Every time I travel, be it somewhere new or familiar, I always look for learning opportunities, and I’m always lucky (or cursed…) enough to find them. I spent Thursday – Monday visiting my family in Mexico City. Every time I visit this place, I eat amazing food from around the world (this time included Italy, Argentina, Mexico, England, and America – if America includes a hot dog), I practice speaking Spanish, and I explore little towns and take in the culture!
This time was especially fun for me because we ventured outside of the city to a town called Teotihuacan where you will find beautiful and mysterious ancient ruins. We climbed to the top of the “Pyramid of the Sun” and looked out over what used to be a thriving civilization. No one knows exactly what happened to the previous inhabitants, but to me, that’s where the magic lies – I love making stories up in my head about the possibilities, and I especially enjoy hearing others’ opinions about what may have happened – people told stories of God, giants, war, and Satan to explain the disappearance of these people and for their ability to build such massive and perfect architecturally designed structures.
Along with exploring these ancient ruins, we also stopped off in Mexico Lindo. Fun fact: did you know that the agave plant is AWESOME? Seriously – so many resources come from the agave plant that I was previously unaware of: parchment paper, honey, tequila, pulque, various medicines, soaps, thread, and even needles for sewing it. Stopping off at this agave place was very unexpected, but you know what was even more unexpected? Receiving a tour and explanation from a slightly sexist man about how the tequila is made, and then actually being peer pressured into trying three different types of tequila at 10 in the morning.
All in all, this weekend was exactly what I needed to get my head right. If you’re a subscriber to my email list, you know that for the past few weeks, I’ve been battling the most annoying thing in the world to a writer: the notorious and pesky writers’ block. Getting out of my daily routine for a few days really helped to rejuvenate my mind, and to get the creative juices flowing again.
I’ve decided that for all of my future travel posts, I’m going to incorporate three lessons: one for life, one for business, and one for travel. Hopefully you’ll find this format useful, and you’ll feel inspired to keep kicking @ss in business and in life!
Life: Getting out of your daily routine is refreshing and important. [Tweet it]
Unless you intentionally seek out an unconventional lifestyle, falling into a monotonous routine is not all that uncommon. You wake up, you go to work, you go to the gym, you eat dinner, you watch TV, and you go to bed. You lather, rinse, repeat Monday through Friday. The worst thing you can do for yourself mentally and physically is to get burned out. I’m no doctor, but speaking from personal experience, it affects your family life, your work life, and your physical health. It causes depression, exhaustion, anxiety, and stress.
Whether it be a stroll through the park, taking a different route home, cooking a new meal, taking a long weekend road trip, or just seeking out a change of scenery for a few hours, do something to shake up your routine. No matter how small the gesture may be, whatever you can afford or make time for, just do it. You won’t regret doing something new, but you’ll certainly regret the things you wish you had done.
Travel: Global Entry doesn’t always let you skip the line, but holy moly, it’s awesome. [Tweet it]
When I paid the $100 to apply and get approved for Global Entry, I was stoked to be able to skip all of those long check-in and security lines wherever I went. While this awesomeness is true in many places, it’s not true for all. I learned this hard lesson when I found myself at the end of a security line on my way back to New York… I learned it even more when I was still standing in this line two hours later. Turns out, it doesn’t really have any perks when you’re leaving a foreign country… it only works when you’re leaving the US. It also works when you arrive back in the US and are ready to go through customs. However, even in the States, not every airport supports the Global Entry service, so if you’re expecting to arrive at the airport at the last minute and to ditch the security lines, do your research ahead of time to avoid any issues. (If you’re unfamiliar with the Global Entry program, it’s well worth the investment, and more times than not, it really saves you loads of time and airport hassles. Read up on the TSA site for more info). Skipping the customs line when I landed back in the States definitely made me giddy, so I recommend this as an investment!
Business: If you’re struggling to find your audience, you’re probably looking in the wrong places. [Tweet it]
There are over 2.2 million people in Mexico City alone – approximately 7 billion people on the planet. If you’re struggling to find your audience, you’re probably looking in the wrong places, because there are plenty of people on this Earth who are waiting to hear your voice, see your product, buy your service, or be your friend.
When we were driving back from Teotihuacan, we passed cities where people have built their neighborhoods literally into the mountainside. These houses were stacked on top of each other, they were close together, and there were people wandering all over the place. Being in such a crowded space really made me understand how many people there actually are in this world, and how many people we have the potential of reaching. How we go about it is completely in our hands, and if we can’t reach them, we’re doing it wrong. If you’re a city person, and you take public transportation every day, think of how many people you share a train car with that don’t know about your business. Think about how many people live in your neighborhood or apartment complex that don’t know about your business. Think of your friends’ friends’ friends… how many of them know about your business? There are so many people out there, and that means that there are plenty of lives to improve, plenty of people to help, and lots of money to be made.
Now I have three questions for you! I would LOVE for you to answer 1, 2, or all 3 of these in the comments section below, and let’s discuss!
Life: What would you like to do this week or month to shake up your routine?
Travel: Are you a Global Entry member, or would you like to be? Why or why not?
Business: How do you go about reaching your ideal audience, and expanding to find more?
Looking forward to chatting with you. Til next time…
I took my first boxing class on day one of Mexico City life. It was taught in Spanish, of course!
This is the man teaching us all about the agave plant – the same man who pressured us into drinking tequila in the AM! <3
We ate well while we were in town. This is just one night of gluttony.
PS – I wrote this on the airplane from Mexico to DC… how’s THAT for making the most of fly time? :)
PPS – I’m sunburned.
RSS is cool and all, but you can also view the original post here: Mexico City: Lessons on Life, Travel, and Business (lecciones para la vida, el viaje, y el negocio)