The time of my life....five and a half years

On 26th June 2011, I got on a flight to Prague for an internship that would mark the end of an era in AIESEC- An unforgettable one at that.



Five and half long years spent in an organisation that became a part of me.

I remember that first time I was in a member's meeting at University of Nairobi when I was confused and oblivious of what I was getting into.Was it November or December of 2005? Somewhere there. I had just joined 1st year in the University.



Looking back, I can see a whole lot of memories and experiences that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

All of them will make great stories that I will want to share with my children and grand children someday!



These five and a half years have meant:

- meeting some of the most intelligent minds of my generation

- interacting with so many cultures from all over the world

- experiencing the beauty of the world in over 20 countries

- shaping of my character for the next phase of my life

- believing in something so badly that it hurts

- thinking of organisational strategy even before I knew exactly what that was

- dreaming of results and outcomes even when the worst was staring at me right in the face

- surviving a day or more with little or absolutely no money in my pockets due to one reason or another

- having to handle a million things at once and still looking for some sort of balance with the other parts of my life

- realising that not all my acquaintances are true friends and that true friends are hard to come by

- learning that mistakes are potentially everywhere; sometimes we fall but then we have to wake up quick, learn and move on

- leading a group of amazing individuals towards a goal so clear that they all share in it

- that miracles can and do happen; anything is possible!

- that beyond all the work and achievements, nothing is as important as staying true to oneself

- that beyond all the things that can occupy my time- family is still the most important gift I have

- learning something new from even the most unusual of places or the most unexpected people

- seeing the world through the eyes of other people ; seeing things anew

- living life on the edge but realising that this kind of adrenalin can sometimes be too much to bear

- forgetting the notion in my mind that my health can take care of itself

- dropping the Fiona dogmas in my mind and opening up to new ways of thinking

- that the potentiality of a dream is based on the willingness to try

- that the possibility of achieving something meant to be is always blurred by a fog of fear

- that whether something is a win or a loss is based on our very own feelings about it

- changing and flexing the mind is good as long as it is justified by new and worthwhile experiences

- having that one conversation I needed to make a difference or a turn for the better

- giving time, passion, talent and skills beyond what I thought I actually had in me

- loosing and feeling so bad about it but looking towards the future for better days

- winning and tasting achievement so clearly that I was scared if it was actually real

- sharing the most hilarious of jokes; most hilarious of moments; and laughing like never before

- crying and sharing some extremely tough moments with those close to me but still finding a silver lining in that situation

- gaining some friends that I am sure I will want to have in my life for years to come

- being proud of my continent and my country and being excited at what I can do to make a worthy contribution





Most of all, these five years have meant Growth...in all aspects possible for any human being.

For this I would like to thank:

- AIESEC in general

- AIESEC Kenya, for taking me in and for the amazing people I have worked with

- My MC teams 0809, 0910, 1011- I cherish all we were able to share

- AIESEC friends from all over the world for the conversations and experiences shared

- My team leaders or people I reported to for pushing me to do more

- My mentors/coaches for pushing me to be more

- My mentees/coachees for allowing me to share what I could

- My friends for being there in good times and tough times

..........and most of all, my family, for bearing with me throughout the entire rollercoaster ride :-)



I will forever be grateful.



Wishing the best to all of you who I will no longer get to see and I hope that our lives will cross paths again sometime!





Big love,

Fi

Faith

What is this powerful think called FAITH?

I usually say that I am going by faith with this or that. But do I really really work on Faith? It could be that the idea of something working out is too strong, it scares faith into action...but this may not necessarily mean that I am good at working on Faith.

You know when we really want something to happen.....we may be working on Faith or we may be working on fear of failing. Potentially not the same thing...but I believe both have equal power to enable the unthinkable to be possible.

Or is it that the relentless fear of failing feeds into faith?

Faith means that endearing trust/belief in something....in this context- having that endearing trust/belief that something you want to happen will happen.

The fear of failing can be a good catalyst to spearhead faith in something happening. And here I mean only in the positive happenings. Coz God knows that fear of failure can be the pull of huge negative happenings....fear of the worst can actually bring the worst into play. I actually believe this- Something to do with the Law of Attraction.

Which means...maybe fear of failure then isn't such a bad thing.

Because, look at it this way...if I have faith- I believe beyond reasonable doubt that something will work out; if I have a huge fear of failure- I believe beyond reasonable doubt that something must work out; Quite similar. The different comes in the fact that the 1st is relying more on the universe and some higher power while the 2nd one is mostly relying on own effort and actions to avoid failure at all costs.
In both situations the idea in the person's head is to have something desired happening, as such:
1. Without own control
2. With own control.

So which is better to have in situations where a good or negative outcome is bound to bring huge consequences? I say- BOTH.

You don't necessarily have to be a 'fearer' of failure but you should be able to possess that inner drive that 'fearers' usually have. And imagine topping that up with faith.....wouldn't that be awesome!
Faith and Action to go with it.

Of course if something still doesn't work out even when you employed both mindsets, then just be rest assured whatever you were seeking wasn't meant for you so please move on excitedly to the next thing upcoming for you in your life!

Surprises

Life has a funny way of creating drama for itself and making things dramatic.

Every time things are just moving steadily and calmly- something will happen to shake things up.

It seems to be life's way of rejuvenating itself and making itself worthwhile.

So be sure to be weary or ready each time things seem to just be flowing smoothly....something will shake things up and get your adrenalin running again!
Good or bad...that is overally what makes life what it is. The ups and downs. The pushes and pulls!

Such is life, isn't it?