I often think about the old Charlie Jones statement that says personal growth is through the people you meet and the books you read. His thesis was that without these two actions in your life, we will remain the same person five years from who you are now. I’d like to challenge that and add that the places we go ranks right up there and can even be what amplifies the first two.
I’ve traveled across the world with friends, family and even solo…and find more personal growth during those 2-10 days away than I do in a year at home. The food tastes different, the weather feels different, the personal comfort standards are different….the way I travel then urges me to move outside of my comfort zone and live differently when there. Yes, I meet people along the way that enriches the experience. Yes, I read different kinds of things that I wouldn’t have access back home. So, while the people and books thesis are good, I’d say they are only 2/3 of the way there. We need to change our cultural surroundings to have the full 3/3 wholeness of growth.
The places we go doesn’t have to be lavish, far away or expensive…it just has to be different. Maybe different for you is a half hour drive away? The more I travel, different for me becomes further away as I have experienced so much close to home. But to be a stranger in a new place, and share a meal with locals, can help me see the world through their eyes. And this fuels growth inside of me. I take this experience with me, the combination of people/information/location, and bring it home. I try to assimilate it into my life, reflect on it and find ways to change my life journey moving forward. Travel is my passion, and I bring some of that passion home with me every time.
A small change in yourself can change the entire trajectory of your life. The hard part of the process is finding the spark to make that change. Instead of searching for that spark, reading endless mindset books or listening to hours of podcasts, why not take a journey outside of your day-to-day life. Sometimes, we just have to quiet our life…..and make room for the spark to find us.
Kimberly Enders CFP® CWS® CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
Enders Wealth Management
37800 Van Dyke Ave, Suite 125
Sterling Heights MI 48312
www.enderswm.com
#kimenderscfp
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