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Level 8

Travel & Make a Difference

Sometimes, people travel the world in an effort to “find” their purpose in life.  Ironically, I travelled home last week and got a glimpse of mine @google.

 

I'm turning 55 in a few days and to be honest, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.

 

For many of you this may sound crazy because your mission has been clear for you all along.  Or, your path has been directed by a set of circumstances or cultural expectations that you have come to adopt.

 

For many years, this was the case for me.  I lived my life in a very safe and culturally acceptable way.  I went to college, got married and had 2 children (not necessarily in that order).  I worked hard for many years and climbed the corporate ladder. I had a nice house, a decent car and a good job, yet I found something deep inside was wanting.  My heart was empty. I wanted to do something “bigger” with my life, I wanted to really help people.

 

Two years ago, after some planning, I quit my 30+ year career, sold my house and left the San Francisco Bay Area after calling it home for most of my life.   I had the opportunity to travel Mexico on my boyfriend's boat, SV Epiphany.



I don't know about you, but, I try to make my important life decisions based on whether I will have regrets, one way or another, at the end of my life.   Simply put, I knew I would regret it if I passed on this opportunity. (Yes, this was incredibly scary for me because my financial picture was less than clear and my personal wealth is far from  abundant. But, I said a little prayer and set off on the adventure anyway. In retrospect, I can see now that I was in search of my true “purpose” or life's calling. Ironically, I didn't discover my purpose until just last week when I returned to San Francisco for a Google Local Guides #ConnectLive2018 summit.  It was so inspiring being around that collective “do good” energy.)

 

For two years, we have been cruising into various ports in Mexico and performing random acts of kindness.   In our day-to-day activities, we may help out a specific family, individual or organization. We often go out of our way to make sure small, local businesses are on The Map and we post photos and reviews to drive future business through their doors.   In a nutshell, we promote travel to these remote places while spreading kindness, respect and little money here and there. But, for me, this was still not “enough”.

 

In fact, I have found, many cruisers have this same mindset, a mindset of wanting to give back to the people who really need it.  Wouldn't it be great if we could create something much bigger, together? There are so many cruisers/world wide travelers who are wanting to make a difference in the world and there are SO many people who need help.

 

Here's the idea…

 

Google Maps has a new List making feature.  This means a list can be associated with any place, a Marina, a Church, an Orphanage, a Senior Center, a town etc.  (Here's where the power of numbers could make this good idea into a world changing initiative. Wouldn't it be be amazing if there were many of us who were helping to populate those need lists?  Better yet, we can teach the nonprofits how to publish their own lists.) Wouldn’t it be great to know of the various volunteering opportunities in a village or what an organization or an area needs before you travel there?  From providing school supplies to fishing hooks, from teaching a class to organizing a clean-up project, our actions can change a community into perpetuity.

 

Your comments and questions on this idea are welcomed!  I'm happy to discuss my experience in the Google Local Guides program  in an effort to garner support for my People-Helping-People initiative.  I'm also happy to discuss “List Making” in Google Maps as that is independent of the Guides program.

 

I'm a firm believer that technology can make this world a better place.  Yes, technology can bring together the supply and demand chain, especially in the charitable contributions/volunteering sectors!

 

Who is with me?  First we identify the need, then we help to create the lists and then we spread the word about the lists!

 

#letsguide

#localguidesconnect

#googlemaps

#listsongooglemaps

#makeadifference

#peoplehelpingpeople

#connectlive2018

#teampixel

 

Marina Mazatlan - an October SunsetMarina Mazatlan - an October Sunset

 




8 comments
Level 8

Re: Travel & Make a Difference

Level 7

Re: Travel & Make a Difference

I'd be happy to hear more about what you're planning once you have enough interest. My story is not so different from your own!

Level 9

Bls: Travel & Make a Difference

wow...anda betul betul menakjubkan.keputusan yang anda ambil sangat berani dan pada akhirnya membawa kebaikan pada semua orang dengan menjadi Local Guides..we proud to be local guides right! teruslah menebar kebaikan..semangat !

Former Google Contributor

Re: Travel & Make a Difference

Hi @SeaGypsySuz,

Firstly, I hope you had a fantastic time at the Connect Live event! 

 

Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful initiative with us! I'm inspired by your idea and think this could be established with the help of the Connect community.

 

With that said, what we suggest you do, is portray your idea via the Idea Exchange . By keeping it concise, your idea would be more appealing to a wider audience of Local Guides. They can also go ahead and post their comments or questions. 

 

By the way, I'm moving your post to Local Stories

Due to the volume of private messages Google Moderators receive, I do not read or respond to private messages. Please post publicly so others may benefit from your discussion. If you require urgent assistance, please tag a Google Moderator. Thank you!
Connect Moderator

Re: Travel & Make a Difference

Hi @SeaGypsySuz

Yes, sharing list is an important initiative, building a list together would be great, I love the idea too.

And yes, idea exchange is the right place for this suggestion, as @AlexaAC is already telling you.

I also love your photo, that is telling me that you are "home" now, whyle I still visiting (exploring) San Francisco. 

See you soon

Level 7

Re: Travel & Make a Difference

@SeaGypsySuz look forward to hearing more about this! 

Level 8

Re: Travel & Make a Difference

  • I'm not sure Google is interested in this project.  😞

I will have to find another way to achieve this!