Short Trips are fun Too!

This blog is dedicated to following dreams of travel and fulfillment in experiences. I believe this is a good time to share a few brief stories about my trips to the Renaissance Faire. Trips like that are fun, too. They can also be a great way to relax for just a day and have some fun by yourself or with some friends.

Queen Elizabeth and her Royal Court

I enjoy visiting the renaissance faire because I like to dress up and spend time with people who enjoy the same type of mythology and play-acting as I do. I usually go each year and each time I go, there are a few different people who go with me. When I first started going, my grandparents took me. Then, after a few years with my boyfriend, he decided he wanted to go with me. Let me just tell you some of the amusing and regular happenings when I visit the faire.

The first time we visited the faire, I was in proper attire and my boyfriend was not. Well, when we entered the park, we shopped some of the entrance stands and perused the outer perimeter. One of the pirates at the children's rides stopped us and advised me in all my wench's glory that my boyfriend MUST be a "virgin" because he was not dressed properly (jeans and a t-shirt). I was then told that I should lead him around and teach him exactly how to use his wallet at the faire. Later, we wandered over to watch the human chess match and sat down at the outer edge of the dungeon of tortures building. We watched about 2 minutes of the match and both of us fell asleep on the lawn.

Another time we went and spent the later part of our tour of the park watching the master forger at work. We were interested in how he teaches as he performs his work. It is obvious in watching him that he is very passionate and consumed by his work. He loves what he does and that makes him a happy man. Just watching this man work is worthy of posting on my blog.

A third time, I convinced my boyfriend that we should stay to watch the mounted joust. He had never seen one and I wanted him to see it. There were four champions and we sat on the side of evil (ironic, I thought since I am a wench and he could make a wonderful pirate). Our two champions wanted blood and the two opposing champions wanted valor and honor for the land and the queen.

The Four Champions

Short day trips like this, where even the drive is time spent with a friend or close loved one, can be more recreational than a whole week of vacation. Feel free to reach for those short and well-earned trips, as well as the long-term goals. Reach for the moon and you will always land among the stars.

If anyone has seen the movie Brave in theaters, there was a wonderful short movie about stars that relates well. Hope you have the chance to see it. Find a clip here and read the summary for the story line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7doTbvCA2I .

The Renaissance Faire is a fun trip and if you live in Pennsylvania, it could be a short day trip for you!

Be Unforgettable!

A few weeks ago, I read a blog post from my Leadership list on Twitter. I wish I had written down which individual it was who said it.

"Don't settle for being Memorable, when you could be Unforgettable."

Open Opportunity to Be UNFORGETTABLE!

I was inspired by it. So inspired that I printed it to post on my dormitory wall in a place that I see it every morning when I prepare for my day. The message for today is to always reach for being unforgettable. Make people remember you and think about you when they discuss topics you are associated with. Start with your friends and family, then spread out into your network slowly but steadily. Make it your mission that each person you touch in your day (or if you are very social, just 3-4 people each day) will remember your face and what the interaction looked like.

For example:  When a stranger on the street smiles and asks how you are doing, don't just say, "Fine. And yourself?" Instead, reach for being unforgettable by telling them something important to you! Say something like, "I am very excited that I am nearly finished with an important paper for a difficult class! How about you?"

You have extended a personal detail to instigate a personal and relatively trusting connection (for a stranger) and it causes them to realize that you actually listened to what they said to you. You gave a thoughtful and realistic response. Now, they may be more inclined to respond to you in a similar way. Even if your response is negative (such as "I am anxious today because I have a test to study for" or something worse like "Depressed because my dearest pet died."), you have still given a thoughtful response to an otherwise meaningful question. You have extended an invitation to open communication between yourself and the individual asking. This helps build your confidence, your social skills, and your network. You never know who you might meet on the street.

Be Inspirational!

A better example is if the person asking such a simple question is closer to you than a stranger, but not quite a friend. Your professor, a coworker, or someone you know and do not interact with regularly can all be examples of these people. Perhaps you explain your day in one sentence by saying, "I am great! I have an analysis to present for my company about how they can improve productivity and I am very confident about the outcome!" This is a great opener to a networking contact that may be mutually beneficial AND you have made yourself unforgettable. Here is why: if you smile and ask 25 people today how they are doing, most of them are going to respond with a generic and thoughtless answer such as:  fine, so-so, I don't know, tired, stressed, etc. Very few of them are going to think about the answer and tell you something truly important to their day. The individual who does so will remain at the front of your mind for some time after the interaction occurs.

So, don't be shy. Make someone remember you today. Here is a fun suggestion to twist the concept: say something so strange that they simply MUST ask you more questions. Example: "Hi, how are you today?" Respond:  "Oh, I am great. I am working on a project that will answer questions about human trafficking abroad and suggest a system to prevent it." Now, they have to ask more. Use something interesting and unique about yourself to spread the word about the work, volunteering, or passions you have that are very important to who you are. Make the 'interesting' twist something important to you. Here are some other examples:

"Terrible. The book I am writing about the human rights violations in Africa was refused by the publisher. I am seeking other sources."
"I'm doing great because a suggestion I made to the congressmen about improving special education programs received positive feedback!"
"I am confident that the political campaign I am working on will be successful by raising awareness about sexual abuse and how they intend to address the issue in the community."
"The history paper I wrote about the effect of independence on the Caribbean Islands is being published in the quarterly journal!"
"The equality  movement I initiated (or am a part of) has gained so much support that a leadership structure is being designed to continue the coalition's growth!"

Be positive and be confident. That person in the mirror has great potential; you just need to take advantage of it! "There you are! I am so glad I met you today!"

Photos:
http://www.zwani.com/graphics/whats_up/
http://deniseleeyohn.com/bites/2011/01/24/leadership-art/

Next time: Networking; Personal Growth and Meaningful Connections. 

There You Are!

The purpose and namesake of this blog are very solidly interconnected. Let me explain.

The name sake is from a quote in the business world of success. "Don't be the person who walks into a room and says 'Here I am.' Be the person who walks into a room and everyone turns and says 'There You Are.'"

It indicates that you should not have to announce yourself. If you are successful, people will seek you out on their own. If you feel you must push your presence on people, you are doing something wrong and you are not as successful as you think you are. "Here I am" indicates arrogance and egotism, both are unhealthy for complete success and leadership.

The purpose of this blog is going to be different then my other blogs. This one is going to be about that beautiful girl in the mirror whom I see almost every morning. I want to be like her because she dreams big and has great ideas for her life; she has interests that are intriguing and I want to be a part of those things that she participates in.

Fact is, sometimes we lose sight of our dreams and we need someone or something to remind us what they are or where we are going. This blog will discuss those dreams and reflect on progress towards them, changes that occur and why, and new dreams that appear as time progresses. This blog will continue to remind both my readers and myself that we need to continue to idolize that person in the mirror. And, if we lose our way, this blog will help us to find the mirror and say to that role model, "There You Are! I found you!"

Even if your dreams are unrealistic at times, you still have to have dreams to be successful. You must have dreams to live a healthy and long life. Greet your reflection every morning and say, "There You Are!" and you may just recall those dreams and how to get to them. Remind yourself constantly what you are reaching for and what your end goals consist of; you can't reach them if you can't see them.

Check out TweetyShwe's thoughts on mirrors and the reflection in them here.

Image from ShutterStock Images via www.Shutterstock.com