„This training was just different. This training taught me a lot. This training gave me freedom and an overview of how the world works.”
First Steps was the last training of 2019 to which we sent participants. How was it for Pavel?
I was hearing it from everywhere: “Where are you from?”. But every time the answer was very different. “Spain”, “Poland”, “Turkey”, “Italy”,… We were at the Budapest railway station waiting for the bus, which will take us further. A group of twenty people from all over the world. I was the only one from the Czech Republic. But it didn’t matter.
Upon our arrival at the training site, I become a friend with two girls from Poland. Later, I befriended a group of three other people who were in my group for sharing experiences. And then I befriended with another person – a personal buddy for discussing 1:1. However, as the training was progressing I become a friend with more and more people. And I believe by the end I was a friend to all twenty participants. Even though I was the only one from my country, I had a lot of people I connected with.
The training was based on a method called Basic Synergy. And my experience of this training is deeply related to learning. And I think that learning was exactly the core of this training. The first lecture was about defining what does it mean: a comfort zone, a LEARNING ZONE, and a panic zone. Then came the second lecture, the first exercise, the third lecture, another exercise (about how to be creative), another lecture, an exercise, an exercise, an experience… One aha! moment was coming after another one. Everything began to fit together. I learned to ask people for advice. I learned to share insights. I told my observations to someone else and got his opinion or his story. And things in my mind started to click together like the pieces of puzzles. During the ten days, the learning and aha! moments appeared more and more often. And in the last few days, I have been just wearing a smile from ear to ear, because almost every five minutes I got another aha! moment. Every now and then, something from the content of the lessons of the training connected with something that someone said or with the way he behaved.
I would like to share more, but the training was based on the surprise and doing things beyond the way I have been accustomed to do so far. Therefore, at the request of the organizers (not to spoil it for others who will attend such training in the future), I will be a bit short on examples.
I will share that BEFORE the course, I asked myself: “How could I start doing something actively? How do I find a partner to support me? How can I ask for help? “ And I was waiting for something to happen. I expected a partner with the same view on how the world works to suddenly appear and invite me to work with him. I was waiting for the outside world to help me.
By contrast, AFTER the training I stopped waiting. And I began to act. For example, I visit a public speaking club. And it was a bit stagnating. I wanted to bring it back to life. Therefore after the training, I called a meeting of our club. I invited the two biggest enthusiasts of this club and I shared my vision with them: “I want to raise the world champion in public speaking at our club.” My partners have enthusiastically accepted this vision as their own. Now, we started to actively meet and work towards its fulfillment. The people around me started moving. I wanted a change and I started to share it and work on it. Others follow and support me.
I realized there is a difference between “trying to make a change” and “making a change”. All thanks to this training.
The funny thing is that in December a year ago I flew to the ocean to Las Palmas to relax and chill. This year I went to spend the holidays in winter in Hollókö to learn. In December a year ago I enjoyed the sun and surfed. This December I have changed my way of thinking. Hollókö has given me much more than surfing in the ocean. Hollókö has taught me to act and think.
If you get a chance to go to Basic Synergy training… I will advise you only: “Go!”
Pavel Černý
The project was funded through the Erasmus+ programme.
