TELEPHONEBOOKS

in #ocd5 years ago (edited)

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People want to lead an unusual and special life.

Very few are able to do that. Education once seemed to be the key to success, a good chance to change from a nobody to someone. But since in modern civilizations education is now available for everyone (real and on the Internet), you can't do anything with a normal education as you could do a hundred years ago with an ordinary training of a worker. Anyone who wants to lead a special, exciting and unusual life goes to extremes. And maybe, or if I talk about it that way, it has always been that way. By extremes, I mean continuous learning in a particular discipline to bring it to mastery. Most people in my environment are ordinary people who are neither particularly masterful nor particularly bad in their professions or other activities. Including me. I am an ordinary standard in terms of my education and activities.

I even think that my excellent education in many parts was throwing pearls at sows, because what I learned in terms of legal understanding and business skills was basically not needed for the profession in which I completed my education. I observed that the finished trainees were no longer employed in exactly the areas for which they had learned to apply the many legal principles, and it was also noticed in the companies themselves that it was quite sufficient for the front desk employees to go through a fast phase of the training period and not to invest any three-year training at all. More than three-quarters of the knowledge I have acquired I have never been able to apply. That should make you think.

Which I don't mean to say at all that I would have wanted it otherwise. In fact, the training has benefited me in a completely different way, not only at the desk in the office, but in life itself. But I didn't know that at the time.

I'm not quite sure whether I'm misperceived when I call anywhere these days, but I have the impression that people's competence has declined considerably. But unlike before, I have matured and become older. When I called a company in the 90s, I had the impression that older people on the phone were advising or informing me. If I call anywhere today, I am the older one. Recently I said to one of my coachlings: "No matter where I pick up the phone and need information from someone, in about eighty percent of the cases I don't get it. It is delegated somewhere else, but I don't get any satisfactory information from there either." I asked myself the question: is this due to the lower level of education? But perhaps the era of telephoning is also over? Or people don't want to commit themselves to anything more by telephone? Or those who still answer the phone in a company are poorly educated anyway? Or are the experts hiding behind the front desk staff and only speaking with other experts?

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There is indeed a difference whether I call somewhere as a customer, as a service provider or in the position of a colleague. For all those who want free information or information outside a standard, I would say that they have to learn to live with the fact that such information is in danger of extinction because everyone refers you to the Internet or their homepages. But such a homepage can be incredibly patient, to put it nicely.

With all the talk about flat hierarchies in modern offices,

I can't help feeling that the hierarchies are just as pronounced as they have always been. The interlocutors never seem to be able to decide anything for themselves and inquiries have to be forwarded to some supervisors. Nobody seems to want to lean out of the window, the responsibility is gladly given away. For me, this creates the overall impression that true competence is hidden.

Even though I said that I had never used about three quarters of my training content, this is not really true. That which resonates in the background and is present in knowledge eludes a one-to-one interpretation, but nevertheless has an effect on the nature of my work. I do not share the widespread criticism that what has been learned is often superfluous. For me this is too straightforward in my way of thinking and I would say that all knowledge that I have ever acquired, in one form or another, breaks its ground over the years, often I am not even aware of it. Of course, you have to distinguish between expertise that can and does become outdated and what people learn about communication. Technical skills don't help me if I don't keep them up to date, as the world keeps turning and innovations are entering the market everywhere.

Knowledge, which one acquires by studying at university or by a classical company training, is valuable knowledge, not necessarily because it is of a factual nature, but because the process of knowledge transfer itself is bound to the people who participate in it. Facts change everywhere, but not what goes beyond facts and the recognition that learning is a lifelong prerequisite.

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Indirect learning

The very target-oriented striving to specialise and standardize the transfer of knowledge, to design learning content internationally, harbours the danger that extensive and indirect learning is neglected. Something like fun projects and learning content dedicated to idleness have little place in exams. The most fun things in particular are not included in the grades or examination procedures.

When I worked for a few months at a design school in the office, I remember that the students' final works were under a lot of pressure and that neither teachers nor students looked as if they enjoyed their respective jobs. How different was the experience I had as a PR consultant with the Hamburg University of Fine Arts, where I accompanied a creative project with the professor of statics and the students. One of our PR clients, a telephone book publisher, entrusted us with the public relations work for their products.

Can you imagine anything more boring than phone books?

The challenge was to put this product in an interesting context.

That's why our team came up with the idea of using telephone books to create buildings or works of art. We initiated the cooperation with the university and to our surprise the head of public relations reacted very positively to our suggestion to commission the students with a project. The idea of integrating the whole thing into the annual exhibition came immediately. The first semester students were given this task and had to come up with their own static ideas. At that time we rented a room where we had our client deliver telephone books by the ton. I visited the students in good time and documented the progress with photos. The whole thing we made more difficult by a condition: the students were not allowed to use any glue and also no other aids, except paper clips.

"We have moved
25000 telephone books (23,000 tons)
towers
cupolas
bridges
hanging roofs
tension straps
temple
boats
a 40-ton truck
1 kg paperclips
twelve props
a case of beer
the art and culture office "Fundbüro" (lost property office)"

Prof. Dr. Michael Staffa / University of Fine Arts, Department of Architecture

To my delight the students went to work with great zeal and came out with countless designs and ideas.

The amount of material helped, of course, because experiments and mistakes could take place. I saw how constructions were created before my eyes, the students had formed into smaller groups and had each devised a project. I was able to watch some of them building a wooden formwork for an arched bridge and then starting to stack the phone books together and develop a plug technique that should give strength. The most exciting moment was when the wooden boarding was pulled out and we all held our breath to see if the bridge would hold by itself. During the first attempts everything collapsed!

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After a while, however, the students had identified the weak points and gradually improved the construction. A few days before the exhibition they were successful and the bridge stood proud and solid in front of us. A whole eight meters long! You could even walk on it safely. This project received the best space in the whole university, namely in the spacious old entrance area of the building, where every visitor was immediately taken by it. One could see a suspension bridge swinging high above, on the right side the students erected a Greek acropolis and the vandalism, which broke through overnight from some cheeky visitors, had collapsed a part of the columns, so that the temple now looked even more realistic, just like a ruin. One could marvel at an igloo, even a boat, one had built a seating group for a comfortable stay with an integrated screen and many other works of art from the telephone books for viewing.


"The "Telefonbuchbau" competition was organized by the marketing group "Das Telefonbuch der Telekom und der HfbK". The aim was to design and erect supporting structures from telephone directories alone.

Evaluation of the work:
1st prize: 1000 DM (Deutsche Mark) - tension strap bridge
2nd prize: 800 DM - arch bridge
3rd prize: 700 DM - mat, ladder and swing
4th prize: 500 DM - temple

Tension strap bridge: The suspended belt itself must transmit the forces resulting from its own weight and any superimposed stresses to the abutments. The occurring forces load the belt in tension. This tensile force, which corresponds to approximately 40 kg for our telephone book band, must be absorbed both by the book connections and by the spines of the books. It has turned out that the friction force between the pages is so great due to the large number of contact surfaces that it is not only difficult to separate the connection of two books folded into each other, but it is also easy to absorb and transfer the dead weight of a 16-metre book volume. The weakest link in the telephone band was the glue binding of the spine, which loosens at about 60 kilograms and thus determines the maximum tensile load of a telephone book strap.

Judging by the jury:
A modest and filigree construction whose size lies in its simplicity, but which only appears simple. Actually a high-tech construction with elaborate interweaving and the almost symbolic paper clip. If they are removed, the building collapses. The lightness that would not have been expected of a telephone book appears."

source: Booklet published by Prof. Dr. Ing. Staffa / HfbK


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What a successful project. Where all the winners were: The students, the university, our PR agency and our client, for whom there was a really good PR coverage, because we invited the entire available press to the event and many also came because of the good picture material. Our client was highly satisfied with the way we presented their product. Of course, all this had nothing to do with the phone book itself. The ads that a telephone book publisher sells to make its sales may never have reached advertisers, but that's not what public relations is all about. If you want to sell ads and get attention for your product, you need good and fun ideas and implementations. A company wants people to talk about the company, it wants to appear in a good light.

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I don't think much of it when companies take on charity projects or suddenly appear in the press as environmentalists, unless there is a real intention to do something for the environment. In fact, you can come up with ideas with discarded books. For example, to build the walls of a house from it and plaster the outside with clay. In fact, books would not be the worst building material, as they have good static properties and a certain flexibility and on the other hand high stability.

The combination of fun and utility is one that I really appreciate.

Creative streams are released in such processes, a form of joyful collaboration that inspires me. Learning is an accompanying effect and not necessarily the strictly targeted goal. How much the students have learned about statics, how little it will have bothered them to suddenly have to deal with formulas that they would probably have found boring in theory! People are problem solvers by nature, not because a problem seems disturbing and ugly to them, but because it is fascinating.

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Now this project is many years ago and I ask myself: is one of the participating students today in a professional position where the memory of this task has helped him? How does this person live, where did it bring him to have such an experience? Did it have a great influence? How will this person himself serve as a role model, how will he deal with young people and trainees?

Back to the exciting life.

This project has neither an international nor particularly outstanding significance in the context of the difficulties of human civilizations and architectures. Nevertheless, I think it has significance for the individual. It has been one experience among many for all who have witnessed the project. It is also clear that neither all people nor at all times are able to enjoy their education or profession. What makes it special is that it is an exception. In contrast to routine and less interesting tasks. I also don't believe that all people take advantage of the same opportunities and will ever have them.

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People do everything "right" and still fail to succeed. I often meet people - naturally due to my work - who classify much of what they touch as failure or setback. They don't succeed in what other people succeed in. Although there are no big differences in abilities and possibilities. In reality, however, it is probably because bad experiences make people discouraged and angry.

One often speaks politically correctly of the fact that all people deserve equal treatment. And although I don't deny that, I also think that people simply shouldn't stick to it and shouldn't make it a rigorous rule. I have noticed that different treatment of people is due to their differences. And if I treated everyone equally, I would not do justice to their differences. I prefer some and disadvantage others. Positive people often have it easier in life. This may bother one and make one angry, but who doesn't like to be with someone who radiates clarity and contentment?

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But how do you stay positive? I think it's the things you do for fun. This term is very misleading and I don't understand fun to be being entertained and to remain in a taking - i.e. consuming - attitude. Life is much more enjoyable when I am in a creating and constructive action than when I am in a consuming one. But let's not kid ourselves. The majority is and remains in consumption. There is no place in the whole world for all builders and creators, for designers and explorers, for exceptions.

The gnawing dissatisfaction that comes from time to time with many of us and for which we like to find culprits has little to do with anyone being to blame. Admitting that one's own life is rather ordinary, shaped by a few outstanding events may be painful at first, but if you are honest, there are always others who are far more talented and fascinating than you are. I would think you're doing well if you get a little bit of inspiration from what others do to enrich the public and try to sweeten your everyday life with it instead of wanting to become famous, rich and well-known yourself.

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To be good, but still not good enough for an entry in history: that really isn't worth a headache.

The ego is offended when confronted with its own ordinariness. We all want to be praised, are sometimes like unripe fruits, which want to be applauded for their sweetness, although the degree of maturity is not reached. In the search for great meaning, we forget the small meaningful events that, while little really interest other people or knock them off their feet, could very well receive appropriate recognition in our own lives.

Ordinary life is perhaps the most underestimated and praised.

How much more difficult is it to become a master and a professional, and how many dissatisfied comrades-in-arms, envious people, neglected relatives, and children will emerge? How much health is sacrificed for a truly great goal? How many hours of laborious discipline and work are also longingly sacrificed by those who appear outstanding? Not everyone can be said to inspire and infect. Ambition often leads to success, but it is another form than the one we really admire.

In my life I have tried to keep it that way and I have been mostly consistent in not working too much and giving myself enough time for fun and leisure. It was not always possible to avoid stress. A compliment to me from a former work colleague at the time was: "How can it be that every evening you leave work on time?"

At the end you see a photo, from the time, maybe one or two years before the project. But my appearance didn't change much back then.

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The working me, smoking in the office!


Photos: erh.germany

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Amazingly written article. The way you present your views and opinions makes me want to read a whole book wrriten by you about this subject. Very well articulated!

Thank you, that's one great compliment. I like talking about past working and life experiences a lot. It is a good opportunity to reflect on ones life and to share what I've learned. I see that you are a motivational speaker and optimist. What kind of presentations are you in? And where are you located if I may ask? I will maybe have the chance to look up your blog later on.
Greetings from Germany

I think it's safe to say that you have found yourself a new fan in me! Life experiences like you have described in the article all have some lesson to be learned hidden in them, which makes them very fascinating.

Well I used to blog but not anymore.😅 It's been a while since then. Nowadays I just prefer to read more rather than write. And it looks like I have found an excellent blog to read and study! I hope that you will keep blogging, I really do hope. A lot of people tend to leave this platform when they fail to find success. If at some point in time you decide to leave the platform for any reason, I hope that you will just shift to some other platform rather than stop blogging altogether. Your blog is very well articulated and reading it just makes me want more.

I like gaining a new reader in you very much. Thank you :-))

I think I will go on blogging. It's my nature to want to write and share experiences. I once wanted to quit Steemit but that was just a childish attempt and I blame it on having myself being influenced by so much negative talk. I try to avoid that trap.

I was running another blog for many years on a very specialized theme. I produced more than a hundred articles just for my own sake. Writing for me is not for financial gain though being voted and seen is, of course, nice. It's the habit which I have to overcome to collect bigger payouts as I started in 2017 and took the high times. Now I have to get used to less attention. That makes it sometimes difficult but I see it as a good opportunity to talk to my ego. Laughter!

You will find plenty of reading stuff in my former articles and I hope you are going to enjoy. Have a good Sunday.

Indeed it is a bit disappointing when the effort you put into your blogs and articles goes unnoticed. But that does not mean that the effort you put into your blogs and articles was wasted or something negative like that. The readers (like me) who read and appreciate what you write are always excited to see what you will share with the world next time.

If it was up to me, I'd make sure that bloggers like you who put so much effort into their articles were rewarded fairly but alas, it is not in my power. What is in my power is that I can encourage you and let you know that what you write is very, very fascinating and interesting. What I can do is that I can let you know that the effort you put in anything will never go wasted even if you feel that it didn't get its fair share of attention. I can see that it can be difficult at times. However, I hope that you will keep on blogging as you've said.

And please! If you do decide to switch to somewhere else, please don't forget to tell me!!

hi @erh.germany
your post is very interesting. learning is a fascinating process and above all it is not the same for everyone in the same way, for this reason different people learn differently and will use their knowledge in a different way. then I think that someone is more rigid and therefore has difficulty in widening their way of seeing, often these people, if they are not particularly motivated, stagnate in their microcosm and will be mostly dissatisfied. other people instead are open, their mind travels in more fields, they do not fear conditionings. I don't know if this makes them happier, but certainly the curiosity and the desire to experiment with new things makes them more excited and ready for the challenge. creative projects like the one you told allow students, even those with less creativity, to develop that part of themselves that is different, fun and original. I don't know if these people will be more successful, of course it is that the more incentives we receive the better. unfortunately at school this is not the most used method, there is so much boring theory and the most important thing seems to be always and only that damned vote. and it doesn't matter how the student grows.
congratulation for your curie vote and continue to write these your life experiences !! :-))

Thank you for your friendly and interesting reply to my post.

It is a mystery, I think, why some people keep their openness, even though they had bad experiences and others did not. That is why I try to go over to always looking at things situatively and less fundamentally. To report on creative examples and to remain less in the complaint mode, which also haunts me at times.

Over the years of my reflections it has become clear to me that I can investigate such events and people that have had a motivating effect more thoroughly and put my focus on them. Which is very good for me. Most of life, be it human encounters or systemic preconditions, is sub-optimal and so one should emphasize even the smallest event, the seemingly less significant opportunities for oneself to give them greater weight. I argue for more negotiation and less condemnation in a situation that seems difficult rather than principled.

The work in which we can bring in our own creativity and curiosity can still be found even in the tasks considered inferior, if only we want to. One's own room for manoeuvre is always available as potency, one only has to make oneself aware of it. School is not optimal, perhaps never been, you are right. The support that takes place between teacher and pupil is always an exception, less the rule. In a certain way one's own innocence helps, unfortunately one cannot be intentionally naive, but it is always by mistake ;-) Naivety unfortunately has a bad reputation, but sometimes it is the best friend of man. If only others didn't understand themselves arrogantly as taught by life and their resignation wouldn't be so widespread. But "would have" and "should have" is not worth the leisure, is what I say to myself.

Greetings to you!

P.S. I was walking over to your blog but see that you mostly write Italian. From where exactly are you, if I may ask? We are going to visit Italy in the end of this month. I am very much looking forward to it.

you are right. I focus a lot on the school because in my opinion it has a fundamental importance to teach and spread the best values to the children who will then be the generations of the future. in a family it is difficult to enter, but the school, especially if it is public, has a great responsibility in the development of people. Pointing to the result and not the process is not a good example for them. if the school taught creativity, cooperation, welcoming children, they would understand that there are different possible perspectives, that change is a good thing, that failure is not only losing something but also the motivation that drives us in research. a person's difficulties must be understood and helped not judged. this person should not be ridiculed and left behind, indeed it requires more investment on it. I don't know, maybe I went off topic! :-)))

No, not off the topic. It certainly plays into what my article was also about.

Institutional changes always happen very slowly, as I observe. I agree with everything you say, yet I think it's realistic that not all students are seen and promoted equally. Much depends on the student himself and what he brings to school. When I compare my school life with that of my son, I see many similarities with the past and also completely different things. I assume that if I had been taught a tailor-made, supportive, encouraging and competent way, it would very probably have led to me being more educated and self-confident than I was in some areas. But then I wonder at what times was the individual living under the best conditions? How do you see that?

In fact, this post from me is supposed to express that although I had an ordinary school time, none of my existing talents were promoted in a special way, I was raised and educated as an average person, this doesn't have to mean anything. It is precisely because of many adverse circumstances, personal history, and something you can't really grasp in terms of character traits that ultimately only matters how you judge your adult life, usually at an advanced age. The real maturity and the ability to make something out of the existing and even the smallest means is not the product of a childhood or school time alone and I would not emphasize the importance that one gives to the childhood as much as it often happens in psychology. I even consider this in parts to be less productive because I am no longer a child and every day I have the chance to contemplate my life and work on my habits. Even reframing and de-constructing my past.

This absolutely presupposes an alert consciousness, whenever - without knowing it - I am reminded by impulses of past unpleasant things (voices, malice, unfriendliness, unpleasant smells or facial expressions, etc.), which undermine my self-confidence, I can take countermeasures, since I notice how I feel at the moment: insecure, aggressive, suffering, cheerful, enthusiastic ... or even attentive to these things, which are then much more subject to my conscious control.

School is probably a hot potato because in this context we as parents often remember the negative experiences at school and every ugly remark made by our children reminds us of the difficulties with school. You would have to have a detector that beeps loudly every time you sit on a projection as a mother or father :)

yes, we are italian, even if in this period we are between spain and portugal !! have you already planned your stops in Italy? Can I help you?

Thank you for your offer. We are lazy and rented a house in Greve in Chianti near Florence (it was said it is about a 30 Minute train ride). We come with the auto-train and then use our car for the rest of the holidays. We certainly will visit Siena and Florence as well as I plan to go to Orvieto and Volterra. Are you staying for longer in Spain?

it seems like a great program! and tuscany is one of the best choices you could have made!
As for us, I don't think we'll be back before Christmas :-))

Yes, I think so, too. I visited Tuscany 19 years ago and kept many lovely memories. So this time it will be a revival.

Have a good stay where you are and a safe journey back home.

It would had been a loss for me if I would leave it without reading especially after seeing the length of your article that finally I gone through not once but twice. At first I thought this might be another worthless long post which does not deserve the time sparing from the busy work-life balance. But at the end it turned out to be the best blog in steemit that I came across in recent times.

The main subject of your blog is something special that is to be applauded for sure, Because it is beyond any imagination for a normal human being. Is the telephone book you are mentioning is the same telephone directory that known in some other places which gets you the address, telephone number of all the people area wise/tel: exchange wise. And the same company was spending money to promote it? In our place that book used to be available at free of cost, not now though but before mobile revelation came or only when land lines were the only communication instrument.

But I would definitely say your intention was not to highlight those special type of marketing strategy but to convey many messages ranging from the educational system or rather how the current system is not at all relevant to the modern era thought process or how it is slowly out dating in the present scheme of things, the importance of positive thinking .

Creative streams are released in such processes, a form of joyful collaboration that inspires me. Learning is an accompanying effect and not necessarily the strictly targeted goal.

I am not sure how many motivational speakers tries to induce this aspect in others life. I also loved the way your perception on inequality in society. If that really not exists the world order might had been in shambles. There are some myth related stories, but time does not permit me to write it now.

Another point I loved is staying positive or living a life with positive life and the question is How to? I would like to add one more word along with your statement.

But how do you stay positive? I think it's the things you do for fun

may it is also for one's own satisfaction? is it. Ultimately we are looking to for it if it is day today life or job.

Ok, the reply is too long than I expected and also still I have few more things to convey based on your blog, about the construction etc and also few tips from you regarding marketing. But let me stop now.

Thanks a lot for this post. Looking forward to more such stuff

Have a great day

Thank you for this surprise in the form of a generous and thoughtful response from you to this blog post. I was looking forward to writing, because I had intended to introduce the project from the beginning, but something else developed out of it. It's beautiful that you read it so attentively and that you resonated with it.

I don't want to spend my valuable lifetime discussing inequality, it diminishes my own well-being, although I have a sense of justice. But we all know very well that truly outstanding works usually come from those who have become famous as a result. Jealousy is a mistake in place, one can rather be inspired. Why regret that perhaps one has remained below one's potential, when life is good enough? It's not a question for you, because it seems that you have also recognized this for yourself. Hence the emphasis on the ordinary, which always has something special in it, if you decide to look at it that way.

I am very pleased with the length of your commentary and always happily receive extensive texts. I am interested in the myth-related stories you spoke about. Do you want to write about them?

Yes, it is, as you say, a positive attitude aimed at achieving complacency. You could also call it a kind of healthy selfishness that never envies, but always enjoys, when people reach other people in an encouraging and motivating way. Through art, architecture, literature.

I looked at your pictures yesterday and want to write you a comment. They are really very good.

Is the telephone book you are mentioning is the same telephone directory that known in some other places which gets you the address, telephone number of all the people area wise/tel: exchange wise. And the same company was spending money to promote it?

Yes, it is exactly the phone book. Telekom used to have the monopoly and is one of the most long-established companies. They have a lot of money and through the advertising business in the books probably also made some profits. For the students that was quite an attractive price. We also realised some other very interesting and above all fun projects with other PR clients. I like to remember this creative work, which was very stimulating at the time (when I was in my mid/late twenties).

Warm greetings to you to ... ?

P.S. if you have questions about marketing, I will gladly answer them as far as I am able.

.It's beautiful that you read it so attentively and that you resonated with it.
I think there is synchronization between human beings even when they sits far away. That's what I feel, some people could be able to even read others mind, so I am happy to hear it in fact.

You are right in what you mentioned about inequality. We should not discuss it, it someone tries it only give you an impression of either self degrading or boasting. Let society take care of it in the way as it is!

True, positive attitude always spreads positive energy to others too.

I am really happy you responded to my reply with so much energy. Really the post was special for the construction part too. When this program happened? So many years back? It was having every ingredient to make it a project or alteast a seminar for Civil Engineerig students.

I will write about the myths later. I have the story and need to pick the pieces and put together. Also, will write about my requirement later and I would be happy to get some tips from you.

I am really happy to meet you over here and looking forward to more insights from you.

Finally, a note about your picture as I intentionally not written there. It looks really good. A matured face with mysterious smile spreading positive energy-

Have a good day

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I think there is synchronization between human beings even when they sits far away. That's what I feel, some people could be able to even read others mind, so I am happy to hear it in fact.

:))

I wouldn't go that far. But I don't want to deliberately misunderstand you. To be synchronous is a striving that we all like to follow when we confirm ourselves positively. But there is also a danger of flattering each other.

The program was created in 1999 and was a very real opportunity for the students to obtain a certificate for their architecture studies. This project was incorporated into their studies as a grade. That's why I found the combination of public relations and a real, beneficial action so attractive. It wasn't a pseudo thing, it was part of the experience of reality of all participants. Learning was practiced here and not theorized. Many of the other PR projects that I accompanied had a primarily consumer-oriented goal, the brands for which I developed concepts and implemented measures usually had a higher sales volume for their products in mind or an upgrading of their image among consumers. Nobody really needs to do that, one could at most positively note that many jobs and thus the income of many people are paid by it and people secure their standard. It is a business that modern societies actively run. Products are manufactured and want to find a market in competition.

In the picture you can see me in my mid-twenties. It's a very old photo and I don't identify anymore with the appearance of that time. I look very different today, I will be fifty next year. I thank you for the compliment, but: laughter! There is really nothing mysterious about my expression, I think. It shows a young woman at work smiling at the photographer.

I'm looking forward to your story.

P.S. Today I am not in that business anymore. I work as a social consultant for single and family affairs. What is your profession?

Not to misunderstand in any way. When you covered so many insights, I was just highlighting one more aspect of how human beings that are could be on the same side of thought process by many people irrespective of so many differences and indifferences.

From few photos you had posted on that program, I senced that it might not be latest but slightly older, that is a reason I asked that question. And I am really surprised it is almost two decades. I would not believe about that 8m span bridge if it was not with that sketch and the cross sectional details. Still it is amusing me wondering what type of gum or technology u people might had been used then.

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In a way it is a mismatched combination between your profession what you mentioned and the project. I would say even now many people may not think in the way you people had concieved that project.

Marketing is one of the crucial part of any business and infew lines you tried to give those lessons here. Thank you.

And regarding the photo, of course it was a compliment for sure just to conclude the lengthy replies on a funny note. haha... nothing mysterious in it!

I am a Civil Engineer by Profession and last month I jumped into a startup just last month. I need some input regarding that busines which I will make a blog in detail.

And dont worry age is just a number as I too will reach 50 by next year, exactly on Jan. 2nd.

Thanks and have a good day.

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Oh, sorry, I had you mixed up with someone whose blog I saw for the first time yesterday and whose photo gallery I looked at. Now I searched everywhere on your blog for it, but couldn't find it and now I see that I have made a mistake.

I saw this last night, after a long and rather exhausting day. So the blog was put aside for the morning, when I would be refreshed. I know your blogs are thoughtful and so I like to be thoughtful when I read them. I'm glad I waited.

You reflect upon the quality of 'success'. This does strike home. I'm in a position (as you know) to look back and consider 'success' and 'failure'. It's interesting that I think almost exclusively in terms of how I parented my children, rather than how my professional efforts panned out.

And you're right: everything I have done and learned has been useful in some way. Wherever I am, whatever I do, that experience comes to bear. One way in which my past differs from the model you describe is that I've never viewed education as training for anything, but life. Perhaps this explains my falling short of material 'success' :)

As always, Erika, a fascinating read. Especially your phone book experiment. I really, really enjoyed the spirit of that.

Have a great weekend!

Thank you, my friend, to take your time for reading what I have to say. I feel exhausted as well as it's so hot here, unusually hot.

It is said that the older we get, the more emphasis we place on interpersonal relationships, less on how successful we have been in our profession. I agree with you. Ultimately, work always affects relationships, whether within or outside family or friendship. Since I can divide my life into two professional halves, one is work in the free media economy, the other in the social sector, I notice the big difference. But I can't even weigh one against the other because there are so many differences. I claim that I wouldn't be such a good social consultant if I hadn't had over twenty years of professional experience in a completely different industry. I think my son doesn't learn so much from me through my words or speeches, but rather through my lifestyle and what things I consume or neglect. Work is a big influence on lifestyle and only begins to lose that influence when we retire or leave professional careers behind. Every phase of life has its own effect and meaning, which is a good thing. It is very difficult to split life experience between private and professional, because the two interact. Your rich experience of years and of what you have learned is certainly valuable and respected by your fellow human beings. In any case from me! In a larger social group everyone takes a certain role, that is useful, because if everyone were like Erika or Agmoore, there would be many bad problems ;-) The mix of Agmoore, Erika, Peter, Paul, Mary and Joe is, isn't it?

You too, have a good Sunday. Hope, it's cooling down soon.

Yes, all of us together. It's a stew that leads to creativity and progress. I think I see in all of your writing a combined wisdom. There's never a sense that you compartmentalize. It is in your nature, which you have explored fully, to expand awareness. I think, in 20 years you will be quite wise indeed.
Have the most wonderful day (although it is likely over now). I'm off again to help pet sit. My daughter will be away until the end of August so I'll have my hands full this summer. I'm so glad for that :)

When I saw your title I didn't expect this content of your post. It doesn't happen often that I read a post that is so thoughtful and organized. It looks like you have it all sorted.

Education nowadays is not what it used to be in the past. I agree with you that in the past you had to go through standard education to achieve your goals. There are so many options now and you can achieve your goals through different channels as well.

I like the project that you had with your students. It's something what I would appreciate during my studies too. It shows creativity and team work which is very important today.

Oh, and I am surprised what you created from telephone books :) Anything is possible!

Thank you for sharing and have a lovely day!

Thank you. I actually didn't sort the content very much, it just came out as I was vaguely thinking to write about the project. I really don't know if education is nowadays better or worse but what I always try to say is that education becomes a valuable thing when people are involved who have fun and passion about being educators and connecting with their students and other sources.

I always enjoyed very much - to this date - to share my knowledge and experience and am not bothered by younger people who are "handed over" to me.

Yes, such a boring item as a telephone book can become a piece of art and study object. What have you studied yourself?

You, too have a lovely day.

I agree. Attitude of a person who shares the knowledge with students is very important. Some of them only teach what is in the books while others use their creativity and also bring their personality into the study. I like the second group better :)

I studied political science and international relations but after my studies I realized that it wasn't for me and I was looking for something different. This is how I ended up in finance for 9 years. After I became 30 I finally realized that this isn't me at all and started to plan my own business in gastronomy. I hope to launch my own restaurant in near future :)

Hope you had a good weekend.

I, too, like the second group better. Realistically speaking, those people are always in the minority and one can call oneself lucky to have crossed their ways as a young person and took the advantageous influence with one. Falling out of the norm and what the books dictate causes a lot of trouble for those who do not bend to the status quo. Which is nothing to complain about, it's just the way it is.

You have a lot of experience on your watch, that is for sure. Now that you know, how the game is played you can turn advantage of your knowledge and fulfill what represents you more. Congratulations for your brave plan to open a restaurant. I think it's going to be an "all in" and a full time work requiring a lot of knowledge about book keeping and finances as well next to cooking :)

Being in service for other people and loving to serve with good food is a passion, as I see it. I rarely meet people who truly love to be a servant. That's a special kind. Unfortunately, no one really wants to serve today. Everyone wants to be served rather. LOL! I guess you know what I mean?

I wish for you that all your idealistic ideas will flow into your plans and be realized. Which food do you want to offer?

Having a stable life requires a lot of persistence, perseverance and sacrifice. Clearly, we are able to get into work until night, but and fun? What happens with that outbreak of happiness? Your article has made me think a lot, thanks and excellent writing :)

I am glad to hear that you put some thoughts into having fun with what work and life presents you, no matter how boring it may seem at first glance. In particular, we at the agency back then could have rolled our eyes in front of such a task or take it as a creative challenge. I think you can put it on almost every situation in life. Seeing a chance or a nuisance. That is up to the individual.

Thank you for visiting.

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Thank you! Happy that you have found this content and bring me some readers :))

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