Learning about happiness 2: Dreamers

Six moths ago was the first time that I wrote this post. Six months ago I was working in another country, dealing with a new professional and personal environment, but mainly dealing with change. Many people, family included, told me that I was insane, judging my decision to leave my comfort zone in my stable home town in order to go to start a new life in a country in recession, for an uncertain experience. Even love was questioned; everyone believing that if you really love someone, you should be always around that person. Failure was a risk which in the end became, in part, a reality. Plans changed a lot and I learnt how to deal with frustration, sadness and anger. I learnt that it's part of change, its part of the risk of following our dreams, even though they can seem stupid to some people or in the end you have to start over if things don’t work out as you planned, as my case. At least we try and that is a peaceful feeling that you can be proud of.

Luckily, we have the opportunity to meet some ordinary people with extraordinary dreams, people who left their comfort zone and start to make their dreams come true, and they succeed. Why are they extraordinary? Because they try to find shared value, not only for themselves, but also involving society. Michael Porter, father of Strategy explain more about what "shared value" means.

As Business is my field, I would like to present these three genuine cases. This is not a promotion for my school,however I met these dreamers during my MBA; just 2 years ago when they were regular people like you or me.

1. Emzingo group. A Global Integration and Leadership Development company, who connect citizens with business. They promote responsible leadership in developing continents, such as Africa for example. Founders Amani (@amanimbale), Ramón and Andrew (@AndrewBonfiglio) believe in the connection between business and society as a Sustainable Business.

2. Renewen Co: Renewal energy is still a novel industry in some develop countries, however Renewen Co. CEO Drury McKenzie believes in it as one powerful source for improved living conditions for many people. Great speech Drury: “…Share ideas, your dreams,because people will be inspired with your energy and don`t be afraid that they will steal your ideas, because they are not their dreams”.

3. Tierra Viva Hoteles- Do you know how many opportunities promote tourism in our economy? Rodrigo`s idea was to offer a different experience in Peru, connecting local communities, through their natural products, with people who enjoy setting their own itinerary in order to save money on intermediary agencies. Tierra Viva is more than a hotel, they enjoy service as part of their culture to show Peru as an excellent destination.

In summary, I learned that sometimes it is good to leave our comfort zone. Forget about what other people think. Your dreams are yours. Even if you fail, you will learn much more than other people who don't even try. There is only one life and it is full of surprises. You will never know how will be the future. We just need to keep moving, chasing our own happiness every day. It´s our daily exercise.

PS: Special thanks to Adam Pervez(@adampervez) and Jonathan Langton (@jdlangtonblog).