Previously, I talked about going to Europe. Today I’d like to discuss my travel observation from down under. Hopefully, you will enjoy reading my international travel journal entries.
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More about Liam, the Australian school boy:
I mentioned that when my nephew and I went to Australia, he met a new friend Liam. Now I’m going to share with you something interesting about this school boy who is absolutely intelligent, fascinating and inspiring.
Liam’s greatest regret: When Liam was 8 years old, he went to Sydney to spend the summer holidays with his cousin. At that time, he was growing his own peanuts at home. But he forgot to tell his parents and his brother that they should look after those peanuts when he was away, so his peanuts died.
Hobbies growing up: Liam loves watching movies and reading short stories.
Favorite place as a child: Liam enjoyed living with his grandparents in Adelaide Hills – that place has the best air in the world.
Role model that he looks up to: Turia Pitt (bushfire survivor).
Favorite quote / catchphrase: “Have a go, ya mug.” (It is used to encourage someone to attempt something, usually if they are unsure.)
What would perfect happiness look like to Liam: Writing a historic fiction that becomes an international best-seller & getting approval from readers.
What Liam reads: Guitar Highway Rose and Wish You Were Here
Liam’s favorite songs: Que Sera (Australian version) – sung by Justice Crew & To the Moon and Back – sung by Savage Garden (Actually, previously Liam didn’t know Savage Garden, because Savage Garden was popular in the late 90s; however, his dad recommended this song to him and he really likes it)
Liam’s favorite musicians: Justice Crew & Delta Goodrem (Oh, she is attractive). Liam didn’t pay attention to Delta Goodrem until this year when someone told him that he looks like Delta Goodrem’s ex-boyfriend Brian McFadden & then Liam realized that Delta Goodrem is extremely beautiful. Now Delta has become his new crush. Meanwhile, Liam’s female friend Zoe has a crush on him, but Zoe doesn’t look like Delta Goodrem at all.
Liam’s official name is William, and his nickname is Liam.
Other facts about Liam: Liam is very interested in Japanese anime. His fascination with Japanese anime started when an international student from Japan lived in his house last year. Liam studies Japanese as a foreign language at school and is determined to learn it well.
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More international travel, more wonderful friends:
Whenever I’m travelling, I always do social dipping, i.e. breaking into new social groups. This habit has a lot of advantages:
Firstly, most people I meet are new people. Even if for one night-out I’m just tagging along to a dinner party or a barbecue, I’m exposed to a totally different social circle.
If I feel like meeting someone new quickly and having some very enjoyable conversations, this is a great way to make that happen instantly.
Secondly, I’m challenged in the right ways. As I see it, staying with the same social circle would keep me the same. In contrast, new social groups force me to confront various aspects of my character. I would get to practice introducing myself in 20 different manners and figuring out how to talk about my career without boring the new social group. Basically, this is a serious workout for my social muscles. ?
Thirdly, I learn about new things regularly. Because of my social dipping, I have a pop singer in my life. I know what an app developer really does. I understand that not all writers are poor. When I meet new people, I learn new stuff. I usually learn a lot more from one dinner party with an entirely new group than from another gathering with the same old friends.
Also, I can try different personalities on. Indeed, I feel comfortable having a different personality when I’m away from my usual environment. Sometimes I become more playful. Sometimes I’m more flirtatious. Sometimes I’m very assertive. Yes, a new social setting is an opportunity for me to showcase a different personality. I often do something unexpected and surprising in this way.
Oftentimes, I only say yes to fun activities and events that I’m actually interested in. I also say yes to parties where I can meet many new & interesting individuals.
If I have one conversation with a new person at a dinner party, I would feel energized and start to glide around other new people with ease, feeling relaxed and natural when I talk to new friends.
If I write 1,000 words, you would be in a flow state and can write my daily 10,000 words.
If I can work out in the gym for 5 minutes, I would be in the athlete’s state and can push for a 2-hour workout in the gym easily.
Most people would do avoidance activities to hide from the first 10% of the hard work that they have to do in order to get started and be in the state of flow. As a consequence, they keep watching videos on YouTube, eating ice cream and chatting with people on Skype.
In order to make progress in anything, we have to start. Progress is all we need.
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How I used affirmations to change my life during international travel:
Affirmations have changed my character into a happy, open expectation of positivity. It turns out that I oftentimes get what I expect.
Individuals in my life tend to respond positively to my positive personality with precious opportunities that I wouldn’t had in the past. So, affirmations attract positive things like a real magnet.
Apart from that, I also do visualization frequently. Whenever I learn a new skill such as public speaking, singing and dancing, I always practice it several times per day so I am able to do it with full confidence when I need to use this new skill in public.
As I see it, a positive headspace is from doing things I am truly passionate about. I set a goal and quit things that I don’t enjoy doing. That is a way to eliminate all distractions in life and at work.
Besides, I never tell anyone what my big goals are because I don’t want other people to tell me that my goals are literally impossible from their point of view. In my opinion, if I don’t tell people what I want to achieve, they cannot do anything to ruin my dreams. That’s exactly why I do not really live in the same town with my family – I’m always traveling internationally.
I am the owner of my life; I am the leader in my life. I don’t give anyone access to my dreams and goals. I am happy to let my family see my success after I’ve achieved real success.
“Travelling internationally has allowed me to cultivate different dimensions of my personality and become a better version of myself.”
