The Dream Share Project

I have been so lazy lately that I didn’t take the time to share these beautiful things I have seen, listened and learned. Before taking you into my journey at Tedx Youth, I would like to embark you on a trip with the Dream Share Project.

 “The Dream Share Project is an inspirational documentary that follows Chip Hiden and Alexis Irvin, two recent college graduates, on a road trip across America, as they explore how successful people have chased their dreams.” This is what you can read on the website of the project and I want to add that this is a trip to be inspired and inspire others.

Chip and Alexis spent weeks on the road because they found out that their jobs didn’t make them happy. Although their parents did not understand their decision, these two young people got into a car and travelled across America to interview people that took the risk to be happy. I have learned a lot during that evening and as usual I will share everything I found interesting with you.

An important thing to remember is that everybody needs a dream. Think about it, “If you don’t have a dream, you have no hope. Dream makes the difference between one that exists and one that lives. You need a dream.” But you don’t need any dream. You need something that is yours, which will make you happy. So don’t let anyone decide your dreams.

Sometimes we want to follow a path that is not in accordance with what our relatives especially parents want for us. And there is this little sentence that you may hear “You need to grow up.” I believe this is mostly what artists hear. For incomprehensible reasons, people think you can dream of being an artist when you are younger but growing up, you need to have “realistic” projects. Let me tell you then that “growing up doesn’t mean leaving your dreams.” On the contrary, you need to live them.

Support may not come from your relatives but it can come from anyone so don’t be afraid to share your dreams. If you don’t talk about your aspirations, you will never know that the person right next to you is also dreaming of building a better world. And for those who do not understand you, maybe they just need some proofs. So before presenting your ideas, try to answer any question they may bring up to the table.

We fear to pursue our dreams because we think they are unrealistic and we favor security. 

However we can’t conquer fear by sitting at home and thinking about it. If you are not feeling anxious it is almost certain that you are not doing something you are passionate about. Fear is normal but the only way to overcome it is by acting. We should overcome the syndrome of assessment which is the paralysis of overthinking, too much analyzing instead of making the right move. The biggest risk is not doing anything. According to the Dream Share Project subjects, the recipe of success is risk taking + passion + hard work.

If you value security more than adventure, you will say that you don’t have enough money to pursue your dreams.  According to these two adventurers, who have slept in tents and ate precooked food for many weeks, there are only two ways for funding our dreams. Lower your expenses or increase your income.  We need to prioritize between the needs and the wants.

People spend more time thinking about their majors, careers instead of defining their values. 

Do whatever it takes to find your passion. If you have a dream, follow it now. Do it as quickly as possible. “The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers but most of all, the world needs dreamers who do”. Make yourself happy. Life happens and if you don’t take the opportunity to pursue your dreams now, life will happen to you.

The presentation was followed by a workshop during which we were encouraged to speak about our dreams and what prevent us from actually pursuing them. So I want to ask you, what would you like to achieve before dying? And why don’t you pursue it? 

Get out of your own way !

When it comes to school, I have always been among the top students. However, when it comes to public speaking or engaging a conversation with strangers, I am not that enthusiastic. I love talking but only with the people I am familiar with. And this has never been an issue until I came to the United States of America where networking is one of the success’s keys. I can’t write about the importance of taking risk and trying something new while I am myself confined in my comfort zone. I created this blog to see new horizons and share it with others. Therefore today I would like to share what I am using now to overcome some of the barriers we create for ourselves.

My accent had always been a limitation for me because I thought “what if people laugh at me?” What if they don’t understand what I am saying and they end up ignoring me? This is exactly what happens when we are facing new challenges. We care so much about the way others are going to react that we start creating our own barriers. We do not allow ourselves to get out of our comfort zone because we fear what’s on the other side of the wall. When I took the personal decision of not letting my accent be an obstacle to my blossoming, I started to open myself to new experiences. Here are two important things that I think about when I see reluctance coming on my way.

1-     You only live once

This one has to be taken with precautions. The fact that we have only one life should not allow us to do crazy things that we may end up regretting. I am only saying that when you really want to do something, then why stopping yourself from acting? It’s not like you will have a chance to do it again in another life. Your life is in your hands and you have to use it efficiently to get the best of it. Stop thinking about the possibility of failing and maximize your positive thoughts. Muhammad Ali once said that “The only limitations one has are the ones they place on themselves.” So why don’t we free ourselves from these limitations and enjoy (reasonably) our one and only life?  

2-     What is the worst thing that can happen if you try?

I really appreciated my class of philosophy 1010 at the International University of Grand Bassam. The professor was not lecturing us about boring theories of life. He was rather engaging us in conversations that could captivate our attention. Dr King said for example that in order to get over a heartbreak we should ask ourselves what is the worst thing that can happen to us if the boyfriend or the girlfriend does not come back. Are we going to die for that? By trying to answer this question, we should normally understand that we can overcome the pain. This, is the reasoning I use to try new things. - And for me new things include the smallest stuff like greeting a stranger in the elevator… –

I also remember one of my friend I appreciate because she will rarely tell me what I want to hear but what I need to. One day before a class presentation, I told her on Facebook how stressed I was about doing it. She asked me “Are they going to eat you?” Of course the answer was no so she asked me “so what?” It was so simple to demolish all these bad thoughts I had because I instantly realized that I did not have to be scared of my classmates’ reactions. The stress, the fear is normal as long as it does not paralyze us and therefore prevent us from doing what we need to do.  I am using this example to actually show you that no matter what we want to achieve we will never know the ending unless we try. What is the worst thing that can happen then? Every experience is valuable because we may reach our objective or get a lesson to improve our skills.

  

On the contrary of what I thought, no one ever mocked me because of my accent. They just ask me to repeat when they don’t understand what I am saying and that’s just what I do. If you end up not doing something because you worried about failure then you have already failed by resignation. “The world is full of people who are really smart but they hold themselves back.” You only live once so get out of your own way and allow yourself to live your dreams. Please enjoy this illustration of optimism by Jason Njoku the founder of IrokoTv.

Lessons from Aleph

As I recently said to one of my friend, depending on the moment of your life you are reading a book, you can be led to different appreciations. In facts, what you have experienced and/or are currently experiencing can affect the way you read, like and understand a book. This is what I discovered when I read for the second time Aleph by Paulo Coelho. The first time I read this novel, I was quickly annoyed by the story and could not end it. Although I would not classify it as one of my favorite books, after reading it twice, I have learned great lessons that I would like to share with you.

1-     We are what we wish to be

For me, the best illustration for this context is the example of the relationship between children and parents. Some kids are willing to foregone or even abandon their dreams to choose the career their parents want them to pursue.  As a result, a lot of people end up doing a job they hate and make them feel sad. Finally they will always complain about the choice their parents “forced” them to make. Paulo Coelho said “we are not the person other people wish we were. We are who we decide to be. It’s always easy to blame others. You can spend your entire life blaming the world but your successes or failures are entirely your own responsibility“.

2-     Take risk and do what you desire

People are always going to carp whatever you do. Even the greatest messengers, Muhammad, Jesus, and Moises (Peace be upon them) did not make unanimity so it’s clear that you won’t please to everyone. You are a human and it’s obvious that you may fail in your experiences but you need to learn this advice of Coelho. “Don’t be intimidated by other people’s opinions. Only mediocrity is sure of itself, so take risks and do what you really want to do. Seek out people who aren’t afraid of making mistakes and who, therefore, do make mistakes. Because of that, their work often isn’t recognized, but they are precisely the kind of people who change the world and, after many mistakes do something that will transform their own community completely.”

3-     Visit your soul instead of visiting your past

For many people it is difficult to go beyond the errors of the past. We tend to be stuck in what we should or could have done to change our present. We need to know that we can’t go in the past to change what happened. This is actually what I always say when a friend of mine is moping because of bad grades. The most important is what you can do now to improve your situation. The writer said “it takes a huge effort to free yourself from memory, but when you succeed, you start to realize that you’re capable of far more than you imagined. Visit your soul, don’t visit your past.”

4-     To live is to experience things

In Aleph which by the way is defined by the point where everything, the whole universe in contained, the narrator has spent years learning his environment, theories about life, spirituality. At a specific point of his life, he felt like he was engaged in a routine and started having doubt about the path he was following. His master J. convinced him to experience something new. Aleph is therefore a trip for Paulo Coelho to discover himself. This journey led him to travel with the Trans-Siberian from the first station to the end of the railway. Like the first time I read it, many people will find this book annoying or difficult to understand especially in the beginning. But if there is only one thing that must be grabbed from this reading, it is that “to live is to experience things, not sit around pondering the meaning of life.”

French Version

Start shining now !

In 4 days we will start 2015. For a lot of people, it’s time to make resolutions (rarely to take actions) and to think about everything that went wrong this year. Only few people will be thankful for all the good things that have happened to them during this year (but this is not the purpose of this article). Some will make a list of everything they want to achieve during the New Year. I understand that sometimes we need a chronological reference. We need a specific point in time that helps us to measure or better evaluate our progress. However do we really need a special day to start becoming the star we were born to be?

I would like to achieve this and that from January 1^st. Who even told you that you will make up to this New Year? The message is about making a change today. It is not just addressed to you but also to myself. Generally when I want to leave a bad habit, I wait for Monday, or the first day of a month. I don’t know where this comes from but I would really like to change it. I am probably not the only one doing this and maybe on the other side of the screen some people also need motivations. What if I start now? What is the worst thing that can happen if I start shining today?

The right day, the best moment is only an excuse like another one that we use to postpone our light. Sometimes we are so afraid of taking the first step that will lead us to success that we create a bunch of reasons why we should wait. Instead of thinking about all the good reasons why we should work toward success, we rather stop ourselves with our bad excuses. Tyrese Gibson said in How To Get Out Your Own Way that life is a menu. Whoever and whatever you order for your life is what’s going to be delivered to the table.

Today I think that we should all ask ourselves what we want at our table. What is our goal? I am not talking about the purpose of this year. Although it is important to establish short and long-term goals, the most important is to know what drives us each time we wake up? What is our purpose in life? 

We are responsible for where we are in our lives. We are responsible of finding and achieving our goal. It is not enough to say I will start doing this next year. When we talk about purpose, think about this seven words:

Passion: what you daydream about

Understanding: use a pen and a paper and describe exactly what you want to do

Relationships: who are you willing to speak to, out of your comfort zone?

Persistence: no matter what happen you should continue working toward your dream

Obstacles: you will always have obstacles

Sacrifice: you have to trade what matter the least for what you value the most

Endurance: you will have to sweat in order to arrive to the end of marathon's success

Stop making excuses, find a way and start taking actions to achieve your purpose. Stop waiting for every New Year and START SHINING NOW.

I definitely invite you to watch this ted by Luke Wright.

United States Is Not a Panacea

When I went back in Ivory Coast during winter break, the brother of a friend asked me “Do you think it will be good for anyone to go in U.S in order to get a better life?” He was not talking about someone coming here to study, but actually a person looking for a better job, more money. Ironically, this includes doing some works he or she is not willing to do in his/her home country.

I answered that some poor people in Africa live better than some Americans in United States. Talking about that, I was referring to homeless people. Indeed, it is every day that I see someone living in the street and having a caddy (or just nothing) as all their belongings. We tend to think that these people are junkies, alcoholics…that they deserve what’s happening to them. But the truth is that every story is different and that nobody choose to live in the street. I recently discovered The Homeless GoPro Project. This set of videos aims to create more empathy in the world. The initiators’ goal is to dispel myths and build understanding through firsthand perspective.

For my brothers and sisters in Africa, I also want them to understand something else. United States is the country of dreams, possibilities…I can't deny it but America and Europe do not resolve everything. Living in U.S does not always go along with being rich or happy.  

A lot of people are looking for an Eldorado, not only Africans but everyone thinking that grass is greener on the other side. However, we need to understand that going elsewhere does not guarantee a better life. There is a chance that you succeed in your venture but there is also much more chance that you would have been better off trying to improve your life in your home country.

There are a lot of opportunities (I will soon start to share them) in Ivory Coast for the people eager to do something. Maybe they don’t know how to start or they just haven’t understand yet how great they can be. Today I am in U.S because I had the chance to study abroad. But I can’t tell you how much I want to go back in my country to make a change. I have started to understand that it is not always about the place you live but more about what you want to do and how much you actually want it.

Five advices from a Queen of Marketing

I had the privilege on November 7^th 2014 to assist at the inaugural event of a new undergraduate program designed for women in business. Robinson College of Business introduced us to Women Lead, Paving the Way for Women to Lead. We had the pleasure to see three incredible women answering to the questions of the students interesting in being the Leaders of tomorrow. I want to share with you five points from one of the panelist who was also the keynote speaker of the event.

Katie Bayne is Senior Vice President at Global Sparkling Brands, The Coca-Cola Company. After joining the company in 1989 she got an incredible career leading her to be the President of Coca Cola, North America Brands.  She talked about how anyone especially a woman can succeed in business but also in the personal life.

1-      Be honest with yourself

According to Katie Bayne we need to know what we really want and follow that path. She was a psychology major but she knew she wanted to be in marketing and then she engaged in that direction. We should never be afraid of taking a new challenge. She remember what one of her supervisor asked her once “I know you have the ability but do you have the ambition?” This is the kind of question we should all ask ourselves.

2-      Understand social norms…but do not let them limit you

As a part of a society, sharing a specific culture, we need to comply with some rules. However we should never being stop in our dreams, objectives because of what the society qualify as normal. As women, we can also be leader but more important we can bring our own personality in the business world. 

3-      Accept your failures…learn from them

Katie Bayne made a reference to one idea she tried to implement with her marketing team. It was a complete disaster because she did not take into consideration what was really valuable to her consumers. She learned that she needed to keep things simple. In life, we are always going to meet failure but the most important is to learn how to improve ourselves.

4-      If you want balance…create balance for your life

I have to admit that during her speech, I was wondering if she had a family life. She travels a lot for her job and I was asking myself how she manages to have personal time. She answered to that question by saying that we need to truly dedicate ourselves to everything we love. She established priorities in her life. When she is at work, she is there at 100 % but when it is time for personal leisure she is also at 100%. In order to create balance in our life, we need mentorships both in our career and personal life. She had the chance to have supportive friends and a comprehensive husband. She knows she can counts on her team work but also on her relatives. 

5-      Get to know your people

At work, this implies that you should know your team, system, customers and consumers. The same thing applies in every aspect of our lives; if you want to give a valuable product to the consumers, you need to know what they consider as important. In our daily lives we also need to understand our family, friends, the people around us. The way we act with people depends on what we know about them. 

At the end of this journey, we need to keep in mind that we are responsible for where we are in our lives. It is our duty to work hard in order to accomplish our dreams.