2 - 2012: Year of making choices

Last year (2011) I decided to celebrate New Years Eve in Egypt. I knew that celebrating this event in Egypt will be very different from what I experienced in past years. Looking at my life from perspective of celebrating New Years Eve I lived really expectable life full of huge and fancy parties with fireworks continueing till morning. BUT I loved it and everytime when somebody said "Why I should celebrate this evening just because everybody is celebrating it?" I didnt get it. I was always just thinking why somebody wouldnt want to have fun and go for amazing party. Especially when you know that all the clubs are really putting effort into making those parties awesome. And I can honestly say every New Years Eve I experienced was amazing and I never felt I am doing something because everyone else is doing so.

New Years Eve in Egypt was different. We went to mosque at midnight and then continued with dinner but still we agreed on going to city centre for party and have fun dancing with friends. During all these time in mosque and dinner I was feeling very pressured. Pressured that I dont celebrate New Years Eve as most of the people. But I realized I am not pressured by other people but I am pressured by myself and the way I used to live during this day. I felt something different and I was pushing so much to go for the party after dinner and really have huge celebration. Funny thing happened because after dinner the only thing I wanted to do is go to the flat and reflect about my last year and my new year resolutions. :-D

So I went to the flat, knowing I am not going to do what I would expect from myslef and I still felt happy about it. And this was the moment when I realized what 2012 will mean for me. 2012 will be the year when many things I had in my life will need to change, many things I used to do will not exist anymore and I will have to make choices where to move on. When you are 25 and you are going to make choice which country you want to live in, should I start my company or work somewhere first, should I sacrifice some choices because of the relationship I have, is it something which will last, should I then get married....and many others which make you feel like in movie Butterfly effect where every decision you make is changing whole your life.

I started year 2012 with choice of celebrating it differently then I used to in past years. It was small decision and maybe very unimportant but somehow it showed me that what I really want this year is not to look what others do, not to look how everythinga round me was defined by others people experiences or my own experiencies in the past....I want to make choices which will be based on what I really want and believe in and I dont want to be judged by anyone for that especially by myself...

1 - Parental Leadership

Who would say that one of the amazing moments will happen while eating in Burger King waiting for a train home. As usually I just bought a menu a sit down hoping the time will fly and I will be finally on my road back home after month of travelling. But my attention was caught by young afroamerican father with his very cute daughter. This small girl could have been around 3-4 years old.

As any other guest in Burger King they ordered their meal and they sat down to the table next to me. Suddenly the father realized they forgot to buy a ketchup. He took 50 cent coin and gave it to his girl and told her to go to buy it. Girl stood up and walked towards the counter. In the middle of the road (which was around 3 meters) girl stopped and looked back at her father. "One ketchup?". Father smiled. Apperentaly he knew that she is scared to go and apperentaly he was not sending her there because he is lazy. He nodded and said: "Yes, just go and say one ketchup. It will be okey." Small girl nodded and turned back towards the counter ready to make few more steps towards this amazing journey of hers. She did one step and turned to her father again. "Ketchup, right?" It was so visible how she is trying to get out of it. But her father was not giving up. "Yes, just one ketchup. Dont worry it will be fine." She looked to the counter then back to her father, back to counter and then finally to her father saying "I dont think I can do it". The father started to stand up, wanting to help his daugher when out of nowhere there was a waitress coming to the girl.

Apparentaly she was watching all the scene from behind. She came to the girl, took her hand and asked "So you want one ketchup? Come with me." The second young father saw this he took his seat again just watching his daughter. Small girl went with the waitress and finally reached the counter. There the waitress brought the ketchup. Small girl was still so scared she didnt know what to do. Waitress told her "I will need this" pointing at the 50 cents in the small hand. Waitress took it, put the ketchup on the counter and said: "Thank you very much, here is your ketchup!"

Small girl was so shocked she did it she was just turning back to her father with open mouth and amazed face which even without any words said I did it. She was so shocked that she even forgot to take ketchup with her so waitress had to come to her and gave it to her. Small girl was coming back to the table and her father as she just had won the championship. Whole scene was just amazing. But the sentence which was the best was coming when she sat down to her father. He said: "Very good job. Just next time dont forget to say Thank you."

I was amazed. That moment I just wished I could be such a good parent in the future and I realized that leadership is not only something what we see in TV or in newspapers but it is something what we can see everyday.