Table of Contents, Ep. 005

1) The Lady in the Red Dress (5-minute read)

2) Weekly Book Review: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

2) 3 Quotes to keep you inspired for a week

3) 4 Tips To Overcome Loneliness And Connect Instantly With People

5) Free Weekly Screensaver Image

The Lady in The Red Dress

My last day in Kandy. I wake up to a sunny day, and I really feel positive and optimistic about moving on. It just feels right. Its not that I don´t like Sri Lanka but I really feel the moment has come to move on.

My next destination, Bangkok, is calling me.

It is the fifth time for me to be in Thailand, and having spent four months in 2023 and 2022, there is definitely an important connection I have developed to this country. I think I am drawn to Thailand because I love the spirituality and uniqueness of its culture, as well as its amazing range of foods, landscapes and nature.

The only real problem with connecting is the language barrier. I started to think about how to solve this problem when I noticed a pattern in how to connect on TikTok, but I had to talk to locals on camera.

Something I just found out very recently, which was actually a major discovery for me.

But most Thai people don’t speak English very well.

Which means what worked in Indonesia or Sri Lanka might not work in Thailand.

So I say good-bye to Nolan, the owner of my Airbnb and jump on a TukTuk to the train station in Kandy, from where I go to Colombo and then grab another TukTuk to the airport.

While I am standing there, a young lady in a red dress sitting next to me with her family offers me a tangerine with a big smile. Suprised by her random act of kindness, I accept and smile back, happy to have something to chew on since the train was 45 minutes delayed and is now leaving 1:45 pm

Then there is an announcement I don’t understand. Shortly after, the lady in red comes over to me and pulls me along with her. The train would arrive at another platform and she was making sure I got the message.

Nothing extraordinary, just small, random acts of kindness.

The train finally arrives and I manage to get seat-losing site of my new-found friends from the platform

Then I meet another lady in red. Just tinier; she is next to me but her smile is at least as charming as the prior one.

I have to admit that these small coincidences or, let’s call them syncronicites, completely went unnoticed as they were unfolding.

I consciously went back into my mind while writing my journal, remembering.

After a few hours on the train, I am getting sleepy and then while I am looking out the window during a stop, I see someone winking and smiling. The lady in the red dress is standing out again from among a crowd, saying good-bye

“Our last encounter?” Thinking to myself

Fast forward to Bangkok. At 4:30 am, I finally got to my hotel.

It is difficult to describe in words how vastly different the actual experience is. Those two locations could hardly be more distinct. One thing all large cities have in common is a sense of anonymity. The larger the city, the more you feel invisible and disappear

You just happen to be one out of millions, and no one seems to care. Everyone is just commuting and looking busy, going about their day. I am still thinking about how I can connect with these people. Sri Lankans, Indonesians, Filipinos and even Vietnamese people all have one thing in common: they all speak way better English than Thai people.

So I decided to take some street portrait photographs.

I love this practice because you literally create spontaneous situations out of thin air that can often lead to a memorable moment with a smile where you end up meeting a person and also allow me to connect through my photography; no words are needed. It just takes a little bit of courage to walk up to people, enough to pull you out of your comfort zone.

I mean, the comfort zone is a lovely place but nothing grows there.

So the next day, I grabbed my camera and the telephoto lens and hit the road. Let’s dive into the Bangkok Sukhumwit asphalt jungle and take some shots at beautiful people

@romanlbinder

Discovering Joy in the Streets! 📸 Capturing spontaneous smiles and unforgettable moments through my lens. Join me in the vibrant streets o... See more

There are many street photography-worthy places in Bangkok, but one that definitely stands out is Chinatown.

This bustling district offers a sensory overload with its vibrant streets, brimming with colorful shops and lively market scenes. The air is rich with the aromas of street food, from sizzling duck to sweet mango sticky rice, enticing photographers and food enthusiasts alike.

The narrow alleys, lined with traditional shophouses, provide a glimpse into the blend of Thai and Chinese cultures.

As the sun sets, the neon lights come to life, adding a dynamic backdrop to the already picturesque scene.

Chinatown in Bangkok is not just a place but an experience, offering endless opportunities for photographers to capture the essence of urban life and cultural fusion.

However, no more red ladies emerged,

But it's been just five days since I left Kandy, and I've already shared loads of smiles. Plus, I've been spreading the lady in red's cheerful vibes

I made new friends and took memorable photos.

We are connected to everything and everyone, all the time.

Perhaps the answer is not to look away, to engage in a never-ending negative news cycle, or to distract ourselves, but to pay attention to what is right in front of you and find meaning in the mundane human moments we all share that we can carry with us and achieve small wins.

As small as passing on a random act of kindness.

Weekly Book Review: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

Eric Jorgenson compiled "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant," which is a collection of advice and insights from renowned businessman and thinker Naval Ravikant. The book distills Ravikant's philosophy on wealth, happiness, and personal growth. Here are some key takeaways:

• Ravikant's concept of happiness as a skill, not merely a consequence of external events, deeply resonated with me. He suggests that happiness can be practiced and honed, offering a refreshing perspective on personal well-being.

• The book also emphasizes the critical role of decision-making in life. According to Ravikant, the quality of our lives is directly tied to the quality of our decisions. This insight has prompted me to focus more on improving my judgment and decision-making skills.

• His advocacy for mindfulness and meditation as tools for achieving mental clarity and self-awareness was particularly striking. Ravikant described these practices as being crucial for preserving emotional and mental balance and my own experience was exactly the same

• Ravikant's views on independence and freedom also made a significant impact on me. He encourages breaking away from societal expectations to pursue what genuinely fulfills us, a concept that I found both liberating and empowering. So stop overthinking; just start your blog !

• The importance of establishing and maintaining positive habits and routines is another key takeaway from the book. Ravikant underscores that these habits are foundational to achieving both success and balanced well-being.

3 Quotes to keep you inspired for a week

4 Tips To Overcome Loneliness And Connect Instantly With People

One of the most tragic and sad realities in 2024 is the crisis of masculinity and loneliness and the epidemic of male suicide, with men killing themselves at four times higher rates than women and an all-time record high in 2023. Given the gravity of the situation, I feel like this does not get sufficient attention from the media. No one seems to care.

It is fair to say that when traditional mainstream media covers it, it is usually the same broken record narrative that "men just need to be able to express themselves and be more vulnerable."

I am not going to do that in this article; instead, I want to provide you with a few actionable steps I have developed in the last 2 years while solo traveling around the world, which you can apply today to improve your life instantly while staying true to yourself and walking away from what doesn´t serve your interests

Now, let's dive in.

Acceptance and Reframing: You are on a mission

You can´t change anything until you fully accept the reality you are operating in

Acceptance, in its essence, means being okay with whatever reality you find yourself in. That doesn't mean you can't develop a new vision or goal. On the contrary, you absolutely can and should.

But what it does mean is that you first need to see reality for what it is so you can craft a plan that will actually get you from point A to point B.

When I lost my company in Mexico, I started to solo travel because I was alone. But there is something that I learned

Feeling lonely and being alone are not the same thing

One is a feeling of lack, an emptiness within brought on by feeling unloved and unwanted. When you are lonely, you feel disconnected from your source. It is a terrible place because the vibration of energy is very low.

Being alone, however, can be an empowering place to be if you adopt the right mindset. The one I chose to adopt is that I am on a new mission. My mission is to tell a story about the Uncharted Road and write letters about not falling into the same traps I did.

If someone wants to join, that's fine. If not, I am still on my mission.

Every person around you could potentially help you

One super valuable piece of advice I try to adopt as often as I can is from Jordan Peterson and his book 12 Rules For Life

Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't and by doing so, you form a connection which alleviates feelings of loneliness

This principle encourages open-mindedness, humility, and the willingness to learn from others, regardless of their background or status. It's a reminder to listen carefully and considerately, valuing the potential wisdom and insights that each individual can offer.

In other words, every person around us has the potential to bring us closer to where we are headed if we tune in and give them the attention they deserve.

Just like the red lady in my story. She didn't even say anything but her kindness and her actions were so powerful that I felt compelled to carry them to another country and share the same energy with another seemingly unrelated person.

Write down everything, especially in the morning and evening

Journaling really is a superpower. By doing so, you immediately set yourself apart from 99% of the population. I really believe that.

Here are a few insane benefits I get from journaling:

• Time slows down and my awareness and ability to stay aware of the present moment skyrocket

• I feel more gratitude; I literally walk into my day feeling energized and thankful for the insights and meaning I wouldn't have found otherwise.

• I think people do not understand the huge impact of deliberately assigning meaning to events and things that happen. Let me explain that again In other words, you can consciously decide on if a minor event had importance or not and reap the emotional benefits from that decision

• A clear path forward opens up every day; your mind gets uncluttered and you make room for new meaningful events to arise. You actively make yourself responsible for your inner space. It is your temple, so take care of it.

• You build a legacy, a story with meaning and your life starts to make more sense.

• You can draw from the memories that start piling on, share them and build something. Maybe a book, a podcast, or a newsletter?

One crazy thing per day

The comfort zone is a lovely place but nothing grows there.

I used the same phrase in the preceding story because repetition is the mother of all learning, and we can say it aloud. Action is required to improve. Putting yourself out there is an absolute must. Few things in life are more valuable to a man than genuine social skills and the ability to approach people and strike up a conversation, whether on a date, taking photos, or otherwise.

Embrace your weirdness and give yourself permission to screw up. It is also a lot easier to do that when you just let go of any preconceived outcome.

I am going to be completely honest; I have no idea what I am doing here. As I am writing this, I don’t even know if I am going in the right direction, but it feels right.

What’s your weirdness?

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Your Weekly Free Screensaver Photo

This week, I actually have a lot of great street photography photos to choose from and it was difficult for me to define my favorite. I uploaded all of them and let you choose freely.