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Outside the Comfort Zone: In Hot Pursuit of the Vision!

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Change is growth.

Change is growth.

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This week I realized that it has been 8 months since we agreed to turn an unwanted opportunity into an adventure.  Today as I type this the last box has just been unpacked, the pictures are hung, and we’ve taken one quick spin around the compound on the Harley – celebrating that we are finally settled!

This weekend we shopped at one of the stores that we were in, on my first day here, causing me to reflect on that day:

  • Shortly after 3 AM the anticipated call to prayer blared from a speaker.
  • Once we were up we drove on roads that have lanes painted on them, however those lanes really don’t mean anything, as drivers simply drive wherever they want, whenever they want with no driving protocol or enforcement.  
  • As a woman – driving is not a wise option for me.  (It’s not a law, but you can get arrested if you do it!)
  • I was wearing my new black “cloak of invisibility.”  (In case you wondered, it is effective – as my husband quickly discovered how difficult it was to identify his wife when everyone is wearing a cloaking device!  Since that day we have wondered how small children learn to identify their mothers in a crowd and joked that perhaps I should add a huge Harley Davidson decal to the back of my “cloak” so he can spot me in a crowd!)
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Moving forward when you don’t know, what you don’t know…

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As my husband and I prepared for our international move we went to the bank and ordered the currency he would need when he arrived there.  The banker was a young man who had grown up as an expat child in this foreign land.  The currency arrived without incident and my husband had nothing to worry about.

Two and a half months later, as I prepared to leave the U.S. to join my husband. I went to a bank in a different city to order the same currency.  When the teller asked if I wanted small or large bills, I quickly said small.  (Using my U.S. filters and thinking about how hard it can be to use big bills in the U.S. or in Europe.)

The day I went in to pick up the currency.  Every teller knew immediately who I was.  (I thought that was odd.)  A few minutes later a teller emerged with four large wrapped packages.

iStock_000008219942XSmallAs she opened them she revealed 4 “bricks” of bills.  I was in shock! 

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Who sees further a dwarf or a giant…?

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“Who sees further a dwarf or a giant? Surely a giant for his eyes are situated at a higher level than those of the dwarf. But if the dwarf is placed on the shoulders of the giant who sees further?

This quote was the inspiration for a virtual community called Lead With Giants It is made up of people from all over the world that are passionate advocates of uplifting leadership.

Lead With Giants is one of five virtual leadership communities that I frequently connect with and learn from.  (This particular group is highly engaged, collaborative and as the quote indicates each member has had the benefit of being the dwarf and the giant.)  You are welcome to connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+!  

Each month leadership articles that have been written by Lead With Giants Members are compiled to create The Best of Lead With Giants.  

  • These articles are written to refresh you, to encourage you, to help you, and to challenge you.  
  • This month 17 articles are included.  

So grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and enjoy!

We hope to see you in one or more of our community hangouts soon!

~~~

If you are new to virtual communities check out this link to learn more about why I value them so much!   

 

 

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Is it all just a matter of perspective?

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“For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.”  C.S. Lewis

In less than 8 hours after I arrived in the country we will be living in for the next 3 years, my husband and I were taken to our new villa.

As we toured our new home, we were impressed with this modern, open, well-furnished space.

Towards the end of the tour we walked past the kitchen and the half-bath, past the laundry room and the storage closet to a small room in the back of the house that is just a bit bigger than the storage closet.

IMG_0357The room has a small tinted window in the room that lets some light in but it is so high you can’t see out of it.  There is a small air conditioner, and off to the left of the room is a small watertight door.  When you open the door it reveals a tiny bathroom with a fluorescent light, a sink, a toilet and a shower wand.  (No tub, no shower curtain, and no way to keep the water from flowing through the entire bathroom if you shower.)

Yes – This tiny, claustrophobic space is intended to be the maid’s room.