Choose Your Destination
I want to start by acknowledging that among other turbulent things in the world, the war in Ukraine is still happening. There are currently families in Ukraine without heat, food, and power.
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We often seek experiences or buy things that may not have a practical purpose, and seek company of certain people to ‘just be around them’. Why?
These people, things, and experiences make us feel something – something new, exciting, interesting, good.
Without necessarily leaving our physical location, we go on a journey with them.
We feel changed and challenged by experiencing them.
They bring us to a new ‘emotional destination’. For example:
- Your favorite song changes the way you feel, and it has nothing to do with the final note to which the song arrives – it’s the experience of listening to the whole song that matters.
- A stunning artwork gives you a new perspective; ‘being with the painting’ changes you, not a checkmark of having now been to gallery X to see a painting Y.
- A captivating fictional story makes you momentarily forget where you are, and it’s not about “the conclusion of the book”, but about experiencing the unfolding of the story.
- An unexpected heartfelt conversation with a stranger seated next to you on the airplane gives you courage, and it is not necessarily about what’s being said, but about the process of having the conversation.
These are journeys that lead us to new ‘emotional destinations’.
These heart destinations may not present a clear return on investment, like a “how to” manual does, or an Advil pill, or a pair of new running shoes.
The value of “emotional destinations’, journeys after which you feel moved and changed - seeing a play, spending time with a friend, watching fish swim in the river, or listening to the fire burning in a fireplace - need to be felt with your heart. As Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, “the most beautiful things in the world… are seen with the heart”.
My darkest emotional destinations are the start of the war against Ukraine, and losing some close old friends after our views and lives have grewn apart.
My brightest heart destinations are experiencing tremendous warmth from old and new friends; earning a PhD in Strategy; starting to read fiction again (Kazuo Ishiguro’s books are great); launching my brand-new website (please, check it out!); and of course, watching our kids grow – start college, win more national medals, and fall madly in love with playing drums.
I reconnected with New York City again, discovering the best hot chocolate in the city (Angelina’s at Bryant Park), visiting the magical sorting hat of Hogwarts, seeing the opera live for the first time in years, and visiting The Morgan Library (stunning!). Currently, the library holds the original manuscript and illustrations of The Little Prince. There, you can find parts of the story that didn’t make it to the final book, and a crumpled-up iconic illustration that almost didn’t make it to the book, since Saint-Exupery didn’t think it was good enough.
What were some of your personal ‘emotional destinations’ in 2022?
I wish you a Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a restful winter break!
May the coming 2023 bring you to many new safe, peaceful, and exciting ‘‘emotional journeys’ and ‘emotional destinations’!
With gratitude,
Alina
Alina Bas, PhD Researcher, Strategy Consultant
Develop sensible strategies for dealing with uncertainty.
http://AlinaBas.com
HOLIDAY OFFERS
"Reflection & Strategic Planning" session: 1.5 hour laser focused executive development session to reflect on what is happening and strategize for the upcoming year. Use code Jazz2023 for a special holiday rate and do a good deed: a portion of the proceeds goes to support music education at a local public middle school. Schedule at https://alinabas.com/schedule .
"Applied Intuition Consultation" session: a playful 30-45 minute intuitive reading session that allows us to tap into sensory-based information not available through more traditional channels. Use code Freedom20off for a special holiday rate. This session makes an unusual holiday gift for yourself or your friends. Schedule at https://alinabas.com/schedule . (Yes, even with a PhD from a business school, I say that intuiting is a useful sensory-based way of knowing. "Intuiting" is not fortune-telling or psychic seanses - no one can reliably tell the future. Intuiting is using your whole body, not just intellect, for sensing and sensemaking in order to understand something. It is akin to dwelling with the painting or a musical piece to "really get" their "message". Let's play with this and get some insights!)
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