Schub!

Schub is a German word that basically means thrust or push. And when we say "schub geben!" (or giving thrust), we mean business. Networking is a big business, in fact the biggest and wealthiest business in the entire world- generating billions of units of currency every year. 

And I'm only at the forefront.

It's so awesome because the skills I'm learning with networking will come in very handy for other interests, like singing (for example). I know, I'm not giving many details about what this networking stuff actually entails, they are coming soon! But I know not everyone is actually interested in my work.

My real work is more interesting, right? I mean my work of nature, my "god-given" work- writing music and siiiiiiinging!

So how does this lyric sound?

…und du schaust mich an und sagst mir so leise,

ich mag dich gern, deine Art und Weise

oh oh honey I wanna see the world with you

tell me all the things we're gonna do!

that's right! I'm writing a song in German. Well technically the song is going to be in German AND English (think of the band Frida Gold, they do the same thing). So the words might sound totally cheesy or whatever, but it's so real/current/relevant to my life situation right now. ;)

Well enough of the boring stuff, right? It's about time I put up some pictures here! They're coming… I'm planning on producing a webinar this week about a book. When I was with my team in La Palma, we were all supposed to present books as an effort to spread knowledge and growth. Long story short, only one of us actually presented- and though it was a really good presentation, I feel really bad for not presenting mine. So I'll be posting an informative presentation video about the book The Secret very soon! (Maybe I should turn this into a video blog?)

Also happening: AMERICA in two weeks! Hello all things American: Denny's, peanut butter, and dairy queen! 'MURICA!

Nah just kidding. I like peanut butter, but I am by far the least american person you've met (except for my chips and oreos obsession). I'm still totally excited to hit up the beach, that fresh Worth Avenue (yes, I'm going to Florida!), and every Ralph Lauren outlet Orlando has to offer. Can anyone spare me their black AmEx? haha ;) Of course seeing my family and surfing in Coco Beach will be a blast. Hello Sunshine! 

Over and Out! (Good night and good luck!)

India

Music of the Night: Lullabies (Adventure Club Remix) by Yuna

Denglish

You know how in America we have this word Spanglish- for the confusion of Spanish and English?

Well in Germany/Austria, we have Denglish. And that is a language I am most definitely fluent in. I'll start a sentence in English, throw in a few German words, and by the end of my train of thought, the language has switched over entirely. It's pretty sad- I really shouldn't be allowed to call myself a native speaker anymore. For example, while I was giving English tours, sometimes I forgot words and phrases mid-sentence. Sometimes I would accidentally just say things in German because I would get so confused (My English grammar is the worst of all)!

So I meet new people everywhere in Germany and Austria, and they all become so amazed and impressed that I've learned German in a matter of two years. 'What a talent!' they say. Little does everyone know that my English mind is slowly deteriorating! I think in German mostly now. One of my jobs in the office here in Innsbruck is to speak a lot of English with everyone, so that they get a good grip on speaking it and learning business English. 

Another thing- I'm going to Florida in 3 weeks (hello sunshine and shopping!) and I'm terrified because if I forget how to say something, it's not like I can just say it in German- no one will understand!

While I absolutely adore world languages, I can't help being embarrassed as someone who spent 16 years growing up in America and can't make sense of sentence structure anymore. Ze German mind is taking ova! ;)  Still, when I find I've spoken mostly English in a period of time, I start to really miss speaking German. And then vice versa.

Anyway, Innsbruck has been totally fabulous. All I can see here are possibilities- for growth, new friendships, crazy opportunities, love, whatever! There is some kind of special energy in this place. The day before yesterday we drove up to a cabin in the mountains, where a friend of mine's family has a lot of land (and a lake!). I totally embarrassed myself too- there was a really steep hill I tried to run down but being the India that I am, I tripped, fell, and slid on my face instead. I am the essence of grace.

But anyway, being up there in the sky, above the clouds reminds me of when I was eleven or twelve. I would look at the clouds on the horizon back at home and imagine that they were mountains- I pretended I lived in a much more fantastic, interesting place. And now I'm really here! It's literally everything I've ever dreamed of- farms, wide open spaces, infinite skies, horseback riding, was auch immer!

Deep inside I'm really a country girl. Can you believe it? I absolutely adore the country. I may hail from New York City (and that is truly my hometown), but every time I would visit the southern states and the west I was completely in love. When I was 15, it was my dream to buy a farm estate in England and become completely self-sufficient! Well, I have a lot of dreams, but I can see them coming true before my eyes- and that just makes me dream even more.

Innsbruck is truly special. (I'm really starting up a hype here, aren't I?)

Music for the morning: Up In the Sky by FAMP (normally I wouldn't post the same band twice in a row, but this song just fits perfectly!)

The Learning Curve

Here I am in Innsbruck! I could not be more in love with this place. First of all, it's a really small town with a big city feel. Only around 120,000 people actually live here- which is fairly awesome for me because that's the same size as the place where I grew up. Still, when you're walking downtown it really doesn't feel so small! 

Another really cool thing is that at every vantage point you can see the mountains, because we're smack dab in the middle of them! Plus the people here are so friendly- I'm 100% sure that this move was exactly the right thing for me.

So what am I doing here anyway?

Simple: networking! Now as much as I'd love to explain what exactly that means, I will just say it's fast-paced, fun, and a good road to success. Of course my goal is to be a singer- but that's for later. Right now I'm just concentrating on working hard at this game that's totally new for me. And yes, it's definitely a learning curve. First of all, I'm a really really shy person. I mostly always have been. So coming to Innsbruck, meeting tons of new people all at once, and being really extroverted is of course fun, but can be scary! And as the word "networking" would suggest, being outgoing is definitely a pre-req. At least I know where to improve though! That's the really fun part though, because I realized in order to succeed, it's all or nothing- stepping outside of your comfort zone 90% of the time, breaking personal records, and committing to self-improvement every single day. When you do that, the results come so quickly. Change yourself, change your life, change the world!

But I better not get too far ahead of myself ;) I'm just excited, because so far Innsbruck has been a place that challenges me- and where there are challenges, there are HUGE opportunities for growth!

So bring it on! ;) let's see what 2014 has in store for all of us!

Music for the Morning: Damn Beat by FAMP (a really awesome Austrian band- check them out!)

PS- I know this is a really short post- it's busy, busy around here! I'll be back later this week ;)

Am Meer (by the sea)

So far, La Palma is fantastic! It's beautiful here, the food is great and cheap, the sun shines and I can hear the ocean from our hotel room! On January 1st we went sailing from Tenerife Island and we saw dolphins! That was incredible. I had never been on a sailboat before but always wanted to, so it was really cool. That night though we took a ferry to La Palma island, where we've been ever since. On Thursday (2. January) we hung out at the black sand beach in the small port town we're staying in, Puerto Naos. 

The Canary Islands are pretty cool because they remind me of Hawaii; they were formed out of volcanoes, there's a huge variety of flora and fauna, and the best part: there are few frangipani (plumeria) trees! Those are the best smelling flowers I know. Anyway, on Friday we went to a special boulder beach where you can actually go surfing. That night we went to a really great unknown restaurant and just ordered a menu of the typical food of the area, and it was so good. I don't know what made it so good, it just was! 

On Saturday we visited a national park in the mountains where they have an observatory and we went on a walk through there, but then we visited some land in the area where there was a small farm with horses and chickens and it was pretty cool- one of our friends said it might even be possible to ride the horses! Ahhhh! Sunday was just been another chill-out day, laying on the beach and turning brown. Sunday was actually the first day I went in the water (and got tossed by the huge shorebreak about a million times), getting tons of black sand in my hair and bathing suit. Man, I love the Atlantic but I don't know if it loves me!

I do have a pretty big and exciting announcement, however!

Everything's changing! I'm moving again! This time to a new country- to Austria! Okay, it's not as big of a deal as I make it seem- I'll only be 90 minutes away from Munich, but still... I'm thrilled! The town is called Innsbruck, well-known mostly because it's a huge winter sports destination- deep in the Austrian alps. It's a beautiful spot and I'm so excited to start a new adventure there! For now I'm networking there (which is going to be awesome), working hard, hey who knows? I might even sing in a few clubs! If you can't tell I'm excited, then you haven't been reading ;)
 Austria, are you ready for me?!

More news when it's more exciting!

Music for the morning: Only the Young by Brandon Flowers