Let’s talk about the Stockholm experience here for a moment. I wrote a blog 2 weeks ago about the fact that you should travel alone at least once in your life. The reason why is pretty simple. You can make a lot of bold claims that you’re happy on your own but it doesn’t count if you don’t prove it to yourself. Everybody can talk but it’s a lot harder to live up to some of your claims. So I went on a trip for 9 days. The main goal was to train of course but this trip turned into an unforgettable adventure. I can tell you right here and right now that this trip wouldn’t have been the same if I’d have some company. I’ll explain this later in the blog.
So without further introduction, ladies and gentlemen let’s take a look at the Stockholm experience part 2 (since I’ve been there before).
The Stockholm experience: no dating apps…
Some people told me that I should go back on Tinder when I was over there. I thought about it and didn’t do it. I figured that it would be a complete waste of time to swipe while I was in such a beautiful city. Besides what’s the point in doing it anyway?! You can stay at home if you travel alone with the intent to hook up. You can do it while you sit in your sweatpants on your couch at home. I was really happy and didn’t miss out on anything in my opinion.
In conclusion: to swipe or not to swipe, it’s not a question.
The Stockholm experience: I met some great people.
Remember that I told you that I was glad that I didn’t have a company? Well, the reason why is pretty simple. I met people whom I probably never would have met if I had company. How do I know you ask? Well, you can never know it 100% but I’m pretty confident about this claim. Just take a look back at all the times you went on a vacation. Ever had a long conversation about life with the receptionist of your hotel? Ever talked about goal setting with a waitress in a restaurant?
I could talk to these people because I was on my own and that would have been impossible when I had company. The experience would have been completely different. So traveling with a company might be fun but you’re also missing out on great experiences.
Every advantage has its disadvantage.
The Stockholm experience: MMA training.
I’m not going to talk a lot about my training sessions. I had 14 training sessions over 8 days and I loved it. It was: eat, sleep, train, repeat during that whole period. I didn’t even write a single blog. It was laser focus from as soon as I landed in Stockholm. That’s all you need to know, I’m not going to bore you with everything that I learned and this brings me to another big thing that I learned. A lot of people have one thing that they like in life but they can’t talk about anything else.
This can relate to pretty much any hobby, to be honest. You’re boring if you can’t talk about anything else. That’s why you should use your downtime wisely.
The Stockholm experience: downtime is important.
I was a lot in the gym and I did mostly extra as well but I tried to do other things while I was out of the gym. Things like enjoy the sun, read a book, visit a part of the city… It’s important to do other things as well. That’s why I like reading so much. It makes sure that you can talk about a lot more than just whatever you like. That’s, by the way, the reason why I can write about such diverse topics. I read a lot and I think about it. There’s nothing more to it. So read in your downtime.
Make sure that you can talk about interesting topics and forget about the news and other dumb things! Forget about small talk! Those things are extremely boring and not worth talking about.
But Alex I’m afraid that people will think that I’m unworldly.
A lot of people are afraid of other people’s opinions these days. First of all the other’s opinion doesn’t matter. Second of all, you should change your perspective on the matter. Are you unworldly or are you just smarter than all the others? There’s a great saying that goes like this: “you can only talk about things that you know”. Are you getting where I’m going? Most people only small talk about the weather and stuff or talk about the news. Those people crash if you talk about a serious topic. Or they’ll try to impress you with a certain topic where they’ll know that they’ll outsmart you (really stupid and mostly has the opposite effect).
Everybody can outsmart someone else about a certain matter until they meet someone who outsmarts them. Everybody can look outside and talk about the weather but not a lot of people can talk about interesting topics. Pick up some books and get going!
Some book recommendations.
I have 3 books that I took with me on this trip. I recommend them all to you.
The Power Of Now (buy it here). I read this book for a second time when I was in Stockholm and I advise you to read it when you travel alone. I suddenly got it and this made the trip even more enjoyable.
The Daily Stoic (buy it here). I devoted a whole blog to this book so I suggest that you check it out.
The Laws Of Success (buy it here). I haven’t finished it yet since it’s a really big book but you should read it if you want to get more out of life.
Well, that’s all for today. Enjoy the books and see you tomorrow.
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Till next time
Alex
Good post man! Sounds like a good experience. I don’t think I’ve ever gone out of town just by myself. I’d imagine it’s pretty therapeutic.
Thanks man! Yes it is! Give it a try!