People sometimes forget that there is a very different picture in front of and behind the camera. There is nothing wrong with being/thinking/feeling different in different situations, but underneath all that it’s important to know who we really are. And also to have the ability to realise that what we see in a world that’s overflowing with social media and happy/impressive images is not the only picture. Especially when it comes to the travel highlight reel.
I don’t know about you, but some of the best times of my life I’ve had whilst travelling and living in a new country. But I’ve also had some very challenging times whilst travelling, both financially and emotionally. So how do you find a way of staying grounded in the blur of all the highlight reels?
- Be really clear on your own values. If you’re not 100% sure what they are – check out my previous post on values.
- Find inspiration instead of faults. A natural instinct for some is to get annoyed with other people’s highlights. What if we chose to see it as inspiration instead? Just because we accept it and choose to get inspired, still does not mean it’s the whole picture.
- Do a little self check – how honest is your own social media feed/travel update? Be aware of what you share yourself and if this is what you would truly like to share.
- Work with the contrasts and use them as reminders. What was the top 3 and the 3 worst things that happened on your last trip? What did you learn/appreciate from each of them?
- If you could choose your absolute highlight trip, where would it go? Is it maybe time to start planning that dream trip sometime soon? Remember that sometimes the best learnings come as a story that we can share with others and learn from later on!
I personally have made it my mission for the next year that my ‘in front of the camera’ and ‘behind the camera’ snaps are as similar as possible. It’s definitely a work in progress and of course I tend to favour the more positive memories as I share them with others. But somehow it’s also the worst memories in the moment who become the best stories later on. Like my Greyhound bus getting stranded in a scary little US town or me absolutely loosing my cool with a temporary travel buddy a few years ago. But I’ll save those stories for another blog post. 🙂 How about you – do you share your highlight reel? Is it the only thing that you share?