Tag Archives: Slovenia

Narejeno v Sloveniji

Ti, ki bereš ta blog,

če si star med 25 in 45 verjetno gledaš tv ali listaš Facebook. Jedel si večerjo, pa upaš, da bi pojedel manj. Imaš avto star okoli 8 let. Morda kredit za hišo ali stanovanje. Če imaš dopust, se verjetno preganjaš po hribih, ali pa lenariš na hrvaških plažah. Piješ ali Laško, ali Union, obojega ne. Ne zavidaš sosedu, a skrivaj paziš, da nima lepše pokošene trave, kot ti. Imaš rad govejo župco in občasno bereš 24ur.com.

Imaš službo. Morda prekarno. Ne zaslužiš dovolj. Šef te ne šteka, sodelavci so riti. Lahko bi bilo slabše, enim je res slabše. Z ženo nimata več tako pogostih spolnih odnosov, kot sta jih imela. Tudi zredila se je. Otroci te prosijo za denar. Oziroma jih morda sploh nimaš. Imaš pa psa, ali vsaj mačko. Ali vsaj sosedovo mačko.

Želiš si potovati. A ne na račun slabe kave ali gužve na avtocesti. Vse, kar je več kot 45 minut vožnje, je predaleč. Morda te je strah, da boš na potovanju žrtev terorističnega napada. Raje greš za vikend “na lepše”, četudi samo na kozarček, dva, tri, tro, tle … tla. Potem skušaš ne voziti, ampak včasih se pregrešiš. Saj ti si dober voznik in znaš voziti, tudi če je malce preveč pod kapo.

Gledaš poročila. Pa jih raje ne bi. In jih vseeno gledaš. Ali pa vsaj bereš twitterje. In spet 24ur.com, zlasti komentarje kaj je kdo rekel. In si rečeš s kakšnimi tepci živiš. In kako so ljudje omejeni.

Politika te ne zanima preveč. Politiki so slabi, skorumpirani, vse je preko vez in nimaš upanja, da bo kdaj bolje.

Ukvarjaš se s športom. Rad imaš gore. In pranje avtomobila. In sobotni shopping za hrano, kjer greš tudi na kavo. Z mlekom ali kapučin za dame. S penco in malce sladkorja. Morda z ovsenim mlekom, to je zdaj moderno.

Nisi ponosen, da si Slovenec. Gledaš horde mladih, ki se odseljujejo in si misliš le naj gredo, le kdo si želi živeti v državi, kjer vlada zavist, parcialnost, apatija in hlapčevstvo. Iščeš način kako bi prišel skozi “bolj poceni”, tudi če gre za račun brez računa. Če se le da, skušaš najti nekoga, ki bo koga “zrihtal”, če je le možno, zastonj.

Občuduješ tujino. Ljudi iz tujine. Tuje dosežke. Celo škandale. Kadar si v stiku s tujci se obotavljaš kaj imaš povedati o Sloveniji. Si skromen in se nočeš izpostavljati. Lastna hvala se pod mizo vala, si misliš.

Dragi moji Slovenci. Dajte potovat! Pojdite po svetu, pa ne kot turisti. Pojdite po svetu in izkusite realnost drugih držav, nacij in načinov življenja. Poskusite delati z drugimi kulturami. Preživite vsaj dva tedna nekje drugje, pa ne na dopustu, temveč med lokalci. Potujte tako dlje časa. In odkrili boste povsem nov pogled na Slovenijo.

Sama delam v tujini že približno tri leta. Moj pristanek je vedno v Sloveniji. Nazadnje sem se vrnila iz Poljske (bo sledil ločen blog zapis malce kasneje). V zadnjih treh letih sem zamenjala približno 10 držav. In pred tremi leti bi lahko ustrezala opisu zgoraj, le v ženski obliki. Potem pa sem na letalu odkrila revijo Slovenian Times. In takrat se mi je utrnila povsem nova slika.

  1. Slovenija je najlepša država v Evropi. Na najmanjšem koščku sveta ima največje raznolikosti. Čiste reke. Neokrnjeno naravo.
  2. V Sloveniji si povsod hitro. Prevoziš jo v treh urah. Imamo dobre ceste. In redne bencinske črpalke ob cesti.
  3. Slovenija je neskončno varna država. Kdaj ste nazadnje šli skozi Tivoli ob treh zjutraj in ste se bali, da vas bodo posilili ali oropali? Teroristični napad? Morda bolj razbita flaša na cesti, kot pa bomba. Nimamo nevarnih živali. Še najbolj nadležni so komarji.
  4. Slovenija ima noro dobro kulinariko. Domače je domače. Potica, gibanica, štruklji, sveža zelenjava, goriške češnje, štajerska jabolka, grozdje … vino .. 🙂
  5. Slovenija ima Slovence. Izumitelje. Športnike. Znanstvenike. Popotnike. Kamor koli po svetu boste šli, zagotovo boste naleteli na Slovenca.
  6. Slovenija ima super klimo. Ni prevroče. Ni premraz. Da se delati. Ne potrebujemo klime povsod. Ali mokasinov in Chelsea traktorjev, čeprav jih nekateri imajo.
  7. Slovenija je razviti svet. Imamo institucije kot so sodstvo, javno šolstvo, zdravstvo. Da, seveda stvari ne “štimajo”, seveda se da izboljšati marsikaj. Vendar ne pozabimo, da velik del sveta ne ve kaj so človeške pravice, pravice žensk in kaj je izobrazba. Za moje pojme ima Slovenija boljše zdravstvo kot Anglija. Pojdite in preizkusite 🙂
  8. Slovenija je naša. Imamo svoj jezik, kulturo, običaje. Sama sicer nisem 100% Slovenka, pa vendar jih cenim. Blog in spletno stran imam sicer v angleščini, vendar sem ponosna, da obvladam tako zahtevni jezik, kot je slovenščina. To ni samoumevno, da lahko govorimo slovensko. Ne samo doma.

Pravzaprav nobena od stvari iz zgornjega seznama ni samoumevna. Žal to ugotovimo šele takrat, kadar tega nimamo. Zatorej pojdite potovat, če ne morete ceniti našega koščka sveta, ki bi si ga z lahkoto naredili lepšega in boljšega. Z lahkoto bi lahko spremenili pogled in se začeli drug do drugega vesti predvsem … prijazno. Sprejemajoče. Ponosno.

Moje delo je v tujini. Zaenkrat. Vendar sem trdno odločena, da Slovenija ostaja moj biser in da bom naredila vse, kar je v moji moči, da ta biser pomagam ohranjati in ga pokazati drugim. Morda ga moram za začetek pokazati Slovencem. V bistvu smo noro dobri. In morda ravno zato, ker se tega ne zavedamo. Rada vas imam, moj mikro narod, ponosna sem, da sem Slovenka in hvaležna, da sem se rodila na tak košček sveta. Jutri grem v štacuno in bom kupila Palomin toaletni papir in brezov šampon. Le zakaj ju ne bi. In kamor koli me bo nesla pot, tudi če bo kdaj dlje časa od domačih kolišč, nikoli ne bom zatajila od kod prihajam, kje so moje korenine in kakšne so moje navade.

Slovenija je naš dom. In v njej živijo ljudje, ki jo delajo dom. Hvala vsem, ki o Sloveniji mislite dobro in v njej delate dobro. Ni vas malo.

Biba

Letališče.

Letališče. Svetovni popotnik s slovenskimi koreninami. Vsi tujci so nad Slovenijo navdušeni. Zakaj ne bi bili še mi?

 

Slovenians Rock!

Dear reader,

when I was 13, I ran away from home. I was a huge rebellion and my family had it tough with me, especially my mom (love you mom!). I hated my town where I had spent my childhood and elementary school and I couldn’t wait to move to the big city. Eventually, even Ljubljana became too small. But in the meantime, I grew out of puberty, fortunately.

Now living across different countries in Europe and constantly on the road, I began to love my small city of childhood. I am proud to have grown up in a besieged working class town together with ex-Yugoslavian refugees from the 1990’s war. And yesterday I hosted two workshops there. It’s much fun coming back, not having the slightest accent and not knowing anyone, yet I felt like coming home.

Let me tell you a bit about this town and region. It isn’t rich. In Slovenia, pretty much everything outside Ljubljana is considered undeveloped. And Ljubljana on its own is not more than a big village. Not much’s going on. People lacking jobs, cultural life, social life activities (weekend getting drunk parties excluded of course), etc. There are fewer opportunities, especially for young people. And people feel this. They are not happy about it, but not much they can do. Or they don’t recognise the injustices in wealth and other goods distribution, and are falling in despair anyhow.

And in the middle of such an environment and mindset, there happen to be two organisations. That make a difference. Young people have joined their forces together and launched a co-working space. They are fostering entrepreneurship, active citizenship and engaging individuals into a sharing community.

I had a privilege to meet some of their members yesterday. I saw dedicated, kind and resourceful individuals who are trying to survive, to fight and to enjoy their lives. They were full of passion, energy, enthusiasm and ideas as we had discussion around Solution Focused questions. They were collaborative. Great listeners. Great people to talk to. Amazing creative spirits. With crazily stunning ongoing projects. I was so impressed and proud of their achievements as well as genuinely happy that they were not among those who are trying to find a way to either steal from common good or escape abroad. They were there. Standing strong. Having it difficult of course and constantly questioning how to survive. And they were managing, somehow, by doing something right.

I observed some of their conversations after the workshops. They were really kind to each other and honest. They asked me why I came to work with them all the way from London and not charging them to do that. Isn’t it obvious? Because it was most rewarding to be able to support a growing community that wants to make a difference in their local environments. I like working with engaging, kind people. Somehow, I  always have a privilege to meet such people.

This blog has about 3,000 international readers (you are awesome and you know it). If you ever have a chance to work with a Slovenian, you most likely won’t be disappointed. They might be a bit slow and cold at first, but once opened up, they will deliver results. And won’t praise themselves for it. They work, work, work hard, until they drop. And if in supporting environments, they generate awesome ideas, supported by strong arguments.

So honestly, Slovenians rock. I know I will spend my old days in this country. Because I love and believe in its people. Because it’s my home.

Biba

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Unlocking people’s potential – priceless.

Happy 2017: The Best Training You’ll Ever Attend

Dear reader,

2017 is going to be a delighted year, I can feel it in my bones!

It is such a pleasure to be able to announce that there will be ANOTHER Solution Focused Professional Training in Slovenia. I attended my first such training in March 2014 and had to go to England for it, because there were no such trainings in Slovenia. My life has changed upside down since, in ways I even daren’t dream of.

Before Solution Focused Practice entered my life, I was surrounded by toxic people, had bossy coworkers who could do pretty much anything with and to me, had partners who didn’t treat me right and most of all, I was really confused and not sure what I wanted to do with my life. Besides, my health was rather poor, I had some peculiar bad habits, not to mention that I found myself in conflicts more than often.

Now my life has a purpose. Since I started to learn Solution Focused Practice, my life has changed and I’ve become an almost completely different person:

I do what I love – I witness people creating their lives and themselves brand new. I am there with them to co-create rapid and long-lasting positive change they want to see for themselves and their significant others. This is such a privilege.

I travel. A LOT! I travelled round the Globe. Work and leisure is a synonym for me. Currently, I am stretched between the UK and home. I work a lot at the European level with international partners. I have clients from several EU countries and even clients from America and Canada. And this blog has almost 3000 followers. It didn’t happen overnight, but certainly I do perceive it as a miracle.

I am independent. My institute makes enough money to grant me a nice salary every month, so I can be my own boss and leader. I can choose who to work with and select my clients carefully.

My relationships have immensely improved. My marriage is firm and loving, my friends are my jewels and my work partners are the best team in the world.

I have changed personally as well. My way of thinking has changed. I allow myself to have a good life and allow myself to become the best I can possibly be in the fields I want to.

Those are only a few things. You can have it too. You can embrace and amplify the changes you want to see in your life. Solution Focused Practice will help you do just that in ways that you can’t even imagine at the moment.

With Solution Focused Practice you can

  • Learn to ask the right questions at right times, i.e. questions that put hope into your conversations and build rapid and long-lasting change.
  • Forget about burnout at work and toxic relationships. Personal or professional.
  • Become the best person/partner/CEO/coach/therapist/trainer/parent, etc. (whatever your current life role) you can possibly be.
  • Influence others in subtle ways, leaving an impact with no trace and assist them in making their lives and work a better place.
  • Change your career and find your true passion in life.

And many more ways, how Solution Focused Practice touches lives and moves them in a direction that is right for you.

Last year (2016) I was so happy to bring the first professional training to Slovenia, since as far as I know, there was no such training available. There are very few people who are familiar with Solution Focused Practice, and even they are practising the first model from the 1980’s when it had first developed. The model has changed of course, as there are new research findings that underpin different kind of practice.

So I wanted to offer Slovenian public a kind of training that changed my life. A highly pragmatic training in alignment with current trends and practice in the world. And it came true. Last year we got the first generation of Slovenian SF practitioners (about 25 people, with whom we meet every now and then and pursue SF in Slovenia). Because the experience was great and the feedback excellent, we (with my English partners) decided to repeat the training in 2017 as well, yet not in the same way. We made it even better, longer and with more contents. There will be even more exercises and you will see cases with real clients, therefore experience first hand the effectiveness and impact of SF.

You can be a part of this too. You are the second generation! You can be the next Slovenian star in the Solution Focused sky. You can become a part of a community that will support you and will foster your personal and professional development. I will surely appreciate more skilled people in the future, because I have many projects going on, where I would like to see Slovenian people engaged and thriving.

Want to learn Solution Focused Practice and thus invite change into your life in completely new ways? Simply click here and read about the programme, dates and apply through online form.

Not from Slovenia or can’t speak Slovenian? No problem! In the last chapter of our training, we’ll have a special guest coming over to Ljubljana. Chris Iveson, one of the best Solution Focused Therapists in the world, will deliver a two-day workshop in English in May (one day on coaching and another day on therapy). Chris is a co-founder of BRIEF, the largest Solution Focused Training organisation in the world (also the organisation where I was trained). Click for more info for Day 1 (coaching) or Day 2 (therapy).

That’s not even half of what I want to say. I could go on for days. Instead, let me invite you for a free intro workshop on January 6th, where you can hear it first hand and talk to me about your experience, questions and expectations.

Can’t wait to see Slovenia benefit from good practices that have been around in the world for a long time!!!

Biba

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Our first generation. We are delighted to welcome you on board!

 

I deserve this!

Dear reader,

it was about a year ago, on an intervision meeting with a coach colleague. I was just starting to think about going independent and opening my own company. As such, I was full of doubts, second thoughts, all sorts of fears, as are probably most people who are about to leave their comfort zone.

As we talked things through, he provoked me with all sorts of (very useful) questions. From the mission, vision, long and short term goals, possible paths, etc, etc. It’s in fact been really useful and without this coaching intervision I would probably not get anywhere near as close as I did in such a timely manner.

At the end of our conversation, as we both got exhausted (in a good way), he said: “Tell me why would you do such a thing.” I answered. He went: “No. Think.” I answered again, different answer. “No. Think again. Why would you want any of this?” and it took me a long time to give another answer. His reply again was: “No. Do you know why? It’s BECAUSE YOU DESERVE THIS!“

So that gave the title for the Facebook page that followed short after.

I’m home alone today. As my schedule fills up so unpredictable and is super flexible, I get to choose how much I work, when and what. So I decided to stay at home and work on my thesis. My husband has work to do the whole day and will only come back late in the evening. As morning turned into the afternoon and it was about lunch time, I thought I’ll just grab a sandwich and continue working. But then I figured: hey, why would I cook only when there are two (or more) of us? Why not treating myself equally worth? So I cooked a lovely meal just for myself, simply because I deserve this. And it was a whole ritual (except that obviously I cooked too much, tough love, I’d say).

Now I’m getting to the point of this post. Next year, in 2016 something wonderful is going to happen in our beautiful Slovenia. For the very first time, we’ll organize a Professional Solution Focused Training for those, who would like to learn how to use and practice Solution Focused Approach in their line of work. It is intended for coaches and/or therapists, along with all others, who work with people and would like to learn a different way of solving problems and managing conflicts.

The training will offer several different stages, from the very basics, introductory level, to more advanced levels, so you could join in whenever you feel you would benefit most. It will take place approximately from February until April or May 2016, each month a couple of days. It is an exclusive opportunity, as in the end, we’ll host a guest from Europe’s largest institution who provides Solution Focused Training and Slovenia has never had such an opportunity before.

So make sure, you are up to date with upcoming news with details dates, etc. Why? Because YOU DESERVE THIS! You deserve to learn skills and techniques that will bring you and your clients closer and quicker to your desired future. Solution Focused Approach has changed my life in ways I cannot describe. Now your time has come to make a difference in your life. Because you are worth it.

lunch!

Zakaj bloga ne pišem v slovenščini in zakaj se še nisem odselila v tujino

Ti, ki bereš ta blog,

želim ti en prav lep dan. Morda si na strani prvič, morda jo spremljaš že dlje časa. V kolikor spadaš v drugo skupino veš, da vedno objavljam v angleščini. Pa naj bo danes malo drugače in naj bo drugi dan v študijskem letu zaznamovan s prvim zapisom v mojem materinem jeziku.

Če sem čisto iskrena, se v angleščini počutim bolje kot v slovenščini. Ker sem toliko v tujini in ker imam dnevno stike z mednarodnimi partnerji, velik del časa tudi razmišljam v angleščini. Celo z možem včasih govorim angleško. Vse to pripomore, da so vsi blogovski zapisi napisani v tem jeziku, poleg tega je tako lažje, zaradi načina mojega dela. To seveda ni opravičilo, da ničesar ne napišem v slovenščini, je zgolj pojasnilo. In ker sem prejela kar nekaj pobud, da naj končno napišem kaj tudi v našem jeziku, zdaj čakam, da se posušijo tla po pomivanju in medtem kujem tole besedilo.

Bralci in klienti me občasno sprašujejo tudi zakaj se, kot veliko ljudi moje generacije, ne preselim v tujino. Zakaj se mučim tukaj in zapravljam svoj potencial, saj je tam vendar več možnosti, fleksibilnosti, priložnosti. Seveda imajo prav. Slovenija je, roko na srce, zelo naporna za mlade perspektivne ljudi, sploh tiste, ki želijo ustvarjati. Lansko leto, ko sem bila v Angliji, sem obiskala agencijo, ki zagotavlja podporo študentom pri študiju. Šlo je za multinacionalko s sedežem na Nizozemskem, ki je pokrivala celotni severni del Anglije s svojimi storitvami. Dogovorjeni smo bili za intervju, saj me je za mojo doktorsko disertacijo zanimal njihov način dela in storitve, ki jih nudijo. Ob koncu pogovora sem dobila ponudbo za delo. Ne kakršno koli delo. Šlo je za vodjo oddelka usposabljanja za podporne delavce študentom s posebnimi potrebami na univerzi. Mesto sicer ni bilo razpisano, vendar so v meni po zgolj eni uri pogovora (kjer sem mimogrede jaz bila tista, ki sem vodila intervju)  in po mojem življenjepisu videli nekoga, ki bi bil sposoben opravljati takšno delo. V ponudbi niso bili skopi: zelo lepa plača, plačan dopust, bolniška, napredovanje, služben avto. In začela bi lahko, ko bi uspela urediti vse stvari v Sloveniji. Pomagali bi mi tudi pri iskanju stanovanja.

Pomislila bi lahko, da mi je sekira padla v med. Vsekakor je to bila ponudba, kakršne doma nikoli ne bom dobila, poleg tega v Sloveniji tovrstnih storitev sploh še nimamo, da ne omenjam, da bi pri delu verjetno uživala, ker bi počela ravno to, kar mi je takrat bilo v največje veselje. Obenem mi je ponudba laskala, saj sem slišala, da gredo ljudje v tujino s trebuhom za kruhom in zaposlitve ne dobijo zlahka, meni pa so jo ponujali, ko je sploh nisem iskala.

Po dveh ali treh minutah tišine sem se zahvalila in ponudbo odklonila. Odgovor jih je presenetil, očitno so pričakovali navdušenje. Nato so me vprašali ali ponudba zame ni dovolj mikavna in da lahko sama določim pogoje, pa bomo videli ali se lahko pogodimo. Odvrnila sem jim da žal ne, da je ponudba zelo zanimiva, vendar žal ne zame. Na koncu smo si izmenjali kontakte in vljudnostno rekli, da bomo ostali v stiku. Seveda nismo.

Zakaj za vraga sem zavrnila sanjsko službo, ki je (verjetno) obetala uspešno kariero? V agenciji, kjer so bili celo pripravljeni ponuditi možnost določanja pogojev? V državi, ki je moj drugi dom?

Zato, ker imam rada Slovenijo. Ker sem doma tu. In ker želim, da je Slovenija tudi zaradi mene, ki bivam v njej, boljša. O odločitvi sem razmišljala zgolj par minut in moj odgovor je bil dokončen. Kot kaže, sem po svoje izbrala težjo pot, saj bom poskušala dobre prakse, ki sem se jih naučila v tujini, prinašati in vnašati domov. Za vsa moja potovanja, stike in aktivnosti želim, da ima Slovenija in ljudje v njej, nekaj od tega. Ne bom ena izmed tistih, ki se jim reče beg možganov – možgane želim pripeljati k nam! Zakaj? Ker šele po tem, ko sem bila dlje časa v tujini, vidim kaj imamo doma in to neskončno cenim:

  • imamo enega najvišjih standardov bivanja (pitna voda, raznolikost pokrajine, majhne razdalje, dobro šolstvo, zadovoljivo zdravstvo, odlična hrana, čist zrak, ipd.).
  • ponoči se lahko sprehajam brez skrbi za svojo varnost. Prav tako ponoči ne zaklepam hiše, avtomobila pa skoraj nikoli (tudi podnevi).
  • v mestu in na vaseh vidim ljudi, ki si vzamejo čas za kavo. In ki jo spijejo v družbi, ne da bi se pogovarjali izključno o službi, borzi ali politiki.
  • otroci se ponekod še prosto igrajo.
  • vemo, kaj jemo. Ne maramo pakirane pripravljene hrane. Ni ga čez domač paradižnik z bučnim oljem, zelje in krompir 🙂
  • nismo zasvojeni z delom in še vedno prevladuje mnenje, da smo ljudje najpomembnejši. Naša ulica denimo se dnevno pogovarja, sosedje nam pazijo mačka in zalivajo rože kadar nas ni in prinesejo pomaranče, kadar je kdo bolan.
  • še je prisotna zdrava pamet. Ljudje še vedo kako nasekati drva, kdaj posaditi kakšno rastlino, kako zamenjati žarnico in zračnico na kolesu.
  • ker nas ni malo takih, ki želimo ostati doma in narediti nekaj za našo skupnost v smislu sodelovanja in solidarnosti, ne zgolj tekmovalnosti.

Zato imam rada Slovenijo in zaenkrat ne razmišljam, da bi jo zapustila. Želim pa narediti pozitivno razliko in pustiti pečat v njej ker ne verjamem, da je dežela hlapcev, ki ne znajo drugega kot jamrati in biti zavistni drug drugemu. Seveda bom verjetno vedno uhajala pomalem v tujino. Vendar (upam da vedno) z namenom priti nazaj bogatejša za nekaj, kar lahko delim z ljudmi, ki bivamo tukaj.

joao sleeping

V kolikor deliva podobno stališče se poveživa in skupaj ustvariva nekaj, kar bo imelo dodano vrednost. Zate, zame in za nas.