Traits of successful people

A new semester is about to start on Monday. I have too much free time in my hands now that my exams ended. And i could not be more excited. I took a class from the Ekonomikum regarding Entrepreneurship and it looks so interesting that it makes me wonder why didn't i pick up a business master's degree instead. It is probably because my bachelor had nothing to do with it i guess!

I already finished the first assignment that will be discussed in the first lecture and it was great. It had a collection of famous people's biographies like Richard Branson of Virgin or Stelios Haji-Ioannou of EasyJet. The idea was that these successful people are products of their own environment, with strong stimuli from their parents and their social circle, leading them to develop important traits and perks that helped them in their careers.

That could not be more true. What you see in these people can help you in your own conquest of your dreams. There is a fierce drive inside them, a passion and a vision that stems from their titanic confidence and their belief in their ability. What is also important is that each of those people know who they are, they accept themselves and they know their position in the world.

Another interesting fact is that most of them have had a rough childhood. Most people learn to give up and think negatively. A man that is born poor has the mindset that he has to die poor too. They learned to adapt, to take matters in their own hands and see every obstacle as a solution to an older problem or a springboard to greater heights.

Richard Branson, for the womanizer he is, is the definition of success. His mother left him at the age of 4 half a mile away from home to find his own way back to toughen up. Boy he did. He is one of the most successful people and entrepreneurs on the planet now running a multibillionaire company with branches in aviation, the music industry, space travel etc.

People like these are always more excited about the journey and not the goal. Maybe because  they already know that they will achieve it if they put effort, thought and resources. What is also interesting is that they are self-reliant, however they surround themselves by the best minds. They create a "master-mind", a group of extraordinary people with minds and thoughts that vibrate in the same frequencies and their collective work brings success and power, unlimited power.

Lastly, one thing that i noticed is the influence their parents had on them. They almost always picked up a trait or two from each one of them. Mike Lynch of Autonomy is quoted saying that he got his vision from his mother and his work rate from his father, a nurse and a fireman respectively.

Some random thoughts to kick-start the day.

Good morning Sweden!

I love Finland.

The Swedish Crayfish Attack

In August things are about to get messy in Sweden. We are talking about a 500 year old tradition that will make you drool if you like parties and remind you how it was when you left a birthday party when you were ten with birthday cake all over your face and clothes.

Does this ring any bells?

I am talking about the crayfish summer festival, a tradition so old in Sweden, that dates back to the 1500s. A delicacy saved for the aristocrats, the gobbling crayfish is still very popular and enjoyed by people of all classes. The imports of crayfish from other countries such as Turkey led to a price drop and made the Kräftskivor (crayfish parties) a more affordable tradition that marks the end of the summer. People gather to eat, drink, have a great time. I'm hoping to experience it soon enough.

That's a lot of crayfish.

There have been restrictions that prevent the overfishing of crayfish in Sweden, for a couple of months starting from August and while you can import them from another country the local crayfish of Sweden always wins.

The very few who have private access, of course, catch their own crayfish. The little creatures are night animals, so fishing has to be done after dark. They are caught in wire traps and the bait is often rotten or raw fish. Crayfish must be alive when placed in the saucepan of boiling liquor (source).

There is also a nice little song that goes with it, but i will not spoil the meaning:

Helan går
Sjung hopp faderallan lallan lej
Helan går
Sjung hopp faderallan lej
Och den som inte helan tar
Han heller inte halvan får
Helan går
Sjung hopp faderallan lej

Lastly, according to thelocal.se don’t start the party hungry. It takes about 5 minutes to dig out the eqivalent of about a meatball’s worth of meat.

So this was a short intro to the  Kräftskivor, one of the many interesting traditions of sweden. In two weeks i am going to experience it first hand, while i also plant to visit Turku in Finland and Copenhagen in Denmark. Bursting with excitement! So for now take care, see you soon Uppsala!

UPDATE: Well, according to an anonymous user with apparent experience in crayfish parties..."Hey man you got the *don't come start hungry" part wrong, you're supposed to get there hungry, that way you'll get more drunk, and you will be eating for hours, You will get fed eventually ;) + there is often more food at the table than only the crayfishes :)"

So, go out there and have fun your way! Get those bellies full of beer and tiny little crayfish meatballs! Thank you stranger!

Breaking the habit

There has been a hiatus of posts lately, mostly because i am too busy studying russian, working all day long. I am therefore too tired to type walls of text. So i am taking a short break until the weekend to clear my head and think of something worth writing.

This is a short post.

The only thing that i can think off, is that i am satistfied with how this blog is cultivating. It has finally found an identity, at least on my mind. I have 4 major topics i can tackle, to keep it fresh and interesting:

1. All things Swedish. More to come after i finally move there!
2. Pursuing success and attaining it. Laws of success and self-improvement.
3. Tips for college students.
4. My daily life, activities, film reviews etc. More on that in 2 months!

So that's it for now, take care as i enjoy my short sabbatical!