Go on eXchange

Ladies and gentlemen of @ Portugal 2009, "Go on eXchange"



If I could offer you only one tip for the future, "eXchange" would be it.



The long-term benefits of eXchange have been proved by companies, where's the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own AIESEC experience.
I will dispense this advice NOW!

Enjoy the power and beauty of your Team.
Take that in your mind.
You will not understand the power and beauty of your Team until they've faded.



But trust me, in 20 years,when you'll look back at photos of your team buildings and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility layed before you and how fabulous your work really looked.

You Achieved more than you imagine.

Don't worry about the future.
Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to create a conference with a 2 days notice.

The real troubles in your career are going to be things that never crossed your worried mind, like that function in Excel you never needed before or a way to see your emails in the middle of no where.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Create a Roll-Call.
Don't be reckless with other people's dances.
Don't put up with people who are reckless with your randomness.

Work.
Don't waste your time on jealousy of others results.Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind.

The race is long and, in the end, you just need to learn.

Remember sugar cubes you receive.

And listen to the feedback you get,
If you succeed on applying it, you'll grow.

Keep your old badges.
Throw away your old and confusing post-its.

Risk.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life.
The most interesting LCP's I knew didn't knew what they wanted to with their LC's.
Almost every MCP that I know didn’t knew they wanted to be MCP some day.

Do plenty BOAT races.
But be kind to your knees.
You'll miss them in a 8 days conference.

Maybe you'll raise TN's, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll have lots of trainees, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll go abroad.

Maybe you'll dance the tunack-tunack on the 50th anniversary.
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance.
So are everybody else's.

Enjoy the experience.
In every way you can.
I know that some people go further.
But it's only yours and no one will live it for you.

Dance
Even if you have never done it before
Follow someone's the directions, even if you don't know them.

Do not go to bed before everyone.
You'll only miss the party in the morning.

Get your parents involved.
You never know when they'll be the main sponsors of your trips.


Be nice to your members.
They're your best link to your LC and the people most likely to stick in your teams in the future.
Understand that people come and go, but some precious few should stay.
They'll work hard, bridge the gaps, understand the philosophy and lifestyle of the organization, because the older you get, the more you need the people that you met when you entered.

Work in E.R. once, but stop before it makes you hard.
Work in T.M. once, but stop before it makes you soft.


Travel
Accept certain inalienable truths:
International meetings are the best
Even if trainings are not that great.
Even if things are expensive,
You will have fun
And when two weeks pass, you'll fantasize that when you were there, the price for beer was reasonable, roll-calls were crazy, and members respected their facis.


Respect your leaders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you.
Maybe you'll have lots of materials.
Maybe you'll have a wealthy LC.
But you never know when either one might fail you.



Don't mess too much with your processes or by the end of term you wont reach anything.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but look for people that supply it.


Advice is a form of nostalgia.
Dispensing it is a way of fishing the materials from your computer, writing it in a new template, correcting the places where you can sill read "SN" and giving it to someone that will use them better than you.

But trust me on the "eXchange".



By Luis Magalhães


So true, so ingenious ... just awesome !
Proud to know Luis !