mygapyear

Let's talk and end the stigma!

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 14:00:00 +0000

This past Wednesday, Bell held their annual #BellLetsTalk campaign to promote awareness of mental illness and raise funds for mental health initiatives across the country.

An estimated one in five Canadians will experience a form of mental illness in their life. By being part of the conversation, you can help those who suffer. So, even if you missed Wednesday's event, you can still be part of the discussion to end the stigma around mental illness.

Check out these five simple ways you can take the first step to building greater awareness and making change in your family, friend group or community.

On Homesickness

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 14:00:00 +0000

Homesickness is one of the most prevalent aspects of travelling abroad, yet one of the least talked about.

In the excitement of planning your trip, packing, arriving and starting off on a new adventure, it's easy to forget about what you might miss the most: home.

It seems like everyone deals with homesickness at some point in their life. Maybe you miss your bedroom, your family, your friends or your favourite foods. When you're travelling, it can be hard to enjoy your trip when you're distracted by thoughts of home.

Here are some tips to help:

1. Plan in advance
Even if you think you might not get homesick, how about pre-planning to have a Skype session with a loved one? Looking forward to seeing a familiar face can help you cope.

2. Write about how you're feeling. On your laptop, in a journal or on a scrap of paper - it doesn't matter. Reflect on your mindset and focus on the positives. Think of three meaningful things that happened to you that day. Optimism is a great tool!

3. Keep yourself busy. You may want to just mope around and dwell, but being active and filling your schedule can help. Try having some social time with others, going on a hike or spending time at tourist attractions.

Planning in advance, having a positive attitude and getting out of your comfort zone can help you have a happy and healthy trip, wherever you are!

Find out about more tips here.

Everything is Temporary

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 14:00:00 +0000

I read a recent article in The Globe and Mail called, "I just turned 25. Will every decision I make now affect the rest of my life?"

The author, Ruth Goodwin, discusses her struggles having a quarter-life crisis. Using the phrase "chronic dissatisfaction," she articulates the millennial challenge of finding happiness and satisfaction in life and work.

Contrasting a post-university job she hated with the short-lived joy of joblessness, Goodwin writes, "I’ve been on both sides of it: I’ve had the job, the pantyhose and the quinoa salad, but I’ve also gone 13 days without washing my hair, on a diet of Oreos."

Her story, though entertaining to read, is not unique. She speaks to a generation, who, like her, are lost at sea.

She closes her article with a sense of hope and solidarity, stating "...the knowledge I am not alone in these moments of panic and frustration brings me comfort. Life is full of highs and lows, peaks and valleys, Jennifer Anistons and Angelina Jolies. The only thing to do is take a deep breath and realize this is temporary."

You can read Ruth Goodwin's full article here.

Work/Life Balance: You're in Control

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 03:19:00 +0000

How many of us have trouble finding that ideal balance in life? Between committing precious hours to work or school, fulfilling obligations and spending time with family and friends, it can be difficult to find any time for yourself.

Some of us many even feel guilty when we take time for ourselves, feeling as if we don't deserve it.

But we do.

Today, I attended a panel discussion of Public Relations professionals, who spent time discussing challenges in the industry. As an industry notorious for long, tough hours, I was intrigued when a fellow attendee asked the speakers about they find their work/life balance. The answer surprised me.

One of the speakers, who holds a prominent role at a downtown Toronto PR agency, replied that finding time for yourself is a personal choice. Contrary to popular belief, he claimed, it is not our teachers, bosses or colleagues who decide what our work/life balance is, but ourselves.

If you think about it, it's true. When it comes down to it, we are the ones that allow ourselves to stress, to work overtime, to keep pushing when our bodies and minds need a break. In determining the balance of our own lives, we call the shots.

This empowering thought is helping me to re-focus at a time when school, work and social obligations seem to be mounting.

Over the next week, can you give yourself permission to find balance and take time for yourself? What do you discover?

Twelve before 12

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 14:00:00 +0000

Mornings are underrated.

People always complain about having to get up to early, of being tired or about not having enough time in the day. It starts with setting your day off right and making the most of the a.m.

Being productive in the morning can boost your mood for the whole day and make you feel more energized. Here's a list of 12 things to do before 12 noon:

1. Exercise. It may be the last thing you want to do when you're snuggled in your warm bed, but getting your body moving and your heart pumping can get those endorphins going. Coast on them for the whole day!

2. Eat a nourishing breakfast. Forget the sugary donut and coffee and give yourself a protein-rich morning meal. Eggs, oatmeal or fresh fruit are all great options to keep you feeling satisfied and focused.

3. Make some goals for the day. This doesn't have to be scary! It can even be typed into your phone or on a piece of scrap paper. The act of writing some intentions for the day can help you feel more self-aware.

4. Say thank you. In person is best, but even through text or over e-mail, thanking someone for their efforts can make your day and someone else's a little better.

5. Meditate. Take a few quiet minutes to yourself to just breathe.

6. Give a hug! Human contact can be warm, comforting and releases feel-good endorphins.

7. Read something - anything! The news, a good novel or a poem. Make an effort to read something new every day.

8. Have a conversation with someone. Put down the smart phone and talk, face-to-face. Miscommunications are easy via technology. Make the effort to speak to someone in person.

9. Do a good deed. Hold the elevator or the door open for a stranger. These little gestures truly go a long way!

10. Make yourself a mid-morning cup of tea. Green and white teas are particularly high in flavonoids and other healthy compounds.

11. Practice gratefulness. During your commute, think of one thing in your life that you're grateful for today.

12. Smile! If you're not feeling so great, smiling can actually improve your mood and make others around you feel good, too.

Energy: You get what you give

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 02:32:00 +0000

Juggling work, school and home life is a constant challenge. It's easy for the time to just slip by, leaving you wondering where your week went. Many of us are so busy these days that after managing all our commitments, all we want to do is lie on the couch and veg out.

Recently though, and possibly connected to the daylight savings time change, I've been feeling quite low in energy. Waking up groggier than ever this morning, I somehow convinced myself to go for a quick run.

While peeling myself out of bed, putting on some comfy jogging clothes and heading out into the chilly air seemed crazy at first, I couldn't believe how incredible I felt within minutes of moving.

Though I spent less than 30 minutes exercising this morning, it seemed to add extra energy to my whole day. I enjoyed my breakfast more, felt happier on my morning commute and felt like I dealt with the stress of my day a little better for having exercised.

I came across an article today that cites the link between exercise and mood. Check it out here.

I don't know if I'll be able to keep up a jogging routine in the colder weather, but the feel-good health benefits are definitely added motivation now!

How do you keep active and how does exercise impact your life?

Take your networking game up a notch!

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 13:00:00 +0000

If you've ever tried networking, it's not easy. It can be intimidating, overwhelming and sometimes really awkward.

I've attended a couple of networking events in the past, and while I'm no expert, I've noticed some tricks and tips that make the process a little bit easier.

1. Do your research: know who is attending, who you want to speak to, and read up on their bio. You'll be able to ask better questions and make conversation if you know a bit about them. People love talking about themselves!

2. Know what you want to see. You know that you're interesting, unique and smart, and you want professionals to know that too. Practice your story - what are three things you would want someone else to know about you? Practice with a friend if need be?

3. Be aware of your body language. If you feel shy, it's easy to want to make yourself smaller and sit in a corner. Feeling cornered? You may put your arms in front of your chest as an instinct. However, you want to appear relaxed, friendly and open at a networking event. Stand up straight, keep your shoulders back and look people in the eye when you speak.

4. If you haven't already heard of this amazing site, be sure to check out Ten Thousand Coffees. It's a great professional networking site that allows you to connect with professionals in your city and industry. It's easy to make a profile and ask an expert out to coffee.

Good luck at your next networking event!

How addicted are you to your smartphone?

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 13:00:00 +0000

Do you love your smartphone? Yeah me too. But how much is too much?

I heard about a fairly shocking study on the radio today. Apparently, the average person picks their phone up 1500 times per week! That's about three hours per day of staring at the screen, adding up to almost one entire day per week of doing stuff on your phone. And that doesn't even include all the time we spend on our computers! Dizzy yet?

Here's a nifty infographic displaying some of the study's finds:

From Custard, info by Techmark via https://www.yahoo.com/tech/new-study-says-we-pick-up-our-smartphones-1-500-times-a-99412542979.html

The Power of Positioning

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 13:00:00 +0000

I recently watched a fantastic TEDTalk by social scientist Amy Cuddy called "Your body language shapes who you are." In the video, Cuddy describes the idea of Power Positioning. According to research in the lab, your body language and how you carry yourself can literally change your life.

Think of the kind of body language you have when you're celebrating something - a personal success, a team victory or just feeling confident. Maybe your arms are up in the air, your shoulders are back and you're looking outward.

Now think of what your body does during times of low self-confidence. You might be huddled in on yourself, hunched over and trying to make yourself appear smaller.

It turns out, you can trick yourself into confidence. According to Cuddy's research, adopting a Power Pose (think of how Wonder Woman stands) for just a few minutes a day can actually increase your testosterone (giving you a boost of confidence) and lower your cortisol (the stress hormone).

How incredible is that? I'm definitely going to try out Power Positioning before my next presentation!

You can watch Amy Cuddy's fantastic TEDTalk here.

Rediscovering Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 11:31:00 +0000

I've been a Twitter user, both personally and professionally, for a while now. However, I had been feeling like I still didn't really "get" the platform totally. Taking a social and digital media course this year has provided me with some of the most insightful information on using Twitter strategically.

I thought I'd share some tips from my class!

1) Twitter is best when you use it regularly. I know it's easy to tweet something one day, and then not sign back into your account for a week or two - but it's hard to build that coveted community when you haven't been engaging with your networks. My goal is to engage with at least a few people on Twitter each day.

2) Be authentic. Follow what you like! Post and retweet and favourite things that you personally find interesting. This will allow you to connect with people who are excited by the same things as you.

3) Have brand awareness. Some people think the idea of a "personal brand" is corny, but it's actually quite useful. Potential employers can easily look you up on Twitter, so why not use that to your advantage? Think about what message you want to get across on Twitter and how your profile, pictures, tagline, and posts can help you achieve that.

4) Consider cleaning up your Twitter profile. Have any tweets or pictures posted that may not reflect favourably on you in the future? Maybe it's time to take them down. This can easily be done by visiting tweetdelete.net.

5) Have fun with Twitter! It's not supposed to be drag or stress you out.

Happy tweeting!

Finding Joy in the Small Things

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 10:00:00 +0000

This has been one of the busiest summers, for me and a lot of people. People always talk about the "lazy days of summer", but for me, July and August have been pretty packed and now it's nearly September.

At the beginning of the summer, I had a whole list of things I wanted to accomplish, and even a few trips I wanted to take. With one thing and another, I didn't get around to doing everything I wanted to. at the same time, it's been a productive and fulfilling few months.

Although I didn't get around to doing everything I wanted, there have been a lot of happy moments this summer. The more I think about it, the things that have given me the greatest joy over these past few months have been, somewhat surprisingly, the small things.

Here's a list of some of the things that stood out from my summer:

-the feeling of jumping into a cold, but refreshing lake at a friend's cottage
-sipping a cup of tea on my balcony in the morning before work
-watching dogs, kids, and families play together on the beach
-reading a book in bed on a drizzly day
-taking the time to write more often, even once or twice a week
-feeling the days get cooler and thinking about autumn on its way

What kind of little things give you joy?

What Ever Happened to Curiosity?

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 13:24:00 +0000

I'm curious - what makes you curious?

A recent Toronto Star article about waning curiosity in the age of iPads, smartphones, and constant access to Google has got me thinking about this essential human trait.

George Leslie, author of the book Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends on It, argues that Google "is curiosity's best friend and worst enemy at the same time". When getting information is just too easy, such as typing a word or query into the Google search box and getting an immediate answer, our natural human curiosity can dampen. Perhaps we click on the Wikipedia page, scan the opening paragraph, and then walk away with an immediate but superficial answer.

Great thinkers in the past like Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin, or Benjamin Franklin were men of great curiosity, but without the existence of Google in their time, they would have had to go to much more extreme lengths to find the answers to their questions - it was definitely not as easy as searching something on the web!

Leslie is not totally opposed to Google and its capabilities though - he asserts that the search engine does have its upsides. For naturally curious people, he says, Google can enhance their thirst for knowledge - but, if you're naturally lazy, Google can make you lazier.

I think that there are other ways to ignite our curiosity and search for knowledge - methods that don't even involve the use of the internet. What about fiction? Nature? Sports? Art?

So, what makes YOU curious?

The Importance of Quiet

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 20:29:00 +0000

I recently spent a few days in Ontario’s cottage country with some friends. It was freezing cold, we had rain on and off, and there were gusts of winds that almost left me shipwrecked in the middle of the lake when I went out for a kayak paddle. It definitely wasn’t the week of fun in the sun that we were expecting – but surprisingly, what I enjoyed best about the trip was the quiet, and the escape it provided from city life. But what I appreciated most was the fact that we had no internet connection.

The terrible weather on our vacation forced us to remain inside the small cabin. As a result, I spent my time doing something I rarely have the time or attentiveness for: reading (and not an e-reader, an ACTUAL book). In our age of digital overload, it’s easy to spend the majority of your waking hours staring at a screen of some sort.

Contemporary studies have suggested that overexposure to digital screens is causing attention deficit problems and diminishing our interpersonal and intellectual abilities. Researchers and scientists are now promoting the importance of quiet time, and the absence of screens, when possible, to allow for important, but increasingly neglected brain functions such as daydreaming and creative thinking.

I think that the biggest reward of this drizzly, chilly week up north was the lack of buzzes, beeps, pop-ups, and alerts that we have become accustomed to receiving on our various devices. Instead, I got the time read, think, and reflect for a few days.

The first thing I did when I got back home? Checked my email.

Shiny New Blog Post!

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 20:28:00 +0000

Mygapyear's Summer Newsletter is available now - complete with travel tips all the way from Kentucky to Italy, plus a parent's account of her son's gap year experience Tanzania and South America!
Click here to read the latest edition of mygapyear's newsletter!

Don't Peak in High School

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 22:38:00 +0000

With another school year over, it can be a reflective time of year (especially if you’re graduating). You think back on all of the accomplishments, the letdowns, the highs and the lows. It’s easy to feel a wide array of emotions as well – everything from relief to joy to pride, to sadness and disappointment and everything in between. It can be overwhelming.

What can make this transition time so difficult is the pressure – there are so many heightened expectations during the high school years to make the most of the supposedly best years of your life.

I think that this kind of pressurized, expectation-building thinking needs to stop. As someone who didn’t particularly enjoy high school, I remember leaving grade 12 wondering if I should have tried harder to have that indefinable “time of my life” that everyone always talked about.

That’s not to say that I didn’t have highs in secondary school, but there were lows, too. High school was a memorable time in its own way, but it’s foolish to amp up that period of your life when you still have a lot of living ahead of you! Maybe I want my 30s, or my 40s, or even my 80s to be the best decades of my life – and they easily could be! Your happiness is not reserved for any single era of your life.

So…if you have finished another year of school or have graduated and are feeling confused or disappointed in any way – don’t let it get to you. Good things in life happen in every decade, not just when you’re young. The best times are yet to come!

Why You Might Want to Pick Up a Pen More Often...

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 14:34:00 +0000

As an experiment, I'm handwriting today's bog post in a notebook first instead of typing it up on my laptop.

A recent New York Times article presented the idea that writing by hand, rather than on a keyboard, may benefit learning in both children and adults.

In school, children acquire reading skills more quickly as writing skills are introduced. Additionally, they are able to remember things better through and become more creative through writing things down.

In another study, a psychologist demonstrated that printing, cursive writing, and keyboard typing were all linked with different parts and patterns in the brain. However, when children wrote out text by hand, they had larger vocabularies and were able to generate more ideas.

According to the article, the benefits of handwriting are seen in adults, too. We can commit new concepts and ideas to memory with greater ability when we write by hand. Furthermore, in real-world classroom studies, two psychologists showed that handwriting allows students to better process the learning content and then "reframe" it. This reframing allows for a reflective process that may be lost in keyboard typing.

Even a skeptic of the study still acknowledges the significance of writing: "With handwriting, the very act of putting it down forces you to focus on what's important. Maybe it helps you think better."

Do you prefer typing on a keyboard, or writing by hand? Experiment for yourself! It's never too late to start a journal or a new piece of writing - and you might even learn something!

You can read the full NY Times article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/science/whats-lost-as-handwriting-fades.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0

If I were 22...

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 23 May 2014 14:11:00 +0000

In a recent series of articles entitled “If I were 22…”, bestselling author and MD Deepak Chopra offered some life advice to twenty-somethings who might be feeling lost or unsure about the direction their lives are taking.

Feeling uncertain about what path to take or what choices to make can be tough at any age, but it can be especially difficult as a young person. The pressure to make the “right” decisions early on can cause a lot of anxiety and hardship – particularly when there are so many career, travel, or study options available.

While some people might feel paralyzed by the uncertainty in life, Chopra gives us a more positive outlook on things.

Speaking from his own experience, he writes:

The greatest thing about being 22 is that none of these traps have closed. The instinct to be free is very strong when you're young. The flame of discontent is still fueled by idealism. If you consciously attune yourself to the best in your nature, you will be holding tight to the invisible thread. The world's wisdom traditions declare that Dharma is real and can be trusted. Uncertainty isn't something to fear. It's an absolutely necessary prerequisite if you want to kick-start the age-old process known as the beginning of wisdom.

Chopra adds that by attuning ourselves to certain things, we can embrace feelings of uncertainty rather than be trapped by them. Here are some of his suggestions:

-focusing and reflecting on your sense of empathy with others

-accepting that you deserve to happy and have fulfillment in life

-understanding that you are unique in the universe

How does uncertainty play out in your life? If you have felt lost or paralyzed by not knowing in the past, how have you dealt with things? Perhaps just viewing uncertainty as a tool instead of a burden can help us tune into ourselves and the larger world around us.

For further reading, you can view the full series of articles “If I were 22…” here:

https://www.linkedin.com/channels/10000306?trk=prod-inf-ifiwere-0520-cutline

It's that Time of Year Again...

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 16 May 2014 14:36:00 +0000

If you’re in high school or university, you should be just finished or wrapping up your studies in the next month. It’s always such a surreal time – disbelief that the school year is over, the scramble to finish last minute assignments, the saying of goodbyes to friends for the summer (or longer), and perhaps the trepidation of moving onward to something different altogether.

For those of you who are graduating, first of all, I say congratulations! It’s such an exciting, celebratory, and equally terrifying time. Good luck with commencing the year, and even more good wishes for the next steps you’ll take after accepting your diploma.

As part of the theme of this week’s blog post, I like to talk about a young woman named Marina Keegan. If you haven’t heard of her, she graduated from Yale in 2012, where she was a prolific writer and student leader. She was also her class’ valedictorian and wrote an incredibly moving commencement speech called “The Opposite of Loneliness”. Just days after her graduation, she was killed in a car accident. She was 22.

In her address to her classmates, Marina summarized her time as a student like this:

We don’t have a word for the opposite of loneliness, but if we did, I could say that’s what I want in life. What I’m grateful and thankful to have found at Yale, and what I’m scared of losing when we wake up tomorrow and leave this place.

…

But let us get one thing straight: the best years of our lives are not behind us. They’re part of us and they are set for repetition as we grow up and move to New York and away from New York and wish we did or didn’t live in New York. I plan on having parties when I’m 30. I plan on having fun when I’m old. Any notion of THE BEST years comes from clichéd “should haves…” “if I’d…” “wish I’d…”

…

We’re so young. We’re so young. We’re twenty-two years old. We have so much time. There’s this sentiment I sometimes sense, creeping in our collective conscious as we lay alone after a party, or pack up our books when we give in and go out – that it is somehow too late. That others are somehow ahead. More accomplished, more specialized. More on the path to somehow saving the world, somehow creating or inventing or improving. That it’s too late now to BEGIN a beginning and we must settle for continuance, for commencement.

…

What we have to remember is that we can still do anything. We can change our minds. We can start over. Get a post-bac or try writing for the first time. The notion that it’s too late to do anything is comical. It’s hilarious. We’re graduating college. We’re so young. We can’t, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it’s all we have.

You can read Marina’s full commencement address here:

http://yaledailynews.com/crosscampus/2012/05/27/keegan-the-opposite-of-loneliness/

If you’re interested in reading more of Marina’s work, you can read her collection of essays and stories published this past April, also entitled ‘The Opposite of Loneliness”.

A Few Thoughts on Mindfulness

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 02 May 2014 13:45:00 +0000

It seems as if all of us are so busy these days– and we just keep getting busier. Juggling work, school, family, personal relationships, and our free time simultaneously can be absolutely exhausting.

This balancing act in life may never go away, but it turns out, there are some pretty effective ways to manage the stress of our busyness. It all starts with mindfulness, which is defined as the practice of cultivating a focused awareness on the present moment, as both a daily habit and a lifelong process.

Some people might automatically think of meditation as a way to become more mindful, and that’s definitely one aspect of it. But, you’ll be glad to know that there are a lot of mindful acts you take part in right now, as part of your daily routine:

1) Focus on your breathing - If you’re feeling really overwhelmed, try be aware of how you are inhaling and exhaling in that moment. Don’t worry about trying to breathe a certain way, just listen to your body’s natural way of taking in and releasing oxygen.

2) Take a walk, even a short one - We all know that exercise is good for us physically, but more and more, studies are showing that movement can have a positive effect on us mentally, such as reducing stress and getting our creative juices flowing.

3) Being aware of yourself in the moment – This may sound difficult, but it’s actually quite simple. For example, if you’re feeling particularly anxious about something, simply take note of that anxiety. How does it physically make you feel? Is your heart beating faster than normal? Do you feel hot? Is your mind racing? Rather than trying to force yourself to calm down (which may only add to your stress), just try to be aware of how your mental state is manifesting itself physically. Having this kind of awareness is healthy, and is a better option that ignoring how you’re really feeling!

Burnout, fatigue, and stress seem to be an entrenched part of life these days. But, take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone in feeling these kinds of emotions. Taking a few moments of your day to be aware of your present thoughts and feelings can go a long way to helping you become more in tune with yourself and your thoughts.

For further reading, please check out this article entitled “Habits of Mindful People,” which this blog post is based on: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30/habits-mindful-people_n_5186510.html

Have a restful weekend, everyone!

We Grow Through Pain

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 12:34:00 +0000

One of the adages that I try to remember when the going gets tough is pretty simple. A close family friend first said it to me and it’s only four words long:

We grow through pain.

It’s easy to remember, it’s a little more comforting than Nietzsche’s “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”, and most importantly, it’s 100% true.

Think about the life stories of famous people, of your family and friends, and of yourself – what stands out the most? Sure, definitely the happy moments and successes are what keep us going. But how do people really learn about themselves? How do they grow and mature into the people they are today? From personal experience, it’s been through the tribulations and challenges that I discovered the most about myself.

Transitioning from university to the working world, I spent sixteen months travelling and teaching ESL in Asia. For the first year, I was living in South Korea, and had the absolute time of my life. I was working with other foreign teachers and made fast friends, my students were excited and curious, and the city was dynamic and easy to get around. Life was, in a word, a blast.

When my contract was up, I decided that I didn’t yet have Asia out of my system, so I chose to extend my time in Asia and try teaching somewhere new: China.

Without sounding too melodramatic, the four months I spent in The People’s Republic were absolutely miserable. My school placed me in a slum apartment with roommates I couldn’t relate to, I was sick constantly from the food and the pollution, my students were little hell-raisers, and I just couldn’t seem to make friends.

One day, while on the hour-long commute home from my school, I just about broke down. I had been sick with a sinus infection that wouldn’t go away, I was so incredibly frustrated with my students for constantly being disrespectful, and I knew I was going home to my apartment where my horrible roommates were lurking. In that moment, I wanted to be anywhere else in the world than as the only foreign face on that congested subway car. On top of that, it was a few days before Christmas and I was so unspeakably lonely and homesick that I wanted to curl up into a ball right then and there. I remember trying to Skype with family and friends back home to get some comfort, but my internet connection was so terrible that conversations simply weren’t possible on a regular basis.

Safe to say, others have faced much, much tougher challenges than that in life – let me make it clear that I’m aware of that! But at that moment, I had never felt more lost.

In the face of my predicament, the thing that saved me in China was reading. I decided that if I was miserable with my surroundings, I’d read as much as possible about other places I wanted to be in. So, with the help of my e-reader, and authors like Ernest Hemingway, Haruki Murakami, and W.O. Mitchell, I was transported to the streets of Paris, Tokyo, and small-town Canada. It was a much needed escape.

I only lasted four months in China, but I survived. At the time, I felt trapped and completely alone, but I made it through. I learned a lot of different things, like how to navigate through a sea of people on rush hour trains, how to order food with only hand gestures, and how to feel totally lost and make the best of it. I wouldn’t exchange that for anything.

I recently caught up with a friend and was recalling some of my stories from China. In this particular tale, I was explaining how I had ordered some food on the street and couldn’t determine what I was eating – was it chicken? Fish? Lizard? Rat? It could have been any of the above, but my insides told me it was the latter. At the time, it was a truly traumatizing meal, but in telling the story to my friend, we both had tears running down our faces from laughing so hard.

From this experience, I’ve realized that it’s the struggles in life that provide us with the opportunities to push ourselves – to see what we are really capable of. While in China, I learned a lot about what makes me happy and what makes me miserable, and what I can do to get by. To be sure, feeling overwhelmed, lost, and lonely are nothing new to the human condition – but having to deal with these issues, on my own, made me more resilient.

I now also have a great cocktail party story about how I ate rat in China.

For further reading, check out the article called “What Suffering Does” by the NY Times columnist, David Brooks, who inspired this post.

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 13:45:00 +0000

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the theme of last week’s blog post, which was the importance of being open to new experiences as means of letting inspiration into your life.

I tried to follow one of my own suggestions from the post (I have to practice what I preach!), which was to regularly keep a journal, even if it was just a couple of sentences each day. Doing this reminded me of how much I actually enjoy personal writing, and how I haven’t done enough of it in recent years. As a result, I’ve signed up for a writing workshop in Toronto later this month – let’s see if being open can finally get me over my writer’s block! I’d really love a lightning bolt of inspiration right about now, but something tells me that’s not going to happen without some effort on my part…

I read an article this week from thoughtcatalog.com called “The Difference Between Doing What You Love and Loving What You Do” by Brianna Wiest, which really struck a chord with me. The author argues that striving to make a career out of your passion might not necessarily be the most rewarding or realistic endeavor. She asserts that there is a finite difference between “doing what you love” and “loving what you do”, but that following one or the other doesn’t have to affect your happiness and life satisfaction.

On the one hand, doing what you love could mean following that dream that you’ve had since you were young, and turning it into a money-making career (easier said than done). “But,” writes Wiest, “loving what you do involves taking something else — plucking from the proverbial sea of somethings that you already enjoy doing — working hard on it, creating a professional pathway, seeing it to a lucrative end and being happy because your love for it grows. This is the kind of career that will grow with you.”

What Wiest is getting at here is openness. Not everybody has a passion, necessarily, but everyone has activities that they enjoy doing to different degrees. It doesn’t have to be a huge, overarching passion; it can be something small. A mini-passion. Do you like to bake when you’re stressed out? Enjoy taking photos when you have the time? Or do you have fun designing websites for friends now and then?

What about taking those little activities you like, and being open to exploring them further? Maybe you never thought of them as a viable career option, but just see where they take you. It’s time to stop thinking, “if only I could do X, I would be happy”. It’s time to start finding positives in what you’re already doing, and building from there. You might be surprised where things take you. What do you think?

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 11:46:00 +0000

Who isn’t looking for a little more inspiration in life?

Whether you consider yourself to be an artsy, creative person, or if you relate to things more scientifically or analytically, everyone needs a little bit of inspiration on a regular basis. New ideas are what motivate us to challenge ourselves, be it in our personal lives or in the workplace or elsewhere.

But where does this inspiration come from exactly? Is it tangible or immaterial? And how do we harness it? Does inspiration just hit you over the head, when you least expect it? Maybe, it does, if you’re lucky. However, Colleen Albiston, a leadership and management specialist, thinks differently.

In a recent article, she writes:

“Inspiration comes in countless forms, but sometimes you have to consciously set aside time to allow it to happen. This may sound counterintuitive – after all, isn’t inspiration supposed to strike us like a lightning bolt with an “a-ha” moment or an out-of-the blue idea? Sometimes it does, but we can also seek out opportunities for inspiration.” (Read full article here:( http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/leadership-lab/why-you-should-find-the-time-to-be-inspired/article17777120/)

Albiston goes on to say that to take advantage of inspiration, you need to be open. That can mean constantly trying to expand your circle and interact with new and different people. Or, it can be as simple have having an open mind to an alternative way of thinking or a foreign concept.

To expand on the article, I think that being inspired is an active, rather than passive pursuit. You need to give yourself permission to try a new activity, read a different author’s work, or to strike up a conversation with someone outside your circle. It can take real, conscious effort to be inspired, and you have to set time aside for it, even if it’s just for a few minutes each day. While ideas can come out of thin air, the best ones come with real effort.

Here are some active ways you can try to get inspired over the next week:

-trying a restaurant in your neighbourhood that you've never been to before

-keeping a journal, even if it’s just writing one or two sentences each day

-picking a random book at the library and cozying up with it

-chatting to a stranger for more than five minutes (not online, but in person!)

How do YOU get inspired?

Holiday Newsletter 2013

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 15:21:00 +0000

On Novelty: A Follow-Up on Day Dreaming

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 18:41:00 +0000

Our team chatted about the last article we posted as a blog re: finding novelty through travel at any age or stage in life. We had different reactions to the article - mine being the most negative.   In any event, our discussion led us to think of our current gappers: some can travel, while other decide not to - reasons for each are quite varied.

So, what about you? Can you pick up for a break tomorrow? Or a planned on next year?   Regardless, the day dreaming these questions lead us to could be benefit enough.

The article suggests that in order to explore novelity you must leave your present geographic space.   This, of course, is not an option for all of us. Regardless of having or not having the 'travel bug' leaving or abandoning our current world with it's responsibilities etc is not always an option.

Well, for the next 5 weeks let's explore ways to travel without luggage, a boarding pass or a pass port.

This week it is Day Dreaming. In a 2012 research project, the benefits of day dreaming were captured. Daydreaming can increase your focus and task management. At the same time, give you the boost you need to continue on a task or throughout the day.

The same way taking in new smells, sights and sounds in another country might increase your "aha" moments, day dreaming can help satisfy these same needs.

Need a bit more convincing? Read On!

6 Quotes From Famous Dreamers That Prove Imagination Is Crucial

Close to 50 percent of our waking hours are spent daydreaming -- so why not make those visions worth your while? Not only does a wandering mind provide a quick mental escape, it actually produces numerous brain benefits. Studies have found that daydreaming can be linked to better test scores and a more engaged mind, which may help with recalling information when surrounded by distractions.

Putting our head in the clouds is also crucial to the creative process. In fact, many great ideas -- from Salvador Dali's great works of art to songs by the Beatles -- came from letting dreams and imaginations run wild. Check out the imagination quotes below from these famous dreamers and thinkers. Then, the next time your mind starts to drift, let it.

Article Rights:

And a video that helps to inspire novelity from the PianoGuys. It is seasonal & interesting. Have you stopped to think about how to use things differently?

Down With Gap Years? Inspiration for gapping at any stage or age!

noreply@blogger.com (My) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Today, I felt inspired by David Dodd, a creative entrepreneur and life hacker.   He wrote a piece for The Huffington Post (UK) this past week sharing insight into his recent career break. While I was surprised by his use of the word 'novelty' to express his career break and gap years, I was inspired by his message.

At mygapyear, we encourage folks to take a gap year at any stage or age of their lives. It is about taking a break from your regular routine to try something different.  Suggesting or focusing on the novelty (the quality of being new, original, or unusual) of the experience, negates the profound learning and growth one gains through a gap year.

Secondly, he suggests that gap years taken by folks at a more 'traditional' age involves "a youthful year of galavanting" similarly dismisses that gap years for any individual can be a time of renewal and growth.

At mygapyear, we focus in on finding out what our gappers want to accomplish, learn, develop or explore during their gap year.   This is what makes our program and approach on gap years distinct and attractive to gappers and their families.   It is a 12 month detailed plan created through discovery, coaching and experience advising.

While Dodd's message is inspiring, there are ways to explore new ways of seeing your day-to-day without chasing novelty.

Let's explore this in the weeks to come.

David Dodd

Creative entrepreneur and life hacker

Down With Gap Years, Long Live the Career Break

If we could only enjoy one significant life-pause in which to see the world a little more (and perhaps a little differently), it should be as part of a mid-career break, rather than a youthful gap year of galavanting. Having just returned from seven months travelling (as part of a year long life experiment) I believe the benefits of taking time out mid-career are huge; so why are we so reticent to embrace career breaks with the same lustre as gap years?

Gap years used to be seen as the last big chance for an adventure before working life, and we did it (if we could) because everyone knew we couldn't very well stop mid-career for a break. But if such societal blinkers were removed, doesn't a career break make more sense than a gap year? The gap year is, of course, a great chance to open young eyes and enjoy new perspectives, but university and early working life are such an incredible adventure in and of themselves that a trip to Thailand isn't necessary for a dose of novelty. There's just so much else going on during those furtive years, and a nip of newness is far more necessary further down the line. In the same way that attending University became an accepted elongation to the average educational career, so the career break should, in time, become a recognised part of our working lives. There hasn't always been the need for such an intervention, but as working careers and periods of retirement lengthen, it's about time more employers accepted that, every now and then, a change would do us all good.

I have just returned to the UK after seven months traveling down through North, Central and South America. At the age of 33, it was my first long backpacking stint, and this sets me apart from my peers, most of whom hoofed round the world during gap years at 18 or 21. For me, a sustained period of travel in my thirties was an incredible tonic; only days after returning I can already say that it ranks as a peak experience in my life, and has helped me see the world (and my place in it) in a more positive way. It wasn't easy to take a break from my career - far from it - but by doing so, I've recharged my batteries, created a new appetite for work and life, and developed the kind of objectivity that can only be gained from time away. Most importantly, thanks to a constant stream of new sights, cultures and people, I've been reminded how potent a force novelty can be. A good dose of novelty turns our lives upside down in a positive way, it questions our world view and forces the brain to explore new avenues. There's plenty of evidence to support this view: it was claimed by scientists recently, for example, that regular doses of novelty can enable the brain to rebuild itself, and can even stave off debilitating illnesses such as Alzheimer's. With mounting evidence of this kind, why isn't everyone considering a regular dose of novelty to break up their working routine? Instead, as workers, we do what we've done since the Industrial Revolution: we become entrenched in a career, we cling onto our position and climb the greasy pole, taking as few risks as possible, learning from those ahead of us and allowing the powerful disruptive influence of novelty to fall by the wayside.

In light of the benefits I have enjoyed during my own career break, I have a new battle cry: if - like many career-focused individuals - your ration of novelty has dwindled to naught, it's time for a different way of thinking, it's time to question whether the risks of being dislodged are outweighed by the benefits a sustained period of novelty might bring, and it's time to balance career stability against mental and physical wellbeing. Corporate HR practices may be becoming more humanist, but neither employers nor the state will ever push the career break agenda too hard. Our capitalist society requires unwavering worker bees with an unstinting desire for financial betterment, and career breaks don't easily fit into that picture.

The bottom line is this: if more people want to enjoy the benefits of career breaks, they're going to have to take the initiative themselves. Workers unite, let's take some time off and rediscover novelty!