topics
tools
Expatica countries
editor's choice

Learning with the International Primary Curriculum

Remote training for expatriates

Should our kids go native too?

Pre-school activities in Belgium

How expats are learning the local lingo

Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2270.63 -0.42
DAX 6788.8 0.59
IBEX 30 8902.1 0.60
CAC 40 3424.71 0.43
FTSE 100 5895.47 0.33
AEX 325.12 -0.06
DJIA 12890.46 0.05
Nasdaq 2927.23 0.39
FTSE MIB 16653.83 -0.09
TSX Composite 12497.94 -0.18
ASX 4322.6 -0.79
Hang seng 20811.96 -0.94
Straits Times 2968.49 -0.43
ISEQ 20 503.71 0.33
You are here: Home Life in Lifestyle Lara Tadiotto on 'going bananas'

Lifestyle

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


09/01/2008Lara Tadiotto on 'going bananas'

Lara Tadiotto on 'going bananas' Belgian’s top woman golfer gave a talk on the subject of "Overcoming barriers in Business" and bendy fruit.

There are many ways to begin a motivational talk but waving fruit is not usually one of them. As we waited for stragglers, sipping our drinks, a tall woman, all in black, was going over her notes and eyeing a banana on the table. Myself and other internationals had gathered in the lounge area of Brussels’ Espace 53 to hear Belgian’s top woman golfer on the subject of  "Overcoming barriers in Business".

Banana clutched firmly in her hand, she began with "Hi, I’m Lara Tadiotto and I am really nervous". It so happens they were the first words she said when she met one of her heroes Laura Davies on the first tee at a tournament.

Lara talked us through her history, born in South Africa and at three months the family moved to the Congo where she stayed until she was fifteen then onto Belgium. Her mother, seated close by, beamed with maternal pride as she watched her daughter confront one of her own fears: talking in public. "I’m actually very shy." And yet she can stand in front of crowds and strike that little golf ball. Horses for courses as they say in the racing world.



Lara has been top of her profession in Belgium for what seems like forever. She took up golf properly at 19 and within only a year was Belgium’s number one. It took her only another two years to join the pro circuit and stand on the tee shoulder-to-shoulder with the world‘s best. At 35... "I can still beat all the young Belgian women coming through," she said with obvious delight.

Lara guided us through how to deal with pressure and its attendant obstacles.

She talked of controlling emotions - vital on the first tee when you’re up against the likes of Laura Davies - by putting them aside, since "emotions can reduce by 50 percent your ability to do your job, no matter where you work."

Other sound advice followed such as dealing with mistakes by repairing them gradually, surrounding yourself with the right people and not trying to control what you can do nothing about. "Like in golf you can’t control everything, can’t change the wind or the weather. Don’t worry about what you can’t do anything about and concentrate on changing what you can change."

And the banana? Lara likens the way she lives her life and her career to bananas. And why not? "If you taste a banana and you don’t like it. Don’t keep eating from the same tree. Find another tree. Don’t be scared of change. If something isn’t right for you, you have to be proactive and move on to do what you like, what you do best." She stressed that this striving constantly for something better, trying to go higher not only improves our professional life but is all a path to learning more about ourselves.

Difficult to guess how many listeners went out and changed their lives but shortly after the event Lara won the Mauritius Open. Must be the bananas.

 
Paul Morris

(copyright expatica 2008) 


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Life in essentials
Life in expert Q&A
ask your question
Life in A-Z listings
find the business you need
Discussion Forums

English in Belgium

ascent of language in belgium

Family in Belgium

Question about summer program/camp in Belgium

Healthcare in Belgium

How to find a good Physio and optometrist?

Jobs in Belgium

IFAs / FSIs / Country Managers / Confidential Introducers

Housing in Belgium

Flatmate Wanted as from mid February – SPACIOUS DUPLEX/PENTHOUSE

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Looking for work in Belgium

Looking for work in Belgium

This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes how to write a CV, application procedure, interview dos and don'ts, Belgian management culture.

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Belgium’s first alternative directory assistance services - available through the shortcode 14-14 - can now be accessed on the internet.

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Moving to Belgium presents a host of challenges to expats, not least of all finding the right home.

Learning to cope with life abroad

Learning to cope with life abroad

The psychological effects of global mobility can be physically painful.