It was really an inspiring talk by the Nobel Laureate hosted by The Ashden Awards, which Anne had arranged for me, and Filippa to join. Muhammad Yunus who developed the concept of micro credits gave his view on the world today, how the economic crisis has shadowed all the other ongoing crises. As all of us know last year was also the year of the food crisis and environmental crisis. But whilst the rich part of the world is focusing on the economic changes we all forget about the others. I got caught on his reasons about how we all are striving to get back to normal…the normal that was before the crisis. But that “normal” got us where we are today, thousands of people loosing their jobs. So shouldn’t we strive to find a new normal, a normal that doesn’t exclude?

Someone in the audience asked how we make sure that people who are taken out of poverty through their own will wont start thinking greed instead of need? Today there is one way of thinking: Make everything I do profitable. Why should we think, “I want a job” instead of thinking, “I make the jobs”…social business. All people are entrepreneurs it’s only in our modern society where the norm says only some people have the entrepreneur gene. It’s not about genes it’s what opportunities people take and are given. The Hunger Project is a great example on how the poorest people in the world through entrepreneurial thinking can change their lives and others in a way no one could of done for them.

After the lecture we bought his book and got it signed. We were like two shy fans when asking if we could take his picture. It is not every day you meet a Nobel Prize winner.

Finally what struck me most was how this enormously charismatic man gave away such great energy and excitement on what good changes will come out of these current crises. We have endless opportunities to make the new “normal” into something great.