Day 6: Opportunity

Day 6: Wednesday June 13, 2012/Thursday June 14, 2012

I am in transit. Brasil - Canada. 

This one is a no brainer for me. 

Today I went back to EARJ (American School of Rio de Janeiro) and tromped around my old stomping grounds.  It was one year ago that I left work, and took “a year off.”  (Whatever that meant, I am not too sure).  At this point last year, I was crafting a letter to my friends and family with the subject line “I bought a house.” 

One year later.  The house is for sale. 

Today I am very thankful for opportunity. 

Yesterday I was packing my bags, and separating them into three piles.  Pile one: to take back to Mexico; Pile 2: to leave in Canada; and Pile 3: to give away.  The last pile was by far, the biggest.  Sara came to rescue me as my movers pulled a “no show.”  While we waited for her people to come and give her an estimate for her upcoming move to Montgomery, Alabama, we reminisced.

Opportunity knocks.  Sometimes it comes barging in when you least expect it, and other times it is a subtle tap that you can barely hear.  But opportunity knocks ALL the time.

As a teacher, my “year” starts in August, and ends in June (the typical international school year) and then there is the bonus, summer.

I didn’t work this year and although my bank statement is an obtrusive red, opportunity knocked, and I answered. 

Here is a short list of the year in review.

• I spent the summer on 2011 in Canada frolicking with friends and family.
• In August I completed my Level I Baptiste teacher training in the Catskills, New York.
• When I got back to Rio in mid-August, I was able to teach the teachers at EARJ yoga classes.
• I managed to secure some private students to pay the bills between August-November
• In September I flew (on air miles) to Denver for the Yoga Journal Conference with my niece Leah.  It was so nice to connect with family while at the same time, to feel inspired.
• I trained for one month  (November) with Fox (a triathlon cub in Rio) in an effort to overcome my fear of open water swimming.  It reduced significantly.
• I was able to stay with Joao in Rio instead of in Taquara where my house was.  It turned out that the commute would be hours each way. (Sometimes packed in a van with 25 people). Not cool.
• Joao and I had what you would call a “practice relationship” as I knew I was leaving for South East Asia in December. 
• I picked up another private lesson that I would trade for stand up paddle lessons.  We only did a few classes, but this opened my eyes to the barter-system; a trade that has been around long before monetary trade.
• In November I met my sister Caroline in Cozumel to race the Ironman
• I met Ricardo at the finish
• I got a job in Mexico City with and August start
• My 3-month trip to South-East Asia was ousted and I moved to Mexico on December 18, 2011.
• I found more private students in Mexico City and rented my own little space.
• Ricardo’s triathlon business had just launched and I got to work with him.  This fuelled my creative side and he never put a cap on where I could help him generate.
• In March, I went to Canada to help my sister out.  She generously helped pick up the tab.  My friends helped me work out my fashion fiasco (I rocked up in Mexico with a Brazilian wardrobe) and sent me back with two bags of clothes.  Score.
• Later in the month, my great friend Kirsten got married in Nicaragua.  She generously helped pick up the tab.  I went to Nicaragua.

• In May I flew to Tulum, Mexico to complete my Level II Baptiste teacher training course.
• In May, I went back to Brazil to race the Ironman in Florianopolis. I stayed with my friend Karina and shared breakfasts, lunches, laughs, advice, and many wonderful dinners. 
• I packed up the rest of my “things” and I am now sitting in the airport ready to go home.  Smile.  One bike, one box and two suitcases.  I will leave some things in Canada this time. 

A lot of people look at my life and say, “I wish I could travel like you, but ...” Stop reading if you honesty believe you can’t.

Good.

Then you believe in you.    

I am not talking about travelling the world and living abroad here.  I am simply using my life as a metaphor.  I am about taking yourself from mediocre and into great, from comfort-to-challenge.  I am talking about taking advantage of opportunities that are at your fingertips every single second.  Your brain is you greatest friend but at the same time, its also your secret foe.  It sustains your life while quite quietly sabotages your greatness.  There is a poster I love.  It says, “she turned her can’ts into cans and her dreams into plans.”  Several people say to me, “I can’t ___(fill in the blank)___because I have kids …”  Now, I don’t pretend to know (as I don’t have any of my own), but, I have been teaching international kids for 10 years; and they come from all walks of life.  I am of the mind that having kids enriches your experiences; or that it could, if you turn your can’ts into cans.

Opportunity is knocking, and you may think that it comes from the out there.

knock, knock, knock. 

But this isn’t always so.  It often comes from within.  What is it that you really want?  What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail and what’s stopping you from turning your dreams into plans?  Dearest reader, the “right time” DOES NOT exist.  I know of this “waiting for the right time” related procrastination from personal experience.  I constantly catch my self in the “when _____, I will ____” game.  Now is as good a time as any, and probability is, it’s NOT going to work out how you imagined it.  How predictable and lack-lustre that would be if it did.

So yes, today I am thankful for opportunity.  I suppose opportunity is quasi-married to freedom right? Today I am thankful for the event that cracked my inhibitions and let me soar; I think it may have been when my mom said, “why not get off the plane in Tokyo and stay in Japan for a year?”  On November 26, 1999, I decided to take a little walk.  By no means was this the “safe” choice protecting my comfort and predictability, but that’s not the life I wanted.

What’s potent here is that we have the freedom to choose, day in and day out.

Here is an equation for you to consider:

Opportunity – Action = A missed opportunity

Opportunity + Action = A BIG bad-ass life

What obstacles do you need to overcome to live the life of your dreams?  What's stopping you right now from removing them?

Life isn't happening to you.  Life is responding to you.  ~Rhonda Byrne

The Age of Comparison

Some might call it the age of social media, but I call it the age of comparison.  I know this is true because I was caught with my hand in the cookie jar. 

I fell into the ol’ comparison trap, startled when I felt a pang; a pang of jealousy.  I will be honest and open about exactly what happened.  But beware, jealousy is U-G-L-Y.

Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius. ~ Fulton J. Sheen 

I have a wonderful friend who has an outstanding blog.  She writes honestly and openly about life.  Her posts are humorous and witty and I LOVE reading her blog.  Lately I have spent a LOT of time on the computer. I spend a lot of time looking at inspirational blogs, potential courses (hello Anthony Robbins), and revel in the outstanding accomplishments of others.    Last week I wrote about feeling like I was treading water so to speak.  Like I was going though the motions but not moving anywhere. 

For months I have thought, I would really love to write for an online publication. I have enjoyed writing the blog and thanks to my late mother, I have a lot of ideas. 

Christine got published. Handling Guilt Gremlins.

My initial reaction makes me feel gross.  As soon as I saw that she had been published, I felt like my chance was gone, like someone had beaten me to it.  I felt jealous and jealousy isn’t just mental, it’s physical.  I felt like I had lost something that should have been mine. Ew, ew, ew.  What gross feelings.

This is the age of comparison my friends.  This is the age.

I am truly thrilled Christine got published; and she deserves it for a) writing great material; b) for putting herself out there to the online mag.; 3) for sharing her ideas and thoughts with the world; and 4) for being amazing.  

Facebook. Twitter. Blogs. Flicker.  LinkedIn. Youtube.

What's so special and unique about social media? It allows people to shine, to share and provides a platform to be amazing in the public eye, something that as children we may have been ostracized for.  Heaven forbid we were called the “Center of Attention.” 

Stars don't compete.  They don't look at the star beside them and pale with feelings of inadequacy. And only together, they light up the whole sky. 

It’s important to remember to use technology as a tool to propel us forward, and not to let it layer us with any more your not as good/funny/pretty/smart/ as …  or, you’re just not good enough, it’s already been done, s/he is the same age as me and has accomplished so much more.  WRONG.  That's comparison, and it's an ugly road to travel down.  

The killer in my sad tale of non-publication is this one … tomorrow I will, and oh, too late.

I am off to rectify that one.  ACTION: a six-letter word that makes all the difference in the world.