Welcome 2017: The Magic is in Our Hands

Welcome 2017: The Magic is in Our Hands
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Farewell 2016 - Welcome 2017
The magic is in our hands!

For me, 2016 was all about turning resolutions into revelations. It was a year full of events, shedding new light on some deep social conflicts, and saying hello to some much-needed changes... something I chose to see positively.

2016 found me in auto-recovery mode after leaving behind 2015 which was a momentous year of change and first-hand experiences - including dealing with newly involved political players in my homeland Greece, spearheading change in a public space that is known to be challenging and rather inflexible (Greece and the EU), and negotiating on the side of the Greek Government vis-à-vis the country's lenders. In so many ways, this was a tough and taxing experience.

And so I crossed from auto-recovery to MAGIC...

I was able to garner all my leftover energy and fulfill my promise to keep moving so as not to lose my balance. Just like Albert Einstein had compared life to riding a bicycle. He had said that you need to keep moving in order not to lose your balance. So that's exactly what I did.

2016 was a successful year in terms of continuing to achieve lasting change in poor countries, cities, and neighborhoods with the international team of Thought 4 Action (T4A). This personal mark of our methodology in fighting poverty and building a robust middle class, maintains the magic and the purpose to continue! At T4A, we are proud to keep the movement alive and make the inspiration of change a reality for millions of people in the appropriate ecosystems.

Through all my travels, I was able to break new ground in the political entrepreneurship and changemaking movement. During my stay in the US, I worked with the T4A team to develop executive courses on "Leadership for Growth and Change" tailored for public and private sector thought and action leaders with the audacity to dream and the tenacity to deliver.

We also engaged in publically pushing for change and innovation in the areas of economic policy and politics. This work was applied in several places around the world, including parts of South and North America, and has been presented in lectures, policy briefs and articles that I authored or co-authored. It represents over 19 years of frontline experience, built on the successful application of transforming informal societies, people, and markets into vibrant formal entities and agents.

One example is the case of economic standstill in terms of growth. I have come to the realization that serious and deep innovative thinking in economic policy is needed to overcome the period of "slow growth," as coined by Willem Buiter, chief economist of Citigroup Global. I believe the traditional ways of handling economic policy need to be revised. Simply because, the known developed-world has been saturated and new ideas do not easily reach the decision-making "top", thus there is greater rigidity to change. This is a rather oxymoron phenomenon, as the developed world gives the impression of being open and welcoming to new ideas...

Unfortunately, this is not always the case in practice. This is the reason we have noticed such abrupt changes in 2016. And this is why T4A launched "Political Entrepreneurship: building leadership in a public private ecosystem," which was presented to global innovative entrepreneurs last October at "Opportunity Collaboration." It was exciting to see the development of a productive dialogue on public policy from the side of entrepreneurs.

A raw inspiration - one that emerges from new ideas - and the realization that it is possible to transform informality and stagnation, as well as, to create a formidable spirit for the future is what helped spearhead the magic. It is the reason I kept going. It is the reason we were able to build the local Greek T4A team and to hold a brilliant event streamed live to over 19,000 viewers around the world (www.t4action.org). The event, titled "Transformation through Innovation" was beyond any doubt a success.

Now that we have stirred the waves and are in motion, we are gathering traction and gaining momentum. Forget about coasting on cruise control. We need to hit the accelerator to ensure that 2017 will be a year full of positive surprises and positive new trends. It's a new year and a new opportunity to ignite the engine of change. Let's challenge ourselves to pass from moving to flying!

Happy and inspiring New Year. The Magic is in our Hands!

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