en route.
ORD (Chicago, IL) -> AMS (Amsterdam, [the] Netherlands) -> NBO (Nairobi, Kenya)
Somewhere over the Atlantic—just south of Iceland, I began this letter to you as a man on the move again. At the time, I was headed to Amsterdam before eventually landing in Nairobi, Kenya for the inaugural Siempre Africa visit to the motherland (it was a massive success, btw). As I flew at an altitude of 38,581 ft with a ground speed of 610 mph, my ears are continually popping and ringing as I embarked on yet another international flight (~7.25 hours for the first, 8h for the second) to a place most people only dream of. It is not lost on me that I am incredibly fortunate to travel so much…but that is not why we are here today.
You see, I’ve been on plenty of international flights before and contrary to popular belief, I actually enjoy the fact that I am stuck on a plane from 7-10 hours at a time or in a vehicle for 6 hours traveling in the safari. Why, you might ask? It’s simple: long trips force you to do the one thing that most of us are scared of doing—sit still. International flights, cross-country domestic flights, and road trips give us no other option but to sit back and enjoy the ride as best we can. It forces us to hone in on how we feel and be still long enough to hear ourselves think. Even better, it gives us a chance to reconnect with the present and really think about what we want to do with our time. Opportunities are limited, yet somewhat endless. We could watch a movie (if the devices permit), listen to music (if the devices permit), read a book, play a game, journal, meditate, sleep, or talk to fellow travelers (if they are friendly). Much like life outside of the airplane or vehicle, being on a journey forces us to accept that ultimately we are not in control of where this thing will go or how it will work out…but we can decide what we do with our time while we are there.
Consider how much we could accomplish with 8 hours of time. Wild, right? For many of us, that’s an entire work day. As such, instead of spending the entire flight watching movies like the new Batman (admittedly, I was not impressed), it would be helpful if we also used this time more constructively to get things done. We could use our travel time to find our center; to figure out where we are in life and where we want to go. Being that most of us experience so much FOMO that we constantly check our phones every 10 seconds (even if they don’t buzz or vibrate), we could use our travel time as a space where we can actually live outside of that FOMO feeling and simply let go. We can give ourselves a break from social media, from text messages (iMessage, of course), from email, and from the outside world. We can simply just be there, intimate with our own thoughts, and do anything we want (within the bounds of the vehicle, of course). For some, the most constructive thing to help us re-center is to sleep. For others, it could be meditation, goal-setting, or even writing documents like business, marketing, and/or social media plans for the future. Regardless, we must think about how ‘current us’ can set ‘future us’ up for success.
Remember, ‘travel time’ doesn’t just have to be on an airplane or in a car. There is nothing wrong with taking a personal journey (e.g. a walk, a bike ride, etc.) to reconnect with self and think about what we really want. In fact, we ought to be doing that far more than we do now. Let’s do a little exercise:
First, think about the last time you actually sat still…in silence, and just allowed yourself to be. When was that? Write it down.
Second, how long did that moment of clarity last before you reached for your phone or got up and did something else? Write that down.
Third, think back to the last trip you took. What did you do? What do you usually do on long trips? Write that down.
Now comes the hard part…
Think of one thing that you have been putting off for some time now, and add it to your schedule. Yes, I mean schedule time with yourself to work on whatever this thing is. Write it down and put it into your schedule. Now. Don’t wait. We’ve waited long enough by now, so when you take your next trip…work on this thing in some capacity!
Lastly, tell someone what the commitment is. It doesn’t matter if its a commitment to writing everyday, writing your business plan, walking everyday, or only spending 15 minutes on social media per day. Tell someone and ask them to hold you accountable. If you need someone, shoot me a message. I will add you to the list of people I check in on, but beware: don’t enlist my help if you don’t plan to actually do the work…because I’m the Savant for a reason and my people move on our dreams to make them reality. I’ll be damned if we sit still and let things pass us by, so prepare for some directed guidance and prepare to set a deadline.
The time has come for us to think about how we are spending our travel time. We need to be allowing our dreams to take flight when we do. Who knows, we might develop the idea to start a multi-million dollar business (or at least come up with the plan) during travel time, which could lead to us never having to worry about a boarding pass again…but that’s a conversation for another time.
The sun just peeked over the clouds and kissed me on the cheek, so back to the safari I go. Until next time, Siempre Fam! 🌹
—
P.S. - for those of you who travel, AMS airport is a must-see place! Catch a flight. You will see exactly what I mean.
I must also give a shoutout to my dear friend Tobruk Blaine, who just launched her own website! Please go check out her site and leave a comment on her first blog post! If you’re up for it, tell her Savant sent you. 🌹
Oh wait, almost forgot — for all who read this: indulge, consume, share (or, don’t).