Thursday, January 29, 2015

3 Reasons Why Couchsurfing is Great for your Career

Most of my friends and colleagues would know that I have been an avid Couchsurfer for years.
It's an amazing way to introduce yourself: "Hi, I am Sebastian and I sleep at strangers' places when I travelFor free." I assure you, 100% of people at the table will jerk up in surprise and start listening. Now you have their attention.
In all seriousness, personal passions don't normally impact your work beyond the usual watercooler chat. I find, though, that Couchsurfing has driven my personal and career development in diverse, significant ways. Here's why:
  • Couchsurfing makes you an Adaptable Chameleon

Travel inherently brings people out of their comfort zone. The new sights and sounds, experiences and people, all make you learn and grow quickly to adapt to the new environment.
Couchsurfing accelerates that, because it takes you one step further, beneath the surface. Each host I have met immerses me into a different, diverse microcosm - that of their own life. In that short period of time, you are initiated to a very personal space, and learn to understand and live comfortably with the host's personality, nuances and norms. If you don't, well, good luck getting any sleep in a 'foreign land'!
In my travels across US, Europe and Australia, I have lived in a spiritual community, mingled with the well-heeled, even shared my couch with the host's pets once! I have enjoyed conversations on geopolitics with Canadians and Russians, learned the cure for cancer from a spiritual guru, and found the meaning of life with a Spanish friend.
My comfort zone with people and places is that much wider now, and I adapt much more easily to any new environment, both personally and at work. (see my experience in China here)
  • Couchsurfing develops your Social Skills and Emotional Intelligence

People often ask me why couchsurfing hosts would let a stranger into their house, disrupt their lives, and stay for free. What do they get in return?
To me, the kneejerk response is the exchange of perspectives in life. Just as you are fascinated by their culture, they in turn are interested in hearing about you, your country, and your experiences. One retired American couple shared that since they had travelled enough in their younger days, they now want to live vicariously through the experiences of their surfers.
All this, of course, requires you to be social, to be a good listener who's open to new perspectives, to be aware of the other party's reactions and keep up a good conversation. You develop cross-cultural sensitivity, comfort with ambiguity, and learn to build relationships quickly. Why pay loads of money for an MBA or EQ training when you can learn through the School of Hard Knocks?
That's why when people see my references sharing how we always have a great time exchanging perspectives on life and culture (and cook a mean Singaporean meal to boot!), they readily invite me in.
  • Couchsurfing builds your Global Network

The world works in strange ways sometimes. You have all heard the stories. A stranger you helped out ten years ago may give you that one big gig that changes your life. Everyone is connected by six degrees of separation. And so on.
When you couchsurf, you meet people whom you may have never met otherwise. You befriend these amazing individuals from diverse backgrounds, share your ideas and knowledge freely, and build close and lasting relationships. Isn't that networking at its best?
So just keeping sharing about your dreams and ambitions with these newfound friends. And perhaps one of these chance connections may bounce off the couch and into the office.
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Of course, none of the above is why I do couchsurfing. 
Neither should you either, unless you genuinely enjoy new experiences outside your comfort zone, and bonding with strangers from around the world.
If you do, however, the sky's the limit.
And who knows? Someday we may even share the same couch.
Cover photo: Abroadable.com