Belgrade, Serbia - City with a Soul

In 2005, UNICEF in Belgrade hired me as a fundraiser for a farewell basketball event for Sasa Djordjevic, one of Serbia’s biggest sports celebrities. He was retiring from competitive basketball. After struggling to find quality work (including UNICEF in Stockholm) for close to one year, it felt good to be appreciated and hired for my sales and fundraising skills.

Having never been to Eastern Europe, I was excited to visit Belgrade, a city with a tumultuous history. My contract had me there for nearly two months.

I had 3 goals before my journey:

1) Obtain 1 sponsorship for the basketball event by utilizing my networking skills

2) Explore and learn about Belgrade

3) Have Fun!

My time was short (two weeks before sales deadline) for the first goal although I was optimistic I could close at least one sponsorship. That deal came in the form of a 10,000 Euro bank sponsorship. In addition, the entire fundraising team was very successful. I worked with a wonderful group of people at UNICEF who welcomed me with open arms.

Goal number two (explore) was a never ending adventure! The first weekend, a friend at the office took me to a spirited Friday night event where I met a diverse group of people including a woman who would become a good friend. She connected me to the inside world of advertising as well as numerous key connections around Belgrade.

Subsequent weeks found me racing to the last goal (have fun!) by enjoying the vibrant nightlife, walking in historic areas, watching a Jameroqui concert, working in Novi Sad (city outside of Belgrade), attending a music festival (thousands of youth), and meeting a plethora of interesting people.

I quickly felt a close bond to the city so I decided to have my own party after only one month. Some people laughed at me (in disbelief) when I told them I was expecting over 100 guests! In the past, I organized big parties in NYC along with plenty of social gatherings in Stockholm so I had no doubt that this one would be a success. I persuaded two dear friends from the USA to get a taste of this fine city - they arrived a few days before the party. Everyone had a blast, with close to 120 people dancing to soul and hip hop music all night!

The Novi Sad musical event was an exciting event to be part of. Young people came from various parts of Serbia as well as Eastern Europe for 4 days of extreme fun – listening to bands, dancing and embracing the moment. I don’t think I will ever experience such a mass of youth (over 150,000 attended) having the time of their life despite the rainy and muddy conditions.

Flying back to Stockholm and overlooking the devastating beauty of the city, I couldn’t help but wonder why the “Big Apple” of Scandinavia didn’t exude more of the energy and optimism of Belgrade. Stockholm could learn a lot from Belgrade – a city with a lovely soul.

From my short time there, most of the people I met appreciated what they had, hardly ever complained, lived life in the present moment and were fun to be around. In my opinion, that’s living a good life.

It was one of the best two months of my life.

Happy Gswede Sunday!

Gswede enjoying a view of Belgrade, Serbia in 2005

A "Moment of Truth" in Business

While working at a top entertainment firm in NYC, I had a "moment of truth" that would define my experience.

We had a new boss who was affable and a true salesman. I liked his style immediately as I could tell that he would give most of the sales staff two things they desired - a chance to shine and make money.

Not long after he began, I was called into his office. He said, "I want $100,000 in sales from you George and you have two months to close it". He was firm and crystal clear. I had strong prospects in the pipeline although in my mind, his deadline was very tight.

My focus became laser-like on the elements that would help me close this demanding goal as I knew I had to pass his test. It was one of my toughest moments in business and the goal was never far from my thoughts, day or night.

To make a long and challenging story short, I managed to close $106,000 before the deadline of two months. I was relentless, positive and persistent in making my goal and no time was wasted. The boss never bothered me after that and I had a wonderful time at the organization.  The lessons I learned from two of the best salesman I've worked with came in handy for this task - I wrote about them below (see link) in an article called "2 Salesmen, Simply the Best".

http://gswede-sunday.blogspot.com/2009/02/2-salesmen-simply-best.html

When you have a "moment of truth" in business or life, go after it with the same force as our Egyptian brothers and sisters went after freedom. Leave no stone unturned, stay positive and let nothing get in the way to your goals or dreams.

A "moment of truth" can make or break a career or personal life. For this frequently tough journey, make sure your mind is clear, your focus strong and your discipline high, thus giving you the best chance for success.

Happy Gswede Sunday!

Gswede and son on the icy beach of southern Sweden

The Talented Esperanza Spalding

If you are a music lover and don't know the name above, you need to rectify that immediately.

If you saw her for the first time on TV (like me last year), you probably noticed the hair, style and beauty of this amazing artist. She's a sight to behold before she weaves her musical magic.

Her talent is uniquely powerful as was evidenced by winning the "Best New Artist" Grammy in the USA - the first time a jazz artist has won the award. She plays bass and has a magnificent voice. In addition, she is a favorite of President Obama - he chose her to play at his Nobel Prize ceremony.

I love music and when it comes wrapped in a package that is unique, soulful and soothing, it never fails to inspire me.  If you love music (especially jazz), I can almost guarantee that you will enjoy or be moved by Esperanza Spalding.

Happy Gswede Sunday!

(www.esperanzaspalding.com)

Esperanza Spalding

A Lesson in Humility

I’ve written about a close friend on several occasions during the last 3 years. He lost his way since 1998 for a variety of reasons, most of that time living in NYC. Currently, he’s trying to climb back up the ladder of success in the Big Apple although his attitude and mindset are not in sync with reality, thus the climb will be extra strenuous.

His main problem is that he talks, sometimes incessantly about what he will do or wants to do, with money being at the core of his conversation, as if he is some hot-shot businessman. In addition, he dreams of making top money in finance yet fails to realize the hard work necessary for success in that arena – especially in today’s economic conditions. His words are not appealing to numerous friends and can be irritable to those who don’t know him.

Recently, I wrote him an email about a gentleman I met in the 1990’s who exemplifies humility. I thought my friend might be inspired by the way this man carries himself. I was inspired.

Parts of the email are below.

Happy Gswede Sunday!
-----

Dear ____:

I was a member of a health club in NYC for 8 years. One of the moments I looked forward to the most was seeing Mr X (name not important) at the gym. He always had a smile, we talked basketball and he showed a genuine interest in me. I never knew much about him and that was okay.

After finding out what he did for a living, my opinion of him didn't change. He was the same likable guy.

Here's a moment when my respect for him grew even more:

The two of us were sitting with a group of people and I said (in a nice way), "great magazine cover I saw you on last week - and I mentioned the publication". He immediately played it down and was a bit embarrassed as those around him didn't know much about what he did. What a gentleman I thought - playing down his status. I felt a bit bad for saying it.

You may wonder what he did for a living. Well, he's one of the biggest finance guys in the USA. He's been on the cover of magazines and I have seen articles about him in the NY Times. At that time, he was making well north of 10 million a year! BUT he never talked about himself in any way or boasted. He was just a nice guy. The only reason I found out about his status was due to a friend telling me.

The Lesson:

Be humble about what you do and be likable.

You have all the tools for likability but you must use them. It's what made me and others like you in the first place. Most people won’t care about BIG deals you fantasize about, money you might make or women you desire, etc, etc. What most do care about are kindness, compassion and being genuine. You have it. USE IT.

BE HUMBLE, KIND, COMPASSIONATE, and GENUINE. Make it your mission in 2011.

Your friend,

George

A southern Sweden "Beach of Ice" in February - Gswede's son taking a break.

Men at Age 50 – How do you Feel?

I don’t know what it is about the age of 50 that often brings injuries, tough times or dire consequences in regards to the health of a man. It’s probably a combination of things including but not limited to:

a) An unhealthy lifestyle coming back to haunt a man in the form of sickness or death

b) Getting older

c) Trying to live a life of a man 10 or 20 years younger

d) Previous stress that has built up over the years

e) Karma

In some cases, it’s simply bad luck or fortune not smiling on an individual.

I started thinking about this in 2009 when Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 although his problems were plentiful. Within the last month, I’ve heard of several men suffering and/or dying. I know one, met another and the last man I heard of through a family member. Two died rather suddenly while the third man recovered after some very scary moments. All were 50.

As we creep over 40 and sneak up on 50, some of us do push ourselves as if we were back in our collegiate days. Recently, a good friend (age 46) came back from a skiing trip and I inquired about his health as I figured that he might have thrown “caution to the wind”. He admitted that he pushed himself too much and had to go the doctor upon his return. He has had leg problems so he should have been more careful and was fortunate to avoid a serious injury.

I wrote about this subject in a 2009 article called “45 is the new 35 (not 25)”. The link and a quote are below:

A message to all 40 something’s or older – stay within your abilities or comfort zone when competing athletically and don’t try to act as if you are twenty again. I have seen numerous people injured (often with pain for years) simply because they trained or competed as if they were still in college. A woman in my hometown was playing softball and ran the bases as if she was a track star; she never made it to home base and died. If she had run easily and comfortably, she might be on this earth today. Quality of life should be important and as we get older there needs to be a focus of sound judgment in any chosen athletic endeavor or you could have an aching knee or bad back for the rest of your life.
(http://gswede-sunday.blogspot.com/2009/07/45-is-new-35not-25.html)

Take it easy men (and women) around middle age. That doesn’t mean that you can’t live life to the fullest - it means that one’s health and the elements (proper nutrition, exercise, “Me Time”, giving, loyalty, etc) that go into keeping one’s body, mind and spirit in top form should be a priority.

As I have said and wrote on more than one occasion, “There is nothing more important than our health”.

Men, we sometimes forget those aforementioned words in our competitive and fast-paced world so consider this a gentle reminder.

Happy Gswede Sunday!

Gswede can't wait for summer 2011 in southern Sweden!. (Picture is from summer 2007)

Sorrento, Italy – Beautiful Place (Hope to see more of it next time!)

It’s ironic that I was reading the autobiography of the tennis player, Andrea Agassi during my journey earlier this month to Sorrento, Italy.

While our lives have been and are very different, we do share one thing in common – during his tennis career he visited wonderful places around the world yet never got the chance to truly explore the cities due to the focus and pressure of tennis tournaments. Likewise, my current career takes me to a nice European city twice a year although there is never time to get the true sense of the region because of the diverse information that needs to be absorbed during the conference. Oh well. Could be worse!

I have always enjoyed Italy, having spent numerous weeks in the north - great places like Florence, Rome, Padua, Rimini and Venice. Having never been to the southern part, I was excited to get a small taste of Sorrento (which overlooks the Bay of Naples). It didn’t disappoint.

During the day, we were in full work mode although we did get to venture out to the square at night to enjoy the delicious Italian food. In addition, the temperature was around 12-13 celsius every day which was a pleasant difference from the cold in Sweden! One consistent quality about Italy is the wonderful food. Each time I have been there, the food has been delicious whether I was in a private home or restaurant.

Even though there was no time to explore Sorrento, the beauty of the place was captivating. During the drive to the hotel, there were marvelous scenes of water, mountains and quaint locations. Also, we were fortunate to have a meeting room during the week that had a picturesque view of Sorrento.

I would enjoy going back one day to get a full sense of the region including areas close to Sorrento - Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum and the Amalfi Coast.

For those who have never been to Italy, I encourage you to consider it for your next vacation. In my opinion, it’s one of those countries that is a “must see” in a lifetime.

Happy Gswede Sunday!

Gswede during a break in the meeting - Sorrento, Italy

The Beauty of a Small Town

Recently, my family moved from the “Big Apple” of Scandinavia (Stockholm) to a small town in southern Sweden. The reasons were plentiful including my wife’s new job, closer to family, a calmer lifestyle and a more ideal place for our kids to grow up.

As we were settling into our new house, I was casually thinking that one of our neighbors might welcome us with a home baked pie or something similar. I had never experienced it although I saw it plenty of times in the movies. Maybe this is what happens in small communities I thought.

A few nights later, as our kids were eating a snack, we heard a knock on the door. To our pleasant surprise it was a neighbour holding a “fresh from the oven” cake that smelled absolutely divine. It brought smiles to all of our faces! What a beautiful gesture.

By the way, the cake tasted just as heavenly as it smelled with Gswede devouring most of it fortunately (taste) or unfortunately (calories and sugar).

Since I have never lived in a small town other than my hometown (doesn’t count), I’m hoping this is one of many beauties that will occur.

Happy Gswede Sunday!

The beauty surrounding a small community (picture by Peter while fishing)