Win-win diplomacy

Old people have something intriguing about them. It is as if every wrinkle has a story that formed it, and every hair a life experience that coloured it grey. Most of the times, I simply admire the history they embody, while imagining what their lives must have been like and which mesmerising stories they carry with them. Sometimes, though, I seek engagement, to learn about their lives, to listen to their memories, and to share some happiness. After all, a lesson learnt now might save you the trouble of missing the mark when you get to face it later on.

That's how I ended up having lunch with UNDP Ecuador's outgoing Resident Coordinator and Country Director, whose retirement (not to be mistaken with idle leasure time) awaits him in but a few months time at his beach-front house in Panama. A lifetime of experience within the UN system made for some good conversation and useful career tips, which I'm happy to share here.

Source: Oxford Leadership Academy

As for your career, whichever direction it may take, the above image pretty much sums it up. Find something that you are passionate about, that you love doing. Make sure you do it well enough so that people are willing to pay for it. If, on top of that, this something of yours happens to be something people need, then you've got yourself a dream ticket. Things rarely come that easy, though. Therefore, plan ahead: start thinking now about the spot in which you'd like to see yourself working in say 5, 10 or 20 years; check out job vacancies that match that very profile to see which road to take to gather the required experience and skills; and watch your own back: no one will take care of your career but yourself, no matter how lofty, noble and high-spirited the organisation you work for presents itself to be.

When asked about his rule of thumb for multilateral diplomatic settings, he was very affirmative: make sure that your actions offer a win-win solution for all parties involved. You won't make nor keep any friends by getting what you want at their expense or by critising without offering alternative solutions. In a world of connections, networks of success are built through win-win diplomacy. Thus, think twice before saying or acting, strike the right balance between content and form, and always make sure to have a trump card to put on the table.

A last piece of advice from this social media savvy, TED-talks aficionado: always save some part of your earnings for whatever unexpected calamity may hit your path, or for a tranquil retirement. Not that he will rest on his laurels, of course: consultancies and teaching will fill up much of the years to come, to pay the bills and take care of his family. After all, that's how he had envisaged his 80th birthday (still some time away, though): surrounded by his family and friends.

Small thoughts that made me a happier person

A few weeks ago, I attended a Red Cross information session in a buddhist temple near Antwerp. It was the first time I'd been there, so I was paying close attention to our host's tour of the site. We ended in the praying/meditation hall for a last few words on what buddhism now actually entails and how people practise it. As I've had an interest in this life philosophy for quite a while, but never really gotten into the matter, I was curious to learn about the basics. One of the 'attitudes' to put into practice in your daily life, has struck me in particular, so here's me sharing this valuable insight with you!

One should not hold any grudge against anyone else for matters they are not responsible for. Or, put differently, before blaming a stranger for something, think again about why it is that you're cross with that person. You'll find that in most cases, there's no reason to feel angry with that person.

Pick your favourite one

At least, that's what I've experienced ever since. Long-legged as I am, I often felt bothered by streets or paths filled with slower walking people. But, then I realised, they're not blocking my way on purpose, they can't see me rushing from behind, so I can't blame them for not being able to see me. The same goes for getting mad at train personnel for a train that arrives late - they can't help it that there's a red sign in front of the train, they're just there to make sure you arrive safely at your destination. That's what you did, so be happy! And let's be honest, it certainly happens once in a while that I'm that slow walking person in your path, and I know, as a matter of fact, that it wasn't my intention to block your path!

If I then try to analyse why it is that I feel angry or upset, then I usually discover it's because I just couldn't bother leaving a bit earlier to make sure that I have sufficient time to make it to my destination; or that I am still dealing with some work issues completely unrelated to the person I was feeling upset about. Realising all this, has helped me tremendously in feeling happier in my everyday life. I feel a lot calmer and I have a more positive attitude towards the outside world. People feel this kind of energy. In fact, if more people would think this way, it'd be a lot nicer out there!

To complete this post to happiness, I leave you with another buddhist attitude I just recently discovered, but which I know will help me tons in being happier with life as it comes my way. If you can in any way contribute to the solution of a problem you're facing, then do so in every possible way you can; if not, then don't worry about it, because it is out of your control!

Export your contacts

The Dutch were not the only ones to loose during last year's World Cup finale. I was one among many others who had received some tech-loving visitors in my house while I was watching Spanish history being written on one of the many outdoors screens. It was a memorable day, indeed!

Iniesta FTW!

In spite of hustling down all the main black markets in Lima (in case you were wondering - La Cachina and Polvos Azules), looking for my little black MacBook, I didn't get closer than finding someone who had been offered the little black magic the very same day it had been stolen.

Apple-users among you will know that it was more out of personal affection that I wanted my MacBook back (and the small fortune that it had cost), rather than for the data lost. Thanks to Time Machine my new MacBook (not so new, but shht!) looked exactly the same as my old one, and this includes Safari's bookmarks, history and whatever else you may have forgotten to back up otherwise. Except for… Address Book.

As I came to learn, Time Machine does not automatically back up your contacts, you have export your contact database [file > export > address book archive] for you to have a file that can be back-uped. That is, if you don't want to manually input all the contacts you previously had stored in your Address Book.

Unfortunately, there is no option to export your archive to another format other than .abbu (only readable by Address Book). There had to be a solution, I reckoned, and one was found: Address Book Exporter. It allows you to export your whole archive, or parts of it, to a .txt file, which can then be easily copy-pasted into Numbers/Excel, turning your contacts' info into more manageable data. You're welcome!

(Ctrl/Cmd+F)reedom!

This fascinating piece in The Atlantic came to my attention via the wonderful world of interlinkage between blogs. As it has the statistical potential of benefiting nine out of ten of this blog's readers (if there were so many, that is), here's your recipe for freeing up your internet searches.

90 percent of people in their studies don't know how to use CTRL/Command + F to find a word in a document or web page! I probably use that trick 20 times per day and yet the vast majority of people don't use it at all. "90 percent of the US Internet population does not know that. This is on a sample size of thousands," Russell [someone at Google who gets paid to look at people - I believe they call that 'anthropology'] said. "I do these field studies and I can't tell you how many hours I've sat in somebody's house as they've read through a long document trying to find the result they're looking for. At the end I'll say to them, 'Let me show one little trick here,' and very often people will say, 'I can't believe I've been wasting my life!'"

While I'm at it, I might as well share xkcd's golden security tip: stop inventing ludicrous passwords, just go for something long and keep it simple!