Andrej Krupa (source: Zuzana Burdanova)
I am inspired by the story of Ivan Chrenko
Not only is HB Reavis an outstanding business success, but I am inspired by how much of that money he reinvests back into Slovakia. He is doing a lot of good for the next Slovak generation.
I asked him for advice: “What would he do if he was a 23-year starting out in the world?”
He told me that I should work with people that have good character and aspire to do global projects. This statement really had a big impact on me.
My generation craves Slovak role models
It scares me that we have so few people to look up to. The internet is such a wonderful platform for knowledge and sharing. But it is also polluted with fake role models that unfortunately have huge influence. These people disappoint me. They spread bad energy and teach young people to worship vanity and greed.
That’s why we wrote the book
We wanted to set a positive example. The goal was to inspire our generation and help spread positive energy among our peers. But the idea for the book came to us when we were living abroad.
I moved to Denmark alone
For a long time, I wanted to study abroad. But, because my grades were poor, I did not make my university Erasmus exchange. Thankfully, I persisted and applied for a Master’s program instead.
Abroad, I learned how to live by myself, but also ‘with myself’
To spend time alone and to enjoy doing activities solo. As my confidence grew, so did my ambitions. Soon after, I found myself living in Singapore. Working and studying in Asia was an amazing experience.
Happiness is not something that can be purchased
I often ask people around me if they are happy. They are so shocked by the question, they don’t know how to react. Most just shrug their shoulders or laugh it off. But I am serious, “Are you happy?”
I want to be the embodiment of happiness for the people around me
I sort of came across the idea when I was living abroad. Ever since, it has become my personal motto and mission.
Which is why I express my gratitude daily
At some point each day, I just hit pause on my life, take a deep breath and observe my surroundings. I reflect on everything that has ever happened in my life as well as all the great things that are yet to come.
Most people are seeking happiness, but very few people are living happiness
We want to spread our ideas beyond Slovakia, which is why we are translating our book into English. Soon ‘Hlava-20’ will be available on Amazon. Hopefully, it will inspire international millennials as well as Slovak ones.
Abroad, I realized that there is only one home
Although I could probably have a better job outside and earn more money, I came to the realization that even though I loved my international experience, I wanted to give my energy to my country.
This is my homeland, these are my people, and I want to share my energy with them
I want to build a circle of positivity here in Slovakia, that is why I came back.
This testimony was originally published in Zuzana Palovic’s book, The Great Return. You can learn more about the book as well as Palovic’s own journey as a Slovak migrant that later returned to Slovakia at http://thegreatreturn.eu/.
