Myths of Trust

We are trying to find trust. We betray trust. Person reading todays blog will also study trusting...

8 Myths of Trust
Trust is soft
Trust is slow
Trust is built solely on integrity
You either have trust or you don't
Once lost, trust cannot be restored
You can't teach trust
Trusting people is too risky
Trust is established one person at a time

Waterman muugajaan

Every second week I get together with a man who knows the whole Bible by heart. Actually, he even knows a couple of different translations! His name is Jaan Muuga. When we get together we talk about the same: the Bible. We are like two Estonian men with two-edged sword. Usually we share one opinion.

It’s Friday and I’m tired.

Jaan invited me to his place. He lives in Veeriku where he shares flat with two guys.” Are you sure you can climb all the stairs?” Jaan asks me in his used jeans before we gets to his place. There are five floors in the building.

I am squeezed empty.

On our way there we talk about the proverbs and childhood. He says that you really can’t read the Bible word by word. For example, he was beaten a lot by his stepfather… and that took away the feeling of security and with that also his studying ability. I look for a spring of life.

His home is simple and that’s the place where we read the Bible. Jaans eyes sparkle as he quotes it. For me, he is the best of search engines. Many times he has given my sermons extra ammo. This time we discuss what I should tell the youth pastors at our next conference: “Burning Bulb”.

Even I become dry.

We read a lot of verses, but somehow my thoughts wander. Jaan says that maybe I just should sleep. But I just want to finish my material! And I just want to go on… and finally, when it feels like all heavens are closed… I ask him, at where will I end up with my life…

Sometimes just a drop will be enough.

Jaan starts scratching his beard. He can’t sit still on his chair. He is thinking hard. And then he says that in his mind… I’m a good person. And strange as it is, but that’s enough for me! Jaan is a waterman – and for me it was such a portion that I gladly drove my way to home.

I’m a flower.

Drive cheaply, its possible

In EST every year about 23 000 new drivers hit the roads. Oh, poor people. (all together there are – me and you included– over 600 000 drivers). But it’s said that if 600 of them would decide to “drive cheap”, everybody else in that town would do the same: drive cheap.

This new theory of “driving cheap” means:

1. Its possible to drive cheaper in town than on big roads!
2. … to decrease road accidents by -35% (Germany experience)
3. … to keep gas expenses down by -15%
4. ... to keep the service expenses down by -50%
   

Wow. As the prize of diesel suddenly increased to 18+ EEK (its almost 2 dollars)… I started to wonder, how can this “drive cheap” be possible?

Some advices I got from the driving school:

1. When the pressure in the tires is 1.7 and not 2.5 (as it should), I have to buy +8% more gas
2. Every thing that weighs additional 20 kg in my car, makes me spend +1% more on gas
3. When I choose to drive on the gravel roads instead of the asphalt, the expense is even +30%!
4. It’s useful to reverse with a warm motor (i.e. before shopping)
5. When you drive, use the breaks as little as possible – you should kinda “swim”.
6. The first gear takes 150 litres – no more words needed.

Situational leadership

What shall you do with a person who is not at all motivated? Or what should you do with a one, who doesn´t have even skills to perform... and Im not talking about even taking risks.

Or why is it so... if you employ a new person, he is highly motivated, but after a while... when he is left alone - he starts complaining.

In Israel, I was tought "situational leadership", and I have found it to be rather useful.

When your calling is tested

There are also those days when your Calling is being tested. Interesting that Greta was able to show it so precisely through the telephone. Because one Slovak girl wanted to rob my calling...

It happened so... We were driving around a city with a van. I was sitting in the suit for knight (what fitted to me, as usually, really well). By me there were couple of Slovaks. And we were going to bustation to pick up one very potential futuremusic.

Girl in a bus is asking who am I. And i reply: well, leading organisation. Leading national movement in Estonia. Working with young leaders.

"How old are you then?"

23.

"Shouldn't you be older for that job?"

What to do mean?

"Well, experienced and wiser."

In other words, this girl wouldn't understand that Im a Man. And so I won't try to explain it. But it just starts eating myself from inside...

Later I hear stories how this doubting girl is a true servant here in Slovakia. They asked her to be part of the team after they had made the survey who was the most influencing person here. Surprisingly -- same girl. She, the one, who skipped Oxford so she could stay here.

"She has anointment on her," others testify. "She is something very special."

And more time flies by, I start to notice that she sees so many people around her. All the time there is gang around her. One head taller guys for example. And there is not even a moment when she wouldn't notice anyone around her.

i.e. one lonely Estonian.

And so I feel more and more weaker. It takes phone-call to Greta to solve that mystery in me. I start seeing that if person with a calling is doubting in my calling, it doesn't mean already that I wouldn't have one. It doesn't mean that she would know a thing about it.

Hip-hop and coughing

I was sleeping at Slovak family apartment today. And as I woke up I noticed that with time-to-time three small children come to check me out. All three were my friends Drahoslavs offspring.

Oldest son Oliver goes to kindergarten. Thinner and balder guy. Already speaking a little English and wants to become hip-hopper.

"Is it so?" I ask from his mother.

"Yes."

Next moment Oliver is laying on the floor, on stomach. He pushes himself with hand into the air and as if he was a fish, he is jumping. "Pots" and "pots". Then, makes a pause and coughs a little. Then jumps little more.

For me it was cute moment.

Zilina city is built with Slavic style. 85 000 people are living here. And as i compare my hometowns Tartu houses with those here, then here they are smaller. Streets a cozy and in distance mountains are standing. I'm here to gather the 15 year old experience that Slovak team has with youth-conferences. Also, I'm tired.

Make your Tallinn-trips smarter!

Once again Im on my way to Tallinn. With a half-empty car. Next week back to Tartu. Again with a half-empty car.

In a same time I know 3 - 4 persons who visit our capital once a week. But as there is no web or active relating between them, most of them travel solos.

It would be much cheaper if we just thought together who and when someone goes to Tallinn?! I think we could save thousands of crowns if we just would build some kind of intranet around the trip between Tartu and Tallinn.

In the same time we could spend so much quality time (2,5 hours) with a lot of friends!

Who wants to join me, Greta and Wilma next Monday afternoon from Tallinn to Tartu? I surely want to make my Tallinn-trip smarter.