Mayari’s Blog

I started at Futerra as an intern and after one month I was offered a position as a junior designer. Now, I mainy create graphics (websites, banners, leaflets, invites, communication guides, brand guidelines, logos, namecards etc.) For sure, work never gets boring; we have a lot of exciting and diverse clients, all having their unique needs while all doing good stuff.

Since our company combines PR, Strategy, Engage and Design we help each other where we can. That means being able to multitask (Lulu I’m taking you as an example) and sometimes being exposed in the media ourselves. That’s why I made it to BBC news already;) in an article covering Swishing (an event where you can swap your no longer wanted clothes with friends invented by our lovely Lucy.) Find me also in the viral clip we helped producing for Shell Springboard funding business helping to cut CO2 emissions.

There is more to come! Watch out for a project we are doing with DFID in collabroation with squint opera. I can’t tell more at this stage but as soon as I can publish the photos, I will post it. I promise - it’s great!

Stefan Sagmeister’s Talk on TED inspired me to compare his lessons to what I’ve learnt so far.

“Everybody always thinks they are right.“

I would cancel the “always”. But then I think its true (see - I’m right;)) We have to make sense of our lifes. We have the need to hold on to something and that’s why we have to find things to say: “That’s right”. Personally, I think things are neither right nor wrong. But you will find out as long as you learn more and more and more that there is a consensus in what makes human feel right (or good = right). Life will make you understand: things could as well be very different. So to me, basically, there are rights and wrongs but only for the very person and the very moment in time.

“Drugs are fun in the beginning but become a drag later on.“

This, I really can’t comment on. I have never been addicted to any kind of drug (Chocolate is no drug, right?). Is this something I have to experience? I think I pass on that and just think Stefan is right:)

“Being not thruthful works against me.“

Totally agree!

“Worrying solves nothing.“

True. That’s why I love POSITIVITY and ACTION. I contemplate a lot (some say even too much) which doesn’t have to be mistaken for worrying. In fact I’m not often worried. Sometimes I feel that’s not normal and I wonder why I am like this. Maybe I intuitively know it brings me nowhere.

“Money does not make me happy.“

It helps having less worries but it doesn’t make you happy. It might keep you away from problems but it wouldn’t cheer you up. The only thing you need to be happy is to be able to have feelings and let them go. Just like children do. They have no money but are the happiest (and saddest) people in the world, I dare to claim. Does this mean having no responsibilities makes you happy? Or no worries? Anyway, I don’t have a lot of money and still I’m happy. So I completely agree with Stefan.

“Keeping a diary supports personal development.“

Again, I agree based on personal experience. I have a very personal diary which is only for me and which I have to burn one day because it contains so many “secrets” and questions (maybe more questions than answers). But putting my sometimes scizoprenic thoughts on paper helps me cope with things, analyze things, get ridd of things… Some might say what a waste of time. But to me it’s more like my way of medtitation. And for sure personal development is never a waste.

“Complaining is silly. Either act or forget.“

This makes me think of Gandhi’s quote

“Be the change you want to see in this world.“

I am trying to do my best to live my life as such, even though this is very tough at times. There are so many things going wrong in this world! You must forget (or not constantly think of it - like starving people) or - and that’s even better - act (like buying and supporting “good” things). BE IGNORANT OR DO SOMETHING! But don’t be silly: smite your forehead and complain. It won’t get you nowhere.

Now, here is an other very important thing I’ve learnt so far.

“I dont have to be/make it perfect. I just have to be/make it more than good enough.“

This mantra helped me a lot in my life. I used to be a perfectionist and it made me unhappy. I wanted to be/do things perfectly but I could never reach my expectations. Until life showed me that there is no such thing as perfection - there are visions, dreams and there is hope but no fixed goal.

I found out I could never become perfect (because in a way we are all per se perfect how we are) and that’s totally fine. That’s nature. Even nature makes mistakes and that’s why we have this unbelieably beatuiful diversity in this world. It might be true that on the atomaric level there is perfection, but we live in the real world (whatever that is). Somehow, to me, life itself is perfect (a perfect miracle - maybe we are made out of perfect atoms). But how you lead your life, what you think in life, is totally up to you. I know this doesn’t make sense. But this theory works for me (emotionally) and thus is more than good enough. To me anyway.

If not, I would have too many worries and as we’ve seen earlier: they won’t get you anywhere.

“Believe in your hopes and dreams.“

These are my last words.

Who created the crisis? Most Probably not the poor people. They cannot spend more than they have, and if they need more, they rather ask money from their families. Who can spend more? Most probably the richest people in the world…

I’m not very familiar with stocks, credits and morgages. I’m not a shareholder (yet), never spend more than I have and own no property. I’m poor in that sense. But I have all I need to lead a happy life. And I’m thankful for that and hope I can do good so that others can be happy and thankful as well.

See my other blogpost about poverty on the futerra blog.

My co-worker sent me this email and the day after I found it on my netvibes RSS feeds on the cognitive daily blog. What way does the lady move? To me, it changes, once clockwise, then suddently the other way round. Really strange.