IAEA General Conference
On the margins of the 67th IAEA General Conference, (GC) the VIC Toastmasters Club Meeting took place in the UNOV Library today. In 2016 we used to have all our club meetings in the United Nations Office Of Vienna (UNOV) Library on the fourth floor of the E building at the Vienna International Centre (VIC).
It was almost like coming home. Except that in the meantime we got even better premises when the Director of Budget and Finance of the IAEA joined our club and provided a meeting room for the club from his department.
This year, since his departure, we (the VIC Toastmasters Club) have gone back to another meeting room we often used, the IAEA Library. However, due to the said GC, this meeting room was not made available to us today, so it was a blast in the past, back into the UNOV Library.
World Peace
I have titled this post world peace. The 78th General Assembly (GA) of the United Nations took place in New York last week. This week the GC of the IAEA takes place in Vienna. Oftentimes, the two collide and are both in the same week – which I have always regretted. I believe that the UN should be more inclusive and the GA should know what is happening at the GC. Well maybe that’s just my biased view because I worked at the IAEA in the nuclear security department.
Atoms for Peace and Development
To be fair, most people don’t know much about the UN and even less about the IAEA. So it was with some satisfaction that I have observed how my NGO Colleagues were surprised to discover a few of the activities that the IAEA supports to foster well-being in the world.
SuperPowers
I become more acutely aware of how we are individually all so very different. We all have our own interests, themes, topics, concerns, worries. You may know nothing about the work of the IAEA, and I know nothing of your super power. Yet how often do we come to share our private, personal super powers?
Visibility
Since retiring a few years ago, I have become more and more aware of the importance of being seen in our diversity in order to enhance the quality of life for us all.
When I read Bob Proctor, who said you can make a business out of your special personal idiosyncracies, I found it hard to relate to. In typical imposter syndrome fashion, I thought, that’s for all the other successful entreprenuers, but not for me.
Yet my ten years working at the IAEA felt like a true culmination of all my experiences and expertise and an opportunity to use my talents to serve the international community. As I continue to serve my NGO and the Toastmastesrs Club, I feel totally at home in this international environment.
Confession
So I have to make a confession to you today.
After winning the table topics speech at the club meeting, I had lunch with a colleague. Then, instead of going home, I found an empty meeting room, got myself a cup of coffee and began processing the videos.
My SuperPower
Okay, so yes, my superpower for the club is that I set up the YouTube channel, bought the multimedia equipment and post the recordings of the meetings to the club internal management platform. That’s not what I was going to confess.
My confession is, I felt like, with the GC taking place and all the former colleagues floating around, I should be mixing with the people, networking. I should be at the WiN meeting, the side events. I was feeling guilty about not wanting to talk to anybody else, but to just process my stuff. Well, honestly, that’s who I am. That’s my job. That’s what I do. As the nuclear security data assistant, I was dealing with informaiton, contact details, processess and programs. I still love analyzing and solving problems. I love listening to people, yeah, sure. But I had just spent a couple of hours filming and listening to people at the Toastmasters meeting. I had spent a couple of hours at on-line meetings before coming to the VIC. Now I just wanted to have some time to digest and process.
Meditation
So, now as I reflect on this blog article I am writing about World Peace, I appreciate how everything I am learning is true. I hear my mentors tell me you have to take time to meditate. My own conscience pushes me constantly into action. The balance is the key. Then the cooperation and interaction is the next level.
United Nations
Why do I love the United Nations? It is so obvious to me that when we can find peace in our relationships with one another, overcoming differences in culture, language, background, religion, we are building strong foundations for world peace. No wonder I support an NGO of women working for world peace. The Bridge of Peace is the most genius instrument of reconciliation. There will be no peace without forgiveness and reconciliation.
Understanding
In my talk today I addressed the question of seasons. I just had to relate it to my experience as an international traveller. Had I always lived in Australia, I may have still had these ideas. However, now that I am in the northern hemisphere I just love pointing out how egocentric the world seems to be. If you never celebrated Christmas in summer, or Easter in autumn, then you can’t relate to half the world! And I don’t mean the female half, I mean the southern half.
So, my claim to fame? Ozlilly. I call myself the resident Australian in Austria. I’m the motivator, the blogger, the story teller. I’m practising visibility. I know I am not you. But you are not me. Don’t try to be the other person. Become the best version of yourself.