Project "Life", have you got enough funding?

Couple of months ago the NGO that I am running  www.luccaleadership.org/macedonia received a grant from the European Commission in Brussels to organize a week long leadership programme for 24 young people coming from 6 countries.

We've been waiting for this moment ever since we registered the organization in 2009. It seemed so far, out of reach, beyond our capacity...and now we have to select 24 out of the 80 people that applied.

It's been an amazing experience so far, on a personal as well as team level. 

I am a person that tends to panick. Not in the *AAAAAAAAAAAAA, tears, hair pulling way* but in an internal, silent way.
Panicking by expecting the worst, giving no credit to myself and waiting for the moment when I'll mess up.

So, since I noticed a big change in my behavior and internal state this time, I will try to put up a list of what worked for me:

1. constant hang out time with myself (journaling, How am I....OK, now seriously How am I? Why do I feel this way, what's causing this?)
2. being upset with everyone that has their life figured out (because it made me search, and dig deeper to see why and how and when)
3. freezing to every question that has a deeper meaning: What do I love? Am I happy? (they sank in my heart and they started living there, without realizing I was answering them)
4. one year of people telling you you've become weird (it most probably means you're doing the things you love, really doing the things you really love)
5. cutting pictures from magazines because it helps you get to know yourself better (again, you're probably weird)
6. build a TRUST system-The most important,-the start position-you won't get anywhere until you have it-trust: Trust in myself. (when you trust yourself and you realize you don't know something, you can ask help without feeling bad about yourself or putting yourself down)
7. being carried away by the people who have their lives figured out and are saying that YOU need to figure your life NOW...no YESTERDAY!It's been 2 days and you still haven't....come oooon?!  Instant "fix yourself", "learn everything you need to know in 5 min", "discover your inner passion in 1 week" stuff....eeerrrrmm well that's scary and you'll probably end up feeling like a failure (yes, personal experience speaking).
   Find your own way, give yourself the time YOU need. The big questions, they need answering every day not only one week.
8. say No! I know you know this, I knew it as well. But really say no. I made a list of all the things that I do for all sorts of reasons but not because I really want to and I wanted to see how that list can get shorter and shorter. If you're not being true to yourself you're not being true to anyone.
   If you're drinking coffee with someone and thinking about that book you left at home....you get the point.
9. voicing your fears - to yourself, to a friend, to your notebook, to your painting, your piece of music, to that tree.
   Follow your intuition about this and trust it. Do what you feel you need to do.
   There are people who will say anything to make you feel good (and that's great) but do you really need that? Coach yourself, guide yourself like you would guide your best friend.
10. listening to yourself- this summer I got a very, no VERY strong proof that the things that come from inside, especially if I don't like what they're saying and how they sound (especially then!), they're true.
11. don't chase the things that are clearly running away from you   chase the things that are running away from  you but once you realize what you're doing, stop.

TO BE CONTINUED....

How does this have anything to do with running projects and organizations? Boy oh boy, it does.

    

Life is one big project, everything else is on the "Activity" list.


p.s what would your list look like?