No matter where you scull, winning does not require the stroke of a genius

Sports are an essential part of my life, and I think they can be a fun and rewarding activity for anyone. Since my early childhood, sports and other physical recreation have been an almost daily part of my routine, and this continues through today. I played three varsity sports in high school, one in college, and have won competitive tournaments in all three. I have been coached by professionals, including the coach of a previous top 5 tennis player. I have personally coached in three sports, tennis, volleyball and hockey, and continue to coach volleyball today. I truly believe that anyone can be successful at any sport; that’s not to say you can be a professional, but that you can learn a sport, play it well and reap the benefits, including the eustress might want to add a wiki or news article link here — not everybody knows what this is of a competitive environment, the camaraderie of teammates and other like-minded individuals, and win or lose, the satisfaction from knowing you played to your maximum potential.

Pick a Sport or Activity

Baseball was the first competitive sport my parents had me try, and let me say I was terrible. I was afraid of pitches, spent most of my time plucking dandelions in the outfield, and didn’t enjoy myself at all. No one is expected to be great at any sport, but why do something voluntarily if you are not enjoying yourself? It may take a few tries, but find something you can truly love.

If you are an adult, it may make more sense to choose a “lifetime” sport. Contact football is not something you can play into your golden years, but swimming, tennis and golf certainly are. This process may take a few tries, and may require going outside your usual suspects. Some people find themselves immersed in hiking, rock climbing, and other outdoor activities not conventionally called sports. These still offer all the same rewards, and should therefore be treated with the same regard.

During my baseball years I found myself playing roller hockey over the summers and really enjoying myself, setting goals (learning to skate backwards over a summer), and learning the game. I finally got involved with ice hockey in fifth grade, which is considered rather late for hockey. But because of my love for the game, I quickly learned the sport and how to excel.

What athletic activities do you find yourself drawn to? With this question in mind, observe your habits and thoughts for a few weeks, and the answer will quickly become obvious.

Obsess About the Fundamentals

A new sport is best learned surrounded by top coaches who can teach the basics.  In sports such as tennis, there really are only a few strokes you must learn to be successful. But if you begin playing without the proper fundamentals, and it can take years to re-learn how to do something correctly.

Whatever your age it is easy to find good training, though the number of sports in which good lessons can be found for adults is more limited than for the under-18 crowd. Before choosing an organization with which to take lessons, you should go to a lesson just to watch, and perhaps ask other players about their experiences.

Things to look for with an organization include:

• Coaches who have excellent training, including being certified by a national program.  Quality lessons, especially for beginners, need not to be taught by someone with extensive high-level playing experience. Although many professional coaches are former players, some people achieve great coaching success without having been a great player themselves.
• Experience coaching beginners.  Many coaches may be great with experienced players, but not able to convey the fundamentals to players who are new to the sport. Experience also helps a coach recognize common beginner errors, and know which ones are okay to keep, and which motions must be immediately corrected.
• A coach that knows how to make practice fun. When starting anything, one has the best chance of continuing if he doing it! To learn about this, you could ask the coach themselves, but its probably best to ask a participant. Ask players how long they’ve been playing, how long they’ve done the lessons, and if they are looking forward to going each time.

Once you chosen whom to take lessons through, its time to get to work, and immerse yourself in all you can learn about the sport!

Deliberate Practice

Much research has been done as of late on why super-athletes like Tiger Woods are more successful than others. The results show that yes, these people do have the gift of above average athletic performance, but so does every other professional athlete. It turns out that excellent athletes are able to practice more often, for longer periods of time, but most importantly are able to more effectively use that time. The term used is “deliberate practice”. This means every practice session is performed with the highest mental and physical effort. Repetition turns not into lackadaisical “going through the motions”, but each swing, throw or stride performed is turned tighter and tighter. All practice can be effective to some extent, but only deliberate practice can lead to superior results.

Everyone can try the elements of deliberate practice to improve their game:

• Quantity — the more you practice, the better you get. Period
• Consistency — try and practice as many days as possible per week, and aim to practice for the same amount of time each day
• Mindset — You must strive to increase your focus and concentration the longer you practice. If you start to fade, stop, take a deep breath, and re-align your thoughts. The longer you can hold a focused mindset, even not while playing during practice, the better you will be.
• Feedback — Find someone who knows the sport who can help out at least part of the time, and take their comments seriously. Remember the highest level of sports often have the highest ratio of coaches.

Learn the Mental Game

Baseball great Yogi Berra once said “Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.” No matter the actual mental/physical ration, all experts agree the “mental game”, is essential to any sport. I recently read a book entitled Mind Gym, which is about the universal mental training anyone needs to reach their highest level of performance in any sport. There are numerous hints and tips, but they are easily summarized:

1. Actual game-play is the best practice.
2. Visualize your success in every shot, pass, goal, and every other action performed in the sport.
3. Learn to harness the positives from every game, and learn to keep confidence through any event.

Books like Mind Gym spell everything out, and I think are worth a read (it certainly helped me). Just realize if you aren’t mentally tough, all the practice in the world can’t help you in true competitive events or tournaments.

Get Competitive!

As mentioned in the book Mind Gym, there is no substitute for actual competitive play. Many coaches encourage “game-like” activities for practice, as these apply pressure similar to what you experience during a game. However, there is no substitute for the critical situation when all the pressure to perform is on your shoulders. How can practice prepare you for such a situation? It can’t. You can be confident in your skills, but highs and lows of actual competition are second to none. The only way to improve is to keep placing yourself in competitive situations.

The first few times you participate in a tournament you may feel nervous or afraid. But the more you experience it, the easier match-play will become. Jimmy Connors, a hall of fame tennis player once said “Tennis was never work for me, tennis was fun. And the tougher the battle and the longer the match, the more fun I had”. Everyone can improve their handling of game-time stress:

• Take a deep breath. It increases oxygen flow and mental awareness. Golf great Tom Watson is quotes “I didn’t learn how to play golf under pressure until I learned how to control my breathing, which in turn controlled my heart rate.”
• Remember that everyone deals with the same stress. Watch the end of any sporting event (preferably in person) and see that at some point someone cracks. If you can remember that your opponent is dealing with the same stress you have, it’s much easier to keep everything in perspective.
• Have fun! Even in the heat of battle, remember you are playing sports for the fun of the game. You won’t lose a signing bonus because you lost, but you will have valuable insight on how to improve for the next round.

Handle that stress well, master the basics, and practice deliberate practice, and you can be successful at any sport!

Ok, so your hotel won’t look like this, but we want it to feel like it does.

Things were looking rather bleak. Our attempts to buy airline tickets from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Hanoi, Vietnam online had failed multiple times, and we wanted to fly out the next day. Nick and I trudged back to our guesthouse to see if the manager, Meang, could possibly help. His response?

“Sure, let me text message a friend who works in a travel office, she’ll reserve the tickets, and we can go over tomorrow to pick them up. It’ll be cheaper if we do it for you anyways. Does that sound ok?”

The next morning, Meang personally drove us to the travel agency to purchase the tickets at a 33% discount, waited until the transaction was complete, and then drove us to a restaurant he recommended for breakfast. After having the door opened for us to walk in, we were greeted by three smiling servers. The omelettes proved excellent, and each included a bowl of perfectly ripe exotic fruit, which wasn’t even mentioned on the menu.

The Better Side of Budget Travel

The cost of the meal, including a cappuccino? $4.00.
The cost of the guesthouse including the five-star concierge service? $7.00 per night.

Our tickets were purchased, a refreshing breakfast eaten, and we were free to get a relaxing $4.00/hr massage before we left for the airport.

The increased possibility of tourism in many countries in the developing world has led to stiff competition with the usual destinations in terms of customer service and ammenities offered, all at a fraction of the cost.

Many developing countries provide superior service to the West, whether the location is considered high-end or “budget” by the travel guides. Also, these countries are rapidly modernizing, with new restaurants and hotels going up seemingly every day

From personal experience, Nick’s recent business trip in Tanzania showed that even a Holiday Inn is better abroad, with its Indian managers, great local food (along with the requisite burgers and club sandwiches), and helpful staff.  But still, for $140/night, you don’t get what you pay for at a corporate chain and locally-owned places are always better, plus you’re supporting the local economy as well.

Don’t Skip Town without Experiencing the Best

No one guide can stay on top of the changes occurring everyday in the tourism industry (especially in the developing world), so a composite solution proves the most successful. A quality country-specific tourism book, along with readily available and free Internet-based sources ensures you can enjoy the best a place has to offer, and not spend much in the process. And in the off chance you are dissatisfied, the empowerment of writing an honest review to a popular website can help others avoid making the same mistake.

Cheap, Pleasant Vacation Steps

1. Scope out a destination. Try Lonely Planet, and specifically look at their “Practical Information” section, which gives current information on daily costs for a destination, the current exchange rate, and other useful information.
2. Get a travel guide to bring with you. Consider a tour book like Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, or Rick Steves. Even though they make you stand out as a foreigner (though your appearance might do that already in some areas), for under $20 they give you all of the information you need on finding a cheap, great place to stay, the best tour operators, and the process for booking a seat on a train, plane, or bus. Another option is to use Amazon to find a good-selling, highly rated tour book.
3. Get around cheaply and easily. Travel cheaply between destinations by using Wikipedia’s list of low-cost airlines, and using a local tour operator or government tourism office to book a train or bus ticket. Most of Eastern and Western Europe are terrific by train, whereas in other countries it might be better to plane or bus it.
4. Don’t forget the web. When you arrive at your destination, consider cross-checking the information in your book with sites like Wikitravel, or Virtual-Tourist as they’re user-generated content tends to be current up-to-the-minute, and you won’t have the problem of showing up the crowded hostel everyone else found in their Lonely Planet.
5. Google Maps is in the developing world, too. For specific reviews on a specific guest house, tour company, etc., don’t forget to search for it on Google Maps, as you’ll be surprised at just how much of the world they’ve already covered. (insert screen cap of our guest house’s bubble)

Keep an Open Mind

Though it’s tempting to go with the brands you know, like Marriott or Enterprise, realize that you’re paying an arm and a leg for that name recognition, and with their huge size, these companies may be more interested in not upsetting you than with catering to your every whim.

Also, by casting your net just a little further, you’re supporting local businesspeople, providing funds to send kids to school, and creating tax revenue for better infrastructure. So while you’re getting your discount massage, be proud of the fact that you’ve lefts the cookie-cutter chains behind.

Ditch the tourism superhighways and leave the asphalt behind.

As we’re currently backpacking through Southeast Asia for a few weeks, we thought it would be a good idea to work on a collaborative post for the first time. We’ve both been to tourist traps like Paris, and far-flung places like rural Poland, and we have found there are several ways you can avoid the crowds, see the best and least-trodden attractions, and also get by on the cheap in pretty much any country out there.  This post will be the first in a series of self-directed travel guides.

Why You Should Blaze Your Own Trail Abroad

There’s a reason everyone should see the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, and London Museum — they’re all gorgeous, and most people can appreciate these beautiful sights. And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to see these for yourself, in fact we encourage it.

However, along with popular destinations come a variety of annoyances, frustrations, and even dangers. Here’s just a few:

1. The bigger the attraction, the higher the price, even if that attraction isn”t really worth it (Here’s looking at you, Prague).
2. The bigger attraction, the bigger the crowds of often obnoxious tourists, ubiquitous photoshoots, and the associated chaos.
3. Naturally, the more tourists, the more savvy the pickpockets that will be patrolling them, looking to nab money, personal electronics, and even passports. In some places a coveted passport is worth far more than your Visa credit line.
4. Tourist destinations have been prepped for tourists, meaning you’ll almost completely miss out on the foreign flavor, and will have next to no interactions with locals that aren’t there for a business transaction (Just try and get a good French meal under the Eiffel Tower if you have any doubts).

Start Broad — Choose Your Country

Consider your travel experience before you choose a destination. If this is your first trip abroad, it would be smart not to start off with a  country that’s set up to help a newbie traveler. Seasoned destinations also have good roads, readily available Internet, and plenty of English-speaking tourism offices.

Some good first choices might be one of the big draws in Europe, such as France, Germany or Italy, or even Japan, the U.S., or Australia.  These countries or no strangers to tourism but still have plenty to discover and vibrant local culture to soak up.

If you’ve already done the neatly-packaged, more popular itineraries and are looking for something a little more adventurous, consider one of the newcomers to the tourism market. Croatia went through years of civil strife in the 80’s and 90’s, but now offers all of the amenities of its neighbor Italy, with more spacious beaches, untouched islands, and much lower prices. Despite its often stunted path to development, Peru offers reliable transportation, the unforgettable spectacle that is Machu Picchu, and enough English-speakers in the bigger towns to make communication nearly hassle-free. And for North Americans, it’s increasingly affordable, what with the cost of  round-trip ticket from New York hovering around $400, a little less than what you’d pay for a sandwich in London.

Go Even Further — Take out Your Machete and Cut Your Own Path

We settled on Vietnam and Cambodia for our trip because we wanted to forge a little further into the unknown and expand our comfort zone. Though not seeing another American for a while was something we’d both experienced before (definitely Nick during his Peace Corps days), we’ve seen here the degrees of separation are even further, as very few here speak English, and you can bet that it’s easy for Southeast Asians to pick us out of a crowd — “Hey! Look at the two white guys!.”

But even without the comforts of more storied locales, Vietnam and Cambodia are definitely navigable with a little extra effort. Even those who don’t speak English are practically falling over themselves to help out, and you’d surprised at how easy it is to communicate what you need without having a common language.

The rewards far outweigh hassles. In Vietnam for example, we’ve had incredible, fresh meals everywhere we’ve gone, and neither of us have yet paid over $10. We’re currently paying $12/night each for our own hotel rooms with air conditioning, hot water, and iced coffee that should make Starbuck’s nervous. The country has its reasons to at least be wary of Americans, given our troubled past, but we’ve been welcomed whole-heartedly, with soldiers on the street corner eager to offer to give us directions. We’ve even run into groups of children several times who excitedly chased our bikes, shouting “Hello! How are you?” There are few places you’ll feel like that much of a rock star.

From personal experience, we can say that you shouldn’t overlook the developing world. Countries like Brazil, Tanzania, and Bosnia are not to be missed, as they have a limited amount of tourism proportional to the stunning of beauty of the attractions they offer, and you can if nothing else get by on the cheap.

Find the Adventure Wherever You Go

Even if you’re headed to Vienna or Florence, you can still find ways to get a more authentic experience apart for the tours. Once you’ve seen the sights your tour book recommends, start going to some of the ones it tells your are uninteresting. To cite a personal example, when Nick lived in Ukraine, the closest city, Rivne, was described in Lonely Planet Ukraine as “a great place for a bathroom break between Lviv and Kiev.” Unbeknownst to the book’s author, the second largest monastery in the country is less than an hour away, and is one of the country’s must unforgettable sights — certainly worth more of a mention than as a quotidian rest stop. “Experts” try and sell you their own knowledge as facts, and often their justified, but don’t let the tours or guide books keep you from finding your own memories.

Only you can decide if its for good or evil

Coffee is a regular part of many person’s diet;  about 1/3 of people in both Europe and America regularly drink the caffeinated beverage.  Whether this is a good or bad thing is up for debate.  I have scoured the Internet and professional journals for years about a conclusion on coffee and caffeine, and there is none to be had.  The Olympic committee has banned the substance because caffeine has been proven to increase athletic performance in skills such as distance running. But from an overall health perspective, it seems coffee isn’t too bad, but nor is it a panacea.  There are numerous articles out there on quitting coffee, but if you plan to quit, you will need a good reason to do so, for as I have found, reducing caffeine intake can be a challenging task.

I have had an abbreviated history with caffeine, as I didn’t drink soda as a child.  I first stared drinking coffee regularly in sophomore year of college, and have been drinking it ever since.  Caffeine has a pronounced effect on me, probably in part due to my late introduction and perhaps just due to my body chemistry. The Mayo Clinic talks about caffeine sensitivity, but luckily its effects aren’t that severe with me, but a cup at 10:30PM will keep me up until 4am.  So why stop?  When I first started working a standard hours job, I wasn’t getting enough sleep, and was consuming 1 to 3 cups a day.  The experience was a daily emotional rollercoaster, a little too much to regularly handle.  I cut it down to 1–2 cups a day, but I still had a rise and fall in the morning and early afternoon, which would often conclude with a cup of tea around 2PM.

First You Need a Reason

I am taking the GMAT in a few weeks, which is a 4 hour long standardized test.  I have experimented with studying at all hours of the day, with differing levels of caffeine, which lead me to some conclusions:  The caffeine rush was not helping me focus, and I would have withdrawal effects by the end of the test, which would be even less of a help.  The only deductible conclusion was to kick my morning caffeine habit before test time.  That left we me approximately a month of weaning, which based on other articles I’ve read would be plenty of time.

Many people try quitting cold turkey, but that can cause withdrawal symptoms, and why deal with those?  I had things I wanted to accomplish, and if there was a way to quit caffeine without ill effect then I would try that method first.

• I had about three weeks to achieve my goal
• I would attempt to drink slightly less coffee each day
• I had to be sure to get enough sleep each night to reduce the physical desire for coffee

Week One: Reduce Your Coffee Intake Each Day

My first week I went from a full cup of coffee per day down to 1/2 cup.  This actually wasn’t that bad, As I reduced my caffeine intake by about 1/14.  I did notice though, that I was drinking more water, and was slightly more tired during the day.  I ended up taking a nap by 6pm or so, after which (about 2o minutes) I would wake up feeling refreshed.

The first weekend I woke up and played some tennis, and had no coffee.  Things went really well, but I have done this numerous times in the past, and the rush of physical activity would always counteract any lack of caffeine.  I then tried to study thereafter, and ran into an impenetrable wall; I HAD to drink some coffee before I could do any work.  I carefully brewed 1/2 cup of coffee, and thereafter I was able to study.  I think this sort of roadblock can feel defeating.  Can I really make it without caffeine?  Rather than completely give in, I showed some restraint, and didn’t deviate from my desired path.

Week Two: Switch to Mostly Decaf or Tea

I think with any purposeful caffeine change to one’s diet, it is important to know how much of the drug you are getting in any serving. I have found the numbers for the same beverage vary wildly between different sources, so let’s just look at the Mayo Clinic figures:

• Coffee: about 150mg per 80z cup
• Decaf Coffee: about 10mg per serving
• Black Tea: about 75mg per 8oz cup
• Green Tea: 10mg per serving
• Soda: about 30–50 mg per 12oz serving
• Energy drinks: 100+ mg per serving

Coffee (and contemporary “energy” drinks) has by far the most caffeine.  When looking to reduce your caffeine intake, you could use a mixture of decaf and black coffee, or black tea while still getting enough caffeine to prevent withdrawal, yet avoiding the buzz that coffee creates.

By using the caffeine content information,the  next week went much better, no naps required, and I switched from coffee to either black tea or decaf coffee.  I found I like the habit of drinking decaf in the morning, but the psychosomatic effect was not enough to hold me over, and I still ended up drinking a cup of black tea in the afternoon.  However, this amount of caffeine did not cause my mood to rise and fall like a cup of regular coffee did, which was my goal all along.

By the end of the week, I switched over to only tea in the morning (I found an alternative to Lady Grey which I love),  and again I needed a nap in the afternoon.  These naps may be the most visible effect of stopping caffeine, as with its effects, I now know I need more sleep than I have been getting.  I think this is true of any mind-altering chemical; once you stop using it, it lets you see who you truly are.

Week Three: Green Tea

I think an excellent goal for anyone who enjoys hot beverages is to primarily consume green tea. Whereas the benefits of coffee are debated, Green Tea has been considered beneficial to one’s health for decades.   Black, green and white tea, which comes from  Camellia sinensis plant is considered healthful, and some anti-cancer books promote drinking many cups a day. It also comes in a plethora of varieties and flavors, so anyone can find a flavor they like.

The real question is will I again drink regular coffee after my test?  I think I will take at least a month off of regular coffee to see if there are any other advantages I see. So far I have seen a rise in my performance in sports, but it is too soon to tell if it was truly caused by my abstention of caffeine.

Well, sure, that’s your self-portrait today…

If you were to describe me, you might say something like, “he has blue eyes, brown hair…hmm….reads a lot, likes foreign languages…hmm….I don’t know?” None of these things are wrong, in fact they’re all correct, but after this, you’d struggle.  Not because I inherently defy description, but because it’s difficult to describe anyone past their obvious physical appearance and a few basic observations about their likes, dislikes, and habits.

Go ahead, try it, attempt to describe any of your friends.  You’ll feel you have a sense for what they’re like, but you will find it difficult to attach any concrete statements to their various qualities.

Now for something really mind-bending: try and describe yourself, beyond your physical appearance. Be honest, but try and be as detailed as possible.  Not very easy, is it? And so brings us to the thesis of this post: for all practical purposes, personality is a myth.

Everyone is Always Changing

I know, that’s a controversial statement, but necessarily so. The reason it’s so difficult to describe your friends or even yourself in any meaningful way is that people are not constants, they are constantly in flux.

What you like one day is not what you like the next.  How you act one day is not how you act the next, and how you act in three years is probably even more different. You develop bad habits and break them, you learn new skills and apply them, you treat others poorly one day, and royally the next. To describe yourself as “loyal” or “unreliable” or “petty” or “friendly” is really just an approximation — every person has such a range of possible behaviors, opinions, and opportunities for growth or recession that words simply fall short of appropriate description.

This is not meant to be linguistic exercise, but rather a celebration of the flexibility of the individual. Who you are today is who are you today, and nothing more. If you decide that you want to be someone totally different tomorrow, that is completely within your power.

I am not a flamenco dancer, neither am I a water-skier, but there is nothing to stop me from being resolute about becoming both in small steps throughout the next three months. Similarly, I could decide to examine my opinions on, say, my ideal morning routine, and completely change the way I do things.  I could stop snoozing my alarm, stretch for twenty minutes after getting out of bed, eat fruits and yogurt for breakfast, and get a run in before my morning shower. Those things are completely within in my capability, and the only thing standing between me and realizing them is other choices I’ve made, consciously or unconsciously.

Speech Becomes Reality

So how do these changes in your personality come to be? Well, in large part they are shaped by your thoughts about yourself and others’ statements about you. Have you ever had someone say, “Don’t be so difficult,” when you didn’t feel you were being difficult at all? And then maybe you sat and thought about it, and realized you weren’t acting very reasonable? Or conversely, maybe you had plans to go out with friends, or to the gym, and for no particular reason, started thinking, “I’m really tired, I don’t really know if I want to do that.  I know I had already made plans, but I’m tired.”

And maybe you were actually tired, but likely you felt more tired after the thought occurred to you. The thoughts you vocalize, out loud or mentally, have a strong effect on your perceptions. Just look at this recent post on Lifehacker about impulse spending, and about how you’re more likely to lose your thrift if you’re hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. The fact is that your state of mind can color your thoughts, and those thoughts end up becoming statements that define your actions.

Your will power has a similar effect. A desire to have a certain result, say physical fitness or good grades or a more comfortable paycheck, can rewire your statements about yourself and create a different personality.

What Does Your Self-Talk Sound Like?

For practical purposes, you personality could be more accurately defined as the tone of the self-talk that guides your choices and actions. If you’re doubtful of your own capabilities in your self-talk, thinking things like “I wish I could learn to be organized,” or “I know I need to study for that exam, but I just don’t have the drive,” then your actions will follow suit.

As an exercise, try and imagine what someone is successful in your field thinks on a daily basis. Does Steve Jobs wake up in the morning and think, “I just don’t know how I’m going to come up with any good ideas today.” Well, maybe he does, but he clearly does let that thought process continue.  As Descartes’ Latin adage goes, Cogito, ergo sum, “I think, therefore I am,” so to do your thoughts create the subtleties of your existence.

New research suggests it takes up to 66 days to form a new habit, so clearly rewiring your thoughts, and therefore your personality, can take some time, but this may explain why the changes in others’ personalities often go unnoticed, as they are very gradual. Gestaltism suggests that our brains try to make sense of chaos and look for patterns and constancy, so our perceptions of others are likely no different.

Recognize now that no one has a concrete personality, and you are no exception. It is possible to change and improve and to divine the seemingly impossible from yourself, but it starts, as with most things, with imagination.

Make your time in Europe a walk in the park

It was the summer of 2008.  I had just landed in Kiev, Ukraine with my passport, $20.00 US, and not much else. The customs inspector didn’t speak a word  English, and I didn’t have a Ukrainian point of contact, nor an address of residency. Was I worried? Certainly not, and the trip proved a complete success. I had experimented with minimalist travel on a previous trip to Europe, and extending it further was a great experience. This time I hopped on the airplane with no concrete plans, no train tickets, and no room or board scheduled.  Over the course of a month I got to see seven spectacular countries, and not once had a serious logistics problem.  Although planning may be a compulsion, or even a joy for you, I recommend planning at least one trip by not planning at all.

No cash?  You’ll end up saving money

In the past, my parents went to AAA and brought hundreds of dollars in traveler’s checks before a trip.  Others go to the bank and get large amounts in foreign currency.  Besides being a hassle, the exchange rates are usually bad, and you have the burden of having a lot of cash that could be potentially stolen (pickpockets are a fact of travel).  As I have found in both Western and Eastern Europe, credit cards are nearly as ubiquitous as they are in the US. And given the right credit card, the exchange rates are always within 1% of market value, far better than any currency exchange service will give.

But sometimes cash is necessary, and ATM’s are easy to find. Again these provide excellent exchange rates, offsetting any fees you incur. A currency exchange center often charges 5%.  If your bank applies a $1.50 fee, you will recoup that cost with a withdrawal of $30.00, less money than is commonly withdrawn, abroad or not.  Moreover, several online banks and credit unions that don’t maintain their own ATMs, such as Charles Schwab, offer reimbursement on all fees incurred at ATMs, even foreign transaction fees. Rather than trying to plan how much money you need in each country, simply take out whatever you need once you get there.

English is rarely a problem

When deciding if to travel internationally, some people are apprehensive about getting stuck in a remote location where no one speakings English.  I have been to 17 different countries, and 95% of the time I’ve found persons who can speak English. I don’t mean to sound ethnoocentric, but the English language is spoken well throughout the world, and in an emergency chances are you could find someone who would be willing and able to help you. That having been said, when abroad, make an attempt to at least learn some basic phrases, as the effort will be thoroughly appreciated by locals. I find communicating with local people to be some of the most fascinating experiences one can have abroad.  From purchasing train tickets to finding something to do that day, communicating with a non or poor English speaker forces you to see things from a different perspective.  You have to be accepting of their efforts, and try to fill in the subtleties lost in translation.  Once back in the U.S., ordering food is no longer a novel experience.  You’ll miss the challenge of interacting with a foreign culture, working together to make the transaction a pleasant experience for both parties.

Where to stay? Comparison shop, and decide that day

Last time I was in Europe I stayed at the best hostel in each city, the choice of air-conditioning, and the option of with how many people I wanted to share a room.  And I did this most often making my reservation a day before I arrived in a city.  If I wanted to stay somewhere for an extra few days, it was never a problem.

This is all possible using the Internet and online hostel reservation services.  I have primarily used hostelworld.com and I have been impressed every time I use them, whether in Ljubljana, or just taking a weekend trip to Montreal for a tennis tournament. These services show the attributes of each hostel, and the recommendations of people who have stayed there.  Using these services can almost ensure a positive stay. It is reassuring when you get off an overnight train to Belgrade after having to sleep in the hallway, and your hostel invites you in with a smile, air-conditioning, and a fresh cup of Turkish coffee.

Not sure what to do?  Ask someone!

Numerous times I’ve found myself in a city without a good thing to do; tour books can only go so far. Whether at the hostel or a local market, most people are more than happy to offer great things to do in a city.  Wouldn’t you love the opportunity to show someone the highlights of your city? Inhabitants often know overlooked gems, and the personal story behind each choice is far more intriguing than what you’d find in a visitor center’s pamphlet.

If all else fails, find an Internet café

Unlike in the U.S., Internet cafés are still a staple of European cities. If you’re feeling lost, need to pay a bill, or want a cheap way to contact someone, an Internet cafe is the way to go. Inexpensive and reliable, these cafes can provide you with the world, or at least everything you could access from your home computer.

From these locations you can use sites like Wikitravel or Lonely Planet to help pick your next destination, then book train tickets, hostel reservations, and find things to do once you get there. Internet cafes also are usually run by or employ younger people. They may be better at speaking English than average and depending on your situation may be able to help you avoid the pitfalls of a city, or find a local nighttime hot spot.

There is less you have to worry about than you might think

When I completed my first trip to Europe, I asked my bus tour guide what he thought my next trip should be. He recommended somewhere more exotic than Europe, such as Africa or India.  The point is, Western Europe is not a big change in culture from the U.S. And with the tools available to the modern traveler, going there is easier than ever.

The dangers from pick-pocketers and other hazards still exist, but many fears about foreign vacations are simply unfounded.  To further test this system, later this summer I will be attempting a trip using these same principles for Vietnam and Cambodia, and I’m excited to be pushing my comfort level ever further!

Finding interesting things to do in Africa is a breeze.

I’ve been busy for the past few weeks moving and getting set up here in Tanzania for the summer, where I’m working on a public health project, but I’m back with some ideas divined from the experience thus far. This is my third trip to the continent, and each time I find myself constantly stunned with new realizations about it’s vibrant atmosphere. Plain and simple, Africa is probably not what you think it is, and it’s probably not what I think it is either, but there are several things that stand out that I’d like to share.

Africa is Not One Country — No, Really

Even though I give you, the reader, more credit than the several politicians who have referred to Africa as a “country,” there is still a tendency to talk about the continent as one homogeneous blob of tribal warriors and bongo music. But implying that all Africans are the same is like saying that all North Americans are the same or that Europeans pretty much resemble one another — it’s just patently incorrect, and it robs a place made up of 61 territories, over a billion people (second only to Asia in population), countless languages, religions and cultures, and a rich and storied history of its diversity.

From Berber nomads in Morocco to Massai warriors in Kenya and Tanzania to European-descended South Africans, very few Africans are exactly alike. yet they all consider themselves Africans, much in the way both Serbs and Scots consider themselves Europeans. The more I see the more I realize how complex and vibrant the earth is, and how quickly generalizations break down.

Africa is a Tourist Destination

Not only has Morocco been the playground of Europeans on holiday for centuries, but other parts of the continent are raking in the dough from various sources. Zanzibar, the picturesque, white-sand beached island off the coast of Tanzania, has some of the best scuba-diving spots in the world, and maintains several Italian-owned hotels. Cheryl Cole, the British pop singer, recently returned from an impromptu week-long getaway in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (it’s been all over the local papers), and many countries have no lack of ritzy hotels and beach resorts.

Safari, Swahili for “journey,” has been a European tradition since the colonial days, and it’s not just Europeans coming anymore. Visitors from all over the world, including Africans, descend on game reserves and national parks every year to get a glimpse of elephants, lions, and zebras in the wild. And Africans know it. Many governments are spending what little money they have improving infrastructure to support more tourism to the parks and are in many cases waving fees for tourist visas for an increasing number of countries.

Millions of Africans are Coming Online Every Year

Vast distances and extreme poverty have prevented many Africans from having reliable telephone service or electricity, but the advent of the mobile phone has begun to change all that. Before cellular networks started to pop up, Nigeria has 2 million landlines spread among its 100 million residents. Today, Nigeria has 30 million mobile phone owners and better 3G coverage than South Dakota.

Great expanses of land, hitherto a deterrent to progress, have allowed the cellular providers to quickly cover great distances with towers, and the coverage maps are getting better every year. Cellular phones have continually dropped in price, and can now be had for under $20 in most countries. And with the advent of the smartphone, the continent is only a few years away from having reliable, ubiquitous internet connectivity. Consider the power of hundreds of millions of new voices and ideas, suddenly interconnected with a gloibalizing world, and the potential of the phenomenon for future generations. Incredible, right?

In addition, as India’s software developers get more and more expensive, corporations are looking for cheaper labor, and East Africa’s IT firms are gradually growing.

A Continent of Culinary Delights

Mozambique’s spicy barbecued chicken will leave you panting for water, while West Africa’s subtle peanut soup will leaving you wondering what why you’ve been making sandwiches with your peanut butter all this time.

The entire eastern coast likely has the best Indian food outside of India, owing to it’s huge Indian immigrant population, which has been growing steadily since the mid-1800s (and at one point included Gandhi).

In the north, the Arab influence has mixed European exposure to create interesting flavors. Morocco is exporting it’s cuisine all over the world, and probably all cities of moderate size in the U.S. and Europe have at least one Moroccan restaurant. Don’t let undiscovered African culinary delights pass you by.

Kick Start Your Happiness

Despite what the Western media would suggest, and while Africa obviously has troubles it’s trying to solve, in my experience the average African smiles a lot more than the average American. You don’t feel any stress when you’re here, and expats I’ve met who’ve lived here for a long time can’t fathom ever living in the U.S. or Europe again, mostly because of the rush-rush attitude. Greetings here are longer and overwhelmingly sincere, and most people have a genuine warmth to them that may seem foreign to Western city dwellers. Whatever your preferred location, you could benefit from some time around relaxed, easy-going Africans.

Carrying a Balance = No Rewards

For some people, credit cards result in more damage than good. Studies have shown the average college graduate has thousands of dollars in credit card debt, and these people are the academically-superior minority! A credit card may serve well as a means of short-term credit in emergencies, but it should never be used regularly for this purpose, and it should be a personal financial goal to prevent these emergencies from happening. Still, there are a few advantages to credit cards that work exclusively in your favor:

• You’re automatically building credit for when you may actually need it, for a car loan, mortgage etc.
• You get 25 days or so before you need to pay your balance.
• More convenient than cash, you never need to know if you have enough money, and you won’t have coins rattling in your pockets.
• Using services like Mint.com (which I use), you can easily and automatically track and categorize your purchases.
• Rewards packages.

The other advertised features, such as cash advances or a low APR do not work in your favor.  If a you have to pay a credit card company money, it is not to your advantage (cards with an annual fee may be advantageous for some people, but certainly not the majority and will not be addressed in this post).

In short, if you carry a balance you should not concern yourself with a rewards card, as the math doesn’t work out in your favor.  Find a card with no APR on balance transfers, put your debts on that card, and pay them off.  There is a plethora of information out there on why you shouldn’t carry a balance on credit cards.   Once you stop letting the credit card companies take advantage of you, you can start to take advantage of them.

The New Solutions

There are lots of types of rewards cards out there, including cash, airline miles and even more specific niches.  I never know what I’ll be doing over the next few months, so I have always leaned toward cash rewards.  The advantages of rewards have unfortunately become more obscure.  A few of the credit card comparison websites show you what you could earn if you used multiple credit cards.  At this point, multiple cards are the best way to maximize your credit card rewards.

A new and improved “feature” of many rewards cards is rolling 5% rewards.  Every quarter or half year, my credit card earns 5% rewards on a certain set of categories.  In addition to the 1% cash back baseline, my Citibank card is offering quarterly rewards of 5% on select categories of rewards, such as on gasoline.  I have found another well-rated card, the Chase Freedom offers a similar program.  By utilizing the 5% back on each card, you can reap the benefits of your favorite categories such as gasoline, being offered for half the year.  While not a continuous 5% cash back, this system offers greater savings than the 1% or 2% savings alone.  For the summer, the Chase card offers 5% cash back on:

1. Gas
2. Auto Rentals
3. Hotels
4. Airlines

The Citibank card will have its own promotion, and over the summer will be offering:

1. Restaurants
2. Car rentals
3. Hotels

Unfortunately, some of the rewards categories overlap.  But the savings on gas and airlines do not.  Most likely, Citibank will then offer gas savings in the fall, continuing your 5% savings.  This comes out to at least 2.5% cash back for the year, which is superior to any one card alone.

Understand the system and use it to your advantage

As other websites and periodicals have pointed out, the best way to earn rewards is to use multiple credit cards.  But in order to maximize these earnings, you have to understand how you spend your money each month.  Rather than blanket earnings, most cards only reward you for purchases in certain categories.  Once you understand your financial situation, there are numerous websites you can use that organize each credit card’s attributes in an easy to read format. But you first and most important, you need to be responsible and cognizant of your spending to make credit cards for you.

I have been keeping a productivity journal for a number of years now, and I have markedly improved in everything I’ve tracked.  As I stated in part two of this series, I keep my productivity diary separate from my positivity/negativity one.  This is because a productivity log is used for tangible goals, rather that emotional ones.  For example, did I make contact with at least one out-of-state friend today?  Did I meet my fruit and vegetable intake goals today at work?  I have mainly used my productivity journal to track my progress in my favorite hobby, playing sports.

Choosing what to track

With so many things you could track in a diary, it would quickly become overwhelming to try and track everything.  Some initial organization is necessary.  An easy place to start is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  The concept is simple: Once you fulfill each need then you can concentrate on the next higher level, but not before. Maslow’s model offers a good starting organization hierarchy.

This is given only as an example of a starting point for what you could track in a diary.  In particular, you could track:

• Diet — include good and bad foods
• Fitness — track your progress to keep things goal-oriented
• Social Interactions — Be sure the people in your life feel appreciated, and that you do as well
• Health Concerns — When warranted, track blood pressure or sleep habits etc.
• Efficacy in the sports or other athletic activities you participate in

Before concerning yourself with a productivity log, you should have the lowest needs fulfilled, so you can focus on the higher means of satisfaction. At the top of the hierarchal pyramid is self actualization.  These actions are reserved to ones you really enjoy doing.  If you don’t like painting, tracking your painting skills would not be an effective use of time.  To begin your productivity log, choose one focus.  It can be just about anything, but it should be something you are passionate about.

How to track your passions

Once you’ve chosen a passion to track, you must choose how to log your progress.  I use an online private blog, but many professional athlete just keep a small diary with them at all times.   I recently read Mind Gym, which is “An Athletes Guide to Inner Excellence”. It focuses on how to keep your mind confident and clear to achieve maximum performance at any sport you play.  The book focuses on athletics, but the principles could be applied to anything; a clear mind at work can do wonders for your effectiveness.  An example productivity log could track how clear and confident your mind was in playing your sport ( that day):

• Rate your confidence 1 to 10
• Rate your confidence at the beginning, middle and end of the session
• Were you mentally distracted by other things from your day?
• Were you distracted by something immediate at the event?
• How happy are you with the results of your event?

Just getting these conclusions on paper can do wonders for your comprehension of external events. It can also relieve you of internal pressures.  Perhaps your son or daughter had a rough day at school, and that was on your mind while playing.  Some negative conclusions may be unavoidable, but fortunately most problems can be ameliorated.  Once you’ve tracked something for a few sessions, you will begin to notice patterns and trends in your performance.  Here are some personal example I’ve noticed in the past:

• I didn’t perform well because I was hungry by the end of the game, because I didn’t bring an energy bar.
• I couldn’t focus because I was tired all day, and probably didn’t get enough sleep.
• My performance at the outset was hampered due to the location of the sun, and my lack of sunglasses.
• Most of the games I lost were after I had a game point, but the stress of not winning then lowered my confidence.

These issues are all very common and have easy fixes! Once you’ve identified problems, your diary should also contain the potential fix.  Perhaps you shouldn’t get as down on yourself for losing your first game point.   Maybe next time you should wear Under Armour instead of cotton. After writing down and admitting to your shortcomings, it’s much easier to overcome them.

The same techniques could easily be applied to maintaining a healthy diet.  To start, simply track what you eat each day. Seeing an honest appraisal of what you consume during the day can be an eye-opening experience. More helpful yet perhaps unconventional is identifying emotional reasons for poor eating. Stress at work, commuting, or even problems at home may be the real cause of diet troubles, which must be attended before any other progress can be made.

If you are looking to make stark improvements in your life, a productivity diary can be a great place to start. It can be more insightful than a life coach, and infinitely less expensive.  It is important to remember to identify problems, but even more critical to search for a resolution.  Whatever solution you choose, writing it down and seeing it on paper dramatically increases your chance of implementing the change, and paves the way to future success.

Learn how to say “I am a jelly doughnut” with the utmost confidence

Public speaking is something I thoroughly enjoy.  I know, it doesn’t come easy to everyone, and it’s not that I don’t get nervous when I step in front of a large group of people, but there is a certain magic that occurs when you gave a successful speech that is unforgettable and addictive. Most of the resources you’ll find about effective public speaking are more about preparing, rehearsing, and timing then they are about the actual effect your speech has on your audience, yet I can say from working both as an educator and an organizer that there is much more to it than that.

Only Speak About Things You’re Passionate About

Too many speeches are ruined by content that is not only boring for the audience, but uninteresting for the speaker. No matter what the topic, your first goal should be to find an angle that you believe strongly enough that you can talk convincingly about it. Your speech should show that both you and your audience has a vested interest in the material. For example, if you’re asked to speak about the crime problem in your community, title it something like “How We Can Make this Community Safer for Everyone,” and not “The Troubling Rise in Crime in Our Community.” Make the audience feel like they are part of the solution, not part of the problem.  If you take a doom and gloom view of your topic, your audience will feel the same way about your delivery. And of course, that’s almost certain to happen if the focus of your speech is on criticism.  No one is passionate about criticism, at least not in a way that’s believable.

There is a reason people like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Winston Churchill were revered for the ability to motivate people through speech: it’s because they always had a clear message of action, rather than a diatribe on all of the challenges. Action is the natural extension of passion, and if you focus on it your passion will come out in your words.

Consider this line from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.” Even in a speech meant to honor men of the U.S. military who had died at Gettysburg in 1863, Lincoln managed to focus on action, on the work left to be done, not in mourning events long decided.  If Lincoln could muster this sentiment at such a time of civil strife, you can certainly find the inspiration in your topic.

Say it Beautifully Even When it’s Not

Just as important as what you say during a speech is how you say it. Pay close attention and practice improving the tone and evenness of you words when speaking in conversation. For an audience to believe your ideas and opinions, you need to believe them strongly, or at least sound that way:

1. Speak in bold tones — mice don’t get a round of applause
2. Make every word even in volume. It’s tough to follow someone who is constantly oscillating the loudness of their words.
3. Never end your sentence with the tone you would use for a question. There’s a big difference between, “Are we going to accept that?” and “Well, are we going to accept that?!” Effective speeches do not ask questions, they make statements.
4. Make sure to finish each word with a cleanly pronounced ending, not only to be understood, but so that the audience feels the sonic impact of each word.
5. Utilize the negative space in your speech, as the great masters of painting did. Pause between sentences very briefly between sentences to allow your audience to absorb what you’ve said. The time you spend not speaking is just as important as the time you do. For proof, watch any president from any country speak, and you’ll notice they speak slowly in comparison to normal conversation and that there sentences seem to carry more weight.

Make Controversial, Thought-Provoking Statements

If you want your audience to listen and to react positively to your speech, you need to push boundaries.  Saying things that wouldn’t normally come up in casual conversation with any of your audience members shows them that you have enough respect for their intelligence that you think they can effectively evaluate your claims and come to the same conclusion. Sure, some may not agree with the way you’ve evaluated a certain situation or concept, but trying to get everyone in the room to agree with you likely means you’ll need everyone to tune you out.

Believing what you speak means having the confidence to embrace your individual perspective on an issue apart from everyone else’s nuanced view. And if you don’t have confidence in your beliefs, than how can you be effective in front of a room of people who likely are in theirs?

No Matter What You Read, Notes Mean Bad Speeches

Even if you think you have the worst memory in the world,  you need to memorize the main points of your speech.  If you read your speech, you might get through it, but no narcoleptics in the audience will.  There is almost nothing worse:

“What, this lady is going to waste my time by reading her speech when she could just email it to me instead? Unbelievable…”

Sound harsh? It’s what people will be thinking, even if they are atrocious public speakers themselves. Face it, reading your speech, or relying on note cards is frankly lazy, and notes are a crutch.  Even if you take the stage with the intent to check your note cards only if you “need” them, the simple act of having them will make you want to look. And losing your place in your notes will just make you more nervous.

Saying the material you remember effectively is better than hitting every point poorly.

Put the Focus on “You”

As a speaker, you need to make each and every audience member feel as though you are talking directly to him. The more you use the pronoun “you,” the more audience members will feel you are singling them out, and the more they will pay attention. Public speaking is an inherently collective activity, but this can help keep it somewhat personal. In addition, invoke audience members’ beliefs, notions, and ideas as much as possible. To create an effective speech, you need an audience that is reacting to your words, and you do that be making them see their stake in what you have to say.

Take No Prisoners

Nerves come from self-consciousness, self-consciousness is increased by being unsure of your speech’s content and in your efforts to prepare. Spending time choosing an angle for your remarks, as well as considering your tone and audience, is the only way to stave off performance anxiety and knock them off their seats.