Welcome, aspiring polyglot! Traveling around the world has taught me quite a bit about myself. One of the most impactful things I was taught is that, irrespective of who you are or where you are, you are an ambassador for yourself and everything you consider your identity. Whenever you do anything you are being watched, judged, and evaluated whether you know it or not; and whether you want it or not. Knowing that, though, is the key to becoming the best you can be.
Day to day life
The first wave you will run into when you are living in your day to day life is the wave of daily greetings you have the opportunity to share with people. This is the first choice you have to make day in and day out. Will you greet people? How many of them will you greet? Do you think you can spend a little more time conversing today? If not, why not?
These are all important questions to set yourself up for the rest of your opportunities for ambassadorship. A secondary aspect most people have begun to overlook is that the way you look is incredibly important to how you will be perceived. Again, this is not an endorsement nor a condemnation of this fact, but it is observably true and, therefore, something you can and should use to your advantage wherever possible.
There is a lot of darkness in the world. Anyone reading this likely knows that perfectly well. After all, you can hardly use the internet without seeing another horrific act or tragic natural disaster. It is incumbent upon you, therefore, to become the light in the darkness. You will not be the only light in the world and as yours grows brighter you will find more light. But you may be the only light in someone’s world.
What you think and what you say and what you do all go to who you are. Who you are and who you present to the world may or may not align, but it can be exhausting if they do not. Getting to the point where you align on that is involves a lot of inner work with which I cannot help, but it is work that is worthwhile whether or not you plan to travel around the world.
You are your own emissary. Perhaps more consequentially, you are an emissary for every group with which you claim to identify. Whether you like it or not, whether you agree or not, people will judge the groups with which you are associated based on your behavior, actions, and words. While you may not be able to wholly cure the reputation of a group or identity, you can certainly destroy those things.
Traveling the world
Though it is logistically impossible to alter the perspective of so many people that it overhauls the perception entirely of an identifier, it is absolutely possible to change the minds of those around you. One of the most life altering notes I ever received from someone, which I still have to this day (from 10 years ago!!) says, “I have to admit to you, when you first arrived in Belgium, I did not think very highly of Americans. You changed my mind.”
Changing people’s perspectives for the better is by far the most impactful thing you can do as an ambassador. There is a reason that a lot of salespeople are now called “brand ambassadors”. Think of yourself is a brand ambassador. Your brand is you. Who you are, what you want to see in the world, and how you interact with that world. At the end of the day, perception is the sum of all experience. If you can be the positive experience, you should be.
That said, it is important to remember that, while you may be representing an identity in the eyes of others, you are only able to speak for yourself. This is important for both tempering your expectations and centering yourself after any negative interaction. You are not responsible for the negative interactions someone else has had with people who share your identifying characteristics. The only thing you can control is you, so do.
A reflection of your circle
A common saying is that you are the aggregate of the five people with whom you spend the most time. It is true. Though 5 may not necessarily be the magic number. With that in mind, evaluate your circle. Do the people you spend the most time with have the same or similar goals as you do? Are they honest with you or do they seek to make you feel better? Can you be honest with them? All of these things are crucial to self integration.
If they don’t align, it may be time to re-evaluate who you keep around. The influence that the people in our lives have on us can seem inconsequential but is often more powerful than we are willing to admit. After all, if your friends like to do something, surely you will enjoy it, too, right? Perhaps. If you don’t enjoy it though, are you willing and able to bring it up? And this goes both ways. Your circle has to be able to be honest with you, too.
Conclusion
People rarely remember the things you do or the things you say. The thing that people remember about you is how you made them feel. That is when you do your best “ambassading” and can truly change the world even if only in a a micro way. Enough micro impact will lead to a macro result and, over the course of a year, a decade, or a lifetime, small things can add up. You likely overestimate what you can do in a day and underestimate what you can do in a year.
Putting yourself out there is risky, but so is allowing people to pass judgements without having any input of your own. Every time you speak to someone is an opportunity to be the best ambassador you can be for everything you want to represent. It is difficult, but you can do difficult things and become great. So get out there and do some difficult things and become great. I am rooting for you.
Requests
If you have anything you would like covered you can reach out to me on X, Instagram, or at odin@secondlanguagestrategies.com.
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Good article!