Posts about Courage

Flotsam: When life is in a shambles.

TED Talk. Monica Lewinsky: The price of shame

23.02.2015

In her early twenties, she made the mistake of falling in love with her boss almost three decades her senior. When the public got wind of the affair, Monica Lewinsky was hurtled through the epicentre of a merciless international media maelstrom exerted by print, radio and TV and furthermore became one of the first victims of online public shaming. „In 1998, I was Patient Zero of losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously… Public humiliation was excruciating, life became unbearable.“

In her talk, Monica speaks about our „culture of humiliation“. That cyber-bullying leads to cruelty to others, and that online it is amplified and remains accessible forever. „They anonymously stab you with their words. The more shame, the more clicks. The more clicks, the more advertising dollars.“ Other victims have been humiliated to death.

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Toastmasters: Learning to speak in public.

Confident public speaking: Toastmasters International

20.11.2014

Heartbeat accelerating. Knees wobbly. Palms sweaty. Hands shaky. You are standing in front of your audience ready to deliver your talk. Ready? Of course you’re not ready! You are panic-stricken! You know that your trembling voice will give you away. You are afraid of failure and of exposing yourself to ridicule. You are dead-tired after a merciless night of restless tossing and turning resulting in your worst-ever bad-hair day. Your urge to escape is virtually untamable.

The fears of speaking in public (Glossophobia) are manifold. Fact is, that they won’t go away by allowing them to thrive. Yet, there’s remedy for the brave: Building up one’s confidence by adopting the proper techniques and by honing one’s communication, speaking and presentation skills, does work wonders! Good to know that even the best of speakers were once terrified novices who eventually succeeded in pacifying their jittery nervous system.

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Blazing colours against the light: The Hot Air Ballon World Championship 2014 in Brazil.

Brazil. From Soccer to Ballooning

14.08.2014

An entire state was thoroughly infested by the futbol bug inexorably crawling into every nook and cranny of the exotic South American nation between June 10th and July 13th, 2014 – albeit accompanied by the countrywide controversy as to more reasonable ways for the government to spend its financial resources. In the end, 16,7 million passengers had arrived at 21 airports to reach twelve seething arenas, in order to witness countless matches of varying excitement fought by eager international teams. Even Lord Jesus in his capacity as a much-revered monument in stone rising high into the Rio de Janeiro skies, was humorously kicked to life by digital camera tricks, enabling him to playfully propel an occasional footie during the World Soccer Championship in Brazil this summer. Televised globally, the games verifiably turned into a huge success.

Another sports event later in July – on a more moderate scale but by no means less impressive – was the colourful 21. FAI World Hot Air Balloon Championship 2014, carried out in the Federal State of Sao Paulo – and for the first time on South American soil. Yudai Fujita from Japan became the celebrated aerial victor.

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A creative solution: a red stretch Trabi in Berlin.

TED Talk. Elizabeth Gilbert: Success, failure and the drive to keep creating

29.04.2014

Shaking off old burdens

Breaking free from the stereotypes reigning a life in a stalemate requires a vast amount of courage. Whatever is out of balance, is often easier endured in a state of paralysis. Elizabeth Gilbert – the writer – went for the first option and travelled the world for an entire year to escape from a life that wasn’t hers any longer. In Italy, she indulged in good food and fully enjoyed „la dolce vita“, found her spirituality in India and a new love in Bali. Her memoir „Eat, Pray, Love“ remained on the NY Times Best Seller list for sensational 187 weeks; Julia Roberts starred in the book’s film version. Elizabeth Gilbert delivers a brilliant talk, eloquently describing how she tackled the effects of failure – and of success! The two are not as easily distinguished „by the hinterland of our psyche“ as one might think, she says. Her urgent message is: never give up on your creativity!

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The Nelson Mandela Museum in Howick: Freedom is a basic human right.

South Africa: The ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ has ended

7.12.2013

Nelson Mandela is dead

August 05, 1962 in KwaZulu Natal: Coming from Groutville in the Midlands Meander, an Austin Westminster was rolling along the R103 country road, chauffeured by Nelson Mandela, who acted as a driver in disguise for his comrade Cecil Williams. They were heading back from a visit they had just paid to Albert Luthuli, then president of the African National Congress ANC. Near Howick, the car was stopped by armed police and Mandela captured. 27 long years of incarceration followed, 18 of which Mandela served at the high-security jail on Robben Island off Cape Town’s coast.

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