It's high time

Funny evening. Lots of thoughts before, during and definitely after. I am sharing some of them.
Most or all of them are around the situation in Greece, for which friends from all over the world ask me a lot and has troubled me a lot these 2 months that I have been here. Not because it has surprised me, but because I want to do more than what I am already doing and trying to find different ways.

Alright, so, yes, a change needs to come. If you are reading this post, bare in mind it is not just the two of us that think the same. I can tell you the names and e-mails of at least 100,000 more people that believe the same and are actually working daily towards that. I am not exaggerating, you just choose to believe you are alone, maybe because that boosts your ego a bit more. The biggest success of the people that don't want change is that they have made the rest believe that they are just a few. Well, newsflash!! We are not and the minute we actually start behaving like that, things will definitely change.

Tiring to hear generalizations (from many Greeks) that we are a nation of lazy, corrupted, uneducated people who only want to drink ouzo and lay under the sun, that have no professionalism and business ethics. Actually, it's not tiring, it's making me mad. The stories we tell about ourselves is what in the end defines us and our destiny. Therefore, stop talking about the stupid people in and out of this country and talk about the ones that are doing good and are lifting our spirit! These are the stories that are worth my time, at least.

I ve been 2 months here and I am tired of the talks about what should be done. I am a very organized person and want to plan a lot of things in advance, but sometimes, you just need to make the first step and then maybe another half step and then maybe a step back in order to jump! Discussion is definitely necessary, but it is high time to go out and do IT. It seems everybody has a theory about where this crisis is coming from and what could be done, so I don't care about reaching to a common agreement and then start doing stuff, if you have a thought, just go and do it, you don't need a national referendum for this.

I love my job - working in Greek public higher education - and I love being close to my friends and family. I love the sun that was over Athens today and the smell of the sea, the pine trees and the souvlaki at the streets are unbeatable, because they take me back, they make me feel alive now and they make me feel excited about what will come. I am in Greece by choice and not because I could not be anywhere else....and yes, I am mentally healthy. Now, if for any reason you are not here with your whole heart, leave.

Finally, we talk about the younger generation, as if we are preparing their funeral, saying that they will not have jobs, they will be poor, they will not be educated, they will not travel etc... Seriously people??? Have you actually seen and talked to the young generation? we already assume that they will actually not do anything and live miserably! Well newsflash again! No, they are not like that, they are smarter, faster, much more connected and much more active in their communities than older generations and maybe we want to think of them as less competent, because again it makes US feel better...

Forgive the intensity in my words. It's just high time that the people that can and should take the lead and change things stop being silent. Silence is tolerance.

Goodnight.

The things I learned

Seven years ago, in the spring of 2005, I decided to go abroad to work ... for a year. After 7 years in The Netherlands and Switzerland I decided to come back to Greece and re-start my life here, the city I was born and raised, Athens. So, here it goes, these are the things I learned over these 7 years abroad, as they crystallized after a month of being back.

Career
Hard-work, luck, love for what you do and networks are the success factors for anyone, at any country, any place, any job. The willingness to get your hands dirty but still remain true to yourself and values are super important in order to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and feel proud for what you do. If you feel that you are not appreciated in an organization, leave it. If you look forward for every single weekend and Mondays feel like a torture, leave it. Even if you are in a job, solely because you have no other option, then do not prison yourself in it. Spend this time to learn, but don't lose your focus towards what really makes you happy and for God's sake, do everything that you can in order to succeed in something that you really care about!

Friends
True friends are there anytime anywhere and will not be afraid to ask you the tough questions. During the last year I lost many friends by choice and an old friend against my will. That led me to delete 200 people from my FB friends, review my lists and my communication habits and swear to myself that I will not let distance, life, change become an obstacle and an easy excuse to forgo some relationships that are important for me. I decided to devote my time to people that really mattered to me and I really mattered to them.

Love
It's not just a state of mind, an experience, a phase, it is a stand of life. In the past years, love broke me, made me feel vulnerable, dependent, crazy, sad, beautiful, unique and strong, I would not change anything. I am grateful for experiencing everything, as they came and as I, with my choices, made them be. My tip, allow people to love you, they may overcome your highest expectations!

Home
I have this theory, that people that leave their home countries is because they are running away from something. Well guess what? This "something" never goes away, it stays there and the longer you let it unsatisfied, the bigger it becomes. I chose to come back to Greece now, despite the challenging times and people ask me WHY? For the past month that I have been here, every single moment has been an affirmation for my decision, not because it is easy and perfect...but exactly because it is not. I cannot think of any other place that I would want to be right now. Being a Greek gives you a great legacy but it comes with a great responsibility and I chose that it is pay back time:-) Now, that I am needed and now that I can give 100% of myself, I am willing to take the risk and stay at home...

Money
Do not buy happiness, do not make you more outgoing, more self-confident, more beautiful (oh...maybe in some occasions:-)) or more successful. They cover some huge holes temporarily and despite the fact that they can influence your life style and your opportunities, they do not make you a better person. Love, friends, hard work, talent and your home make you! If you are one of the lucky ones, choose not to have an IPad, a MacBook, an Iphone  AND the best equipment for your hobby and donate 25 dollars to Kiva's projects or to a new cool business idea that a friend or your classmates start etc

I am in impulsive writer, that's another thing I learned:-)

Thank you for reading.

Petroula

In small things is where happiness lies

As I am sitting at my small desk in my full-of-books room, I cannot stop but think the small things that make me smile, make my heart lose a beat, make me cry from happiness.

It is the ability to call my family without worrying about the international call charges, it is my sweet dog that everyday waits for me to come home. It is my professional stamp that signals that something that I have wanted for -probably ever - is here and is real. It is the bus that I take every day to work and the steps that I walk up to, to find my self in a "tribe" I am proud to be a part of, not because it is perfect, but because I feel connected to them and our reasons for being there.

It is indeed that small details make the difference. It is a matter of perception and the way we approach things. Try and think every day as a milestone in your life, try and think about it as if your approach can change your life for ever. Do things that matter to you and be good to your soul and to others. Do not settle for a situation because it pays you well and you can afford a beautiful apartment. Fill up your heart and your soul, not your suitcase.

Find what you love, find what you are ready to stand for and make it your commitment for life; call it a job, call it your business, your project whatever... Be an enterpreneur, be a public employee, be a private employee, be a parent, I don't care. Do whatever matters to you, don't spoil your life in trivial things and organizations that don't appreciate you. Do it and do it with your heart. I promise to you, by the end of the process, your perspective on how you see the small and the big things will have changed.

Have a good night!

Petroula

Without heart

"You are the heart" a precious new friend wrote to me recently. Shock and realization strikes. It now makes sense. I thought this whole thing that I was experiencing was for someone else, but no, it was for me, as well in so many different levels that I could not even imagine on the flight, metro and train that I took on my way there. A feeling that I was fighting to keep away for some time came, blew me away and lifted me to the wind...beautiful!

"Horis kardia" (without heart in Greek) is the song in repeat right now. I am loving it, not only because it is performed by my favorite singer but it is the Greek cover of another loved song, which brings back great memories from my 2 years in Holland. I love what life reveals to me everyday. I love its challenges, the sad times, the loved ones around me, the dilemmas that I find my self that help me realize what really matters. I love to discover the power of the heart, its ability to make us see things in a whole new and different way, the way it makes us fall in love all over again with the things that were just there...close to us, next to us the whole time.

It just takes a bit of heart to listen a bit more, talk a bit less and understand each other stories, fears, vulnerable spots and real passions. A little bit more heart, a tiny piece of  that can change our everyday routine and give another meaning to the rain, our coffee and our messy room...

I don't have any other wisdom to share, I am still in that place where I am in peace with what is inside and outside of me and I am grateful for everyone and everything that has until now appeared to me and will reveal to me in the future...! A tiiiiny bit more each day...