Weekly Digest: December 2, 2016

Weekly Digest

Bonjour from Burkina Faso, en route to Cote d’Ivoire! Here is your weekly dose of my best tips for how to travel the world while you grow your career and make a difference.

Travel the world

I believe we are rarely are bothered by what happens, but by how it differs from our expectations and desires (also a common Buddhist and Stoic principle). Use this principle and set expectations when you travel. Assume airlines will delay your flight out of spite, valuables will be forgotten somewhere silly, and you will diligently find a way to hurt yourself. When one of these inevitable inconveniences occur, it is all part of the grand adventure you signed up for. When nothing goes wrong, you will praise the stars for your lucky break. This guarantees your trip remains pleasantly at or above expectations.

Today’s tip was inspired by me sitting in the Ouagadougou airport for the 5th time in 3 days due to a series of comical errors and inefficiencies. Good times, Air Burkina 🙂

Grow your career

I’m currently reading Thomas Friedman’s new book, Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Acceleration. Friedman raises important ideas about the world we live in and helps prepare you for one the great transformative moments in history: the age of acceleration. As he describes, the accelerating speed of technological innovations and ideas are beginning to outpace the capacity of the average person, government, and societal structure to adapt and absorb them. This is causing major societal, geopolitical, environmental, and economic shifts, and it is important for anyone looking to thrive in today’s world to grasp.

Make a difference

Bob Goff’s Love Does is such a pleasant and beautiful read. Not only does he live a life worthy of being the most interesting man in the world, he does so with overflowing love, compassion, and service for others. One of my favorite quotes came from the book is “Quit waiting for a plan and just go love everybody.” There is also a great interview with him on Dale Partridge’s podcast here. Spend an hour with Bob’s book and it will be nearly impossible to not live a more loving and intentional life.

Fun updates:

• Featured post on Instagram  –  I am speaking at RiseUp in Cairo next week if you’re in the region!
• Featured article  –  This traveling illustrator designs amazing murals in every city she visits
• Quote of the week  –  “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain

Thanks for your attention and have an awesome weekend!

Konrad

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