I'm currently working on a summary of my recent trip to Turkey, but the post is taking forever. I'm on the fourth night working on it, so I thought I'd post this first.
I find every time I travel, I learn new, big things about myself. I'm not sure if I posted this last year, but the big overarching lesson I learned from going to France was, "Why am I waiting to do things?". The French seemed to just live in the moment more and did what they wanted. Unlike Canadians, they were quite unapologetic going abouts doing what they were doing. Not in a rude, loud way like Americans, but still with confidence and swagger.
From this, when I got home, I started playing beach volleyball after wanting to for so long and always putting it off. And that turned out great.
1) Keep On Changing
I've been rightly accused of living a complacent existence. I am very aware of this. I have always made excuses for this, the main one being that I enjoy being comfortable. I may not being entirely happy, but I'm for the most part content.
However this is not the way to grow and progress. Standing still will only garner the same results. I would say that my life has been at a relative standstill for the last three years. Granted I have moved on in some ways (getting over my ex, gaining more independence, social life wise), in many ways I feel much hasn't changed. And it's really my own fault. I've never pushed myself out of my comfort zone. It's in those uncomfortable areas do we find out what we're made of.
Change doesn't happen on it's own, you have to make it happen, as against your instincts as this may be.
If you're comfortable, you're standing still. Standing still for too long, is not good.
2) Be Aggressive
So this girl caught my attention when I was there, I could feel myself being way too obvious. Apparently it was obvious to everybody else too. I didn't want to ruin anybody's vacation by making them feel awkward, so I decided to keep my distance.
And I get this, I really do, especially considering the situation, but I remember somebody telling me back at home, that if you see something you want, you should just go for it.
Later on, I'd be told by the same girl that I was too nice, and I should be more aggressive. It's one thing to be told that I'm too nice by girls at home, it's another thing completely to be told the same thing by a girl from another country. It really hit me, even though I was half drunk at the time.
This only re-instilled in my mind, that you should just go for it. It's not the Canadian thing to do. It's not the Asian thing to do. BUT, it's the thing that you should REALLY do. People never regret the things they did, but the chances they never took. Take your shots. Sometimes you land, other times you miss and at worst you get hit back, but at least you're not left with 'what if'.
3) Mistakes Are What Make Life Interesting
This goes back to the point above. When everything goes to plan, it's nice, but it's boring. If you really want something, take the gamble. Short term, it might suck, but long term, you'll at least have an interesting story. Supposedly it builds character.
4) How Much I Love Canada
I love to travel, don't get me wrong. And other places are definitely more socially and culturally interesting. But I don't think I'd be willing to make the trade offs. When I think about the multi-culturalism, the tolerance and acceptance (at least on the surface), the level of safety and the access to amenities and services that are available in Canada (specifically Toronto), I don't think I could live anywhere else.
* On a Much Smaller Note, I Can Still Hold My Liquor
Surprisingly, even though I hardly drink, I can still keep up with uni kids. I mean I still hit it hard maybe two or three times a year, but not nearly as much as I use to. So to me, being able to get Turkish Drunk a few nights in a row, was kinda awesome.
