Hi Global Family
In the true and trustest tradition of my regular updates, here is my latest one, albeit this time not from the most beautiful place in the world the southernmost tip of Africa Cape Town, but a place most determinedly in the top 10: Bethlehem Pennsylvania...
CAREER: As you by now know, I quit my job, missed out on a bumper bonus and threw away a promising corporate career with a listed company... And you know what? Best decision I ever made! Coming back to the Global Village was like chicken soup for my soul, being a guide is awesome in so many different ways than being a Villager - I have learned a tremendous amount this summer, but among other things the following are clear to me:
1. I want to keep on being significant to others. It feels good to help facilitate real and positive change in people's lives. To that end I hope to come back next year to the Village and present some 7 Habits courses.
2. I will write and publish a book before the end of 2008. Right now the subject matter is the daredevil adentures of a South African writer pursued by international terrorists across Central America, but it's a work in progress...
3. You never ever HAVE TO work in an environment that slays your soul. Get out, you can go do what you're good at somewhere else where your talents are nurtured and given room to develop. You should get up every morning and want to go to the office... that's the key! To that end I will look for alternative business opportunities the day I go back to South Africa... eventually!
GLOBAL VILLAGE: Different. Amazing. To the Villagers it was very similiar than to our year - they did not do toga parties but they had cocktail parties, they did not go cruising in New York but they did go cruising in Baltimore - some hated their projects, some loved them, people fell asleep during speeches in Washington DC, there were several couples, some outsiders, some guys who alwas hogged the attention. There were good looking guys and beautiful women, awesome dancers, and lots of love in the room come the closing dinner. Tears on demand every hour on the hour on Saturday when everyone left...
People will ask me - so how does this Village compare to our Village? Well the answer is it doesn't. To me, to us, our Village will always be the only place where we had that amazing connection to a part of ourselves that we did not know was there, and can never be repeated. But for this year's Villagers - well they were, as all the Villages, priviliged to have that same experience. And it was beautiful to watch, and to be a part of it - as a guide and mentor, so always a little on the outside - but still amazing.
FRIENDSHIP: I was priviliged to work in an amazing guide team guys. Rosaria was here as well as Mary Frances, Lesley, Joan, Kelly and Beth - not to forget the big Kahuna Dick Brandt. But added to that I had the amazing time of making amazing new friends in the guide team, and that is something that will be with me always. We were four international guides, and I can safely say that Fico, Nancy and myself built frienships that will last a lifetime. What a blessing!
LOVE: The rule for guides is that keep it tidy - no relations with the interns, no relations with the staff. This, as you might imagine, in the context of a Village that keeps one completely immersed for 7 weeks with guide training, keeps an energetic lad like myself fairly frustrated. But the Village is over, and that means for all intents and purposes I'm back in the game. So nothing to report on this front currently sports fans, but keep tabs on my movements down to Mexico...
THE LIST: As you folks might know, I've been keeping a to-do list for the past three years. I've now ticked off 10 things on this list since then, leaving 31 to go. Benchmarks over the last year have been:
1. Quit my job
2. Go back to Global Village
3. See Bon Jovi Live in Concert
Over the next four months, I will also hit:
4. Learn Spanish in Mexico5. Backpack through South America
If you're interested to keep tabs on whatever the hell I get up to, please visit my blog http://www.coveyfan.blogspot.com/. You'll laugh - you'll cry.
Take it easy true believers - and have fun on the cruise, those of you that are going!
Pieter
In the true and trustest tradition of my regular updates, here is my latest one, albeit this time not from the most beautiful place in the world the southernmost tip of Africa Cape Town, but a place most determinedly in the top 10: Bethlehem Pennsylvania...
CAREER: As you by now know, I quit my job, missed out on a bumper bonus and threw away a promising corporate career with a listed company... And you know what? Best decision I ever made! Coming back to the Global Village was like chicken soup for my soul, being a guide is awesome in so many different ways than being a Villager - I have learned a tremendous amount this summer, but among other things the following are clear to me:
1. I want to keep on being significant to others. It feels good to help facilitate real and positive change in people's lives. To that end I hope to come back next year to the Village and present some 7 Habits courses.
2. I will write and publish a book before the end of 2008. Right now the subject matter is the daredevil adentures of a South African writer pursued by international terrorists across Central America, but it's a work in progress...
3. You never ever HAVE TO work in an environment that slays your soul. Get out, you can go do what you're good at somewhere else where your talents are nurtured and given room to develop. You should get up every morning and want to go to the office... that's the key! To that end I will look for alternative business opportunities the day I go back to South Africa... eventually!
GLOBAL VILLAGE: Different. Amazing. To the Villagers it was very similiar than to our year - they did not do toga parties but they had cocktail parties, they did not go cruising in New York but they did go cruising in Baltimore - some hated their projects, some loved them, people fell asleep during speeches in Washington DC, there were several couples, some outsiders, some guys who alwas hogged the attention. There were good looking guys and beautiful women, awesome dancers, and lots of love in the room come the closing dinner. Tears on demand every hour on the hour on Saturday when everyone left...
People will ask me - so how does this Village compare to our Village? Well the answer is it doesn't. To me, to us, our Village will always be the only place where we had that amazing connection to a part of ourselves that we did not know was there, and can never be repeated. But for this year's Villagers - well they were, as all the Villages, priviliged to have that same experience. And it was beautiful to watch, and to be a part of it - as a guide and mentor, so always a little on the outside - but still amazing.
FRIENDSHIP: I was priviliged to work in an amazing guide team guys. Rosaria was here as well as Mary Frances, Lesley, Joan, Kelly and Beth - not to forget the big Kahuna Dick Brandt. But added to that I had the amazing time of making amazing new friends in the guide team, and that is something that will be with me always. We were four international guides, and I can safely say that Fico, Nancy and myself built frienships that will last a lifetime. What a blessing!
LOVE: The rule for guides is that keep it tidy - no relations with the interns, no relations with the staff. This, as you might imagine, in the context of a Village that keeps one completely immersed for 7 weeks with guide training, keeps an energetic lad like myself fairly frustrated. But the Village is over, and that means for all intents and purposes I'm back in the game. So nothing to report on this front currently sports fans, but keep tabs on my movements down to Mexico...
THE LIST: As you folks might know, I've been keeping a to-do list for the past three years. I've now ticked off 10 things on this list since then, leaving 31 to go. Benchmarks over the last year have been:
1. Quit my job
2. Go back to Global Village
3. See Bon Jovi Live in Concert
Over the next four months, I will also hit:
4. Learn Spanish in Mexico5. Backpack through South America
If you're interested to keep tabs on whatever the hell I get up to, please visit my blog http://www.coveyfan.blogspot.com/. You'll laugh - you'll cry.
Take it easy true believers - and have fun on the cruise, those of you that are going!
Pieter
posted by Pieter G at 10:00 PM
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