summer – Success Strategies

George Washington University Globe Trotting Study Abroad Student Compares Experiences In China & Greece…

Engage in this stimulating conversation with George Washington University Student, Brianna Bougouneau as she shares her cross-cultural study abroad

Blessed are curious for they shall have adventures.
Lovelle Drachman

Engage in this stimulating conversation with George Washington University Student, Brianna Bougouneau as she shares her cross-cultural study abroad experiences in China, Taiwan, Greece and Europe. In her words, sometimes you have to be bold, patient, and manage your expectations in order to be successful.

Listen in as she explores her challenges and resilience. This video is another in the interview series where I explore Success as emerging leaders define it.

Studied abroad? What did you experience? Do share, we would love to hear.

Cheers!

Mid-Summer Trek To Find The New…

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are
J.P. Morgan

My youngest turned and asked if we could go on a road trip. Absolutely yessss! Until she said she wanted to go immediately. It was Christmas Day. Brunch with the family was divine. An experience we relived year after year. Thought the little one would be satisfied. But she wanted more. Time with her mom right after the family gathering. Mid afternoon. Christmas Day.

So I sat next to her. Shared how much I loved her. Then explained what a Road trip meant. Planning. Knowing where we’re going. The path we would need to take. She was disappointed. But I used it as a teaching moment. I told her to search ski resorts (yep, she wanted to go skiing) and come up with the top 3 places she would like to visit. That turned into a yearlong project.

In Search Of Snow

There were many places to choose from but we wanted early snow just before peak season. She had never skied before so that meant even more research. We chose Breckinridge Ski Resort in Colorado. Early December. Just as the season was about to begin. We found A beautiful cabin near the peak. We invited her older sister and her two boys.

Being from Florida we had to get the right gear. Rented the ski attire but bought everything else. It was an experience that lasted a life time and kick started our many holiday rendezvous.

Strategies To Find The New

But can the same strategy be applied to other things? Indeed it can.

Investigate. Research. Study. Whatever your goal its important to find information. New knowledge opens minds. Personally I find new things amazing! Are you curious about a different career path? Job search (yes there’s a difference), a research project, a new house, new car? Whatever your prowess, the new is exciting even when it’s dreaded. Here are tips for the novice.

7 Tips for the Novice Researcher

If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there. And who knows where you’ll end up.
Unknown

Know what your needs are. What do you want? Think about it
Start with a general Search to see what’s out there. What exists
Do a quick scan of key resources found on your topic or area of interest
Compile the most useful pieces found
Do a deep dive. Read through and highlight things that are important to what you’re searching for (YouTube videos, articles, discussions) whatever works
Organize the flow. What’s important. What’s nice to know. Discard the rest
Then Act. Gathering data is nice but putting it into action is what’s important to any project or task

Hope these tips will help to kickstart your next project. Any missing that you would like to add? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

Where’s Your Dream Travel Destination?

Success Strategies

Paris, Santorini, Dubai tops the list!

Where do you wish to travel in the next 1-3 years? Which destination tops your list? Do you dream of traveling to enjoy the culture of others near or far? Traveling to learn about other people in distant lands?

Like Cavity, in the movie Eat. Pray. Love; Julia Roberts Imagination ran wild when she decided to get away to (as it were) find herself. Well she was not alone. The question was asked where’s your dream travel location? A few said “All over the world”, but while we Sympathize, that doesn’t count. Goals must be specific to be achieved. Here I share excerpts as the masses chimed in:

Destinations

Bora, Bora
Rome
New Zealand
Santorini
Paris
British Colombia, Canada
Maldives, Santorini, Rio, Bali
Greece, Spain, Italy
San Francisco
Washington
New York
LA
Egypt
Greece, Dubai, Hawaii, Brazil, Paris
Mecca
Cuba
Shiraz, Iran

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Travel Afar: A Moment’s Notice…

It seems like a Dream. But many are ready to board at a moment’s notice. I can name a few…

Success Strategies

By the way, wanna come?

Leyan was out with her friend buying last-minute items for the apparent Silhouettes of a trip to Europe, when suddenly they asked if she wanted to come. She thought about it. Being away from work for a few weeks she had nothing planned. Like a Trill without thinking too long she turned and said…oh why not.

Immediately they called to book travel arrangements and the next day she was off. Coincidence…don’t you just love ’em?

Have you ever done it? I mean thought about doing something way out of the blue at a moment’s notice? Here, we are not thinking about life situations where you have no choice such as sickness, and others. We’re talking here about just getting up and going somewhere that will benefit and relax you …

Just Because

Just because you’re you. May I challenge you to try it one day…

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Travel’s Road Trip. This Summer Night’s Dream…

Because the greatest part of a road trip isn’t arriving at your destination. It’s all the wild stuff that happens along the way.
Emma Chase

Eric Rosen shared in Travel & Leisure Magazine, an article titled Will we be able to travel this summer? Who in the world can imagine such an atrocity? How can we not travel? What…then… will we do with the kids?!

How Can We Not Travel?

Yes, but quiet down. Lets be reasonable. How can we travel during a worldwide pandemic when we have no clue about a virus that is invisibly floating around like an obtrusive enemy? We never know who may get it next. It’s no respecter of persons from Presidents, Prime Ministers and major leaders within societies worldwide. No one seems to be exempt.

But then… as we approach summer, and the approvals have been given to calculatedly reopen, our eyes aghast as we picture the way to go. As travel expert Samantha Brown promised Travel will come back. Now there is hope as Rosen gives points about travel’s return from the experts.

This Summer’s Musings From Travel Experts

Experts mused that:

Destinations will open ‘soon-ish’
Cleanliness is top of the mind…a commodity per my own personal experience the Tale of Travel as things Reopen Amidst Corona enlightened proof of, as travel returns
Road trips on the rise
Wellness and open spaces (i.e. parks, Museums, RVs etc)
Airlines present bargain fares and flexible flight changes in their attempt to boost a comeback to flying
Transformational getaways after all the time we have had to reflect. We want to start the move to get our personal lives back on track. The ultimate goal? To reinvent ourselves. Ascertain our future, and take stock.
Personal travel for family and friends for events such as weddings, grandparents birthdays and more becomes a nostalgic necessity.

The Rise Of The Road Trip

From the list, my personal fav is the traditional Road trip. Predictions are… it will rise this Summer due to cheap gas, lack of money due to the Corona effects, and tour partners customization and tons of collabs to produce the perfect deals.

All in all, here’s hoping this summer will be one of traditional memories for you and yours; or at the very least, provide treasured memories to last a lifetime.

Happy travels!

Cheers!

INC’s 20 Books TED Speakers Think Everyone Should Read This Summer…

Think before you speak. Read before you think. ~ Fran Lebowitz

Here’s a list of INC’s 20 books Ted speakers think you should read this summer. From the list, below are my top 7 favs that I find intriguing.

1. Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie

2. How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

3. The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp

4. Becoming by Michelle Obama

5. The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson

6. The Fifth Trimester by Lauren Smith Brody

7. GreenLight: When God Says Go by Dr. Shelly Cameron

Happy Reading!

Mid-Summer Daze Dream

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Lazy days. Basking in the sun, the sea, and the sand. Trailed by long quiet starry nights. When you think of summer, what do you think of? Strange question but sometimes some things come so naturally that we don’t give it much thought. But curiosity sparked I searched google for definitions. Here’s what I found which may be useful for Floridians and Caribbean Globe trotters who celebrate summer all year round.

Summer is the warmest season of the year and runs from June to August in the northern Hemisphere …(duh).

Summer is a time to embrace personal delights. Essentially do special things that inspire relaxation and enjoyment. This may include things like getting better at something. Taking on a passion (learn a new language, sport, pastime). Or simply just being. Kids look forward to tons of fun! Not to mention changing schools …to them a sign of growing up (smile). High school Grads activate college acceptance, and make preps for their new campus living (much to the despair of new empty nesters).

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But let’s face it, Summer is a time to chill. Here are some fun stuff that you can do this summer (extracted from real simple).

ENJOY NOSTALGIA

See a movie at the drive in
Blow bubbles
Walk on the boardwalk

Play tag or a childhood game

Win a prize at the fair

Build a sandcastle at the beach

EAT and DRINK

Eat a whole lobster with your hands

Roast marshmallows over fire and make s’mores

Make lemonade from scratch

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Pick wildflowers

Swim in a lake

Rent a bike

Go fishing

Go camping

Go for a hike

Go kayaking or canoeing

JUST BECAUSE

Collect seashells at the beach

Take a last-minute road trip

See a summer blockbuster

Walk barefoot in the grass

Get caught in a summer rainstorm

Sleep with the windows open

So go ahead! Explore! Have a popsicle and Make some new Memories this summer!

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/summer/”>Summer</a>

A Single Day

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Strange. It seems I could hardly breathe. Strapped in my ski boots almost 12,000 ft. on the Mountain range in Breckenridge, Colorado, something seemed awry. A novice, I spent most of the morning learning the nuances of skiing while my daughter snowboarded. Feeling accomplished, I decided to have a sumptuous lunch.

35 Minutes later I rushed back to pick up where I left off climbing higher with my guide. Strange though…I could hardly breathe. Starting to feel weak and out of breath, my guide reacted quickly and explained that I was experiencing mountain/altitude sickness. Confused, discouraged, and rather disappointed, I reluctantly responded to medics who eventually escorted me down via the gondola.

Downhearted yet trusting, I spent the rest of the afternoon watching the experienced and other novice skiers rise higher to steer their way down the slope. Being an openly adventurous person with little or no fear to take risks, that was my first encounter with altitude sickness. Will that stop me? Never!

Snow! White! Powder! Can’t wait to get to the Breck again! It’s totally epic!