Meet Fernando Mönke

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Fernando Mönke a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Fernando, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

The basics consist of learning, enjoying and sharing. From this premise, one can find motivation, plan and continue building from the passion and conviction of doing what one truly loves.

The satisfaction is enormous when one has the chance, through what one does every day, to discover new places, new traditions, customs, new people and, from one’s own place and means, to make them known, to make them visible, perhaps to awaken the interest of other people with the same interests as oneself and even to be able to help, assist or advise them.

Those small steps in the field of what you are passionate about are what fill you with happiness, pride and motivation to continue doing what you do.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

We are entering the final stretch, which has had some incredible, unforgettable moments. For example, living in Argentina, on the other side of the ocean, I had the chance to watch the Champions League final in Munich, which was incredible and something I had always dreamed of.

Another moment that I will undoubtedly never forget is the opportunity to visit the famous City Ground stadium of Nottingham Forest in England and to leave items from my club in Argentina (Club Atlético Independiente) to be displayed in their museum, as the colours unite both teams. I was given an incredible welcome and had a fantastic day there.

We are very happy to continue to have spaces in which to tell stories, convey passions through words and images, and spread the fanaticism of Argentine football through websites and magazines in England and Germany.

But, as has been the case for some years now, the most exciting part of this activity is being able to continue meeting and connecting with people from all over the world. I am completely in love, not only with football, but also with my country, Buenos Aires, the city where I live, our culture, our cuisine, and I love the opportunity to show all of this and to be able to make my small contribution so that others can learn about it, be attracted to it, and get to know it too.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The experience and knowledge that one gains over time is fundamental. Knowledge even about oneself. It is essential to be honest with oneself, to understand what attracts you, what interests you and what you want from your project. Obviously, everything changes over time, but it is key to remain loyal to oneself and not betray oneself, especially in these aspirational and pretentious times in which we live, where supposed ‘success’ is what counts and they want us to believe that anything goes as long as we achieve it. This is how we often end up killing our own passion and feeling empty afterwards.

Not all rewards in life are monetary or measured in likes; happiness and what is truly important lie elsewhere, in other things. Once you find what you are passionate about, you have to take care of it and continue to enjoy it, working hard and consistently to grow, but always staying true to yourself.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

Perhaps it is a struggle to understand this era of algorithms, haters, followers, views, and the bubble in which they seem to want to push us to live. With more and more media at our fingertips but less and less communication.

It is difficult to find the balance between the work tool and not letting it dictate the pace of your work or whether what you do is good or bad. I think we should follow our hearts a little more and pay less attention to what the “notifications” show us.

I choose to hold on to all the good things it has given me: building bridges with other football fans and visiting stadiums around the world, with many of whom we had the chance to meet in person and maintain a connection to continue sharing our fanaticism and also talk about our lives. I believe that should be our goal: to understand that this is what matters and not get lost in the maze of screens and their coloured lights.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Groundspotters: Marina Cellillo y Fernando Mönke.

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