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Time To Come Alive: "A Heart For Service" With Special Guest Felipe Ferreira, Learning Manager, Grand Hyatt Rio De Janeiro
I provide this opportunity because I want to have you experience amazing human beings that are here because they’ve come to life in some area of their own lives or they’re finding their way there like most of us are. This opportunity and these conversations allow all of us to be even more conscious as human beings. They allow us to be more connected with each other, and because we're connected and conscious, we have the opportunity to create things that are creative and beyond our wildest imagination.
I'm really excited to bring you a good friend of mine on this show. His name is Felipe Ferreira from Brazil. In a moment, I'll introduce him more formally. I want to also start off by preparing us for how to experience this conversation. The way we do that is this exercise. What I invite you all to do is to sit in your chair, or if you're standing, make sure that you're standing straight, and find your grounding. Find your center so you can relax in whatever position you're in.
Take a couple of deep breaths. Take a nice centering breath and allow that breath to travel through your whole body, relaxing you. I also invite you to close your eyes if it's appropriate for where you are. If not, soften your gaze so that you can relax during this time together. I want you to think about your inspiration, the things that inspire you.
When you look around your life, around your space, and the relationships that you have, think about the people that you care for. Think about the people that have had you look at something in a different way. Consider where they became inspired, what inherently is in the space, and how it was created, designed, or built that infused inspiration.
I want you to breathe in the inspiration that you're getting from those places, those people, and the experiences in your life. As you focus on that and what inspires you, consider that when you are inspired, you create a space. You create the opportunity for others around you to access their own inspiration. Take another couple of deep breaths.
Finally, I want you to consider ways in which you can seek inspiration. You can find more meaningful, more intentional ways to seek inspiration from others or surround yourself with things that you know will inspire you on purpose. You are constantly nurturing and growing your own inspiration so that you're able to then serve others. Take a nice, final breath there. Whenever you're ready, you may refocus or open your eyes.
Welcome back, everybody. One of the reasons that I focused on service is because of the soul that I have the fortune of knowing for several years now. Felipe and I have worked together. We started our friendship when I worked for Hyatt Hotels as well. I was the Director for the Latin America region when it came to learning. Felipe's role as a learning manager in the hotels he worked in was pivotal for me to be able to do what I needed to do.
Felipe has been one of the most eager, enthusiastic, willing, and positive forces of nature that I've ever had the privilege of working with. I never doubted in a second that if I needed something to get done, needed feedback on something, or needed someone to give me a hand, I could reach out to Felipe and he would say yes or find a way to make it work. That hasn't changed at all. It wasn't even the fact that I was working in an organization where that was my job. This is this man. This is who he is. I couldn't be more thrilled to be his friend. I want to have you introduce yourself, Felipe, so that others can hear who you are and what you're about. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Welcome.
Thank you for being here with me and for giving me your time. I'm Felipe. I'm originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil. For the past couple of years, I've been living in Rio de Janeiro, which is whatever you might think or whatever you might dream about as a beautiful place. That's where I am. I started my career in hospitality several years ago. It was my anniversary not long ago.
Congratulations.
Thank you. Before I came to Hyatt, I started my career at a language school. I used to be a student there. They needed a person to help the students in the lab to help the students to prepare the exercises and everything. I was invited to work with them. I then became a teacher there. I taught little kids English. I also spent a few months at Disney World in Orlando. That was my big breakout. It was my first big hospitality company. I'm sure these experiences were very important for me to bring me to the company that I'm in now and to do what I do.
It wasn't until 2013 that I had my first opportunity to work with learning and development. I was invited to be part of an opening team in Costa Rica. That was one very important experience in my life because I not only found out what I wanted to do for the following years, which is exactly what I'm doing which is working with learning development, but I also started discovering things about me and the way that I wanted to live my life which is the pura vida way of life. That idea really resonated with me. I don't know if I answered the question, but that’s it.
That's wonderful. It was perfect. I have to say. You borrowed the whole pura vida lifestyle from Costa Rica.
It's hard to change the whole world at one time. We can't do that, but we can make a difference in our inner circle.
I have a big picture in my bedroom with those words. It is a philosophy that everyone should know.
For those who don't know what the pura vida philosophy is, tell us about it. What does that look like in your own life?
I hadn't heard about it until I got there. Pura vida would be pure life. Someone would be like, “How are you, Valerie?” You’d be like, “I'm pura vida. I'm feeling great. I'm feeling awesome. I'm feeling balanced.” Someone would be like, “How was your event last night, Valerie?” You’d be like, “That was pura vida. That was great. That was positive.” There's something about being connected to the higher people upstairs or with nature. I found out it nurtures me in a very important way. I even have my pura vida mug. My cousins came to Rio to my house to spend a few days with me. They know I like it so much that they customized the mug for me. It's really in my life pretty much every day.
It's one thing to say pura vida. I've been to Costa Rica. It's something that is said fairly often as a greeting. It is like, “How are you?” It becomes transactional at times. What do you do to nurture that pura vida philosophy so that it's an action in different areas of your life?
Pura vida is related to being kind. Even a couple of my sentences might sound or come off as cliché, but I do believe in them. We have a saying here in Brazil and in Rio, especially from here, that says kindness generates kindness.
Gentileza gera gentileza.
Exactly. That’s a good one.
You gave me a magnet that has that on it.
I truly believe in that. Being kind, saying a very good morning, being polite, and little actions like opening a door or asking about someone's day, these little things are pura vida for me. This is being connected and being open. I have my lows. We all have our ups and downs. I love being in my 30s. I don't know why, but I feel that after a couple of years, you start to understand how life goes and you worry less about a couple of things. You worry more about others because it's a different point in your life. Between those ups and downs, to be connected with these kinds of ideas like the pura vida that kindness generates kindness or to try to perform little actions that impact people in a helpful or positive way is what makes me come alive.
I love that. I can see it. I even hear it when you talk about it. You had an experience when you traveled to the States. You and I had a really wonderful conversation about that trip. Would you mind sharing with others what that trip was about and why it was so meaningful to you?
Yeah. I was on vacation. We've been talking for a while. For the last few years, we've been talking about finding our purpose. ways, resources, or tools to have a more mindful life. I've been asking myself a lot of questions. I was there in mid-March 2019. I went to Chicago and Washington DC to see a couple of friends. When I got out of the plane, I was preparing to transfer to my hotel in DC. I feel whenever I'm in a different place or in a different country, I love observing the lighting of the place, how people behave, and how they interact.
I was there in the van, getting to my hotel, and then I started to question myself, like, “What am I here for?” I finally got the answer. I found my purpose, and it feels so good. The answer that I got inside my head or my inside was I'm here to help connect people and help them thrive. My relationships, my daily routine, and my job allows me to connect with different people and help them thrive.
We are all in this together. We must move forward. We must not move backward. If we go together, it's going to be easier for everyone. If I can touch people's lives or I can do little things that will help them thrive or promote partnership from those kinds of things, that's a score. I'm going to be happy and I'm going to sleep happy.
People might read this and think, “I have to go on vacation to the United States. I have to go and sit in a van and be enlightened by my purpose.” I don't think people realize how much work you've put into discovering what makes you come to life. I'd love for you to share some of the work that you did and what some of the most impactful work that you found gave you that ability.
I remember an exercise that I learned. We did it. I was asked to think about three words that I wanted to be. This was the very first time that I thought about it, and that was an important starting point for me. I did some thinking and decided that I wanted to be healthy and I wanted to be curious. The more I wanted to be healthy or curious, I tried to plan activities that led me to those goals.
In the year that I decided that I wanted to be healthy, I participated in a swimming competition in the sea. That was the most challenging thing that I have ever done. It was one mile and a half or one kilometer. It was such a psychological experience. I had to deal with myself. I had to talk to myself to reach that goal. I felt so much stronger after that activity.
I'm not saying that I eat healthy every day or that I wake up every day at 5:00 in the morning to run. I don't. If it's healthy for me to be with my friends and have a burger on a Friday night, I'll do it. It's related to being healthy or being curious. I am trying to read inspirational stories or trying to learn a bit more about the things that I don't understand.
I discovered a number of podcasts here in Brazil. They talk about politics, for example. I don't like it very much, but it's important for me to be connected, to be aware, and to understand my society. If I'm not willing to be in front of the news, watch TV, or see this kind of stuff, let me hear my podcast while I have breakfast. I'm being curious and I'm trying to find tools or these little things that help me do that on a daily basis. It's a lot of thinking as well.
The last thing that I would share is that I deal with people every day. For the majority of my hours, I'm surrounded by people. At points, it might be tiring, but I recharge. I reconnect with myself at least once a week. I live alone. At least once a week, I take some time for myself to watch the TV shows that I like or listen to the music that I love. Sometimes, I even get embarrassed. The neighbors might think that I'm crazy because I sing my heart out. I have been with myself. I discovered in the past few years that it is amazing to be with yourself for a while. I love being with people but I also love being with myself. Living alone has taught me that. It makes me feel good.
You said something that's really important that I want to emphasize for others. That's the notion that you give a lot. If your purpose is to connect with people and help them thrive, that requires you to give a lot of energy. You give a lot of your time. You give a lot of your attention. What is fascinating is the idea that most people who spend time giving, whether that's in their job, in the family, or in some area of their life, it drains them. It depletes the energy. What I love about what you said is that you are mindfully and intentionally reconnecting and recharging with yourself. That's something that people take for granted.
It often comes up that people want work-life balance. They want to feel more balanced in their life. What's interesting is that we don't consider that. Everybody has the same 24 hours.
Everybody has the same seven days a week. Everybody has the same 30-plus days in a month. That's never going to change. The amount of time that we work with any single soul on this planet doesn't change. What changes is how much you take in so that you are able to give out even more. You're feeding your soul whatever Netflix binge-show you're watching, whatever song you sing, or whatever activity that you're doing, and that gives you the ability to give more to others. Does that resonate with you?
Yeah. It's like a plant. We have to give water so the plant can grow. That's what is important for us to do, especially if we are willing to share, provide, and give to people. I cannot give what I don't have. If I find some time to recharge or refill myself with those ideas, sentences, or affirmations that might be helpful for others, why not?
I cannot give what I do not have.
You work hard at this. I shouldn't say you work hard, but you spend time and invest time to nurture this in yourself. Where does all that come from? What inspires you to do that to focus on yourself? Where does that come from?
I do a lot of thinking and I talk to myself a bit more than I want to. We talk a lot between here and here. There is a dialogue. Sometimes, it's hard to find the answers on your own. I started thinking, “Why not find inspirational stories that might help me do that?” I'm a slow reader, but I've been trying to read a bit more this 2019, for example. I read Giselle Bündchen’s memoir. I'm reading Michelle Obama’s memoir. I try to find inspirational people and I think, “What can I learn from them?” It's also related to an idea that I've been in contact with, which is accountability.
It is not that I'm Giselle, Michelle, or even Mr. Obama. I'm not them, but when we look at these kinds of people, we think, “They were lucky.” You cannot say they were only lucky. They worked hard to get where they are. Listening to these kinds of stories inspires me to find my own tools or to organize my ideas in order to fulfill my purpose.
You're in your 30s. I'm curious. At what age did all this start? When did Felipe become the seeker of wisdom and inspiration?
After I moved to Rio. It's been three years and a half. It is exactly what I told you. I always had an amazing relationship with my parents. My mom was listening to me. I had space in my house, but being alone and being a bit forced to grow up started to ignite a lot of ideas in my head. Sometimes, you have to do things on your own. You don't have mama or daddy around you to solve everything. I still have great support from them, but on a daily basis, I have to figure things out. I need to structure myself to solve whatever I have to solve on my own. It started around a few years ago.
That's not a long time. I'm curious. Why was that important to do? Not everybody in their 30s needs to have this awakening. What was it about that period of time that made it essential for you to do that? You could have done what other girls do and hang out, have fun, and go out and meet people. You're in Rio of all places, so I'm sure there's no shortage of a good time. What happened? Why did you decide that was important?
I realized we are not here on a ride. It might be fun and we got to take it easy, but we are here for a special purpose. We all are. To have the sense gives me a responsibility to do the best that I can to those around me. If I can be this connection, if I can be this positive influence, or if I can say something or do something that has an impact in this world that is so hard, I'm going to do it. It's hard to change the whole world at one time. We can't do that, but I'm pretty sure we can make a difference in our inner circle.
In 2018, for example, we have this apprentice program in the hotel. One of the lawyers who supports us on the hotel matters said she has a very strong history of dealing with young people and teaching them human rights and citizenship. She said, “I would love to teach them that. Can I have an hour with them once a month so I can give them a class?” I said, “Of course.”
I attend these classes as well not only to observe them but to nurture myself because she is a big inspiration for me. The main thing that connected this citizenship and human rights course in 2018 for our little apprentices was if you have the ability to perform or make a difference in your inner circle, do it. I don't even have to tell you how crazy the world is, so let's try to make it easier and lighter. Life is so beautiful.
You said something to me earlier before we started this program about how hard life can be in Brazil and how hard your parents worked. Tell us a little bit more about that. I'd love for you to share that with the others because that was really poignant, what you said.
I'm going to try not to cry. I was lucky enough to have examples in my house. My parents worked hard their entire lives. We don't have that much, but what we have is really special. The example came from inside my house. I was lucky enough to see it. The context around here might be very difficult. There’s the political scenario and economic scenario. There’s the daily struggle that people usually have around here to reach their offices or go to their jobs, or the public services. I'm not saying it's hell, but it's not organized at all.
That's what I try to think about the employees and the people that I interact with. Sometimes, people get buses, take two hours to get here, and need to perform. The context around this might be a little different, but why not then be this person to inspire them or to be kind to them to try to balance it a little bit? My parents were these people who, against all odds, stayed positive. They worked hard and really tried their best to give us what we needed.
This is where we are. Me and my sister are lucky enough to have them around to say, “Thank you.” After the last trip that you mentioned, I came back to them and said, “Thank you very much. You did a good job. I'm an honest person.” I'm Latino. I was traveling alone. People were always like, “Show me your documents. Do this. Do that.” I was okay because I knew I was an honest person. I owe that to them. I am bringing all of it back to my daily routine and my job. We have a lot of challenges here around us. If we made it through here, let's do it right. Let's enjoy it. It’s not perfect. I have my moments. I have my five-minute breakdowns, but let's try. We are all trying. We should do that.
I love that. I also want to take advantage of the moment to say muito obrigada to your family for who you got to be and who you are for everybody else in the world because of their model and how they raised you. That’s very nice. I have one more question, and then I'm going to open up the line so that those of you who are enjoying Felipe and his passion have an opportunity to ask questions or make comments. Start preparing.
You mentioned something. You said the context of life in Brazil might look difficult. There are people who have to travel for two hours to get to work. You said something about performing. That’s performing in the sense that they have to put their best foot forward for the customers that they're serving. They have to make the best meal they can with the tools and skills. They have to make the beds, clean the rooms, set up the banquets, and all of those things. It’s that performance. you said something interesting about how to be kind so that you give them that fuel. You balance it out. Talk a little bit about kindness and what it is about kindness that makes the difference.
Usually, when we are rushed, we don't pay much attention to all those little beautiful opportunities that we have to be kind to others. It's so important to find time and to be honest. It happens a lot. People come to me and say, “Can I go to your office later? I need to talk to you.” I also have to be honest like, “You can. It's going to be my pleasure, but maybe this afternoon's going to be hard for me. Until what time are you going to be here in the hotel? Is that urgent? Can you come later? Tomorrow morning, I'll be in my office. I'll be able to give you more attention.” I’ll be able to greet people, wish them a happy birthday, or say hello.
We don't pay much attention to all these little, beautiful opportunities that we have to be kind to others.
In my role as a human resources training development manager, I provide whatever might be basic so they can have a good routine. I make sure we have great and healthy meals for our employees. I make sure they have a clean bathroom to go to whenever they need it. I make sure to inspire maybe this feedback culture. I was talking about having hard conversations. Sometimes, we don't have crucial conversations, so I make sure to inspire my peers to do that with their teams. This is really basic. It's all connected to kindness in a way because it's going to have an impact on their lives.
That's fascinating. What you're pointing to really is that it's simple things. Granted, you have to have a great environment that doesn't become something difficult or unpleasant. You create an environment where things are pleasant and easy to access, and that creates the first layer. It sounds like what you also are mindful of is that you listen and let people know that you see them and that they are meaningful, important, and valued. That enables others to serve. Your way of serving is by helping people feel seen. Therefore, you can help others.
This is really the point. It is to make them feel seen. I feel terrible whenever I don't feel seen, when I'm ignored, or when a person doesn't even answer me or greet me back. I'm a human being as well. If I'm able to do that and make people feel that way in this positive way and make them feel knowledgeable and seen, this is so important. It doesn't take much.
There are tons of interactions. For example, they talk to me about their kids. I’m like, “What are their names?” They’re like, “His name is John.” Three days later, I go to this person and I’m like, “How is John doing?” You see that the person is like, “He remembers my son's name. He was listening to me.” These little things cause such an impact and we all can do those little things in our daily lives.
That's fantastic. I'm curious. First of all, does your mom speak English?
She does but very little.
Maybe you can help translate because I'm curious about what Felipe was like as a child. You turned out to be such a generous human being. I don't know if your mother's still on the line with us.
She is.
We'd love to hear about what Felipe was like as a child and how he grew up to be such a generous human being. Tell us what your mother shared.
She mentioned a couple of things about how I wasn't expected. I was an accident. My mom did not plan to be pregnant, and then I came. She said I used to be a very calm, caring, and loving child. Although, she worked very hard, and I usually say that. She was at the peak of her career when we were growing up. She still is a human resources manager.
She would tell us stories about how she dealt with her employees and staff members. They were all examples for us. She said although she worked very hard, the time that we spent together was quality time. She tried to give these examples to pass love, honesty, and respect. She's proud of the respect for the human beings that she was able to develop in us. Thank you, mom.
That was so wonderful. I'm glad that your mom was here to share that. I'd love to also open up to anyone that's on the line. What are you seeing in Felipe that's moving you or that is inspiring to you, or perhaps, how do you find inspiration in your own life? I'd love to hear from some of you. Also, I'm not afraid to call on some people. Felipe, if you tell me who you think you'd like to hear from, I can also do that. There are a lot of people that are on here because of your relationship and your impact on them. Who should we call on?
We have people on the call from different parts of my life. Denise met me very early in my life. Elvida is a good friend living in Spain. She might talk a little about us as well.
Let's go to Denise first. What are you hearing? Tell us the things that you've heard that you are inspired by our friend here, Felipe. Welcome.
Thank you. I met him so early. I have known him since he was a trainee. I’m not sure.
He was an intern.
He learned a lot. We spent a lot of time when we were together. I learned a lot from him. We exchange a lot of experience.
Denisa, what do you do to stay inspired? I know Felipe gave us his list of activities. What about you? What do you do?
I try not to be down with negative things because this is contentious and I don't think it's good. That's it. I try to be inspired by people like Michelle Obama.
Gisele Bündchen too?
Yeah. People like that.
That’s fantastic. Thank you for sharing. Did you have something else, Denise?
No. Since the beginning, he has always been a positive person. That's it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Part of this show is to give not only a platform for Felipe to share about his life, what he's uncovered, and what's been important to him but also for those of you who are reading and participating to start looking for yourselves where you come alive. Maybe there's an area that you would like to see come alive that hasn't quite gotten there yet. This isn't because you've made it and achieved it that you share. Sometimes, the process and the journey is an important one to share.
I would love to hear from someone who's on the journey, whether or not you've reached the destination that you love or you feel that has been fulfilling. I'd love to hear from someone who might be willing to share with us what the journey has been like. While you all are thinking, I'm going to call on a buddy of mine here. He knows that I'm going to call on him because I see him smiling. Señor Irving, I would love to hear what you're getting from this conversation so far or what your journey has been in being inspired.
I knew it was me. I want to say I love Brazil. I spent two years living in Sao Paulo and also in Rio. I'm a former telecommunication engineer. I worked a lot over there. I love Brazil. I know exactly how it feels to wake up in Rio de Janeiro and spend a day visiting Pão de Açúcar and all these amazing places. I also have a very interesting journey.
Do you remember, Valerie? We had this conversation a couple of months ago. I'm a former business professional. I'm from Mexico. I work in good companies. I built a nice career there, and suddenly, I decided to make a change. A few years ago, I woke up and was like, “This is enough for me. I am very well paid. I have a successful career here but I don't like this environment. I don't like this industry anymore. I need to do something completely different.” I started to check for options.
I made a big change in my career. I switched industries, I switched countries. I moved to Dallas. I live in Dallas. When I moved here, I didn't have any friends. I brought my cat with me. I started from scratch in a travel agency. I'm a travel agent. I decided to do it because I have a lot of experience traveling. I was like, “I can help to do something to help people to get to places. I can provide some advice. I can provide some information. I can help anyone to make a change or build a memory in their lives.”
I can tell it's hard. In two years, I had a chance to build some very solid networks of friends. I'm still not getting there because it's a new business, a new industry, and a new everything, but it's very comforting helping people. I really relate with Felipe. It’s the details. When you have a customer who is coming back from vacation, you make a call and say, “How was it? Did you enjoy this? Did you enjoy that? Did you receive the flowers I sent you? Did you remember when you said that? What do you think about this?” etc. It's amazing how these little details change the life of someone. Those little details change the life or the experience of anything.
Going back to the initial question, how do I keep myself motivated? I'm alive. I live in Dallas. Dallas is amazing. Dallas is a really nice city. The weather is not fantastic now, but the weather is amazing here. The people are fantastic. My family, even though I'm not close to them because my mom, brothers, and friends are in Mexico, I feel how, daily, they are helping me and sending me words. They are encouraging me and pushing me to be in the right spot.
I hear music. I love music. I read a lot. I love reading. I see a lot of movies. I try to connect and educate myself with the information. My previous business life has helped me a lot to stay focused on something and not lose sight of my goals. It's an amazing experience that I'm having. The road has been difficult. I learned a lot. My growth as a professional and a person has been amazing. I'm prepared for what is coming for me.
We had this conversation. This is advice from me. If you have a plan and you believe that a plan is part of what you want in life, and you are completely sure that you can achieve it, go for it. Do yourself a favor. Don't have a plan B. If you have plan B, you sometimes trick your mind. You start saying, “If I don't succeed in this or I fail in this, I will have the chance to come back and do this.” Don't do that to yourself. Go all for it. Do whatever you need to fix and achieve your dreams and goals. It has to be a realistic dream. If my goal is to be a part of the Bolshoi, I will not succeed because I cannot dance. You need to be realistic about that. All those kinds of things keep you motivated. I encourage you to go for your dreams. Go all for it.
I love what you said, Irving. Forget plan B. This is interesting. It may be a little play on words. Felipe, you shared you also started taking some actions when you became clearer about who you wanted to be. When you said you wanted to be healthy and curious, all of those words of who we get to be also inform what we do.
To build on what Irving said, when we get attached and we're so convinced that, “This is the plan. This is the life for me. This is what I want to accomplish. This is the relationship I want. This is the job I want. This is the experience I want,” we often forget that we need to be the type of person that would attract that experience, relationship, and opportunity.
I work with a lot of clients who are in a transition. Like you, Irving, they are not fulfilled by whatever work they're doing or whatever life they have. One of the first things that we always work on is, “Who are you being? Are you being curious? Are you being courageous?” Irving, you pointed to how you had to be courageous to have the kind of life that you have to explore the type of opportunities that you're exploring.
There's a way that if we could fine-tune and be mindful of who we're being in life, then we will attract the circumstances, situations, and opportunities. We have a couple of more minutes left. I want to go back to Felipe a little bit. I see you nodding your head a lot. Felipe, tell us a little bit more about what's next for you. Who is it that you want to continue to be? How would you like that to be expressed in your life?
Thank you, Irving, for that. I want to build up on that a little. I read something in one of those books that I mentioned before. It was in Giselle Bündchen’s book. She said, “Do you ever thank the universe for being alive?” That's exactly what he said. We are alive. We have so many people in the world who would love to have something to worry about and someone to care about. They might be in hospitals and are not feeling anything. At least we are feeling. We are alive, so we have to make it count. I really believe in that.
I'm not there yet. We are on our journeys. I want to continue to be this person who is aware of the signs of the good things that might come my way so I can make the most out of them. If I can be this person who brings everyone together or who sparks joy in a nice way or a positive way, this is the person that I want to be.
I love that. I don't know if we've talked about this already. I don't think so. You and I talked about it separately, Felipe. This idea of what inspires other people is not what we're doing. It is not what we own and what we have. It is not anything tangible. What inspires other people is our being inspired. You read a book that you loved. When you come and share what you learned and how emotional or impactful that book was for you, what inspires me is not the book because I didn't read it. What inspired me is who you're being about sharing yourself and what you learned about the book.
The last thing to leave you guys with is to find ways to nurture that inspiration within yourself. This is an opportunity that we all have to live a life that's meaningful and impactful. It's so important that we have the opportunity to express our full range of ourselves. If there's something that's getting in the way of you expressing yourself fully in your life, then that's an area that you need to address so that you're able to access that inspiration. By inspiring ourselves, we also, fortunately, have the impact of inspiring others.
I'm so thrilled, Felipe, to have you as a friend and confidant. I don't know if I've shared this with you. It has been a couple of years. I remember when I was first envisioning what my life would look like in my career. The idea of being a coach and a professional speaker came to mind and that would be something that I would do outside of a corporation. I would do it on my own.
I created a list of people that I thought would be great to reach out to so I can continue to expand and practice my skills and my impact. You emailed me. I had this thought, put this idea together, and started making my list. You and I hadn't spoken in months. It may be even longer at that point. You sent me an email. It couldn't have been a better time. You said, “I'm looking at some things differently in my career. I really appreciate your coaching. Would you mind coaching me?” I was like, “I have to coach Felipe. He's the one.”
Ever since then, our relationship has continued to expand. I appreciate that you gave me an opportunity to use my gifts and share those. You shared yours with me as well. I really appreciate everything that you shared. You did a wonderful job. I know you have a big support system here. I'd love for you all to say your congratulations or thank yous to Felipe.
I wanted to end by saying thank you again. Muito brigada, Felipe, for everything. Join us next episode. We'll have my friend, Jens Trumpa. He's a realtor. He lives in Oregon. I've known him for several years. He's going to talk about courage, how to continue to engage in life with courage, and some of the things that he's learned. That's going to be on May 14th, 2019. Feel free to join us. Share this with your friends. Anyone who's looking for inspiration and who wants a path to knowing how to inspire themselves needs to read this. Have a wonderful day.
Thank you. Brigada.
Important Links
Howard Zinn: “Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”
Opening a door, asking about someone’s day, the small meaningful acts of kindness can change the world. Felipe Ferreira shares from his home country of Brazil, how he uses his career as a vehicle to extend meaningful acts of service to help others thrive and connect to themselves.
Highlights:
Learn ways to live a “Pura Vida” or a “gentileza gera gentileza” life.
How nurturing and recharging is the best way to serve others.
How making someone’s life easier can lead to high performance in the workplace.
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