Wade,
In a recent post, you asked me some questions relating to my "Why Are You Here?" post from last year. For reference, here are the questions you posed:
Now that I have some down time (I am living in rural Chile), this self-improvement focus has become a very important aspect of my life. I hope to improve my career skills so that I can continue to do work that I love and make a difference in the world. For example, I taught myself PHP and MySQL over the past couple months and wrote a custom program for Voz that tracks all of our orders currently being produced. It saves me so much time already, and I am convinced that if I continue to improve it, I can literally replace myself with a computer program. Or at least 90% of the work I've been doing. Technology is amazing, and I love being a creator.
In a recent post, you asked me some questions relating to my "Why Are You Here?" post from last year. For reference, here are the questions you posed:
- Now that it is about a year after posting that blog, would you say that those 7 steps are still what motivate you in living your life?
- Or would you change anything you said in that blog post? If so, what would you change and why?
- Now that you are experiencing more of the global culture, how would you say you have changed? Are you closer to enlightenment?
Constantly Strive to Improve Yourself
I know the first possible step to enlightenment was "Love yourself exactly as you are." And I am not saying that we should not love ourselves exactly as we're made. However, we can and should strive, each and every day, to make ourselves better. We can read books, practice foreign languages, dabble in music, write a story, paint a picture, meet a new friend, visit a new part of our city, create a new computer program for our employer.Now that I have some down time (I am living in rural Chile), this self-improvement focus has become a very important aspect of my life. I hope to improve my career skills so that I can continue to do work that I love and make a difference in the world. For example, I taught myself PHP and MySQL over the past couple months and wrote a custom program for Voz that tracks all of our orders currently being produced. It saves me so much time already, and I am convinced that if I continue to improve it, I can literally replace myself with a computer program. Or at least 90% of the work I've been doing. Technology is amazing, and I love being a creator.
Get Comfortable with Uncertainty
One of the main reasons I came down to South America in the first place was to 1) meet our southern neighbors and see another part of the world and 2) push my comfort zone further and further. It's no easy feat moving to a foreign country with a completely different language (Chilean Spanish is very different than Spain Spanish). But why do I want to push my comfort zone? In The Charisma Myth (the wonderful book I am currently reading on my iPhone), author Olivia Fox Cabane quotes one of her CEO colleagues with the following advice:"The most effective thing you can do for your career is to get comfortable being uncomfortable."
It's brilliantly simple advice. But it's not something that we're instinctually programmed to do. With this South American adventure, I am pushing my comfort zone more than I ever have. And you know what? Each time, it gets easier and easier. The more I see of the world, the more I realize it's not such a scary place. People are people wherever you go. Whatever language they speak or culture they represent, they still love and eat and share ideas with their friends.
And the more I push my comfort zone, the easier it becomes to do difficult things. This may sound small and likely easy for some people, but I used to have a very hard time telling friends and family that I love them. Now, it's nothing. The shame is gone. If I am talking to my father on the phone, I know that I could hang up, step out into the street, and get hit by a logging truck. So saying "I love you" is like drinking a glass of water for me now.
With an expanded comfort zone, doing business internationally is no longer intimidating. I know that we have the technology to make business deals in languages we can't even speak. Need a knowledgeable fashion connection in France? Easy (I just ask my friends until I find one, or I Google and make introductions until one fits). And traveling abroad? Couchsurfing is amazing - the hosts are so generous, so smart, so worldly. And I'm not longer scared to visit a city where I know absolutely no one - because I know there are people there excited to meet me and show me around.
With an expanded comfort zone, doing business internationally is no longer intimidating. I know that we have the technology to make business deals in languages we can't even speak. Need a knowledgeable fashion connection in France? Easy (I just ask my friends until I find one, or I Google and make introductions until one fits). And traveling abroad? Couchsurfing is amazing - the hosts are so generous, so smart, so worldly. And I'm not longer scared to visit a city where I know absolutely no one - because I know there are people there excited to meet me and show me around.
I am exploring new ways to expand my comfort zone each day. If you have any advice in this realm, it will be warmly welcomed.
Live Abroad, Achieve Enlightenment
I have to say that living abroad has absolutely brought much enlightenment into my life. First, you can get a true 3rd person view of your homeland. I've learned so much about the United States simply by stepping out to live elsewhere. Second, you can get a completely different perspective of the world - both philosophically and physically (the night sky even looks different down here in Chile). And lastly, you are given a chance to completely reinvent yourself with your ideal characteristics (because no one in this foreign place hold preconceived perceptions of who you are and how you should act).
And this is my second time doing it! I lived in Spain for 6 months while I was studying at Saint John's University. And this experience has been equally, if not more, enlightening than the last. It's such a different world down here that I feel like it has been a completely different experience. I've learned so much about business, pushed my Spanish skills to continually improving fluency, and found new ways to think about life.
Wade, and other curious readers out there, if you haven't lived abroad, you must. Malcolm X's turning point from pro-violent, anti-white advocate to the progressive-minded revolutionary that we remember him as today occurred after a stint in abroad (in Africa and maybe Asia). The global perspective he found while traveling abroad brought the enlightenment that helped transform him into a world-changing leader.
So, push your comfort zones further than you dreamed you could. Go live on the other side of the world for a while. Your family will still love you. Your friends will (likely) be there when you get back. And you can FaceTime in the middle of the jungle, so don't worry about losing touch with those you love.
Well? Are you up for the challenge? I promise you will never once regret it. The elderly women for whom I used to do lawn work always loved recounting their stories of travels abroad. They had no regrets about it - rather, they regretted not doing it more! When you're ancient and sitting in your rocker by the window, you will be so happy you pushed yourself to explore the world. :)
Well? Are you up for the challenge? I promise you will never once regret it. The elderly women for whom I used to do lawn work always loved recounting their stories of travels abroad. They had no regrets about it - rather, they regretted not doing it more! When you're ancient and sitting in your rocker by the window, you will be so happy you pushed yourself to explore the world. :)
