The Future, Happiness and Other Things

April 19, 2012 by Leda Karabela - Leave your comment

Reading the latest study coming out of the Columbia Earth Institute and Professor Jeffrey Sachs’ latest article in World Happiness, I could not help but think of what this peculiar concept really means  – and how personal circumstances and life’s ups and downs shape our angle and kaleidoscope.

While a member of my family has been hit hard by fate (is there really something called fate?) I will not make this personal. Instead, I want to focus on the opportunity we each choose to grasp or ignore when something bad happens. Hardships serve their purpose; while they are painful and occasionally gravely deep, the desire to overcome has an amazing healing and reconstructive power.

In Ancient Greece, Aristotle in Ethics argued that happiness was the only good that was “good in itself.” If we ask why health matters, we can give reasons: people feel bad when they are sick. Similarly people feel bad when they are not free. And so on. But if we ask, “Why does it matter if people feel good or bad?” we often end up with the proposition that people’s feelings – their happiness – is the ultimate standard for judging the importance of health or some other objective.

And while the individual hero in all of us takes over, some heroes lead tribes, collectives and whole nations into rising and weathering the storm. Sometimes, all you need is sheer influencing power but more than often you need inspiration, hope and a sense of community.

“What are you going to do to create the future?”

And what you choose to do will lead to that future – shaped by you and your hard work.

My dear friend, Peter Economides is going to ask this question at the New York Innovation Conference next weekend. I will be there. And it will be about the future of Greece. But strangely, the question is deeply personal and not nationalistic. It’s always about YOUR future wherever you decide to be. Whether you choose to do something about it in Greece is only up to you.

 

Storms Are Only Temporary

April 5, 2012 by Leda Karabela - Leave your comment

 

Due to an unforeseen emergency I have to focus all my attention and energy to my family, so it will be some time before my next post.

Human character is always tested during such times.  Yet the power of endurance, perseverance and determination to stand solid and support, fight and do everything you have to do – and then some – to keep the delicate balance of life – is derived not only from our own reserves of strength, values and our sense of responsibility but from the loving support so generously offered by friends, family and colleagues.

Storms are only temporary – and life is a wonderful journey in spite of the challenges and the curve balls thrown are way. We will persevere.

Thank you all for being my co-travelers.

 

Do First Die Later

February 27, 2012 by Leda Karabela - Leave your comment

To live as you will never die…

So mindlessly easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you. But, some things are so worth dying for – better yet live for. Indelible Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman immortalized the thirst for life in the Bucket List inducting the term in urban dictionaries.  So, what do you want to do before you die?

Candy Chang, a senior TED fellow turned the side of an abandoned house in her neighborhood in New Orleans into a giant chalkboard where residents can write on the wall and remember what’s important to them. Before I Die is an interactive public art project that invites people to share their hopes and dreams in public space, a project The Atlantic called “one of the most creative community projects ever.”

It’s the job of storytellers, troubadours, instigators, agents provocateur, artists, entrepreneurs extraordinaire to nudge us all in our small little corners of the world. Poking, baiting, cajoling can take you from the dreamland to the real world. Determination is not a shapeless mantra but a sort of psychological muscle that can either atrophy or pump up.  Dreaming “it” first, whispering it in the mirror, writing it on the wall – the visible or invisible wall of fellow travelers’ circle in the journey of life makes the goal seem closer – whether you reach it or not – it’s how pumped up you really feel.

So, what do you want to do before you die?

54 Hours In Athens

February 18, 2012 by Leda Karabela - Leave your comment

54 hours – just a weekend really.

Yet, the startup marathon  last weekend in Athens was so much more. About 150 brilliant Generation C young men and women (Connected/Communicating/Content-centric/Computerized/Community-oriented, always Clicking) did their magic, pitching their business ideas.

“We are determined to set the trail, not just follow the path,” said Eleni Natsi, one of the participants. And she continued: “I always believed that innovation does not necessarily require satin and silk dress-up. We wander around wearing bullet-proof waistcoats to dodge the bullets of fear and surrender. Creativity,  enthusiasm, energy. That’s all we need for this.”

And while Athens was going through another rough patch of tear gas and street hooliganism, one of the teams’ office space was burned down. The Niobium Labs team wrote the day after:  “We realized it can take a few hours for new ideas to be born as long as people work together and take advantage of their creativity. However, it also takes just a few hours to destroy everything and create chaos. These are the two sides of Greece. And we choose to look at the bright side.”

Having experiences does not make us who we are. Reflecting on our experiences does. So, I want to take the time to pay tribute to everyone who stood up, refused to surrender and fought in the great fight of creating their startup. Keep on learning; keep on fighting and don’t let anyone take away your dreams.

PS: For a flavor of the ideas and projects just see the Athens Startup Weekend blog.

Athens Startup Weekend

February 12, 2012 by Leda Karabela - Leave your comment

I am not impartial. I have to make the comment and disclosure up front. As one of the mentors and judges on the jury of the Athens Startup weekend, I spent most of the last 2 days with some brilliant and inspiring young men and women who still have the passion, determination and commitment to work hard and chase their dreams.

While the Greek politicians are dying a slow and painful moral and intellectual death, young aspiring entrepreneurs are fighting for their ideas.  Exactly the sort of injection our global Greek village soul desires. Oblivious to the Athenian political Waterloo, these guys are focusing on what will move their lives forward. It’s young, hip, exciting, inspiring and shows that not everything stands still at the mercy of others.

Startup Weekends are all about learning through the act of creating.  Don’t just listen to theory, build your own strategy and test it as you go. Weekend-long, hands-on experiences where entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs can find out if startup ideas are viable. Sometimes a nudge from some friendly allies is all you need. A bunch of business people are involved in taking time off their weekends to give their honest opinions, advice, criticism. Barriers are off. Nobody cares who you are in there – we are all equal – we all try our best – nobody is getting paid for their time and effort. It’s brilliant, energizing, productive and useful – and it’s the new face of hope.

None of all this would have happened without the support of Microsoft and its Greek Innovation Center team; my great friends at CoLab Workspace Athens who helped organize this and the community of mentors and sponsors who are up for their money and time. But, the real kudos goes to all the Greek “geek” community of 150 or so people who don’t give up, surrender or go to the coffee shops to cry over the fate of their lost generation.

And, I am simply proud.

PS: Stay tuned for the winning projects later 🙂

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