Category: Travel

Words have meaning.  We’ve all heard that before.  They all have applications to which we apply different significance and understanding.  We use them to craft our expressions, to shape our ideas and to bring vibrancy to our thoughts.

But they are more then just the symbol of their definition or a designation to the characterization of an idea.  They truly do mean something.

When we think about something, we are manifesting our creative energies into a melding of many things.  What is created is an amalgamation of logic, initiative, intuition, agenda, emotion, experience and many, many other things.

The words that we choose to put to these conglomerations are, quite literally, all our own.  They are unique to us and, because they are the chosen sum of all our creative senses, intellectual machinations and emotional responses, they can never truly mean to someone else what they mean to us.  They can come close, but they will never really vibrate in others’ ears as they do in ours.

It is because of this reason that words have so much power.  When we speak them, we own them.  When speaking from the heart or at times of passion, they are generated from the same place where we receive the inspiration for our hopes and dreams.  They come from the same place that makes us feel sad when we wrong someone or miss someone we love.  When we profess them, it is our truth.  We are held accountable to our words as they are our oldest mode of transferring the information within us.

Words are our key to the gates of communication.  They are the platform on which we are represented.  And, most importantly, they are broadcast as a sampling of our own culture when we communicate in foreign places.

And believe it or not, they are not put together the same way in each place we go.  Essentially, they are an individually selected consignment of ideas – complete with tonality, emotional communication, personal meaning, ingrained undertones and countless other facets of expression.  They’re even delivered in a package exclusive to their maker – our own voice.  And this remains a universal constant, no matter where we might find ourselves.

When speaking to others, we must ensure that we use this important method of communication to its fullest potential.  When we speak with integrity, we are helping to ensure that our true passion is expressed; that our real feelings come across; that we respect the thoughts of others and further their support with words of our own; that we are contributing to the exponentially increasing pool of positivity, wisdom and expression; and that we can be counted as inimitable patrons of forward-thinking construction of intellectual infrastructure affording embracement in the diversity of our own humanity.

In other words, think positively, speak positively and offer your unique perspective to the endless possibilities for change, unity and ascension.

–

Like this photo from this journal? Check out the album HERE.

My new book, Insights from the Pavement, is a collection of 101 Travel Oms just like this one. Look for it to be released soon.

Join the conversation, tell me what you think about this idea. Leave your comments below.

While visiting new places, we don’t always have the benefit of relying on our previous scope of reading body language and facial triggers to get the true sense of what people in other cultures are used to portraying.

In the steppe of the Himalayas, clapping hands is used to ward off evil – so that group of tribal people is not welcoming you with applause.  In the mountains near the Golden Triangle, folding hands together while overlapping the fingers is a sign that you would like to have sex – not that you’re simply waiting contently for your bus.  And unconsciously holding your hands out to shape your frustration at the border in Malaysia will tell the guard that you are trying to affront him and take away his power.  And none of these instances will certainly do any good in aiding your cause.

Even the most common and lifelong mannerisms that we know from back home will serve up only confusion and mistranslated initiatives on the road.  So it is important that we take the time to research these possible losses in translation, watch others for what they do and try to pose as little a threat as possible while navigating this new world of foreign expectations.

Often we just don’t think about the gestures and subconscious language that we are using to transmit our ideas.  And while it is difficult to know just how we will come across to the people of new cultures, it is also important to simply remain continuously aware and cognizant of our movements, tone and general presentation.

The more time we spend being mindful of your personal expression and presentation to others, the more we become aware of how we come across in our home lives.  And this lesson will continue to benefit us as we will undoubtedly engage a countless array of personalities throughout our lifetimes.  And while it’s not possible to know how someone will react to you based on their own personal opinions and perspectives, it’s at least possible to be chary of our own intentions throughout these interactions.

Insider’s info: On the road, I have learned many universal no-nos.  Here are a few:

1. Never raise your voice – no matter how frustrated you are.
2. Never move directly at someone or offer your hands to them (unless to assist someone) – no matter how innocent your intentions – unless it is done to you first.
3. Making direct eye contact is both expected and considered rude, depending on where you are – find out beforehand.
4. The clothing that you wear (or don’t wear), as well as tattoos/piercings that you may have may directly conflict with local cultures, beliefs or traditions.
5. Public displays of affection are best avoided.
6. The oldest male of a particular group is normally the most respected. Don’t piss him off.
7. Don’t spit, litter, trespass or eliminate on city or private lands.
8. Never do drugs under any circumstances while traveling.
9. Smiling is sometimes seen as a less-than-honorable invitation. Find out beforehand.
10. If someone bows to you, try and reciprocate in the same manner (eye contact/eyes down, hands together/at the hips/together around the face, etc.).

–

Like this photo from this journal? Check out the album HERE.

My new book, Insights from the Pavement, is a collection of 101 Travel Oms just like this one. Look for it to be released soon.

Join the conversation, tell me what you think about this idea. Leave your comments below.

Simply saying thank you for what we have instead of being ungrateful for what we don’t, is oftentimes the difference between finding out we are very satisfied or very unsatisfied with our lives.  Both cycles are easy to get into.  And both offer equal amounts of inertia toward their respective ends.

There are many factors that contribute to why we would be unthankful for any given situation.  But rather than note those, why not try and establish a positive way to assess them?  Even in looking at the less-than-positive items in our lives, we are still able to see them from a place of positivity – or at least progress.  In either case, we will find ourselves with the opportunity to appreciate the good fortune that our lives have the capacity to generate – even if it doesn’t generate it quite yet.

But the important thing is to make the conscious effort to analyze these centers within ourselves.  Forgetting to take the time to appreciate the richness that exists in our lives is one way that we lose sight of just how great things are – or more importantly, how they could always be much worse.

Just like having a negative cycle of doubt, hate, depression, disorder and anxiety can feel like a cage from which it is impossible to escape, the extent of this cycle on the positive end is equally intense – liberating us with the same magnitude as it would at weighing us down.  And when we feel continually tired, overreactive or sad, we generally see things in a negative light.

While on the road, we can look at our trip for all the confusion, frustration and wasted time that we spent trying to navigate the trail.  Travel always includes circumstances that have this effect.  On the other hand, there are also many times that we have the opportunity to be awed by a beautiful vista or to experience the exhilaration of something new.  And the latter normally outnumbers the prior.

The point is that if we look for the negative, the negative will appear more acute than the positive.  But there is one stark difference in the way that we react to these two polar opposites.

When focusing on the negative outcomes of our challenges, we almost always take on the perspective of someone who doesn’t deserve it.  We often ask ourselves, “why did this happen to me?” as if we are somehow more deserving than someone else in the same circumstances to receive a more positive result.  This is a common reaction, but it’s not a place of humility.  It is a place we go to when we are defeated and our ego takes over in order to protect our pride.

So, armed with this knowledge, we can easily head this negative cycle off at the pass.  Viewing the positive outcomes intrinsic to every possible situation would be a good place to start.  Being thankful for what you have is a great finisher.  And when we find ourselves being thankful, even when the situation would strike most people as quite negative, that is when we know we have achieved humility.

–

Like this photo from this journal? Check out the album HERE.

My new book, Insights from the Pavement, is a collection of 101 Travel Oms just like this one. Look for it to be released soon.

Join the conversation, tell me what you think about this idea. Leave your comments below.

It’s true that not all of the things we buy are for ourselves.  On the road we often buy gifts and souvenirs for others.  But in cases like these, do you think that your loved ones would appreciate a trinket that doesn’t symbolize anything they know, or something that you made along the way?

I won’t go down the road of begrudging those who buy souvenirs for their loved ones back home – I, myself, find it almost impossible to travel and not see things in terms of how much my friends and relatives would enjoy them.  But I will say that these things become very cumbersome over the course of a trek.

Not only do these items take up space – which adds up quickly when we carry all our belongings with us – they also make our luggage heavier.  They cost money which we could ultimately be using to help ensure we are covered in the event of an emergency.  And honestly, do we really need more “stuff?”

Over the past decade, I’ve managed to create a world of media throughout my travels.  And if I have learned anything, it’s that a lot of reward can come from very little.  And almost always, the most creative gifts are already being made by those of us in the photographing, blogging, video-making world.  These digital items weigh nothing, cost nothing and are fun to make for our loved ones back home.  They are also environmentally friendly, they don’t use dyes, bleaches or costly materials.  And they even symbolize a perspective that no one else in the world will ever be able to capture or recreate.

But the best part about about giving the gift that can’t even be touched is that when we return home, we get to spend time communicating these wonderful memories to our loved ones.  After we have created these media, we then get to sit down with those who inspired their creation and relive the experience as many times as we want.

If you write on your journeys, write a poem that was inspired by your latest experience.  If you like to make videos for your website, why not film yourself at a new location and talk directly to those you’re thinking about?  If you have an eye for photography, snap a shot with you in front of that amazing place that made you wish your loved ones were there with you?  And if you want to print it up later, you can always send it off as a postcard.

I have created a dozen ebooks, hundreds of videos and more than 75,000 images in my time abroad.  And I am continually sharing them with my friends and family – many times posting them up on my social networks with notes to those who I was thinking about when I created them.  And these have gotten me more heart-felt responses from the recipients than any key chain or refrigerator magnet ever could.  And what’s more, I have a new experience to share with my loved ones because I created that moment with that very intention.

These items are intangible.  You can touch them.  They have no monetary value.  And they exist only in cyberspace as ones and zeros.  But they will create a greater impact than any commercial item that money can buy.  And they will forever stand as a frozen piece of time that can be enjoyed over and over.

I am not saying that we shouldn’t support the local economies by buying locally made goods.  But the next time you’re in the tourist shop, just think of what your friends and family might like to have from your time abroad.

–

Like this photo from this journal? Check out the album HERE.

My new book, Insights from the Pavement, is a collection of 101 Travel Oms just like this one. Look for it to be released soon.

Join the conversation, tell me what you think about this idea. Leave your comments below.