Planned Serendipity
We know, what an oxymoron right? Planned meaning to “decide on and arrange in advance” and Serendipity meaning “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way”. So, how do we build on these seemingly opposite ideas?
Well, the simple answer is that by making plans, we free up brain power and attention to take advantage of serendipitous opportunities. Picture a day where you take the time to make a checklist for yourself and block out time in your calendar for what you're going to spend your time on that day. Now imagine another scenario where you wake up and just let the day flow without a schedule. Now, consider this: Life throws you all kinds of opportunities (and curve balls) each day - Which version of yourself do you think responds to that best? It is BECAUSE we plan that we at SaND can take advantage of serendipitous opportunities. We have a process and structure, THEREFORE we are able to more fully engage/appreciate/enjoy the unplanned.
Engaged Presence through Curiosity.
To break-down this phrase, think of it this way: “Engaged presence”, is about the structure of communication, and “through curiosity” refers to our approach to it. Here, it is all about communication and the “how.” Engaged means to ”participate or become involved in” while being present means being “fully focused on or involved in what one is doing or experiencing.” So when both of these words mean to be “involved”, why was it important to us to include both? We’re glad you ask. It’s because each defines a particular side of “involvement” or communication that both are essential to building a meaningful relationship.
When we talk about engaging, we mean in the way that you actively engage through SaND, and each person as you become part of our community. Actively contributing is an important part for building and strengthening relationships because it allows us to get to know each other. Just as important, is how we put presence into practice. While engagement is your contribution, presence is about being receptive and focused on others’ contributions. Active listening and undivided attention is the other half of what it takes to build strong connections. We each need to be able to do both in order to build connections that are not one-sided.
Now, let’s tackle curiosity. This is a beautiful word because it is so unassuming in nature but it is POWERFUL. Curiosity simply means “a strong desire to know or learn something.” By approaching conversations with this genuine desire in mind, we begin to ask quality questions. We are no longer looking through a lense of passive observers but actively seeking better understanding. Now, when you apply that approach to engaging, and being present when building relationships, think of the impact that can have. Imagine having a sincere desire to learn from one another, and share without expectations or personal motives. THAT is our aim.
Relationships and Community
Our focus is connecting people to each other. A relationship is "how two things, ideas, or people are connected." Similarly, a community is a collection of relationships and is defined as "a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals." As we talk about the SaND community, we are talking about the BIG circle, earth. Our greatest vision refers to our global community and the idea that we can live in fellowship with each-other on a local to international scale.
With that said, there exists fluidity in that we each belong to many communities that overlap and change throughout life. Even within SaND, there are the storytellers, travelers, and partners that span platforms, in-person and online. Our goal is to be intentional about uncovering common ground and then exploring differences across a variety of cultural communities by taking our time with meaningful relationships. These connections are what build bridges that cross divides starting from a single relationship and then building into larger communities. We create a web that is only strengthened each time a new, meaningful, and intentional relationship is formed.
Each individual brings a perspective, gifts, and values that strengthen the whole. We are better because of what we gain from each other. Some storytellers are especially engaging. Some of us bring an awareness of history. Others have talents and experiences that bring new dynamics to the community as a whole. Each person makes the community stronger and the individual valued.
Seeking Intentionality in Actions and Reflections
For starters, don't look up the word intentionality. It's not a word, but "intentional" is, and we were being "intentional" in our choice to use intentionality because intentional-ness didn't sound as great. Jokes aside, intentionality is about consistently working on being purposeful and meaningful in all that we do. Intention means to have a "purpose or objective" and at SaND Travel, we want our actions and our reflection to have purpose. That is something we will seek in each trip whether it be focused on Ecology, Team-Building, or Cultural History, and always, building strong relationships.
To better explain, let's consider these two scenarios. Scenario 1, SaND Travel takes you to a market and you are told to go pick out a delicious meal. Afterwards we go on to the next activity and on the bus ride, we talk about how great the food was. Now, imagine scenario 2 with the same story except instead of a random market, SaND Travel took you to a particular producer that serves you a delicious meal and as you eat, they tell you about where your food came from, how it was produced, and how it made it to your plate. As you eat, you think about the freshness of each bite and the amount of work that went into it. In a month when you make it home, which scenario will impact you more?
Notice, the impact came from the harmony of both the action and the reflection. The action was intentional in that it was not a random meal, the reflection was in the storytelling that allowed you to appreciate each and every bite which made the meal more memorable.
Of course SaND does not expect that all action must seek intention or be reflected on however, we recognize that seeking intention in actions and taking time to reflect has enormous power to impact each of us more profoundly and in a lasting way.
Throughout our preparation, travels and follow ups together, we will be making choices between various actions, just as we do within our lives. We will focus together on making those choices, the actions we take in life, have more impact - leading to fuller lives for ourselves and those with whom we interact.
Being intentional in our choices is powerful. Let’s look at why by examining life as many of us know it, for at least a great part of our experience. Think of one aspect of your life that may be fairly large, and is important to you - like your religion, your career, one of your favorite hobbies or the language you speak. Pick one. How did you choose to make that aspect of your life yours? Were you intentional? Or did it happen because of circumstances? Because of family, school values, friendships. There is no judgement on the result, only on the process here.
Being intentional means examining the reasons for choices. Maybe even examining the options. Being reflective gives us the ability to look back with a series of questions and an open mind to see the consequences of our choice. Did we even see other choices could be made? What are the effects of taking a different route in religion, career, hobby or language? Being intentional may or may not change anything about our choices. However, it WILL change our sense of value and our ability to explain options and our ‘why’ to ourselves and others. And it MAY open us up to deeper meaning and wider options in life!
Openness to Change and Be Changed
To have an open mind means to be willing to consider, entertain, and even implement new and diverse concepts without prejudice. It means being receptive to a wide variety of viewpoints, information and ideas especially when they do not match your own. Being open-minded doesn’t imply being indecisive, or incapable of thinking for one’s self. What it DOES mean, is an effort to truly make a choice, aware of bias on the topic, you take into consideration various alternatives and arguments.
When considering the meaning of the word “change” as a verb, there are two definitions. The first is to “make or become different” and the second is “take or use another instead of.” Change by our first definition implies an evolution or transformation of something that is already there. By our definition, it means an exchange or substitution for what was there. It can be easy to assume this means that what we currently are, isn’t good enough. We want to challenge that. Consider that we are not implying that what you are now, is in need of change. Rather, a willingness to recognize that there are possibilities for improvement by simply considering perspectives and ideas that we hadn’t previously, may lead to change and may not.
The impact that SaND Travel can have on your life is limitless and the extent of that is in your hands. Being open is a choice and a mindset. Coming to us with an open mind and heart to the possibilities of new perspective, new ideas, and new experiences is imperative to your ability to get the most out of what SaND Travel offers. And guess what, it doesn’t stop there. At SaND Travel, we know that this is a two way relationship. Just as you open yourself to possibilities, we are continually evaluating and reevaluating ideas thanks to people like you who impact us.
Nurturing the Courage to Be
To "be" is to exist, but the word "be" also expressed so many possibilities. Consider being yourself, being adventurous, being different, being a leader, being a follower. The list goes on. We as humans beings do not just exist, we exist in a world where the way we express ourselves has endless possibilities.
Here, we also talk about courage. When we talk about courage, we want to make an important distinction. At SaND Travel, we recognize that it takes courage to explore all of the ways we as humans can "be" especially when we consider the ways our roles change depending on time, place, and needs. However, courage does not mean the absence of fear. Courage is acknowledging fear, carefully considering risk, and making choices accordingly in spite of fear when it is important and makes sense.
While we hope each of you will practice being courageous, we also challenge you to nurture each-other in the same way. Celebrate those who go out of their comfort zone. Help those who are working through fear or challenges. Nurture growth in each-other.
