Having already posted once today I was scratching around for something to write about today. I wanted something bright and breezy as, well to be honest, I've had a few beers and a bite to eat and I'm feeling sleepy! Messing about on YouTube I found myself - yup that's right, me. 5 and a bit years I did a thing called an Ignite Talk.
The basic gist of this event is that you get 20 slides over 5 minutes to talk about any topic of your choosing. Each slide is on for 15 seconds before automatically advanced so you have to keep it snappy and interesting. My topic of choice? The Many World Championships of Finland.
6 years ago (I think - Poppy was born when I was away and I think she is 6 #baduncle) I spent about 2 months in Finland with my work.
As I've already talked about in a previous blog, I love to absorb as much of the culture as possible when I'm away - and it was this that lead me to discover just how many world championship events Finland hosts. Included amongst those "sports" where you can be crowned world's best are: Mobile Phone Throwing, Mosquito Squashing, Swamp Football, Air Guitar and (my personal favourite) Wife Carrying!
It seems to be an interesting function of humankind that we can make a sport (or certainly an event) out of almost anything. Even the most humdrum activities can be "jazzed up" by making a competition of it. Toe Wrestling for example is now an event with its own world championships.
I love the human spirit when it comes to these kind of things. It reminds us all not to take things too seriously and to remember that most of the stresses we bring upon ourselves (especially in the Western world) are relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things. So next time you find yourself faced with a task or a situation that you aren't too keen on, my advice is pretty simple - invent a "World Championships" for that task and bask in the glory of success when you beat all comers.
Of course the trick is to find something that no-one else can beat you at, but that is probably all part of the fun. I remember being a child and wanting to be World Champion at something. I thought that opportunity had passed me by but I have new hope now; there is bound to be something I'm better than everybody else at! Surely?!
Till tomorrow,
Tom
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