrality brought all those with treasures to hide. I presume around this point Swiss businesses took full advantage of this ‘Quality & Security’ label. After all the wealthy tend to go for the highest price tag!

If you had to recommend a place in Switzerland, where would it be?
Parth	Mario
I like the atmosphere in Montreux. The humidity of the lakeside coupled with the vivid splashes of green foliage and the plentiful flowers along the shore provide for a very picturesque and relaxing facade that hides a city filled to the brim with culture. It is a small city by any standard, but the people are very friendly and seem to encourage large social gatherings, most famously in the form of the Jazz Festival. This is something I really look forward to when visiting a new city as a tourist or to ponder on whether it is a worthy place to settle down if forced to do so in the future.	I’ve always had a deep connection with the Alps. I’d say this ‘Alp love’ is one of the few Swiss qualities I have. Actually, all my life I’ve enjoyed exploring mountains, including the Rockies (US), Pyrenees (Andorra) and Middle Atlas (Morocco). However, visiting the Swiss Alps always puts me in a heavenly bliss! I find Luzern to be the true gateway to the Alps. Stepping off the train you’re instantly greeted by a medieval city center on your left and a picturesque lake on your right with the Alps as a backdrop. You can also jump on a boat tour of the  ‘Vierwaldstättersee’. The boat tour takes you to gondola access points to visit various peaks like the Rigi and Pilatus.

Which transit system do you prefer: Swiss or Japanese?
Parth	Mario
As an outsider, the Swiss public transit system was one of the best in the world. Everything just made sense, and the system really seemed to be designed to optimize public transport and minimize travel time. This is unlike in other countries, where the transport system seems more a means of milking money from you in additional to taxes. The real standout feature of the Swiss system, apart from the automated announcer lady voice in the trains which always puts a smile on my face, is the sheer number of connections between places. You want to go from Zurich to Geneva, but want to stop of at Basel for some odd reason - No problem, there’s a train connection for you. Every train station has a teller too so you can buy tickets if you don’t speak the local language or are illiterate. The ticket machines also have an option to top off your cell phone credits - I did not know I wanted this feature until I used it! On the flip side, Japan’s transit system is more efficient, but it is less tourist-friendly. This is in part due to the language barrier, and in part the geography of Japan itself. Even with the bullet-train, it still takes over 3 hours to get from Kyoto to Tokyo, and the aforementioned extra services offered in Switzerland, are a bit more difficult to find in Japan.	Both transit systems are top notch, yet I'm going with the Japanese transit system. However, there are a few distinctions to make. There is the city transit system (ie Zurich or Tokyo) and the national transit system. For me the Tokyo metro system and bullet trains (Shinkansen) are likely in the top in the world in both convenience and in terms of time. However, the regional service (JR) and metro are fairly complicated. For me the punctuality of the Japanese system is superb (The average annual delay of the Shinkansen is under a minute). The national transit system in Switzerland is fairly convenient and easy, but city systems rely on bus/tram systems which are fairly slow.

Your most and least favorite aspects of Switzerland?
Parth	Mario
I liked the efficiency the most in Switzerland. I even picked up a few tricks to be more efficient with my time a well. For instance, I learned how to prioritize my assignments on the fly. This efficiency is apparently being noticed by those around me and they either compliment me, envy me, or drop their jaws in horror at the amount of workload I am capable of handling without going into a meltdown. The prices of basic commodities in Switzerland were my least favorite. Basic goods are very expensive such as bread or cheese or even a cab ride to the airport. However luxury goods like a high-level mountain bike are peanuts compared to other countries and this was flabbergasting. One really has to be more conscious with their money and rations here than in other countries.	Let me make this short and sweet. The Swiss Alps are truly breathtaking, which also provide the milk that's used to make delicious chocolates. Now on the sour side, I find Swiss are obsessed with rules and could be more open minded. Perhaps the wealth has blinded Swiss to the wonders of life.

Hopefully, you now know more about Switzerland. Once again, we'll be more than happy to answer any further questions!