Chapter 7. Everyone has at least one journey style

Chapter 7. Everyone has at least one journey style

our basic needs determine our preferred thinking styles and these in turn determine 

our preferred STYLES OF TRAVELING

In the late 1970s when I was taking a couple courses on tests and test design I became aware of personality and style surveys, tests and questionnaires.  Before then I had learned about IQ and aptitude tests either in statistic courses or by having to take one or another of them in school.  In the early 1980s while I was working on my doctorate I became aware of cognitive style tests.  Most them then were based on principles discovered by Roger Sperry and Joseph Bogen in their studies with people suffering from epilepsy that led to their research into hemispheric brain dominance.  Such basic brain research indicated that our brains tend to be divided up by a series of localized functions and for various reasons we tend to develop personal preferences, strengths or patterns of the mental skills we use and become more effective at using.

Since completing my doctorate most of my work as a speaker, trainer and consultant has been based on the foundation that “as we think, we learn; as we learn we communicate; as we communicate we solve problems; and as we think, learn, communicate and solve problems determines how we do most things in our lives.”

I believe is this also true about how we travel in our lives whether we create our own totally new journeys or simply join guided tours.

After I finished my degree research I did another study of many separate style questionnaires based on a hunch from experience with them that they all measured or asked about the same things.  Using students from 13 separate majors and many tests I explored my assumption.  The results proved what I believed.  Each of the questionnaires, surveys or tests appeared to measure or ask about the same four things.  I saw and continue to see them as asking the following same four questions:

1.      Are you logical or do you think you are most of the time.

1.      Are you imaginative or do you think you are most of the time.

1.      Are you feeling focused or do you think you are most of the time.

1.      Are you systematic or do you think you are most of the time.

Based on these results I created my own questionnaire to help people explore what might be their most prevalent thinking style.  Using it I then would help them explore how that might affect other aspects of their lives from leading to coaching to counseling to teaching to parenting to managing their time to dealing with stress or conflict.

I now believe how we think also can greatly affect how we travel in our lives.

If you base most of what you do on facts, figures, and specifics analyzing each of these and look for probable to provable results you will travel one way.

If you base most of what you do on using your imagination, striving to explore and create new experiences you can probably accomplish you will travel another way.

If you base most of what you do on doing it with other people to have fun, to share new or repeated experiences always being sensitive to each person’s moods and personal feelings you will travel an even different way.

Finally if you base most of what you do on previously proven and accepted systems, formulas, equations or plans and prefer to know ahead of time that you can be guaranteed success you will travel still another way.

These represent four separate ways we can choose to travel.

In most cases I believe people will tend to use a combination of two or more of these four with some people preferring only one at a time and possible only one.

If you are highly logical you will probably gather extensive information about your possible destinations.  You will analyze the data and narrow down possible to probable to specific destinations.  Then you will create a basic workable plan.  You will probably also take into consideration some options in case Murphy’s Law comes true so that you will be prepared to modify your plans if and when necessary.

If you are highly imaginative you may gather bunches and bunches of information about you idealistic journey.  You may even overload yourself with information to review and learn.  Then you will sketch out an initial plan.  Then as unexpected or unpredictable roadblocks, dead ends or detours occur you will re-create your journey instantaneously.  Or you simply may change your journey because your mood or inspiration changed during the journey.

If you tend to prefer to be with people doing things together that you all enjoy doing you will probably work with your friends to plan a trip or find a partially to completely planned trip that fits all of your goals for going.  Your focus will be on everyone having fun and being willing to be flexible and adjust as things happen.

If you tend to prefer to take completely planned trips without any room for error or disaster you will probably seek out a professional travel agent or consultant and seek to find the most economical and reliable pre-proven tour to sign up for.

Which of these or combination of two or more fits how you have journeyed most of the time in your life?

Do you use one approach for vacations and another for work related journeys?  Do you use one with family and friends and one when you are traveling by yourself?

I believe know which of these you prefer or feel best with can help you design the level of creative journey that will best fit you.

One thing you might try to do is use a mix of approaches, your preferred and one or two of those you usually do not choose and combine them for your next journey.

My 2001 Wandering around the world no doubt involved me using all four approaches while preferring to use the imaginative backed up with the logical and rational ones. 

My personal journeys since Merry and Jeff died have involved a chaotic combination.  My professional journeys much of my life have involved a combination of the imaginative and the rational mostly with too little of the rational.  Just enough rational to help me deal with the roadblocks, dead ends and detours that occurred.

I continually strive to develop a life approach that intertwines all four approaches.  I seem to depend greatly on a need for an imaginative approach to my life in general.  I mostly begin by using a rational approach to create an initial plan to provide me with back up when something does go wrong.  Now I am more open to an occasional guided tour when I can find one that best fits my overall plans.  Also I am striving to add more balance to my life through developing new and deeper true friendships becoming more open to a joint approach to some of my journeys.