It is no surprise that I am tongue-tied once again trying to recap my latest big adventure. I have returned from Thailand (I will admit, semi-reluctantly!) and it is a big challenge to capture such a deep, inward journey in anything resembling words fit for public consumption—so I thought I'd have fun with some random stats, bits and bon mots from the trip below. After spending time with family in California, next I am heading up to Calgary to deliver a keynote speech for the University of Calgary's Graduating this Year program. I'll even be making an appearance on a morning show, the CBC Calgary Explorer, at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday in case any of you are in the area and have a chance to tune in!
The Stats
Basics
Total days living abroad: 64 January "rent" in Ubud, Bali (I stayed in a hotel): $850, breakfast included February rent in Chiang Mai, Thailand: $500 for a studio overlooking Doi Suthep mountain (visible until the annual pollution from burning rice fields and landfill rolled in)
Mind & Body Workouts
Number of yoga classes: 32 Number of CrossFit workouts: 3 (in Chiang Mai) Consecutive days of 20-minute meditation: 10 Total words written (to meet goal of 10-15 minutes of writing each day): 43,633 for an average of 600 words/day Approximate total words that might actually see the light of day: 6,000. Most of it feels too journal-y, though I had a great time with it once I got going, and the daily practice completely re-activated my creative juices. Side note: It's looking like a mid-April launch for my new website—I will share excerpts of the writing here soon and perhaps on the new blog! Sign-up for my bi-weekly behind-the-business updates to get the full scoop.
Education and Entertainment
Consecutive days without watching a movie or TV show: 36 Show that broke the streak: Modern Family because I needed a laugh; followed by The Bachelor, then a Walking Dead mega-marathon that sparked WAY too many zombie dreams. Number of books read, re-read and started): 19 What I read (see all my reviews on GoodReads):
Buddhism/Meditation/Mindset: Radical Acceptance, When Things Fall Apart, Living with Joy, Personal Power through Awareness Memoir: Stranger in Here, Expecting Adam, Wild Non-Fiction: 100 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know About People, The Four-Hour Chef, Waking the Tiger, The Luxury of Less, The Hormone Cure, The Primal Blueprint (author of Mark's Daily Apple), and my dad's The Bliss Engine -- coming soon! Fun: Yoga Bitch, F*ck I'm in my Twenties (check out her Tumblr here), Enlightenment for Idiots, Swimming Naked
Food & Drink
Best meal: Cuban dinner in Bali in which I was sitting alone at a table, and my soon-to-be-friend Sage was sitting across the restaurant entrance. After shouting at each other for about 15 minutes in which we learned both of us were traveling alone, both from San Francisco, and both writers (among other random commonalities), we decided to combine tables and became fast friends, meeting up every couple days and keeping in touch since!
Second runner up: a long afternoon at Sari Organik with Shannon (formerly of Revolution Apparel, now her own new site)—a beautiful organic farm-to-table restaurant a mile up from the main road, located along a winding path in the middle of a huge expanse of rice fields, farmland and palm trees. Thank you Adrian for the recommendation!
Cheapest meal (yet still one of the best): Organic Vegetable—where a big bowl of rice, pumpkin, eggplant, veggies and a fried egg costs a little over $1 (credit to Adam for showing me this spot!) Number of cappuccinos: way too many to count, many of them over Starbucks meet-ups with Elisa in Chiang Mai—a daily highlight Number of coconuts: way too few! Maybe 5? If I could do it over, it would be 25. Consecutive days without alcohol: 74 and counting. No specific reason for doing this, other than a health and wellness experiment. Result: I feel significantly clearer, in a much better and more consistent mood overall, more able to handle setbacks, and much more energetic in body and mind. Will keep the streak going for the foreseeable future!
The Memories
Most embarrassing moment: When a gecko fell (lept?) from the ceiling into my drink, resulting in me jumping up onto a chair, pointing at it while screeching, while the Balinese waitstaff laughed and then rescued the flailing critter from my carrot juice.
Most memorable moment: Taking a day trip with Adam and friends to the Sticky Waterfalls, a wall of limestone rocks that you can climb up like Spiderman. The clouds were dark grey and ready to burst, and there we were like giddy little kids making our way up this magical mountain of stones and trees and rushing water. Once we climbed to the top we sat in blissful silence as it started pouring rain, with the waterfall of the rocks crashing and rushing around our legs, hair soaking wet, all staring out at the mountains and tropical rainforest as we marveled at the power, beauty and gorgeous expanse of nature surrounding us. Many minutes of pure presence, and a memory of a lifetime.
Proudest accomplishments
- Writing every day even though it felt awkward most of the time. Remembering what it felt like to write only for myself, not an audience.
- I am also proud of starting to build a meditation habit—something I have tried (and failed miserably at) for many years. The training wheels for my 10-day streak were provided by Insight Timer (h/t Ben), which showed me how many days in a row I had done, motivating me not to miss. It also sounds beautiful Tibetan bells to start and end, and prompts you to journal a few thoughts afterward.
- Finally, I am proud of going to these countries alone. Making and spending time with friends for sure, but booking the flight and living alone, knowing that some days would be lonely, but that I would make it through the dips and have the space to explore on my own.
What's Next
Sharing excerpts of my writing with all of you: eek! nervewracking, but in a good way. Next up for living and working abroad: Buenos Aires to brush up on my Spanish?! We shall see! How I excited I am to return to New York: Extremely! I dearly miss my friends, my yoga, my routines, and my city more than words can describe!
Biggest Lessons learned:
- When going through a big transition (internal or external), quiet time is essential. Less distraction is a gift. The whole reason for this trip was to be a little bit selfish—to remove myself from the daily pull of life and be a hermit for a few months . . . and experiment with running my business from another country. These experiments worked so well that I didn't want to leave! I realized what a gift it is to carve out alone-time for ourselves, even if you're just fighting for 15 minutes a day at first.
- I thrive on routine. Every day involved some combination of items from my "essential self" bliss list: reading, writing, meditation, yoga, walking, delicious food, a meal or coffee with a friend, work, coaching or heading out for a mini-adventure. I realized that these things don't just happen because you think they sound nice. You really have to make the time, build systems to support these habits, and sometimes be disciplined about pursuing them even when you feel lazy or like you don't have time.
- Business actually improved. I started more new coaching clients in January than in any other month of the last year, and the calls worked well over Skype (save for a few unpredictable power outages). I also re-energized my creativity and writing, which is the foundation of so much of what I do.
- Productivity improved. I loved being able to wake-up, take a few calls and clear out the ~60 or so emails that came in overnight, then head out for the day with total peace and quiet knowing that my American counterparts were sleeping. It was a near-miraculous feeling to go to a long lunch and yoga class, and come back to no new emails when I sat down to work again! This took the pressure off of reactive responses, and allowed me to play and experiment more with writing and other projects. For the first time, I could really sense how batching emails and only answering in two chunks each day works wonders. For the most part everything can wait until the next designated email window.
- Coming back is a bit of a shock, but that is the ebb and flow of life—periods of introspection followed by periods of re-connection. I was in a sleep coma state for about three days upon returning home, getting fully over the jet lag after about seven. I very quickly started feeling the pull of my old tendency to over-commit, and had to keep reminding myself to take it slow. And I almost had a heart attack when I saw the bill from a "normal" meal for two at $50, knowing that would have fed me for a week back in SE Asia!
Most of all, I feel incredibly fortunate to have the life and work that I do. Every day I gave thanks to be living from these beautiful countries, cooking up ways I could be helpful to all of you as I move forward with my business. I am grateful for you, for my family, my friends, and my health.
Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives in ways big and small. I am grateful beyond words.
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Top 50 Blogs for Young Careerists
P.S. Big thanks to YouTern, who listed Life After College as one of the Top 50 Blogs for Young Careerists, saying "Simply one of the best blogs out there for young careerists; you’ll love Jenny’s honest, sincere approach to delivering meaningful content." Congrats to our very own Melissa who made the list too; it's an honor, and we're happy to be among 48 other fantastic sites for young professionals!