Bourdain in Georgia: Don't Forget about Hospitality

Anthony Bourdain is one of the most iconic chefs, turned television personalities, today. Millions of viewers tune into his weekly CNN show, Parts Unknown. For those that missed it, his last episode featured his travels to the Republic of Georgia.

I was very excited for this episode. I volunteered in Georgia for 2 years with the Peace Corps.

In this episode, Bourdain asked one his guests, American journalist and expat Paul Rimple,what others should know about Georgia. Rimple replied that "food and the church" are "untouchable" and must be respected.

Rimple is right. The church and food are among Georgia's most sacred traditions. Still, I believe that he has left out another important custom, a piece of their legacy that foreigners will love the most: Hospitality.

Georgians are arguably the most hospitable people in the world. If you don't believe me, just take a look at my video from 4 years ago, especially starting at the 3:24 mark when my host family and I sit down to a supra, or dinner feast.

Meeting my Georgian host brothers for the first time

Georgia is synonymous with hospitality. Bourdain's episode may have its flaws (see comments on Facebook for specific flaws), but I believe it does accurately reflect Georgia's warm hospitality towards others. In fact, Georgians take this tradition a step further by referring to guests as "a gift from God." This one fact alone has me itching to go back.

I hope others find this hospitality charming, and will decide to visit soon. You will not regret it, despite the few extra pounds that are likely to accumulate.

If you nave not seen the episode yet, you can view it for free at: http://allmyvideos.net/zsxo1tvwpqsw

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DC and the War of Words

Washington, D.C. is the city of movers and shakers. The British poet, Arthur O'Shaughnessy, coined the phrase in his 1874 poem, Ode. It's supposed to refer to the great accomplishments of business leaders.

D.C. is the city of politicians, bureaucrats, thinkers, lawyers, and lobbyists. This I know. Sure, there are some business leaders, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (my home of employment for the past 9 months) is the largest business federation in the world. Still, I prefer the former.

A palpable tension exists among the primary D.C. actors. Occasionally, they derive power from "words" which is most transparent in seminars when actors engage in the Q&A battle. Audience members pose questions intending to discredit panel guests. Affiliates of the panel will rely on their stature to criticize questions that they perceive as ignorant or unrefined. Worse off, criticism often leads to laughter and additional humiliation.

This is a problem, folks. How are we supposed to engage in constructive dialogue with partner nations when we can't even accomplish it in a neutral, domestic setting? Let's make an agreement that all future questions are posed and received in a polite and respectable manner. I resent this war of "words" and hope my fellow millennials do too.

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Escape that Lazy Thought

Don't get trapped under lazy thought. Strengthen your time management skills, and stop mistaking that e-mail account and smart phone for real work.

Media surrounds our daily lives, and it's all accessible with the push of a button. Resist the urge. Responding to dozens of e-mails throughout your day will feel productive. It will even reduce the burden of the typical 9 - 5 day. Yet, at the end of the day, what have you really accomplished?

Read Tim Ferriss's "The 4 Hour Workweek." You will learn that "being busy" is in fact another "form of laziness." Tim recommends the following, which I wholeheartedly support:

• Before you go to bed, write down one or two "real work" items that you would like to accomplish during the next working day. Examples include writing a blog, developing a project proposal, reading 100 pages of that book that's been sitting on your desk for the past 3 months.

• Actually accomplish those tasks. 

So, please give these recommendations a shot, and share some comments on your results!

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A Call to Millennials

Thousands of American millennials will graduate from college this month. I am one of them. Many of my peers have secured jobs for themselves. I have not. As millennials begin to explore new opportunities, some important lessons come to mind.

Follow your passion and capitalize on opportunities. Don’t give up on your passion for practicality’s sake. Starting this month, millennials will hit the job forums; and in the words of Willy Wonka, hope to find their golden ticket. Well look no further, that ticket is right in front of you. Graduation is not only a time for candid reflection, it is a time to keep your eyes and ears open for “opportunities.” This could be the opportunity to travel a bit; invest in your creative interests be it musical, written, or entrepreneurial; and most of all to learn. I don’t mean learn as you did in school. I mean actually learn something that will translate into you taking action.

Millennials should read Steven Pressfield’s War of Art. Pressfield aptly writes that we resist our true professional desires when faced with fear. This could be the fear of failure or “The fear of throwing away the education, the training, the preparation that those we love have sacrificed so much for, that we ourselves have worked our butts off for.” Don’t let this fear compromise your life. Take action now.

Become the best in the world. Why would you settle for anything else? Yes, it will be hard and yes you will become lazy along the way. In fact, I begin most days in a lethargic state. Regardless, you have the capabilities to succeed. Read The Dip by Seth Godin. It will teach you how to fight through pain and become an expert in your chosen field. It will also teach you when to quit projects that are unlikely to pay off. This will be one of the most important “little books” of your life. 

Exercise presence. How much of your life do you spend thinking? Harvard psychologists have found that on average we spend 46.9 percent of our waking hours thinking. I’m a sucker for thought and so are many of my friends. We are regularly unaware of our surroundings, and derive our emotions from thought.Eckhart Tolle teaches his readers how to access presence through his book, The Power of Now. Reading this book, and regularly executing its principles such as meditation, will make you a happier and healthier person.

So there it is my fellow millennials- a call to action. Together, let’s kill the monotony of finding jobs for the sake of so-called “security.” Let’s live the life that was intended for us all.

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