aTM                            Volume 35  April 2005

Welcome to Volume 35 of Living on the Edge, the monthly newsletter from Living Edge Life Coaching, designed to inform, educate, challenge and inspire you!

For previous volumes click here.!

As you may know from reading the last few newsletters 2005 is the year of travel in our household!  We're off again for all of May, so there won't be a newsletter in May - the next one after this will be mid-June.  We're excited about visiting my sister in London, we'll have a week in France and a week in Switzerland so lots of things to discover.  We're just praying Alexander copes with the flight and jet-lag.  I thought this month's coaching corner was appropriate seeing the year we've been having!

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Annabel Varvel   Life Coach BA.LLB

COACHING CORNER

My top 10 reasons for travel

I have to admit, I just love to travel.  I also love holidays, but that is another whole article!  I have been very fortunate to have been able to do a fair bit of travel throughout my life and it's something I have always enjoyed and prioritised.  Ask my husband.  If he were to ask me 'would you rather a new car (or some other material possession) or a trip to X (almost anywhere)?', that's actually not a real decision for me.  I'll take the trip.  For me travel is exciting, an adventure, an opportunity to experience new things that I can't do being at home.  Given all the travel that we've been doing this year, I thought I'd compile my top 10 reasons to travel.  I'd love to hear any more from you, so please email me, coach@livingedge.net  

  1. Travel broadens the mind (and the conversation topics).  It's impossible to experience new places, cultures, language and not have your mind stretched.  Traveling beyond what you know helps you appreciate how others live, other climates, scenery and people.  It's all part of having a life lived to the full and the more you experience, the more you'll have to talk about, share stories with others etc.  Just don't get boring and only talk about your own trips - listen to other's stories - we all like to talk about ourselves!
  2. Travel makes you a more interesting person.  I think it naturally follows that you will become a more interesting person with a variety of experiences.  If you only know what you only know... it can make life a little dull.  I know you can read and watch TV shows but that doesn't make up for personal experience!
  3. Travel helps put your life into perspective.  It's often a good idea to get away from your usual environment to get a different perspective on major decisions you are facing.  Whether it be a job you don't like or a relationship you are struggling with, simply getting out of your home/work space can give you fresh ideas and perspective.  It might mean a day trip to a local mountain or beach - it doesn't have to mean a 6 month world expedition! (but then again, maybe it might!)
  4. It's fun!  Let's face it, travel can be pure fun!  You are more likely to try new things (bungee jumping, sailing, eating something weird etc) if you are away.
  5. It challenges your relationships with your travel partners.  When I was at university, I went on an 8 week trip to UK & Europe with 6 other friends.  Traveling with 7 people was a challenge!  I don't know that I'd do it again, but at 20 years old it was a good experience for me to learn to make group decisions (do you know how hard it is for 7 people to decide where to go for dinner??), to learn to get along with different personalities and to just get around foreign countries, read maps, communicate etc.  Traveling with others can be a bit like 'The Amazing Race' albeit usually less intense! (and with no $1m prize at the end!).
  6. You can catch up on some reading. There are always good times to read when you're away.  There's no TV to distract you and plenty of 'waiting' time to fill - train stations, airports, on planes....  You're often more relaxed and able to get into a good story.  I'm not sure how much reading I'll get done on the plane to London with a 20mth old, but hopefully a little!
  7. Can't think of a good reason not too.  There are lots of excuses people make as to why they 'can't' travel.  Money, time, work, children etc. Life is always full of choices.  In the end we always do what we really want to do, so if you really want to travel, choose to make it work - start making different choices!
  8. Traveling pushes you out of your comfort zone.  This is the case particularly if you travel to places that have a different standard of living and speak a different language.  I remember eating a spicy rice dish in Thailand for breakfast - it was a bit uncomfortable and certainly different, but it was good to realise people do things differently in other parts of the world.  You never know, when you try something different, you actually might enjoy it!
  9. You learn more about yourself.  As you're exposed to life beyond the norm you learn all sorts of things about yourself -what you like, what you don't like, how adventurous you are, whether you prefer cities or countryside, your aptitude for other languages, how much you appreciate where you live, how little you actually need to survive etc.
  10. It makes you appreciate home.  I am so aware how blessed I am to live in Australia.  I know that largely because I have seen how other people live.  I appreciate that I live in a country that is safe.  I have good water to drink.  I have access to excellent food (even the 'bad' food isn't that bad!).  We have political stability.  We can express our personal beliefs without the risk of death or imprisonment.  We have space, we have opportunity. We have choice!  This is where my family and friends (well most of them!) live.  Even compared to other western nations, I really believe Australia is a fantastic place to live - I know I am getting a bit patriotic, but traveling, as much as I love it, makes me appreciate coming home!

Having said all that, I'd better go and start packing my bags....

P.S. I apologise for the formatting.  I'm using a program and it's not formatting properly but I don't have time before we go away to play with it!  Will sort it out for next time.  :-)

GOT A QUESTION?

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH

If you have a question or situation that you would like a life coach's perspective on... email it to coach@livingedge.net and I'll answer in Living on the Edge.  

People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and they pass themselves by without wondering.

St. Augustine, 354-430 A.D.

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