This may sound negative at first, but hang in there with me... Getting from Denver, CO to Washington, D.C. was more difficult than getting from Frankfurt, Germany, to Christchurch, New Zealand. Between a delayed, then cancelled flight due to an oil leak, being rerouted through Charlotte, NC, an overbooked connecting flight to Reagan National Airport, arriving at midnight in D.C.... Only to find that they had lost my bag and I would have no clothes to change into for my talk the next day... Then being welcomed by a non-responsive metro card machine that took my money and refused to spit out a card (I had to pay double to get one)... And once I did have a card, finding out that the metro line was closed for repair in exactly the direction I needed to take... Ah, the joys of #travel :) I admit, when I saw that the metro line was closed I really started to think, Maybe D.C. is jealous of that fresh, Colorado air it can smell on me... I could have gotten stressed by all the inconveniences. I could have flipped out, knowing there was no way to get my clothes before the talk I was scheduled to give the next afternoon on the Travelers Mindset and international career development opportunities. I arrived late, tired, feeling dirty and slightly annoyed, to be honest. And I was welcomed by Hellen, a wonderful, hospitable Startingbloc Fellow. A cup of hot tea was whisked out of nowhere. I got to shower! (So good!) I explained my wardrobe conundrum and Hellen offered me full reign over her closet, saving the day. (Although, clothes or no clothes, there was nothing that was going to stop me from getting on that stage to talk...THAT would have made a statement...) And, at the end of the day, I had a warm, comfortable place to sleep. But more importantly, I knew that someone cared about me, about my well being, and I had made it to D.C. after all. The next day I spoke at the #HBCU career development marketplace in front of more than 200 juniors and graduating senior students, and these kids blew me away... Not only were they totally respectful and polite (Good afternoon, Miss Kern, Im ___ from Savannah State University, thank you so much for your talk...) More importantly, they were CURIOUS. After my talk, there was a massive exodus out to the lobby -- a whole group of students who skipped out on one of the last speakers to ask me more questions about living and working outside of the United States. I structured the talk to be half story/inspiration, half resources, and it hit home. It was exciting to know the students were excited and open to the possibility of leaving the U.S., and it felt pretty awesome :) But what was extra fun was that I was BEING the Mindset....I went in with an intention of being open, being curious, keeping an adventurous spirit, not letting logistical inconveniences throw me, embracing the new, pushing my comfort zone... And it worked. Just like with the craziness of #TEDx, I felt super energized and purposeful the whole day... Now I know that it wasnt just a fluke. The Travelers Mindset works, and its a mentality that spreads easily and gets people in a state of openness, curiosity and adventurousness... Thats EXACTLY what our world needs more of. So, whats next? Well, Im excited to share the video with you in about a week, when the TEDx talk gets released online! One warning, though: when you watch it, something in it will likely push your buttons. There will probably be something that challenges you and will make you question something about the way you live your day-to-day life. I have one ask of you: If you feel excited by the Travelers Mindset, help me to spread it. You can do that by sharing the video on Facebook and by BEING the Mindset yourself. Those two things are enough to push us closer to a society where openness, curiosity, and an adventurous spirit is the default, the norm. Sound simple? I believe it is. If youre on board to help share the Travelers Mindset, comment below and let me know youre IN! :)
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 17:51:43 +0000
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