Tag: Americans abroad

The flow knows where to go

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This week and weekend I experienced the feeling of flow so many times that I felt as if I needed to pinch myself. But when you experience flow.. you go with it. C’mon we learned that when we were like ten.  While I was teaching on Monday, a few of my students seemed to be showing tremendous progress from where they started. I felt excited for them and so proud. Hearing and watching someone transform their language, communication skills and confidence is incredibly rewarding. Not only did I feel fulfilled in my teaching job but I had an awesome week with my coaching business as well. I started a new fitness challenge and have another engaged and fun group of women who are making positive, sustainable changes to their health and nutrition. Guiding people through the process of change and believing in the power of their body and especially their mind is so satisfying. I also experimented with going live and sharing some of my thoughts to inspire those who follow along with my journey. It is incredible what a difference it can make for people to hear your voice and feel connected. I am excited to have yet another medium in which I can express myself and impact the lives of others.

Balance is a continual struggle for me and I think it is the true elusive desire of most people. This week the weather has been getting very warm in Australia, which is the complete opposite of the other side of the world. Not only does this make the balancing act of work an play more difficult but this serves as my humbling reminder that we are not all there is. There is  a whole other hemispheres, planets, galaxies and who knows what out there and we are just a mere blip in the radar. But in our day to day life we often get trapped into narrow minded thinking. We get sucked into feeling like our problems are certainly the end of the world and our successes are something that must be celebrated by everyone who knows us.

But here is the thing, although we think we matter a lot, in the scheme of things we matter very little. Some people use this as an excuse to live on a small scale. I view it as the opposite. I use this fact to propel me forward into my future with as much passion, action, adventure and chutzpah as humanly possible. In the end, the only one who knows if you lived the life you are capable of is you.

 You answer to yourself.Personally, I am a very harsh critic. I will be massively successful in all areas of my life.  I refuse not to be. Being mediocre is the most terrifying fate in my book. Sometimes I let this drive me to be a workaholic but thank god I have learned to channel both my workaholic and my free spirit simultaneously. It’s not easy to do this. I continue to struggle with balancing work and play.

But I try to break my life into 1 hour increments. What can I do for the next hour that will be the most beneficial for me? Now, beneficial sometimes means for my business, my mental health, my relationship, my blog, my sanity, my teaching job. If I don’t have an hour-I break it down into half hour segments. It is amazing what you can do when you utilize the time in your day the way YOU want to.

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Always American

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After living abroad in two different countries over the past couple of years and visiting numerous others I have gained a whole new insight about what it means to be an American. Usually I am long winded but today I want to keep it short and sweet. Today is a day in history that makes people around the world nostalgic and cognizant of a horrible tragedy that shook up America and the world as we knew it. Looking at the date, September 11th, always gives me a funny feeling in my stomach and brings thoughts of America, New York, my family and the incredible strength and resilience of the place I am proud to call home. Being an American abroad is an interesting hat to wear. I am greatly outnumbered and in the past two years I have spent on the road, I can count on two hands how many Americans I have met. I try to explain to my new friends from England, Australia, Canada, and basically all over Europe that traveling simply isn’t valued the same way in America. We don’t have “gap years”. I didn’t even know what a gap year was until I moved to South East Asia. Some of my American friends will read this and still not know. I am not saying that one way is right or wrong, but it simply is the way it is. Traveling for the vast majority of Americans is for 2-6 weeks of vacation, not a renowned lifestyle.

I have found that as an expat American I spend a lot of time answering questions, proving stereotypes wrong and explaining things that “we’ve only seen in the films.” I love being American and I love my country. Like any country we have many faults and we are held to an impossible standard due to the international spotlight we have held for decades but overall our ideals prevail and freedom remains paramount. I do everything in my power to enlighten everyone I encounter on how many beautiful people there are in America and represent the well educated, well cultured, middle class, open minded population who often get overlooked.  We are so much more than the Kardashians.

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I will save my criticisms for another day because today I simply want to honor the men and women who lost their lives and the millions of people left behind to pick up the pieces. It doesn’t matter where you come from if you were alive on September 11, 2001; you know where you were, how you found out and what you felt about it. Whenever the topic has been brought up with a group of friends from other countries, I can feel their genuine sympathy and empathy as human beings and members of our generation. Today I pause to be grateful for my life, my freedom, my country and my ability to create a life I love. I pause to remember all of the pain that this day brings for so many. We will truly never forget. Despite all of the superficial ways that America is portrayed in films, reality television and on the internet, I can genuinely say that September 11th is a day that represents the heart of America, the strength of it’s people and the ability to rise from the ashes.

I refuse to let the hate and tragedy of that day outshine the light. The stories of the heroes who sacrificed everything, including their own lives, those are the stories that need to be told. The countless fathers who never made it home to their kids. The police officers, firefighters, military personnel, and ordinary Joes who gave their lives to save others, they deserve the spotlight. September 11th 2001 was the first day I saw my parents as vulnerable human beings. The first day I saw my dad cry and the first time I realized that some pain is simply too great to put into words. In my humble attempt, I hope I remind my fellow Americans how truly strong and beautiful our country is, especially our people. I hope for my international friends, you get an authentic representation of how today feels from the inside. For anyone who lost someone 14 years ago today, my heart goes out to you. I know the pain never fades but hopefully the fact that millions are here to feel that pain with you lightens the weight of the burden. We simply can’t survive events like this without sticking together and searching for the hope under the rubble. Today and ALWAYS, I am proud to be an American.

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