I asked Team Braveheart this question: What pieces of advice would you give to the Racers who are about to leave?
These were their answers:
No one else knows what’s going on either, no matter how boldly they are proclaiming they do.
Don’t eat your feelings. Talk about them instead.
Choose to live in the moment, and don’t worry about tomorrow.
Don’t eat every ice cream and carb you see.
Never leave home without change for a toilet and roll of toilet paper. Ever.
I hope you love anchovies.
Don’t take it personally.
Just because everyone else is crying doesn’t mean you have to, or that something is wrong with you.
You might not love it, but you will survive.
Take pictures.
Make friends with the hairstylist on your squad.
Computer is better than just an IPad, even with a keyboard.
Spend large bills whenever someone will take them.
Be authentic.
Lice isn’t the end of the world.
Say yes; volunteer for everything.
Drink the coffee.
The clothes you bring will be the clothes that you contribute to the sometime involuntary share pile, mostly. Choose wisely.
Use the free pile to make your pack lighter.
Invite your parents to PVT and launch.
You will talk about poop, a lot. Be prepared.
Choose to invest in every relationship you can, even with the guy who lives next door, or makes your coffee.
Learn to use these words properly in a sentence: Process, love on, guard your heart, seek out, intentional, challenge, go deep, intentional feedback.
Ask your host everything you can.
Communicate with people even if they don’t speak English.
Don’t try to be a chief when you need to be an Indian.
Sometimes, different is just different, not better or worse.
Eat the food.
Invest in a coin purse.
Wake up for a sunrise in every country.
Silly games go beyond language barriers.
Don’t be afraid to look weird because they already think you do anyway.
Serve as often as you can.
You will sweat. Don’t complain.
Just drink some water.
Eye masks and ear plugs are a good investment.
Bring good earphones.
Trust that this journey will change you.
Be patient.
Make the (often not culturally appropriate) joke within your teams and laugh.
Take pictures that you’ll never actually pshare outside of your team but will laugh about within it.
It’s okay to cry and laugh at the same time.
Learn to fear nothing but God.
Learn the instrument.
This year will FLY BY.
Dance as often as you can.
Learn names. Use them as often as you can.
