Adventure Archives | Greg and Laurie Duncan

Career Advancement: 3 Factors to Consider When Looking for the Right Mentor

July 15, 2019 Greg and Laurie Duncan Adventure

“Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone
who had real positive influences in his or her life. I don’t care what you do for a living – if you do it well, I’m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing the way. A mentor.” – Denzel Washington

Mentorships are priceless partnerships that have shaped many of today’s leaders. But when it comes to choosing a mentor, it pays to do your homework. Like any interpersonal relationship, some connections result in a better match than others. While opposites do sometimes attract, ideal pairings are much more likely when similar qualities and characteristics are combined. The dynamics of a mentoring partnership are no different. When it comes to choosing a mentor, finding the right fit can positively affect the outcome. If career advancement is your goal, consider these three factors when looking for the right mentor.

Personality

The first step to finding the perfect mentor is to identify your own personality type. You must be aware of your own tendencies and preferences in order to isolate your future match. Start by making a list of your most prominent personality traits. If you find yourself struggling with this activity, there are countless personality tests and analysis available to help accurately describe your quirks. Once you’ve pinpointed the most important aspects that make you uniquely you, you’ll be able to use that same list of qualities to find your mentor.

Habits

Next, consider your daily habits:

Are you an early riser or a night owl?
Do you prefer all work and no play or do you need frequent breaks to help you focus?
Do you hate talking on the phone? Would you rather rely on text or email?
Do you focus on the big picture or thrive on details?

These personal elements shape your day and how you interact with others. Pairing with a mentor who behaves similarly will give you the advantage of working with someone who understands you, without issue. Instead of fighting what’s natural to you or wasting time trying to adapt to uncomfortable demands, you’ll be able to focus on what’s most important – the work.

Communication Styles

Lastly, communication is key. The downfall of many relationships has been the inability to communicate effectively. Skip the trouble by ensuring your future mentor’s communication style matches yours. Think about how you prefer to be communicated with. What makes conversation easy and understandable? Are you:

Long winded or brief?
Direct or passive?
Expressive or stoic?
More verbally emotional or logical?

Take time to consider not only how you communicate, but how you like to receive direction and feedback. How do you prefer to be spoken to? Matching those elements will set a strong foundation for the success of your mentorship by minimizing the prevalence of miscommunication.

While it’s not possible to eliminate every difference, nor is that the goal, finding harmony in the cornerstones of your mentorship is indeed beneficial. Keep in mind, finding your match doesn’t mean finding your duplicate, it simply requires that you seek compatibility. Mentorships should be a place of growth, which sometimes demands differing perspectives and suggestions. However, the key should be a balance of foundational compatibility and perspective differences to create a healthy mentorship. While on the journey to advance your career, keep these three mentor matching criteria in mind.

Four Simple Ideas For Summer Family Adventures

May 15, 2019 Greg and Laurie Duncan Adventure

“Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.”
– George R. R. Martin

Summer is wonderful. It opens new possibilities for relaxation and adventure. Blue skies and sunny weather seems to invite everyone to get out and have fun. It would be such a waste to let this wonderful season pass without having memorable bonding moments with your family. Since school is usually on a break during this season, it is almost a requirement for parents to plan activities that will keep their kids happy and occupied. Summer is therefore an opportunity to widen your kids’ knowledge and strengthen your family bond. Make the most of this laidback season with the following suggestions.

Do something fun in your backyard.

Summer getaways need not be extravanagat or done somewhere far away. Your backyard is a great setting for a variety of activities that the whole family can enjoy. Watching movies together is always a great idea. But with the breezy weather, why not take advantage of a star-filled night and glowing moonlight to enjoy a flick or two outdoors? Here is a guide to help you set up an outdoor movie screen. After your movie, set up a camping adventure right in your backyard to liven up your summer night. Aside from tents and sleeping bags, you can also set up a campfire and roast marshmallows. You can visit this site for checklist on things to prepare for a family camp.

Play an outdoor game together.

With all of the sunshine around, it would be a pity to spend all your summer days indoors. It is a perfect time to introduce your kids to a variety of sports and other outdoor activities. Depending on the age of your children, you can arrange fun games you can play outdoors. Visit a nearby park for a game of frisbee or badminton. Or go to an outdoor court for tennis or basketball. Visiting a putt putt course for a round of putt putt golf is another option. It can also be as simple as allocating a day to doing simple outdoor activities such as bubble-making or kite-flying.

Learn a new skill together.

Summer classes are all the rage with many parents signing up their kids for various lessons. To get more involved with this, think of a new skill the whole family can learn together. If most of the children in your home don’t know how to swim yet, consider hiring an instructor to give a group swimming lesson for everyone to enjoy. Or if someone in the family is a good cook, then a culinary lesson is a cool prelude to a lovely meal. From painting sessions to music lessons or crafting activities, there are a whole bunch of activities that parents can teach or learn with their kids.

Start a tradition.

Give your kids something to look forward to during summer by doing something that can turn into an annual event. It can be a yearly fishing trip, picnic or family vacation. It can also be a time you head to the beach or go on a long road trip. An outdoor barbecue that will allow you to invite friends and family is another idea that promotes familial bonding. Make yearly adventures a family event by making each family member participate in the planning and preparations.

Seasons come and go and we have the freedom to spend them in whatever way we choose. Why not make the most of it by turning the summer season into fruitful and happy moments with family? When thinking of adventures to take, don’t forget that the kind of activity is only secondary to the joy and value that spending time with our loved ones brings.

How To Develop People Skills That Can Propel Your Way To Success

November 15, 2018 Greg and Laurie Duncan Adventure

Studies that attempt to decode the formula for success showed that superior intelligence is not the only factor that determines one’s ability to attain victory in life. You can validate the results of those researches by simply observing your surroundings. You were probably shocked to learn that a former schoolmate who has always been an average student is now holding a prominent position in a large company. On the other hand, you may find it hard to believe that the top achiever in your class did not do as well as you expected.

The difference probably lies in the so-called “people skills.” These are the set of skills that give you a significant edge over others and help you secure your spot to succeed. So as you go out there and experience life at its core, it is a must that adept yourself with important people skills. The following reminders can help:

Develop communication skills

Individuals with admirable people skills are good communicators, making it easy for them to convey their ideas to others. Efficient communication is always a two-way thing so they are good listeners as well. These traits will make it easy for you to persuade others and win negotiations.

Be realistic and flexible

The real world is tough so to expect an ideal setting will set you on a sure road to failure. It is so wrong to expect that things will be smooth and will constantly conform to your ways. Rather, you should anticipate difficulties and prepare to cope with it. It may even be to your advantage if you accept the possibility that you may have to drop your ideals and standards so you can adjust well to various situations. This does not mean you have to blindly agree to everything, it just means opening your eyes to different perspectives. If you master the skill of adapting to different situations, you become a valuable team member and everyone will consider it a pleasure to work with you.

Instill positive virtues

Good behaviors keep you on the right track all throughout life so it is naturally vital in pursuing success. The road to success can be strenuous and long and people with weak character may not make it till the end. Meanwhile, if you work on building your character, you develop virtues such as patience and optimism that will give you the strength to overcome any difficulties.

Be confident

You cannot be too timid or cautious if you want to break barriers and introduce innovations that can just open the door to your victory. You need guts to do great things and this where the importance of building confidence comes in. To get others to trust you, you should project confidence in the way you carry yourself. You can do this by devoting effort for self-improvement. If you look and feel your best, you invite success to enter your life.

Be genuine

You cannot avoid interaction with others as you climb your way to success. So building positive relationships is one strategy to reach your target faster. Making connections will be a breeze if you are considerate, helpful, respectful, and honest. However, kindness is something you cannot fake for so long. People will eventually discover if you are just being a phony so always be genuine when dealing with others.

The above points emphasize the truth that the four corners of the classroom cannot really teach us everything that we have to learn about life. The moment you step out of your comfort zone, you begin to understand how a seemingly underachieving individual can reach tremendous success while one with a huge potential becomes mediocre. Indeed, having people skills can turn you into an extraordinary individual and can surely propel your way to success.

3 Stunning Natural Wonders of the United States

June 15, 2018 Greg and Laurie Duncan Adventure, Travel

North America offers plenty of destinations that fulfill every traveler’s dreams. There are a few locations that are on nearly everyone’s must-see lists: Los Angeles, New York City, and Las Vegas. But, for every tourist area in the city, there is an equally worthy adventure waiting in nature. Below are 3 natural wonders of the United States that are guaranteed to make you eager to book your next excursion.

Havasupai Falls (Native American Reservation)

Located in Arizona, within the Grand Canyon, Havasupai falls is a nature-lovers dream. The land is home to the Supai people, who are traditionally known as the guardians of the Grand Canyon. In 1919, when the canyon was officially declared a national park, about 500 acres of land were set aside for the Tribe. Although the Supai were originally restricted to a very small portion of their former land, nearly 188,000 acres of land have been returned to the native people. Within their reservation lays one of the most gorgeous blue-green waterfalls in America: Havasupai Falls. The 10-mile hike to the falls is said to be worth every step of the strenuous climb that it takes to get there. The travertine dams and limestone cliffs, combined with the 90-feet waterfalls, provide a striking backdrop for the natural turquoise pools. (Yes, you can swim in them!)

Papakōlea Beach (Mahana Beach)

Located on the Big Island of Hawai’i, Papakōlea, is 1 of only 4 green sand beaches in the world. This particular green beach was formed when Mauna Loa’s lava made its way toward the ocean, after a volcanic eruption. Because olivine crystals are the densest of the volcanic remains, they are less likely to wash away with the tide (especially in a bay as narrow as Papaloea). This natural phenomenon left us with the beautiful, Hawaiian green sand beach we have today. The rare sand of Mahana Beach is accessible after either a windy 3-mile hike, or an inexpensive truck ride from a local. Once you arrive, you’ll be surrounded by a shoreline that is uniquely olive green in color. To see the land sparkle, make sure to go on a sunny day when the olivine crystals are most likely to shine. Visitors have even reported spotting spinner dolphins from the shore, while relaxing on the secluded beach.

Mendenhall Glacier Caves

Located a little more than 10 miles away from downtown Juneau, Alaska, the stunning Mendenhall Glacier lies within the valley. After a kayak trip and an ice hike, you’ll reach the breathtaking views of the ice caves. Unfortunately, with current water temperatures rising, the glaciers are quickly melting and may not be accessible in the future. But, the good news is, you still have time to visit! You will need at least eight hours, the proper gear, and a healthy dose of patience in order to safely conquer the ice, but the tough work will be worth the effort. Upon entering the cave, strikingly blue walls and ceilings will enclose you. The electric blue hue is vivid, due the ice that absorbs every other color of the spectrum, leaving blue to shine on its own. You will definitely be glad you visited after experiencing the most awe-inspiring and photo-worthy scenery you could imagine.

The United States has a wonderfully diverse array of climates, biomes, and geographical features. It’s home to some of the world’s best hikes and climbs, as well as globally acclaimed lakes and marinas. Whether you venture up the west coast or travel across the east; you won’t be disappointed by the natural wonders that greet you. America, the beautiful, is a land full of nature just waiting to be marveled.

Five Ways Mentorship Can Grow Your Business

May 15, 2018 Greg and Laurie Duncan Adventure

As all business owners know, running a company is time-consuming. It is a never-ending list of things to do, problems to solve and decisions to be made that will all if done correctly, accelerate you to meet the goals you have set for yourself and your company. There are a lot of uncertainties and challenges in developing a business, a lot of which falls on the owner to answer for. Most business owners are in new territory when it comes to navigating a growing business. And while there is no textbook to give you the correct answers in running a company, one of the best resources for business growth that many entrepreneurs are now seeking out is a mentor who has experience within a similar market. A mentor helps not only to develop you as a leader and professional but have also proven to accelerate the growth of the business itself.

Here are five ways that having a mentor helps develop your company.

Experience Is The Best Educator

One of the best tools you have to learn from is experience, and while as a new business owner you may not have much experience to pull from, a mentor has most likely gone through many similar situations and can share their experiences with you. By sharing in the decisions your mentor made in similar situations and the results or actions from that, it can help to guide your next move in the company. Mentors have a wealth of knowledge and wisdom ready to be shared when such advice is needed. Much like an older sibling, mentors learned what worked and didn’t the hard way and can use that experience to make your path a little bit easier.

Networking

Ever heard the saying it’s not what you know, it’s who you know? Well, having spent many years in the industry, mentors tend to know a few people. As a new entrepreneur, your network is often minimal. A mentor can strategically connect you with various partners, vendors, even potential new clients that you may not have been able to establish on your own. Mentors want to open new doors for you, and by introducing you to new people and growing your own connections, it will do just that.

Outside Perspective

Being faced with tough decisions is a day in the life of a business owner. Oftentimes navigating the process of making challenging choices can be stressful and nearly impossible. A mentor can provide you with outside, but knowledgeable perspective that can help guide you through making a difficult decision, and eliminating some of the worry and fear that come along with it. A mentor’s perspective is extremely valuable because their opinion is fueled only by knowledge and experience, whereas when you own the company, there are a lot of emotions and other details that may be clouding your judgment. A mentor is invested in you as an entrepreneur, rather than being invested in the business and they provide their perspective with the intentions of helping you to help propel the business forward.

Action And Accountability

When you own a company, your focus is pulled in many different directions making it difficult to determine where your attention is most valuable and needed. Mentors are there to help guide you in determining what your objectives should be. You work together to identify market opportunities and deficits and establish goals related to the growth of the company. Once you have an action plan in motion, your mentor holds you accountable for achieving your goals, and further working to develop you as a leader along the way.

Somebody’s In Your Corner

Running a company isn’t all successes and smiles, there are many pitfalls, disappointments, and struggles along the way. It can be lonely and difficult for others to understand. By having a mentor, it provides you with someone you can relate to and understands your frustrations. A mentor is invested in helping you to lead your company to success. Having a mentor can foster a self-confidence as well as a higher emotional intelligence, which is so important as an entrepreneur.

A mentor’s work is mostly behind the scenes working directly with you the owner, and developing you as a business professional and leader. But, with their support in reaching your goals, and a mentor’s expertise in problem solving, leadership, planning and productivity, it has shown to improve overall company performance and ultimately accelerate business growth.

5 Miniature Ways To Add Grander Adventures To Your Life

March 15, 2018 Greg and Laurie Duncan Adventure

Let’s all face it, it’s easy to get in a rut. Sometimes your routine can make you start to feel like all you ever do is the same old thing. Where’s the adventure? It’s common to be quick to place blame on lack of time or funds, but adding adventure to your life doesn’t necessarily mean traveling the globe. Learning to seek out the little adventures in everyday life can help you change it up and make you feel more excited about life. Here are a few small (and cheap!) ideas you can try in order to live a more adventurous life.

Try New Tastes

Is there a funky restaurant that’s always caught your, eye but you’ve never tried it? What are you waiting for? Do it. Take it a step further and order something foreign and out of your comfort zone that you would never order. You can do this at a restaurant you’ve been to before as well. When scanning a menu, if you tend to stick to only reviewing the burger selection, go crazy and don’t be afraid to try the pan-seared Mahi-Mahi with pineapple salsa. Some of the adventure is knowing that you might now like it, but if you don’t try it you’ll never know. You may even discover your new favorite dish that you didn’t even know about.

Walk a New Path

While taking the dog or family for a walk, skip your usual route. Walk down a street you’ve never been down before. Admiring the houses or buildings along the way can be fun. You may come across a park or cool building you’ve never seen before. You may end up at a dead end. But hey, not knowing is part of the fun!

Sign Up

We’ve all seen those places that provide a complimentary trial or introductory class. Go ahead and take advantage of it! Even if you know you don’t want to sign up for the classes or program, you’ll still be learning something new and stepping out of your comfort zone. Whether it’s yoga, ballet, a gym, mommy and me, or even a college lecture, taking the time to attend a class or two can add some variation and excitement to your life.

Change Your Look

It doesn’t have to be drastic. While getting a tattoo or dying your hair pink would certainly be thrilling, (if you feel up for it, go for it!) you can experience some adventure in more subtle ways too. Lighten or darken your hair a shade, get a new ear piercing, buy a flashy piece of clothing, or try that stylish and trendy new look you’ve seen on Instagram or Pinterest. Minor changes can be exciting, especially if you tend to keep your appearance the same. Changing your appearance can be an invigorating experience.

Grow Something

Whether you start a garden in the backyard or buy some potted herbs for the kitchen, get to digging! Tending to plants can be an out of the ordinary and fun experiment. Knowing that you could possibly kill your plant adds to the excitement. If you opt for food, herbs, or flowers, you’ll be rewarded for your attentiveness.

You don’t have to backpack around Europe to have an adventure! If you’re feeling like you’re in the rut of routine, it’s time to change it up. Taking an adventurous perspective on everyday life can add the right amount of excitement and spice to your life.

Christmas Traditions to Try This Year

December 18, 2017 Greg and Laurie Duncan Adventure

When you think back on all of your previous Christmas holidays, you probably remembered your Christmas traditions. Most families have at least one Christmas tradition that has been passed on down from generation to generation. These traditions are what make the holiday so sentimental. But as time goes on, you may be looking to add more traditions to this special holiday. Here are 4 Christmas traditions to try this year.

Christmas Eve Pajamas

This is a common Christmas tradition. Everyone in the family gets a new set of PJs that they can wear on Christmas Eve. Matching PJs are perfect for a quick family snapshot before opening presents on Christmas morning! You can even add fuzzy slippers or cute eyemasks.

Dinner and a Light Show

Eat out at a restaurant that is open on Christmas Eve, then on the way home drive around town looking at all of the Christmas decorations and lights. Bring a playlist of Christmas carols for a family show on the road. Everyone in the family will love getting involved and singing along to those merry Christmas tunes.

Christmas Eve Movie Night

There’s no better night to snuggle up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa then on Christmas Eve. How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Story, and Home Alone are just three movies that the whole family will love. It’s a great way to distract the kids from the excitement of opening presents in the morning.

Snacks for Santa and the Reindeer

After dinner, have the children help you prepare some goodies for Santa Claus. You can take it an extra step by having the kids leave some carrots out for Santa’s reindeer. The kids will love getting involved, and once you have left out the goodies, it’s a perfect opportunity to send the kids off to bed.

Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or any relative, these are the best Christmas traditions to try this year. Everyone can get in on the fun and work towards making this holiday season more festive than ever. What’s your favorite Christmas tradition?

3 Unexpected Things You Should Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving

November 17, 2017 Greg and Laurie Duncan Adventure

Typically, on Thanksgiving, we take time to be mindful of the many reasons we have to practice gratitude. Included in this list are our family, our friends, our homes, and our communities. However, this year consider aspects of your life that you wouldn’t typically think of as blessings. In doing so, you’ll have even more reason to celebrate the holiday, and you’ll twist some optimism into areas of your life that you wouldn’t generally expect.

Mistakes

We all know that mistakes ultimately turn out to be the best learning lessons. This year give thanks for all the mistakes you’ve made that have transformed into the biggest learning lessons for you. If you take a look at your life, many things you are thankful for now would never have been present if it weren’t for making a few mistakes along the way. Making mistakes and learning from them is one of the best and most compelling ways to grow as a person.

Regret

There is a fine line between regret and mistakes. If mistakes are what you learn from, regret is what motivates you. Regret is a feeling that can influence you to make better decisions when it comes to future situations in your life. While regret is more of an emotional response, it is the feeling that makes you want to improve yourself and your life. If you let it, regret can become the very reason you want to do better and be better next time.

Hardships

Yes, you read that right. This Thanksgiving be thankful for your hardships because they are what make you a stronger and a better person. In the midst of hardship, you learn to respond to adversity in your own way. And in doing so, you build character, gain courage, and boost your faith in your own ability. When you undergo some of life’s most challenging tribulations, you have the opportunity to build yourself in a way that allows you to become stronger and better than you ever were before. And that opportunity is something to be thankful for.

So take time this Thanksgiving to enjoy the company of the people you love the most. Count your blessings, and eat your turkey. But also take a moment to consider the parts of your life you wouldn’t immediately give thanks for. If you practice gratitude for the unexpected things in life, your whole perspective could change.

The Importance of the 5-Year Rule

September 6, 2017 Greg and Laurie Duncan Adventure

When your to-do list looks longer than it has ever been, it’s way too easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged instead of finding the motivation to work harder to get things done. It’s easier to push it off until later and justify that decision by comparing yourself and your previous success to someone else’s. And that’s exactly how procrastinators start to populate our world. But that is no way to live a successful and utterly remarkable life.

The most important thing to remember when your to-do list creeps up on you or when life throws you a curveball is to stay calm and keep your focus on what needs to get done first. It’s no secret that if you don’t work with priorities in mind, you will never get everything done in time. But how can you make the most efficient progress on crossing items off your to-do list and hitting life’s curveballs out of the park, all while making sure you stay calm and focused during the process? It takes self-discipline and practice, but after you master the technique, it becomes almost second nature.

It all starts with one simple question. Ask yourself if these issues that seem so urgent and pressing in the moment will matter five years from now. In other words, be honest with yourself about everything you need to get done and if it directly affects your path to success and where you see yourself in 5 years. If the answer is yes, put that item at the tippy-top of your priorities, so you can tackle it first. If the answer is no, confidently allow yourself to put it off until you find time later to complete it. In doing so, you will visualize a clear path and action plan to get yourself closer to your goal.

This 5-year mindset is a great rule of thumb for keeping everything in perspective when life gets hectic because it requires your most level-headed and honest mentality. Additionally, this 5-year rule keeps your dreams and the vision you have for yourself and your success in the background of everything you do. And perhaps most importantly, the 5-year rule keeps you calm when circumstances are telling you to be anything but calm. Prioritizing your to-do list with the 5-year rule will allow you the freedom to make decisions confidently. This simple technique reassures you that you are perfectly capable of making progress on becoming your most successful self because it provides you with a crystal-clear starting point, and it reminds you that, no matter where you are at in life, now is always the perfect time to begin.

5 Reasons Your Family Should Try Rock Climbing

July 31, 2017 Greg and Laurie Duncan Adventure

Looking for a new family adventure that’s a bit different from the same old road trip you take every summer? Step outside your comfort zone and lace up your climbing shoes. Here are the top five reasons your family should try rock climbing.

Rock climbing is both a personal activity and a great way to spend time together

While the actual sport of rock climbing is largely an individual endeavor, it provides you with a unique activity to bond over and work at together. Therefore, it yields both personal fulfillment in achievements and gives you a new and exciting source of connection.

Rock climbing is a great full-body workout

Whether you’re a first-timer or a pro, every time you climb you engage your body in one of the most holistic workouts out there. In just one climb, you hit all the main target areas your body normally gets from a variety of different workouts and exercises. Rock climbing enhances overall muscle tone in your body, specifically in the legs, arms, core, and back. Forget weightlifting. This outdoor or indoor activity is the greatest strength builder out there and is ten times more exciting.

Rock climbing can build your confidence

Not only does rock climbing improve your body’s natural figure, which is cause alone for a confidence boost, but it also builds self-assurance of your own inner strength. When rock climbing, your body is the only tool you have to propel you forward. So when you reach a new height or achieve a new goal, you have your body alone to thank for it. Climbing teaches you to trust your own body’s capabilities and builds confidence in yourself as a result.

Rock climbing feeds your need for adventure

If you are constantly thirsting for excitement and adventure in your life, rock climbing is the activity for you. Whether you’re climbing a few feet off the ground at the gym or you’re free climbing outside, the adrenaline rush you experience when climbing is incomparable to any other sport out there. Not to mention, rock climbing is also a great way to experience nature and see the world.

Rock climbing teaches your mind and body to work together

Rock climbing requires intense concentration and is just as much a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge. It trains your focus, enhances problem-solving skills, and truly proves the mind over matter theory. Your body can only get you so far in rock climbing, but your willpower and mental health are strengthened when climbing to help you overcome physical obstacles. Your mind and body won’t be connected to such an extent in any other kind of workout.

There you have it. Rock climbing is the perfect new adventure your family should try, so get out there and just go for it.