Greetings.  It's Monday evening and I'm waiting at the airport for the first of two flights that will take me to northern India.  It's a trip I've been planning for the past several months, and imagining for the past several years.  My first trip to a large and dynamic country that is home to one-sixth of the world's population.  And home to great wisdom and great challenges.  The birthplace of the Hindu religion and the place where the Buddha first spoke.  A land known for its engineering and information technology prowess as well as the Tata Nano which, at $2,500, is the world's most affordable car.  The "outsourcing" center of the galaxy where a vast world of help desks provide support to an even larger world of customers.  A place of great wealth and natural beauty but also great poverty.  The land of Bollywood and also Slumdog Millionaire.  Home to remarkable art, culture, music, history, yoga, and the Taj Mahal. 

The promise of travel is the chance to learn new things.  To experience the magic, along with the problems, of new places.  To make new friends, and discover the genius in other people and other corners of the world.  To break down the walls and stereotypes that keep us from connecting with other people and building a world based on greater understanding, insight, and respect.  To realize that every place is, in fact, a land of contrasts and a land of infinite possibilities.

And if it weren't for missing family desperately the moment I pulled out of the driveway, the opportunity to travel would be a nearly perfect gift.

So commit to planning a trip to someplace you've never been before.  Even if it's just around the corner.  Then allow yourself the chance to explore, learn, and grow.

We win in business and in life when we never stop traveling.  And when we never stop discovering a world filled with secrets to share.  All on the way to coming back to the magic of home.

Cheers!

P.S.  In the next two weeks I'll try to share some of my new discoveries.