2Week #4 Spencer's Review

Sorry to totally mess up the order of things in the blog. This review is, sadly, a few days late. I was hiking/getting lost (really) in the rain forests and jungles of Thailand without internet access. I have only just returned to my home in Taipei and am able to write this review.

I have noticed in myself an either anti-social wariness to meeting new people or a feeling of almost complete confidence. It is rarely between those ends of the spectrum that I find myself. However, through this 2week I tried to battle my inner hermit (when he reared his ugly head) and force myself to meet new people even when I was feeling like being by myself. I met so many more people this way and conquered some of my inner social demons.

I thought of keeping track of the people I met- but rather I decided to remember their stories. I've found a passion of mine is listening to what other people do for a living. I like to know how people make their way, earn their keep, and contribute to society. For some this meant hauling oil in northern Canada, for others it was sailing across the Pacific in a sailboat holding down the nightwatch. I met one guy who was an airline steward and I listened to a locksmith tell his tales. A hostel owner, an electrician, an airplane mechanic, a SCUBA diving instructor, a carpenter, an editor for museum exhibitions- each one I met and listened attentively to their stories. In turn I met these people and saw a reflection of myself. What is it that I'm going to contribute to the world? What will my profession and title be, and thus a part of my identity? Each story I heard I found myself trying their role out in my mind, to see if it fits me. As I have yet to hold a 40 hour a week job so I find he very idea of one fascinating. To put so much time into something, to get paid and eat because of it. If nothing else I learned how important it is to love what you do. And when I get to that point I'll try my hardest to make sure I do something I'm passionate about. Otherwise, I'm just wasting my life. You hear this axiom many times but finally I saw just how true it is, and how applicable it is to my future career.

2Week or Too Weak?
2Week complete!

2Week #5 February 22nd - March 6th: Exercise!

For this next 2Week, we will be focusing on personal health and fitness. Regular exercise can help you both mentally and physically in numerous ways. Just look at some of the reasons listed on our favorite women's health website

With all of this in mind, the next 2Week is to exercise everyday. Although a single workout will suffice, think of some ways to keep yourself more active throughout the day too. Try riding your bike to work and taking the stairs.

We recommend to try and make this as fun as possible, doing something you enjoy instead of something monotonous and undesirable. Think of how you feel after you exercise, and its effect on your mood and health.

Making a plan is suggested, scheduling your exercise can help you make sure that you go through with it.

Good luck, and happy huffing!

2Week #4 Tom's Review

When traveling, conversations can come pretty naturally. I had some interesting conversations with people, and connected on more ways than I thought I would through this 2Week. These 2 weeks, I definitely jumped on more opportunities to meet people that I normally do, and moreover, I was much more receptive when people began chatting with me. I enjoyed speaking openly with strangers, and found that if I didn't attempt to put up any sort of front or censor my emotions, than we often connected deeper. That all being said, "walking the talk" can be harder than it seems - especially after exhausting and grumpy days of traveling.

Going into this, I think that I needed a bit more strategy, or something to remind me to jump on conversations more readily. There were days that went by that I certainly did not have a meaningful conversation with anyone new. If I had put in more effort and broke a few more social norms, it would have been very possible. Groups are often actually very easy to approach, and receptive to newcomers, and the times that I didn't speak to anyone was because I was not in the right place mentally.

This activity takes some effort and guts, but overall, this is a great and recommendable 2Week. I suggest a commitment to yourself before you undertake this 2Week because it is less tangible and it can be easy to let potential interactions pass by like I did.

2Week or Too Weak?
Too Weak.

2Week #3 - Journalog - Tom's Review

At various times in my life, I have tried to keep a journal. It seems that no matter how much I want to make this a habit, it excapes me. I began this 2Week on schedule originally, and then found myself not in a good place to continue. I gave it a real go these past 2 weeks, and I still did not keep it up daily.

When I began this 2Week, I inspired myself by reading over a very old journal of mine that I wrote in Tibet. Re-reading this helped me find meaning in the recording of ideas, and I went on to write my best journal of the 2Week. I kept my journal for a week through the excitiment of learning to scuba dive, and the prospect of being an instructor myself in the future. I enjoyed journaling when I was in a good place. Later on throught the trip, I became very jaded with a lot of Thailand. Instead of being driven to write about it, I just started to shut down. Perhaps I could have delt with these feelings better if I had written them down, but I just felt unable.

I feel that was a good and telling 2Week, and I wish I could have stuck with it.

2Week or Too Weak?
Too Weak

2Week #4 February 8th - February 21st: Walk the Talk

As 2Weeking founders and legends Tom and Spencer have been reuinted in Thailand, we hope to maximize on our experiences through this next 2Week. We suggest this next 2Week and the previous one to anyone exploring a new place, although it could be just as rewarding to break your routines at home.

The next 2Week is to have at least one conversation with a new person every day. We will let you devolop your own criteria for what this entails. The major goal of this 2Week is to broaden your social horizons and allow yourself to develop deeper connections with the people around you.

Don't limit yourself to only a single interaction but just enjoy the process of meeting new people!

Note from Tom

Due to my busiest work week yet in Taiwan I unfortunatley found myself to unable to complete the journal 2Week on time. I will be doing this 2Week in conjunction with the next. As always, 2Weeks can be done on any schedule, and do not need to follow the dates on the site.

My review to come.

Love, Tom

2Week #3 Spencer's Review

These past two weeks I have been cycling from northern Thailand to Bangkok. My trip, as all such adventerous ideas, was laden with unexpected disasters and unforseeable benefits. I loved it, despite sleeping next to a highway, my bike breaking down on the top of a mountain and food poisoning that had me bedridden for days. As such, tt was all wonderful material to write and review- and by far the best time to keep a journal in my life was the past two weeks.

With my little notebook and a pen I tried to document the way that I perceived my trip. After I finished it, I went back over all my entries and it gave me so much more PERSPECTIVE! I started with such excitement, then in the middle I was all about business. When I was sick I was depressed and angry with things that had enchanted me about Thailand only days before. It showed me how much my emotions change over time and how that affects my general perception of my trip and the relationships I had created during it. Pictures could never do that, which I had originally relied on to document my traveling. Through the journal I gained an outside perspective on my development as a travelre as I could step back into the moment after it had passed. This was a very enlightening and almost scary realization. I change so much over time- all dependent on my mood, environment and situation. I could have sworn I was more stable than that...

As with the other 2Weeks, I want to continue keeping a journal. I made it a habit whenever I sat down for a meal to write down what had happened that day and what I had learned. I will try to take a bit of time, hopefully often, to write down what is going on in my life. At least it will provide me with more insight into my ever morphing multiple personalities.

2Week or Too Weak?
2Week complete!