New Frontier
I often use this Journal as a way of reflecting on experiences, lessons and conversations but today I want to try to look ahead to what will be an interesting few weeks I have ahead of me. Today, I am boarding a plane bound for the proverbial land of opportunity, the United States of America with the aim of taking another step towards the person I want to be and the work I want to be doing.
It’s funny to think about the idea of travelling abroad and how that can hold such opportunity for expanding whatever it is that someone is trying to do and this mindset was something that initially excited me when I thought about the connections I could make and the people I could talk to. But upon reflection of this mindset it led me to think about what this does to my relationship and view towards home. Have I done everything I can at home? Have I explored everything there is to explore in my space in Australia?
The simple and direct answer is no. So why should I feel the driving ambition to go elsewhere and tackle a new challenge when I haven’t even fully conquered my own backyard?
This thought pattern led me down an unsurprising path of questioning my value which is something that I’ve written about a number of times on here and that’s something I’ve become a little frustrated with over time. I’m open about how I think and what conclusions I draw from these doubts I have of myself but making that next leap to ‘forget’ or ‘move on’ is admittedly difficult and provides a lesson not only for me, but for a lot of people who hear my story.
The lesson for me is that you can’t expect humans to change their thoughts or behaviours on the spot. For some people they may hear my perspective or what I have to say and that could spark them to make a change in their life that afternoon or the next day but for the far greater majority it may take a lot longer. I’ve learned that the message can remain the same but there are other factors like time, situation, place or method that can all impact how or when that message lands.
The lesson for others is that we are all humans at the end of the day. We have our strengths and our flaws which is beautiful but remains one of the great levellers between us that increases the importance of learning from the experiences of everyone, no matter who they are.
That second lesson is one that I’m going to carry with me over the next 2 weeks and I hope I get to meet and connect with a lot of people I can speak to and learn from on my travels. If you happen to be someone in LA or Kansas and read my Journal I have 2 things for you. The first is gratitude for you coming across me and my story, and the second is an invitation to catch up.