A Tattoo for Life

Last week, I received an envelope in my mailbox that had written on one of the sides the following words – The Universe sends us exactly what we are ready for at the exact time we need it in our lives. It made me curious, to say the least. But first, let me rewind a couple of weeks in the timeline so that I can explain the origin of the envelope.

It has been a while since the Walking Mentorship became part of a beautiful organization named Transformational Travel Council (TTC). This year, at the end of September, we had the honor of sharing the road in the Camino de Santiago with a group of TTC members headed by Jake Haupert, the CEO.

The week was extraordinary at different levels, starting with perfect weather and ending with an amazing diversity of people. We had participants from Canada, Australia, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Portugal. We had different professional activities and life experiences—the perfect setting for a Walking Mentorship program.

Curiously, I had a minor surgery at the beginning of the month, and it seems my body decided to reject what was supposed to be an easy procedure. Caught between painkillers and the desire to enjoy such a special time, I ended up having a tough start, only solved with a quick visit to a doctor in a nearby city and another minor surgery.

I had to accept that losing something (in this case, a tooth) sometimes is the best way to gain something else. In my case, the possibility of sleeping and thinking again without pain.

The week went on, and I was amazed by the conversations and the possibility of learning with such a fantastic group. All of them are committed to bringing change and positive impact to the travel industry, which we all understand needs to evolve to allow a brighter future for all.

Funny enough, I got used to losing something daily during the week—one day, a very old Franciscan cross; the next day, a sock by the river; then a neck scarf; and finally, my very dear Santiago shell from my first Camino. But every day, I was surprised by my reaction. I accepted and moved on; there was no sadness or regret, just acknowledging that things come and go.

During the walk, I kept doing a parallelism between people and things and their role in my life. I was fine with losing things, but not with important people that come into our lives and leave a mark on our hearts.

My Mother passed away fifteen years ago, and quite often, I have the impression that I never let her go completely; it is hard to explain. Somehow, she is responsible for the person I have become, but it feels to me that I still need much of her wisdom to continue on my journey. I wished I could still have her nearby.

By chance or not, during the week, I discovered a new music from Fay Wildhagen, a Norwegian artist. The lyrics of When I Let Go start with a punch (for me), especially because I was crossing so many streams and rivers:

So here we are
Please unfold when I let go of your hand
Steady, you have to stand on your own
You can’t come with me this time
I need to run like the river

As we approached our week’s end, I felt grateful for everything. I had the chance to learn many new things, forge new friendships, and revise my purpose and ongoing action plan. I also make peace in my mind with some key events from the past and genuinely feel proud of the impact of what we do at the Walking Mentorship year after year with our fellow walkers and local partners; my heart was whole, and I had a peaceful smile glued to my face.

On the last day, already in Santiago de Compostela, after losing and leaving behind so many things throughout the week, I felt that I would like to find a way to keep close to me such important learnings. I didn’t want to let them go. Still, the only idea that kept coming to my mind was very different than usual. A tattoo. Yep, a tattoo.

I needed something visible to look at at any moment and reconnect with a powerful feeling. It made a lot of sense, but I needed a candidate for the task, an image, and a spot to place it. I had none.

Back to today’s world, do you still remember the envelope I received in my mailbox that had written on one of the sides the following words – The Universe sends us exactly what we are ready for at the exact time we need it in our lives? Well, guess what?

I found three very discreet and small temporary tattoos inside the envelope. The image was a poppy flower, my Mother’s favorite and something we always connect with her. Was this a coincidence? A conspiracy? A lucky shot? I don’t know.

For me, it was a very simple reminder of what really matters. I tried it on my left wrist and am now figuring out if this little flower is here to stay. I will let you know.

Looking back, the Universe was helping me to learn a profound lesson. The essentials in our lives are not things (which we can lose) but experiences (which always stay with us). If the experiences are positive and profound, we can turn them into memories. If the memories keep pushing us towards our best version, they will trigger new habits, and those will lead us to a better life. Simple, right?

Thank you, my fellow TTC walkers, Jake, Aniseh, Paul, Heather, Brandon, Jodi, Jennifer, and my partner Nuno, for the extraordinary feeling that you are not alone on this journey. “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers…Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

If you need help remembering your purpose, a temporary or permanent tattoo inside yourself or painted on your skin might help.

In the meantime, we invite you to walk with us, revising the beautiful walks and talks from the previous month, reminding you about what is still coming up until the end of the year and the new dates for 2024.

Ultreia et Suseia

Last September was an amazing month, to say the least. We had the pleasure of interviewing on our Podcast Professor Peter Hawkins. It is time to pick up your headphones and walking shoes to listen to a beautiful conversation with one of the Global top 100 coaches who happen to live on the edge of Bath, UK, with 37 acres, which he shares with many animals and trees as well as his children and grandchildren, and leaders who come on courses and retreats.

Click on the image to listen to the Podcast.

We also had the opportunity to go back to “School” and cooperate with our long-time partner at Católica Porto Business School and deliver two programs at Serras do Porto for MBA and General Management students. One program was the traditional Welcome Day, and another the impactful Burn(out) Stress.

Click on the image to watch the video.

Finally, the end of September brought us back to Galicia in Spain. This time, we went for a long walk with our fellow allies from the Transformational Travel Council, and we cannot wait to see them again in Brazil in 2024.