Alexandra & Jorge Oller
¡Hola!
I have always thought that building memories is a great idea. Companies, families, groups of friends, people—given the resources we have today, we must do it. This is how cultures, identities, and references are built, as well as, hopefully, inspiration.
Humbly and informally, since 2005, I have been publishing on my blog –A Fuego Lento– whenever a topic of interest or concern arises. At the same time, for years I have been gathering a reserve of images and videos to preserve memories. Today I am trying to expand this treasure chest of memories, because new and exciting experiences are on the way.
As time goes by, I enjoy creativity more and its immense transformative power in a world that demands brave innovation. Therefore, it would be good to be a spark that ignites it.
LOVE – LIVE – MATTER
Life in a tribe
Since my very first years at McCann-Erickson in Costa Rica, Honduras and Mexico, up until my final years in the global ‘tribes’ of Saatchi & Saatchi, DDB, Cannes Lions and Havas, I’ve learned that life is much better when it’s shared with good company.
It’s therefore no coincidence that I founded Tribu more than 30 years ago. An advertising agency and regional brand at its core, Tribu has also been a magical and challenging adventure. Together, the team and I have learned that the one vision uniting us is love and a collaborative spirit.
I’ve enjoyed working in different ‘tribes’ through the years and alongside my friends at Georgetown, INCAE Business School and the Latin American Creative Council. I’ve made plenty of memories with different people and this blog offers up a great place to celebrate them. Like a slow burning flame, my plan is to talk about them gradually, showcasing them little by little.
I’ve come to realise that we’re all part of a tribe – my favourite one naturally being my family.
It’s difficult to put into words how much I love spending my life with Alex, my wife, and my children, Santiago and Adriana – not forgetting my son-in-law, Ignacio, my daughter-in-law Stephanie and my grandchildren, Mauricio, Gaston and Rafael. Along with my mother Mayra, my aunt Errolyn and my brother Carlos, these wonderful people are my primary tribe.
Of course, I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of other tribes too – like my close friends or those involved with the Openhouse Project. Plus, I can’t forget the teams at Cannes Lions, the Methodist School and St Francis College, as well as the Comunidad for Business Communication (previously known as ASCAP), the INCAE Maex XII and DSQ.
Without a doubt, I’d say that life spent in the company of positive groups of people is definitely something to strive for.
On the voyage of life
Everything we do in life echoes; everything has consequences and a particular outcome or result. I liken it to the idea of harvesting: you reap what you sow. Maximus Decimus Meridius in the film Gladiator said it best:
“what you do in life, echoes in eternity”
And he was absolutely right.
And so it makes sense to spend life in the company of good people – but remember to choose wisely, as no relationship should be forced.
I think this quote from an unknown author sums it up best: “I’ll remove from my life any toxic people that drain my soul… and I’ll do it quickly! Because life is too short to spend with the wrong people.”
The overriding commitment should always be to present the best possible version of yourself – the version that’s feeling inspired and switched on. After all, everything starts with the Power of One.
Finding happiness in freedom
We are worth the sum of our achievements. We start from the beginning, we keep going and we eventually reach the end of the chapter. I’d recommend following these four steps: dream, think, make it happen and celebrate.
In life, you have to dream while you’re awake, because everything starts with an idea, an image, a dream or a vision.
Then, you have to think about the strategy; you have to plan and design each move creatively. Afterwards, you have to do whatever it takes to make it happen.
“The process then concludes with celebration, since you repeat everything that you celebrate. ”
“This means that the output – the value that’s created from the process – will be truly liberating.”
“The endpoint is therefore happiness, something to be enjoyed in total freedom.”