Want to join me for an Indelible Adventure somewhere in the world - let me be your tour guide. Summer is just around the corner and so a perfect time to get away.
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I've always thought of myself as a guy who
“goes with the flow” and can pretty much figure a way through almost anything
in life. However, the term itself seems
so passive in nature that I think it’s a disservice to categorize ones ability
to adapt as merely that. Actually as I
reflect on my life so far, I have to say that my life has been centered around
a constantly changing and evolving landscape from day one.
Clearly there's a distinct difference
between adaptation and resiliency, in my mind anyone can adapt to any situation given enough time whereas I think being resilient is all about taking
advantage of the situation and making it your springboard to
whatever’s next. The ability to bounce back and not be defeated by the moment.
Where and when do you learn resiliency? Is it something inherent in your DNA or is it
something forged in a lifetime of experience?
It’s the age old question isn't it – environment or evolution?
I think self-awareness is a critical
component of this, whether it relates to your surroundings, your personal
abilities, your resourcefulness in any situation and then couple this with your
ability to think beyond the moment you’re currently immersed in. I guess I've always had the ability to think
in the third person (crazy huh?), but actually it’s been a pretty useful tool
and tactic over the course of my life. If
there was one thing that I'd love to pass onto Zach and Sami it would be this
single trait.
Since I started my business in September I've had to really slow down and accept a different set of expectations from
what I had originally envisioned, mostly around the speed of meeting my
personal milestones and goals. For an “A type”
personality this has been the most challenging aspect of going it alone… That being said, the ability to step back
emotionally and see things for what they are and indeed where you are at any
given time has been a huge benefit.
I have to say starting my own business has
been a humbling experience to say the least, as you can imagine I have pretty
grandiose plans for Indelible Adventures Inc, and it’s not to say I still don't have those same expectations but I think
my experiences over the last five months have tempered my approach and
by taking a slightly more pragmatic approach to the hurdles that inevitably
arise it has been extremely useful and a whole lot less stressful. You know us "A" types...we wanted it all to happen yesterday!
The other big thing I've found is that those
who you thought you could depend on for encouragement and support haven't always been there when needed most. It’s
a fact of life I suppose, and I'm sure we can explain away each and every
situation and the extenuating circumstances but a tad disappointing nonetheless. What’s been more surprising are the people who actually have been
there to help me, unafraid to wade into the messiness of a startup to provide support,
encouragement and motivation to keep going. Seems as though I’ve been living in a veritable test lab of human behavior.
Over the past week I've had to totally
rethink my travel concierge services offerings. Dealing with
a regulatory body that is extremely stringent and inflexible has been a challenging to say the least. I found out that I can
satisfy 95% of the guidelines for registration except for the last two points.
As part of the registration
process I needed a letter from the municipality giving me approval to operate a
business from my home residence. This
was a complete no-go as I'm zoned residential and not commercial – which I
already knew. Although I assumed that in
some cases there could be some flexibility…nope! It’s a one-size fits law
with no room for any form of interpretation.
Now apparently this applies to all web based
businesses….who knew??? Its just not visible as the vast majority of businesses who run without having to meet any regulatory rules and therefore fly under the radar. Irrespective that the technology (web server) is located in Phoenix, AZ and I would only do business via
phone or over the Internet and not actually have any clients come to my
house to transact business. I suppose
encouraging any form of entrepreneurship is foreign to local government.
Okay, I'll pull in my claws…but
seriously!
The other final kicker was that the
regulatory body also wanted me now go and work for a travel agent for a minimum
of a year, before they would entertain me applying for registration. I didn't have enough experience in their eyes
and therefore had to now work for an agency where I could be monitored and supervised.
I guess I felt rather frustrated given that
I had studied for the 3 hour exam and passed my certification both
at the agent and manager/supervisor levels.
And let’s be honest who would you rather have creating, booking and
taking you on a personal tour than someone who's actually been there, explored
the locations, stayed at the hotels and knows the "off the beaten track" places to
go so that you connect with the local culture. A travel agent of course who's never been out of their office!
Down but not out (this is where the
resilience comes in J) re-reading the 250 page act and regulations
governing licensing I realized that I can still be a personal tour guide, as
long as that is all I do. I’m not able
to sell any other aspect of the travel experience – airline travel (wasn't planning on this anyway), hotels (I guess now I can strongly recommend hotels
but can't book them and pay for them in advance, nor any other part of the travel), but I can be remunerated for my
tour guide skills.
As you can tell by now I've been thinking about this topic all week… I hope you don't think its a rant, but more of an impassioned example of my resilience and how I've adapted and changed track but still with the goal in mind of providing "Indelible Adventures" to others.
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This weeks photo expose is from my photoshoot last saturday down along Harbourfront here in Toronto. I hope you enjoy them!
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Snow gathering on a car window |
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New condos down by the lake just in time for the Pan Am games in July |
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The old hunk that was Captain John's Seafood - now disused on the harbour |
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Afternoon ice is a little softer |
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The sculpture down on Harbourfront |
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Toronto skyline looking up Yonge street from the Harbour |
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Contrast of colors |
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Ice on the footpath |
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Afternoon sun on the harbour ice |
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Swirling patterns and sun reflected in the ice |
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Graffiti on the moorings |
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A "Laker" in port |
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Life for a seagull on the ice shelf |
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Crazy patterns formed on the stalactites of ice |
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Snow on the thrushes |
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Skate time down at Harbourfront |
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Feeding the ducks in the winter |
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Art comes in many forms at Harbourfront |
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Salt |
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Harbourfront Center (note the reflections in the windows) |
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Loved the angle of the chimney |
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Gorgeous fire red flowers |
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Snow on the ropes |
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Contrast of colors - winter leaves |
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Icicles |
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All about the curve... |
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Red dogs at the marina |
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Frozen in for the duration |
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Fine Foods neon light |
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Photoshoot with TW |
Do you mind if I quote a few of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website?
ReplyDeleteMy blog is in the very same area of interest as yours and my visitors
would definitely benefit from a lot of the information you provide here.
Please let me know if this alright with you.
Appreciate it!
Feel free to surf to my web site; further basil
Hi there
ReplyDeleteSure as long as you provide me with credit and link anyone interested to my blog.
Good luck!
TW