>Print(‘Hello world’)

Like many of us, I hit the road last month for annual vacation, braving covid19 and looking for a green zone. My family and I picked a sunny and windy environment. One of the thing I love about holidays is that you have so much time  to play sports all day long, especially a new one. My typical schedule on vacation looked like this:

• 6 :30 am: Wake up and early session (HiiT, Tabata etc.)
• 8 am Breakfast and quality family time
• 12 :30 pm Lunch
• Water sports afternoon
• 5 pm Afternoon walk with family
• Evening activity (running, yoga, meditation, reading…)

“Time off” is also a great moment for learning. Free time, open mindset, relaxed. It’s the perfect time to try something new. This year I decided to get out of my comfort zone and learn kitesurfing. To be honest, for the last decade I have been watching this sport from the sidelines. But time, money and opportunity never showed up.  Typical story…got married, changed jobs, got kids, body recovering from a youth of contact sports, etc. One of my challenges was also to get my dear & beloved wife on board with this brilliant idea and that this year was the right timing for me to learn this new sport.  Here were my revelations.

“Be a learner”

This is maybe one of the things in life that matters the most to me. I also believe that it can make a difference in both your private & professional life. Humbly putting myself in the position of a learner, it helps me to open my mind to something new, helps me shape my thoughts, focus… In the learner frame of mind, this is the moment to ask questions, create a bond with people around you and make mistakes. A few tips that helps me reset to a learner’s attitude:

• Keep the pressure low and set realistic objectives by doing research before going (ask peers, ask google/blogs, specialists, etc.)
• Put yourself in the shoes of a 7 year-old waiting impatiently to learn writing & reading…
• Be enthusiastic and show motivation
• Open your mind and don’t judge: treat others with respect, participate to create a positive learning sphere.
• Don’t compare yourself to others either. Each learner has a unique pace of growth. Learning should not be a sprint but a lifelong exercise.
• Ask questions. Avoid assumptions.

“Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.” (-John C. Maxwell)

This point whacked me in the head…I mean, I was literally wacked in the head due to a gnarly leash accident on the water. The advantage of the leash to a kite board is that you do not have to look for your board constantly as you fall off it. On the other hand, once you get some speed thanks to the leash, your board can boomerang right to your face (search in google Kitesurf + Leash if you’re not convinced). Lucky me, just got a few broken bones, and a lesson learned: “don’t use the leash” and a follow up objective for next year: “be autonomous!”

• Ask for and embrace feedback, accept setbacks and failures. Learn from it, patch the mistakes create your road to success.
• Transformation does not happen in one day so break down your main objective into small steps and master them one-by-one.
• Persistence & consistency are key.

Network, meet new people

Learning from the coaches is one thing, another is to learn from teammates and be open to their realities. In one of my professional development seminars, author Michael Goldberg (Knock Out Networking) talked us through the exercise of networking as a professional. One of my key takeaways was teach – learn – teach. In other words, experience should be mutual. Having a common interest and learning from each other are key elements.

• Just because you are « on vacation », take this time to practice:
  • Networking
  • Empathy
  • Public speaking
• Stay open
• One again: learn – teach – learn because a relationship is a two-way street situation

Observe and stay curious!

Last point to close this small topic is make sure you constantly observe. Look at the situation before approaching it. Evaluate the situation, make sure you cleared out all assumptions. If there is something not understood ask for it. Most people are just happy to help. The point of being curious while observing is to repeatedly compel the action of asking.

• Bring up your growth mindset
• Put your adventurer glasses on
• Dare to ask

Give these approaches a shot next time you hit the road for a vacation.  And `remember, observe the kite board before it boomerangs!