So it’s been a while. Quite a while. I’ve been busy, then in the wrong frame of mind, then busy, then in the wrong frame of mind, then busy, and now I’m ready to write. So much has been happening; from New Years to gigs, my bestfriend’s birthday to a leadership camp, Big Day Out and a super fun awesome party night. I would blog about the whole lot, but it would end up taking fifteen billion years and there’s no way I could do the scale of awesomeness any justice in writing. Instead, I’m going to write about the amazing time I had at camp and the things I learnt.
It all began when my mum’s friend Elizabeth rang me and asked if I’d be interested in going on a Rotary camp. My thoughts? Sounds like a great opportunity, sounds like it would be a good thing to put on my resume, sounds like I won’t know anyone and it’ll be complete torture. Thanks but no thanks Mrs French.
Mum says “well fine then, don’t do it!” in that tone she uses when she’s disappointed or frustrated with me. It’s reverse psychology and it works every time.
So I end up going to this camp (RYLA), not sure of what’s in store, but expecting to be bored through most of it, and expecting to miss home and my friends and my job and my life. Though I had these expectations, I decided to “fake it till I make it” with a positive attitude.
Before I left, I hated the idea of it and was completely freaked out. Upon my return, I hated the idea of leaving and missed everyone immediately.
This series of seminars and activities [there was sooo much space for activities!], was the highlight of my life. From leadership qualities, to financial management, public speaking and dealing with the media, to goal setting, getting a job, mental & physical health, etiquette and team building; it seemed as though every topic imaginable was covered. Not just covered, but done extremely well.
Never before had I been to something where I enjoyed every single moment. Especially something I didn’t want to be at in the first place!
What did I learn? A hellovalot! The things that are standing out to me right at this moment are the following;
I’m a green disc kinda girl. Imagine you have a collection of cd’s; one for every day of your life. Every morning you wake up and have to select a cd to play. There are red discs, representing the really bad days, orange discs for the average days and green discs for the amazing days.
By choosing a colour, you’re choosing your attitude, which will determine how your day pans out.
Not taking every single opportunity presented to you is silly. Who knows when you’re going to be in a car accident or be abducted by aliens? It’s so important to follow that cliche of “living life to the fullest”. Live like it’s your last day. Be a Yes Man. Do everything you’re capable of. Try everything you don’t think you’re capable of. Failure is way more fun than regret.
Waiting for your turn to talk is not listening. How often do you have a conversation with someone, think of something to say and then wait for them to stop talking so you can say it? A fair bit, right? How often does it become irrelevant after a couple of minutes and how often could it have gone without saying? Pretty much all the time, right? Not only is focussing on what the other person is saying good manners, but they notice, and it makes them feel good - even if it’s only subconsciously. It makes them feel more comfortable, and often it makes them open up to you a lot more.
The platinum rule; it’s not “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, but “do unto others as they would like to be done unto.” Be selfless. Love unconditionally. Accept people for what they are and treat them how they would enjoy being treated. How you treat others says everything about your character and nothing about theirs.
Everyone’s story is unique and that’s what makes it amazing. If everyone was the same, it’d be boring. Everyone has their own battles and their own triumphs, and while society may say some are better or worse than others, noone really has the right to make that judgement. It’s important that we’re conscious of how people feel about the stories they share, rather than comparing their stories to something that has happened to you or a friend. I mean, I know an African guy who joined the army at age 13, has a prosthetic arm and is one of the happiest people I know. He also managed to rockclimb and abseil; that’s dedication, right? I bet you have a story that can beat it, but honestly, who cares?
“That’s what she said” calls can be applied to any situation. Feel free to use them. Actually, I fully encourage you to say ‘that’s what she said’ as often as possible. It doesn’t get old. And it makes me smile every single time.
You can fall in love in just seven days. I fell in love with 57 people while I was away. We spent around 160hrs together which is pretty much the equivalent of a six month friendship. It’s quite amazing how intense friendships can be after only a week. But when you look at it in terms of hours, as well as the things we were learning [especially the team work things and the mental health stuff], it would’ve been ridiculous if we didn’t bond so quickly. The support we all showed towards one another was absolutely incredible and completely unexplainable.
So What did I achieve? A hellovalot!
I conquered my fear of public speaking [to the point where I was doing wayy too much of it].
I’m no longer self conscious [there are more important things to worry about].
I realised that I’m actually pretty good at sport [and the only reason I didn’t realise it before is because I was always too scared to try. I abseiled, rock climbed, played soccer, oztag, basketball, volleyball, tennis, etc, and enjoyed every second].
I met some of the most amazing people I’ve ever known [who will more than likely stay friends for life].
I experienced the fun that is polygamy [I had about six husbands going for the week].
It was reinforced that music is about the only thing that can shut me up [and is also the only thing that can make me completely relaxed].
And I reignited my zest for life. I was reminded that with everything, I need to feel the fear and do it anyway. I absolutely need to take every opportunity within my reach and I need to follow through with everything. I need to listen more, think more, talk less shit and be a better person in this world. I’m starting with the man in the mirror.
