Going abroad

Joan and I just returned from 18 fascinating days in Europe visiting four countries and thoroughly enjoying the company of countless numbers of people so I wanted to post this brief note to once again encourage younger and older people to study, work or visit abroad.

Learning to navigate on your own but seeking help when needed from very kind people you find everywhere is only one of the many benefits from such sojourns. Trying to or actually speaking others’ native languages, enjoying food other than what you regularly eat, forgetting about the exchange rate, washing clothes often and, perhaps most importantly, understanding how and why people live differently than we do are but a few of the numerous joys of being abroad.

Recently, I have published articles about execution—how some businesses are much more successful in implementing their business plans than others—so I was fascinated by what I learned from the Germans and the Swiss to mention only a couple of examples. I plan to write more on this topic in the days ahead.

A final word: if you have some money you can share, please consider donating to the school of your choice to enhance opportunities for their students to study and travel abroad. It is an investment with innumerable returns!