OPA! Day - 15 September 2010, Rethymno, Crete - Join Dr Alex Pattakos and Celebrate the Many Greek Contributions to the World!

One of our very own Global Greeks, Dr Alex Pattakos and his wife Dr Elaine Dundon are in Greece launching the very first OPA Day today in Rethymno, Crete!



Their mission?



To celebrate the enormous contribution Greece and it's culture have made to the world...

Dr. Alex Pattakos ("Aleko"), author of the international best-selling book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts is a personal development pioneer who has helped many with the search for meaning in their personal and work lives. He is also a very proud Greek-American (of Cretan heritage) and a weekly columnist for The National Herald (ETHNIKOS KYRIX). Go to www.prisonersofourthoughts.com and www.seedsofinnovation.com for a brief history and profile of the groundbreaking meaning and innovation work that led to The OPA Way!®  

Join Alex and Elaine on their journey as they discover how to bring more joy, more passion, enhanced well-being, and deeper meaning to life...



This is what they tell us about their brand new project, which they have most appropriately called The OPA Way!® 



'Thousands of years ago, the Greeks led the way in discovering new ways to think and be in the world around us, and now today, we turn to them once again to share their ageless wisdom on how we can live happy, healthy, meaningful lives.  In our search for more understanding of and practical advice on “how to live a good life” and “how do I find more meaning in my life,” we went back to the source of Western civilization—to the ancient Greek philosophers whose insights are still very relevant for today’s busy lifestyles.  We also went to the indigenous "villages" on the mainland and islands of Greece to capture many meaningful life lessons from modern-day Greeks who, in their own way, are also philosophers of living.  We spoke with people around the world.  We explored, we listened, and we learned.

On our journey, three common themes began to emerge.

• O (Others) — connecting to others in more meaningful ways at all stages and walks of life in order to improve authentic communication and relationships with family members, friends, coworkers, customers, students, and other people in our lives


• P (Purpose) — finding a deeper sense of fulfillment and truly living a life that matters by engaging meaningfully with the deeper purpose in our personal lives and our work!


• A (Attitude) — bringing more meaning, joy, energy, passion, fulfillment, resilience, well-being, and success (and less stress!) into our lives by our choice of attitude

This philosophy of living offers simple and practical ways to help you find deeper meaningyou live a happy, healthy, in your work and everyday life.  It’s a way to build stronger relationships, strengthen your purpose, and leverage your choice of attitude so that you can live and work to your full potential.  The OPA Way!® helps meaningful life and can help your organization to become a happy, healthy, meaningful workplace too" 

Click here to learn more about The OPA Way ...



We at Global Greek World wish Alex and Elaine and the rest of the OPA Way!® team all the very best! We know how much Greece has contributed to the world and we are thrilled with this initiative!



Keep up the great work!



ΚΑΛΗ ΕΠΙΤΥΧΙΑ!

Global Greek Media: Greek American Radio Show All Things Greek With Eleni Daniels. OPA!!!

Photo Source: Greek American Educational Public Information Systems (GAEPIS)

All Things Greek with Eleni Daniels, Friday, October 16, 2009,
7:00PM EST on WNYE 91.5FM and HD1
Hellenic Public Radio-Cosmos FM

Live web stream: www.gaepis.org

On the next All Things Greek, new film release OPA! opens today in select theaters nationwide and Actor Agni Scott talks about her lead role as KATERINA alongside Actor Matthew Modine (ERIC), and Dr. Alex Pattakos introduces his groundbreaking meaning and innovation work that led to The OPA Way!®

It's all about the quest for meaning in our life and the people and/or the ways in which we find it… First segment features Eleni Daniels' interview with Agni Scott, one of the lead actors of the new independent film release OPA! that opens today, Friday, October 16, in select theatres nationwide--a modern day treasure hunt for a mystical relic that turns into a love story for all time. Directed by Udayan Prasad, OPA! stars Matthew Modine, Agni Scott, Alki David and Richard Griffiths.

Story Synopsis: On the magical Greek island of Patmos, the inhabitants have lived, danced, and laughed for thousands of years. But, with the arrival of a straight-laced, high-tech archaeologist, ERIC (Matthew Modine) everything could forever change. Eric soon finds himself swept into a world of picture-postcard scenery and romance. That is, until his satellite-guided equipment reveals that his most important find may be buried under the taverna owned by the object of his affection--the beautiful and uncompromising KATERINA (Agni Scott). Will Eric toss away a lifetime of work--and the hope of fulfilling his father's deepest wish--for the love of a vivacious and independent woman? Read more at www.opafilm.com

And in the second half of the hour-- Are you feeling unhappy or stressed? Out of balance with a lack of passion? Overwhelmed with increased responsibilities and change? Missing out on opportunities? Are you wondering if there is more to life than what you are experiencing? Well, Eleni's next guest says it's time to live and work The OPA Way!®

Dr. Alex Pattakos ("Aleko"), author of the international best-selling book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts is a personal development pioneer who has helped many with the search for meaning in their personal and work lives. He is also a very proud Greek-American (of Cretan heritage) and a weekly columnist for The National Herald (ETHNIKOS KYRIX). Go to www.prisonersofourthoughts.com and www.seedsofinnovation.com for a brief history and profile of the groundbreaking meaning and innovation work that led to The OPA Way!®

About All Things Greek with Eleni Daniels All Things Greek is making waves as a fresh approach to talk radio with a Hellenic twist. Segments include lively in-depth interviews with personalities, newsmakers, celebrities, and people who make a difference. "Now more than ever, it is important to create a forum where people, ideas and stimulating conversion meet for a common understanding of news, history and cultural awareness," says Eleni Daniels, executive producer and host. All Things Greek broadcasts on WNYE-FM's 91.5 and HD1 for Hellenic Public Radio-Cosmos FM (HPR) on alternate Fridays at 7pm ET reaching approximately 13 million households throughout the New York metro area and neighboring New Jersey, Connecticut, and Long Island. Listener comments and suggestions are always welcome. Email: allthingsgreek@yahoo.com .

Eleni Daniels is a native New Yorker, who began her love of radio and journalism with Cosmos FM in 1993. She is producer/talk host of the radio news journal All Things Greek, where her interviewing style and keen curiosity of diverse topics has endeared her to her listeners. As former executive director of GAEPIS, she led a successful advocacy campaign to save the ethnic voice on WNYE 91.5FM. She holds a BA from CUNY in French/Communications with graduate coursework at NYU. She is president/principal of DanielsMedia Co., providing consulting services on various arts & culture, educational and health/medical related projects.

Global Greek Humour: Greek Education Then... and Now!

'What kind of grades are these?!!!'(Cartoon source and author unknown)

Same Question...Different Era!

A rather funny but sad commentary on the state of the Education system in Greece! (Thanks Eleni M, Greece)Our question is, is it universally applicable and why has it got to this point?

From what one of our Global Greeks, Greek American Dr Alex Pattakos wrote in his latest Huffington Post article, titled No Person Left Behind, in which he discusses Health System Reform and Education Reform in the USA, it appears that what we call the abdication of responsibility of students/parents which is illustrated by the cartoon above, is indeed universally applicable and needs to change drastically if things are to improve.

Dr Pattakos wrote:

...the aims of education can never be achieved without personal responsibility on the parts of students/learners, parents, teachers, and other involved stakeholders, in addition to the collective responsibility of families, local/state jurisdictions, and other levels of community and society...

and went on to say

...In the education arena, a "teach me," ignorance, entitlement model has less chance of observable or sustainable success without a measurable dose of responsibility by those seeking access to and services from the "system."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-pattakos/no-person-left-behind-the_b_268321.html

...concluding that...The education process, in the final analysis, is a two-way street. Minus some kind of brain implant like those depicted in science fiction, which is probably something that we would not want to see become reality, the true benefits of education derive as the "return on investment" that is made in yourself and in your future. And this kind of "ROI" can only occur when you become fully engaged and demonstrate that you are responsible for the investment.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-pattakos/no-person-left-behind-the_b_268321.html

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-pattakos/no-person-left-behind-the_b_268321.html

We agree 100%! Why is it that the existing education system seems to destroy all drive, initiative and passion for learning? Is the ever-increasing pressure on students such that they no longer 'enjoy' the engagement that Dr Pattakos refers to?

What is to blame?

In Greece, which is how this post started, we have the phenomenon of those who go abroad excelling in their chosen fields...it can't be by chance that there are so many notable Greeks in fields like medicine, science and finance outside Greece, a lot of whom have come through the Greek education system but have gone to the top of their field once they went abroad! Despite that, and here is the irony, when some of these very same top-of-their-field experts try to get back into the system and give back some of their knowledge and experience to their homeland, the 'system' chews them up and spits them out! Dr George Papanicolaou, the creator of the lifesaving Pap test was one of these experts who came back to Greece with knowledge to share and determination to turn his vision to reality but ended up going back to the USA! Why does this happen?

Tell us what you think...

Dr Alex Pattakos is, as we said above, one of our Global Greeks and we have had a link to his very interesting article on the 25th Anniversary in our sidebar since the day we started this blog, because of it's relevance to all of us. A professor of public policy and management, a mental health therapist, the author of several books, a columnist with The Hellenic Herald and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, Alex is known Dr Meaning in the USA. We will tell you more about him and his very valuable work in a later post. Stay tuned!