10 things I learned about my career from 10 weeks of travel

Priyesh Mistry
Aug 23, 2017 · 4 min read
A few of the ticket stubs from our travels

Following a 3 year stint in Australia, my wife and I decided to pack up our worldly possessions and put them on a ship bound for London, UK. We moved for family reasons, and left behind 2 great jobs, friends and some wonderful experiences. The 3 years gave me the opportunity to become a manager, learn a new industry, get promoted, attend amazing industry events, hire an entire team, all while learning the realities of working in a foreign country on a working visa. The new move to UK opened up the opportunity to travel, when else would we both be off work for an unspecified amount of time, or in other words be unemployed, homeless and completely nimble. Excitedly, we packed our backpacks and embarked on a 10 week adventure through South East Asia, China and India. Turns out that between the 8 countries, 36 cities, 33 hotels, 19 flights, 2 medical emergencies and a daylight robbery, I found time to reflect on things I’ve learned throughout my career.

  1. There will always be someone with more and less than you. Appreciate what you have but also strive for more. “More” does not only mean more pay or a better title. It can mean depth, knowledge, variety, etc. Make you a better you.
  2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. During your career you will encounter like minded amazing, energetic, enthusiastic people, however no matter how great a person you think you are, you will also work with the unmotivated, unsavoury, difficult people, keen to make every moment a challenge. Learn their motivations and use this knowledge to your advantage. E.g. our hopelessly disengaged tour guide in Siem Reap; we made it more interesting for him by asking some really weird questions to keep him entertained. Engage your challenger in a different way; make an ally out of them.
  3. Everything is relative. Age, energy, workload, money. It is easy to get locked into a myopic mindset if you have been living and breathing a task or project. My waking moment was when we were out-kayaked by two 70 year old retirees in Halong Bay, Vietnam. Stepping back can add the perspective you need to move forward (or in my case give you a competitive burst of energy you didn’t know you had).
  4. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. The cheeky farmer who asked for a 200,000 Dong tip instead of the 20,000 Dong I offered for taking a picture of his water buffalo in Vietnam. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
  5. Efficiency vs. Flexibility. Finding the right balance between Efficiency and Flexibility keeps you nimble, creative and your team engaged. We had to draw the line on preparing itineraries for 36 cities in order to maximize our time at our destination vs. losing half a day planning in a hotel lobby but being completely flexible at our destination. Find the right balance in what you do.
  6. Pace yourself. You can get more done in less time and in a better way if you pace yourself. Working late, rushing and not taking the time to think things through can lead to less than desirable outcomes. Speed does not always equal results.
  7. Hustle. Hustle hard, set yourself apart from your peers, be energetic about what you do. We were really impressed by the entrepreneurial guide book author/seller who conveniently approached us at the ancient ruins in Hampi, India. There is no substitute for hard work, especially if you put some smarts behind it.
  8. Attitude is the lubricant to a successful career. Qualifications and experience will only get you so far. Our tour guide Frank in China demonstrated that he had the qualities of a saint as he disengaged a rather obnoxious traveller in our group. It was poetic to watch. Be sincere and positive in everything you do.
  9. Timing is everything. Deliver as promised. Prompted by the thief who mugged me, good timing, if he was 5 seconds slower, he’d be the one filing a police report, not me, kudos to him. Seize the opportunity.
  10. Sometimes the best solution is to do nothing. With all the complexity and moving variables in the business world, occasionally it is good to just sit back and wait for the situation to unfold, you might be pleasantly surprised. We saw the most glorious sunrise in Agra, India because our 12 hour overnight train was delayed by 4 hours. Take a breath and sleep on it.

So, take a step back and think about some of the recent situations you’ve been in and how you could have dealt with them differently, chances are there are a few things you could tweak to make things even better.

Good Luck!

Priyesh Mistry

Turning Point

Navigating careers (and lives!) creatively.

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