A life changing experience

My recent experiences made me realise one can achieve everything he has in mind if he is motivated, open minded and confident in his powers. Because when you experience, try and explore the world and your own capabilities, you will be surprised to notice, that once you expand your boundaries, you feel strong enough to “conquer” the unknown world.

My story of the unknown began with my initiative to apply for an internship abroad through the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme and a phone call from Vitaverde. I took the chance and as days passed we realised I fit to the company’s values and they fit to my background and expectations.

Greece opened its boundaries for me. From the first contact with my future colleagues, I knew our collaboration would be a productive one and when we say goodbye it won’t be for a long time. What did I find there?At Vitaverde I entered a world of art and creation where landscape architecture was filling the atmosphere. From design books standing gently in the library, to the blackboard wall colored with ideas, values and inspiring words, the office was a perfect place to learn and create. Even numbers started revealing their secrets: I managed to understand the meaning of profit and loss in finance. Even if you go there with no work interest, you will have the feeling of sharing and I was there to be taught and gain experience. I shared and spread the word about them using social media and internet marketing. But what makes a place so special? The people. Their ideas, motivation, their way of living, passions and perspectives opened my eyes and slowly, but surely changed my way of thinking and seeing the world. How many people start their usual day at work with educative videos about time management, creativity in schools, great leaders or communication and end it with a coaching session about personal development? For me every day at work was different, and I was always challenged to brainstorm, give my input, appreciation or suggestions. Why? Because the company is different, because it is in their beliefs to be not ordinary.

I learnt a lot about management, marketing and finance, while at the same time I learnt many other useful things: how to behave in a business environment or how to expose my point of view without suppressing the others. I know now that an idea can never be wrong and that a cold frappe in the morning can increase your creativity. I learnt how important it is not to be afraid to speak and express yourself and what teamwork means. The key to a good collaboration is not to make the others understand, but to try to understand the others as much as possible.

Moreover, I was given the opportunity to cooperate with people from different countries. The feeling of finding the right person to work with, even if you don’t share the same office is great. It’s like coming and going home from work with a smile on your face, and that smile can be seen not only by the colleagues in the office, but also by the ones elsewhere.

Everything I learnt there I brought home and was obvious from the very first day.  I entered another new environment , the University, with self confidence. I successfully volunteered to represent my fellow students, joined the Association of The Economic Students and applied for trainings on Social Media and Internet Marketing. I am now more open to people, I changed my attitude and my energy spreads fast among others. Many of them follow my actions and find me a source of joy and happiness.

Together with Vitaverde, I found a balance in my life and I feel strong enough to respond to all life’s challenges in a confident way. I would say that if you want to learn, find the right people to teach you; if you want to make friends, first be your own friend, if you want to be loved, open yourself and if you want to make a difference, go abroad and explore the unknown. Small things lead to great ones and I am now not afraid to be afraid.The unknown became known, and I became a new me. See you soon!