The Well Traveled Mind

The last six years, nearly seven now, I have been blessed to visit some outstanding cities in Europe. More than I could have hoped to even dream of in a lifetime, let alone actually step foot in. During this time my mind has been like a sponge eagerly absorbing as much of the scenery, cultural, and people I could handle. Most of those experiences have been etched into a timeless memory. My photographs allowing me to recall at will, not just the trip itself, but nearly the moment the shot was captured.

At a very young age, I was challenged with a chronic health issue that forced me into erasing any type of travel from my personal radar. By the grace of God, I am here today as a testament to forge ahead, never give up, holding onto a belief that our apprehensiveness need not be a life sentence.

Transparency

In full transparency, the fear of stepping into the unknown, has always been real! Life drops challenges in front of us that make us question our fight or flight response. I grew up with a support system in place that pulled me through early struggles. I was introduced to “attitude” early on.

Attitude as in having the right attitude when facing obstacles in life, whether connected to our health, our families, work, etc. Our attitude is one of the most important ingredients for our success.

I liken this to my time here at WA, to your time here at WA. Technology and this community have minimized the planet. We connect with friends all over the world, the fight or flight mentality is eased by the support of an incredible community so willing to guide you through to your next challenge. Our questions are answered, our “attitudes” are strengthened, our fear of the unknown pales in comparison to the support available to us.

The Human Touch

Then there is the human touch! There are so many people that lift our spirits, share a big part of themselves with us. No matter where in the world you call home, coming here to be a part of this means you are culturally rich! Often that wealth comes in the form of not so much what we receive in the form of technical or content expertise, but rather who you are as a person!

Just as in real life, each of us is unique, everyone has a special nodule of their personality they bring here each day. This is the ultimate cultural immersion which allow us to be a part of something so much bigger. The world needs what we bring here each day and none of us should look beyond the power and the goodness that sharing delivers.

So yeah, I have success in my future, quite frankly, how I define success has already been achieved here. There is fear that lives in me, why not, fear is an emotion! I would like to think I understand emotions so I am better prepared to deal with them when they land in front of me!

Most importantly though, I know I have this community to back me up, something I am blessed to have found. Coming here each day is going (well not everyday, haha), to keep me grounded, but still allow me to have a “well traveled mind”!

Thanks Peeps,

Gerry