Vacation and travel companion

The words included in today's entry topic come from my dear friends who came to help after I requested for food for thought for another article for my blog. Well... here it goes... an article inspired by Silvana.

First come vacations... well, I guess many people would indeed enjoy vacations coming before everything else. After all this is the time when we can finally do anything that we dream about... travel, meet people, experience what we have not tried before... It is a 'want-to-do' time that comes between 'must-do' periods of life - at least that is how so many people see it.

What if...
... there was only 'want-to-do' time and things in life? Would people really want it? Would you want it? Would you want permanent vacations?

I'm sure quite a significant number of people will answer "yes" here - some because they mean it, some because they would feel ridiculous to state otherwise, some would do it clearly against themselves. I'm noticing so many people who do not really want to be in charge of their lives and in charge of everything that happens to them. They are ready to give up (or already have done so) to "reality" - to choices of others', to decisions of their bosses, partners, anyone. They intently (or unconsciously) resign from their dreams and keep on convincing themselves that they are living an all-right-life - a one that could be better, but could be so much worse... Keeping that life requires them doing certain things - must-do's and allows a bit of if-you-really-have-to-do-it-but-make-it-quick experience. That experience is usually called "vacations".

Choosing vacations
Taking the above into consideration "choosing vacations" can have double meaning:

1. deciding how to use this tiny moments of life that we allow ourselves to really live and enjoy
2. deciding to make our lives permanent journey towards truly authentic and fulfilling life.

The choice in both cases is not an easy one.

In the first case we "recharge our batteries" after long period of work - usually a year or so and get ready for another period of energy-consuming activities of real life (some call it work). Ideal option here is doing something we are not able to do otherwise - traveling to distant land, doing something crazy - for some it would be bungee-jumping, for some wearing something different that a suit and a tie. Experiencing beyond what we have available in our must-do environment is absolutely something that adds significance to our vacations. So, if this is the vacations you may be planning - think of something that would take you (literally or metaphorically) to a new place but make sure it does require conscious effort. Having enjoyed it and having achieved it will drive you in days of your hardship (some call it work) and will enable you coming up with a new challenge for another vacation... a year later.

Choice number 2 - making your whole life vacations is way different. Seems more difficult at first, but only because we tend to measure difficulty and easiness by opinions of others. If you chose lifetime vacations you choose joy, you choose failures, you choose discover and self-discovery. You choose fulfillment. If you are wondering "how making this choice is at all possible" remember that "vacations" is a metaphor for living that gives you full power and control over what happens in your life. You find "want to" in everything that seems to be an obligation to everyone else and you are aware that everything in your life - what you do and what you do not do is nobody else's but your choice. Is that easy? Of course it is not, because most people in this planet have been thought otherwise since they took first breath of earthly air. We have been told there are duties we must undertake, there are roles we must act, there are limits we must obey and must, and must, and then... more musts. Let me share here one of my favorite exercises...

Finding want to behind every must
It's very simple.

1. Think of something you must do. The harder and annoying chore it is the better.
2. Now asking yourself why do you must do it? You may come up with another must something - that is great! Ask yourself why you must do the other thing.
   
3. Go on until you come up with what you want to. And believe me - there is always some "want" behind all "musts".

Let me share a real-life example of how this went.
I was conducting a training and shared the "want to vs. must" theory. It usually works the way that invites someone to protest against it. This case was no different. I invited this person to give me what she has to do in her life.

• I must wake up everyday at 7 a.m!
• Why do you must wake up at 7 a.m. everyday?
  
• I must go to work!
  
• Why do you must go to work?
  
• I must work!
• Why do you must work?
• I must make money!
• Why do you must make money?
• I must bring up my children!
• Why do you must bring up your children?
• I want them to be happy...

How much easier this life could have been for that person if she took each step - waking up, working, making money with "want to" in her head?

How would your life be easier if you found "want to" behind each "must"?
And there is nothing else that is needed then asking yourself and answering truthfully. You may ask a friend to ask you this question if that's what will make answering it easier.

Oh, and what to do once you reach your "want to's"?
Find ways of making it happen - but that may be a topic for some other post.

Another part of the topic was finding the right companion for the vacations.
If you go for vacations from work - find someone who is also doing the same and make sure you both share same idea of what is the challenge you both do and both get energized by it.

If you chose your life to be "vacations" search for a person who shares the same attitude and is willing to be n charge of his life.

Watch out not to mix the two type of "vacationers" as it may result with disappointment of both of you :-)

Enjoy your vacations everyone!

Manhattan

Jest takie miejsce w Warszawie skąd widać Manhattan... Nie wierzycie? Posłuchajcie...

Jeśli mieszkasz na lewym brzegu Stolicy, zacznij wędrówkę w Centrum - sam najlepiej wiesz jak tu dotrzeć. Potem udaj się w kierunku ulicy Grochowskiej, na Plac Szembeka. Stamtąd ścieżkę znajdą już tylko Wtajemniczeni - a i to nie wszyscy (przynajmniej nie od razu) - znam takich, co się pogubili. Ja jestem jednym z nich...

Klucząc między starymi blokami i nowymi budynkami szukasz ścieżki. Te atrakcyjne zwiodą Cię na manowce, te zaskakujące - być może - doprowadza Cię do celu... Ostatecznie stajesz u podnóża wzniosłego kasztelu wznoszącego się ku niebu. Nie przerażaj się - jeśli tu jesteś, to znaczy, że takie jest Twoje przeznaczenie.

Znajdź w sercu odwagę, żeby przekroczyć pierwszy portal. Za nim uczyń krok ku górze pokonując pierwszy stopień i kolejne. Stań przed drugim portalem. Znajdź magiczną kombinację cyfr, by iść dalej lub zdaj się na tych, którzy już dotarli - jeśli wiedzą o Twojej wędrówce, pozwolą Ci kroczyć ku celowi.

Teraz masz trzy drogi - dwie są szybkie, choć niekiedy skryte w mroku i jedną krętą i długą. Wybór tej właściwej to ostateczny test... na szczęście każda jest właściwa, więc pozostaje już tylko dowolną z nich udać się ku Przeznaczeniu.

Do Ostatecznego Labiryntu wpuszcza Cię Pani Manhattanu. Zanim oczom Twym ukaże się upragniony Manhattan wysłuchasz opowieści o magicznej przemianie komnat i przeznaczeniu każdej z nich. Teraz jesteś gotowy, by Twoja wędrówka znalazła kres... wyjdź na loggię i spójrz w kierunku, gdzie zachodzi słońce... oto jest... widok na Manhattan.

Gdy już nacieszysz się tą niezwykłą panoramą miasta stołecznego krainy Lechitów i wrócą Ci zmysły... wyjdź z mieszkania, zjedź windą 10 pięter w dół, na partner bloku, wychodząc chwyć kopię bezpłatnej lokalnej gazetki lub ulotkę pobliskiego marketu (zazwyczaj dostępne za darmo w stojaku przy drzwiach wejściowych). Skręć w lewo, by dojść do ulicy Komorskiej lub w prawo, aby dotrzeć do Ostrobramskiej i wsiądź do autobusu. Mijając kolejne przystanki wiedz, że Twoja magiczna podróż była dostępna tylko dla wybranych. Kto wie - może na kolejną imprezę też dostaniesz zaproszenie :-)

Post dedykowany Pani Manhattanu :-)

Gieniusz przerywa milczenie! / Gieniusz breaks the silence!

English version below.

"Gieniusz przerywa milczenie!" - tak pojawienie się niniejszego posta mogłyby skomentować na pierwszej stronie polskie brukowce, gdyby interesowały się moim blogiem. Na szczęście - o ile mi wiadomo - zajmują się... właściwie to nie wiem czym się zajmują, ale na pewno nie moim pisaniem w globalnej sieci :-)

"Przerwanie milczenia" wiąże się zazwyczaj z jakimś ważnym wydarzeniem, nadejściem wiekopomnej chwili lub zaoferowaniem znacznych funduszy. Tym razem żadne z powyższych nie miało miejsca. Skąd więc mój "powrót"? Hmm... Z różnych powodem przeczytałem ostatnio swoje niektóre wpisy - a to ten o Kandy Esala Perehera na Sri Lance, a to jakieś inne. I... strasznie mi się to moje pisanie spodobało :-). Co więcej, wiem, że nie jestem jedyny - ale coś więcej na ten temat za parę miesięcy... A skoro "stare" posty były fajne, to może uda mi się przygotować parę nowych, które zyskają uznanie w oczach czyteników :-)

Zapraszam w takim razie do czytania i komentowania :-)

"Gieniusz breaks the silence!" - this is what tabloids could put on their front pages referring to the fact of me having published this blog entry. Luckily - as far as I know - they'd rather write... no clue about what, but surely not about my posts on the global web. :-)

"Breaking the silence" is usually related to important events, memorable moments or being offered siginificant amount of cash. Not this time. Why am I writing again then? Hmm... Due to several reasons I was reading my old posts recently - like the one about some of the events of my stay in India back in 2006. I read it and... I really enjoyed it. And I know I am not the only one who feels the same about my writing - more about that in couple of months... Since the "old" posts were cool, I hope I will be able to prepare some new ones which will be appreciated by the readers.

Enjoy the new posts as they appear and feel free to leave your comments!