I’m mid-trip traveling through Northern Patagonia. On a 4-hour drive today, I began to reflect on this experience and recognized several lessons I’ve learned thus far.
1. Body Language is important. Even my Spanglish is weak. Nevertheless, I’ve successfully carried on great conversations where neither party understood a word spoken. The only means of conveyance was body language.
2. Slow Down. This is hypocritical coming from me, but I’ve come to appreciate the pace of Patagonia. Don’t confuse activity with productivity.
3. Family Matters. I’m here with my wife Linsey and that means more to me than experiencing Patagonia alone or with friends. It also reminds me of previous family vacations. Furthermore, we attended an ASADO where the basis of the fun was not food, but instead family–and we were treated as family. Thank you Gonzalez’s and Ortiz’s.
4. Trout are tough. Trout possess a reputation as a delicate species that only dine on very small bugs. You don’t proliferate as successfully as they have without being tough and eating meat. Fish streamers.
5. Eat clean and lean. Last night’s dinner consisted of Patagonian lamb cooked over an open fire. Why Patagonian lamb? Because of their grassfed diets and rugged terrain. Similar to the organic grassfed beef of Montana, this species is clean and lean.
6. Local Matters. In a globalized world, the word “local” is becoming increasingly important. Local means fresh and local produces pride. Local matter’s when drinking craft beer in Montana, and it matters when drinking craft beer in Patagonia.
7. Mountains are healthy. In Montana, New Zealand, and now Patagonia, I’ve noticed mountains impact people. It makes people want to climb, run, jump, swim, and explore. Mountains create energy and mountains create fitness.
8. Be authentic. Even to outsiders, fake shines through. Authenticity is obvious and should be the basis for all brand experiences. It doesn’t have to be great, but it needs to be real.
9.The web is world wide. This post is coming courtesy of a wireless connection in the heart of Patagonia. I’m pretty sure the web is not a fad and neither is social media.