I walked around Boston with a friend of mine from high school today. Our conversations always seem so philosophical, which is nice for a change. So much of conversation I have these days is small talk or business related. As Ferrazzi talks about in "Never eat alone," we should always try to have a real conversation and talk about things that are meaningful and make a real connection with the other person. Doesn't mean conversation can't be light or random, it just means if you're going to have conversation, it should at least be better than silence.
Anyways, we talked about life and it got me thinking over the journey I'm on. I've gotten back from traveling, back from the fears of dealing with situations in foreign places by myself, the incredible highs and lows of ultimate autonomy and the awesome feelings of growing more and more aware of the world. I'm back, but now I see that the journey isn't over. And this new peak I'm scaling seems even more towering than the last one! This time, it's all mental. Can I work the long hours on this non-profit project, balance work with all the personal improvement I'd like to make? Can I achieve these two goals I set out to achieve at the beginning of '09?
But with each fear I conquer that enlarges my comfort zone, I catch a glimpse of myself becoming more capable than before. Who I glimpse now is so much more than what I saw of myself five years ago. I see someone shining through who is unaffected by all the drama, rudeness or indifference of the people around him and the stormy sea of emotions within and is fearless.
The traveling has been my most important education and has given me perspective. Every moment is temporary, every emotion and every life including my own. Going forward, the plan is to try to live each moment as perfect as I can and have no expectations.
