💡3 Reasons Canada is Underrated

We all wish for certainty, but my recent trip to Canada reminded me of how the unpredictable moments in life offer the greatest lessons.

You never know what global events will ripple wide enough to hit home.

But some always will.

Uh, Jim, I need to renew my passport if I’m going to make it to our wedding in Colombia.

Sounded simple enough, until Michelle explained the next part:

One little problem.

There’s no Venezuelan embassy or consulate in the US.

They were suddenly closed in 2019 and it expired months after. We have to go to another country to find an embassy to renew.

Ok, expired passport needing renewal, need to travel to another country to renew. Got it. Wait.

If this sounds like a geopolitical chicken-or-the-egg scenario to you, we’re now in the same boat.

To make things more interesting, we found out the embassies don’t let you pick your appointment date. You make the request, they assign a date with as little as 3 days notice, and you gotta just get your ass there.

You can’t make this stuff up!

How we made success inevitable

Remember my #2 challenge to you last week?

“How can I be more unrealistic with my vision, and realistic in my execution?”

I do them too.

Our vision was clear. Now it was time to plan and execute.

Michelle and I researched different countries with Venezuelan embassies, found online groups of thousands of others in the same situation, and planned how we would maintain our work while traveling.

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you became insanely resourceful and creative?

Enough of these experiences and you see the pattern.

It’s not about having all the resources or info first. It's about making the outcome an absolute must, and finding or creating a way to achieve it from there.

That’s when you really make sh*t happen.

Finally, we found a loophole.

Some countries allow expired Venezuelan passport holders to enter for the specific purpose of renewal.

When life gives you lemons, go ice skating

When the temperature in Miami hits below 55 people start to panic.

Where we landed last week had 2 feet of snow on the ground, strong winds, temperatures in the twenties…

And people were out ice skating, cross-country skiing, building snowmen, and pushing baby strollers on top of sleds.

We saw people from all races, colors, and backgrounds. And all of them were out enjoying the snow.

It felt like a movie.

What was this mystical place?

This is great weather, last week it was negative fifteen!

A Quebecois waiter served us some perspective with our poutine.

With only a week's notice from the Venezuelan embassy in the Canadian capital, we booked a flight to Montreal and a train to Ottawa.

Came for passport, got much more

At the embassy we met people that drove across the border from the US, a couple with an infant baby, and another guy who brought his elderly mother.

We turned in the papers, paid the fees, and are awaiting the passport in the mail back here in the US.

We got home just four days ago now.

And now what you came for, the top 3 reasons Canada is underrated:

1. They Reframe - The cold makes a hot soup much tastier, freezing temps are great for skating, and twenty-five degrees feels like a balmy respite when you just experienced negative fifteen.

2. They’re Creative - You can turn an inconvenience into inspiration with the right attitude, and you can figure almost anything out with enough creativity and determination (e.g. putting a baby stroller on a sled!)

3. They Adapt - With an incredibly diverse, 23% foreign-born population, they prove that adaptation is possible for anyone from any background. It’s not about where you come from, it’s about your mindset.

The Bottom Line

Anything that we find difficult or inconvenient, someone else has made it fun or fulfilling.

Think of an inconvenience in your life now that you would like to reframe and:

1. Write it on a piece of paper

2. Write 3 things that you can appreciate about it

3. Put the note where you’ll see it regularly

This only takes 5 minutes, so I challenge you to really write it. A post-it note will do.

Leave your thoughts on Twitter

Complementary Call

If you’re craving more adventure in your own life, be it related to health, career, or relationships, there’s no better time than now to embark. Grab a time to chat —> here.

Recommended App

If traveling outside the US is in your future, it’s always useful to get some basics down in another language. Studying French on Duolingo made this trip even more fun —> here.

That’s all for now my friend.

If you know someone who would love perspective and stories like these, please forward this email or share this link with them to check out past issues: https://jimwall.beehiiv.com/

You’ll also be helping to grow this community of people who believe that life is the greatest adventure.

In next week’s issue I’ll share the formula for disastrous startup/product pitches, and how Michelle won her very first pitch competition.

Talk to you again soon.

Jim Wall