5 Lessons I Learned About Life While in Paris

photo credit: tlataille

I spent the last week and a half wandering Paris in search of everything and nothing at the same time. I spent a lot of time learning and soaking in Paris and the Parisian lifestyle. If you’ve never been to Paris, you’re in for a shock. The city is magnificent. Parisians are the polar opposite of Americans. They don’t rush, they take their time and they relax. They have an obsession with baked goods and they certainly don’t work 50-60 hour weeks. While I was there, I was reminded of a couple things that we, as Americans, often forget.

1. There’s Always Room for Dessert
If you’ve ever been lucky enough to wander the streets of Paris, you’ll notice there are bakeries on every corner. You’ll also notice that almost every restaurant in Paris offers a combo with an appetizer, entree, beverage and dessert. While dining at French restaurants, I came to understand that desserts are a part of French cuisine and they are to be enjoyed. This made me realize that in the US, we often skip the simple, small, and sweet things in life because we’re too focused on doing whatever it is that we’re doing (whether it be work, school, a new start-up, a side project etc). We’re so full of our main entree that we can hardly think about dessert. When we do this, we miss out on the simple pleasures in life or a delicious dessert (quite literally). Always enjoy a bit of dessert with your proverbial meal.

2. Take a Step Back to Re-evaluate and Reflect
During my time in Paris, I didn’t sightsee. I sat at cafes sipping coffee, watching the world go by. I watched people from all walks of life come and go. As I sat there, I had time to reflect and re-evaluate my life, my goals, my expectations and my current situations. I tend to reflect on my life often but this time it felt like a breath of fresh air.

I realized sometimes I work so hard toward my goals, I forget to take the time to REALLY evaluate on a large scale. Setting life goals is important but consciously taking the time to re-evaluate and reflect is even more important – whether that means taking a much needed vacation or sitting at your favorite coffee shop and watching the people go by…. everyone needs a breath of fresh air.

3. Striving to be Perfect is a Waste of Time
Parisians wear a lot of black – head to toe. The women look put together, chic and polished. Personally, I never wore black on black. Something about wearing black on black bothered me because I felt the slightly different shades of black looked sloppy and untidy. Now? Don’t be surprised if you find me wearing black on black. Striving to be perfect or attempting to coordinate all the tiny details in life is a waste of time. That time could be spent on other things. I can’t tell you how many times I was *almost* late to an event because I “didn’t have anything to wear.” In retrospect, pulling together an all black outfit and doing a quick mirror check before running out the door would have saved me so much time.

4. Use Kind Words
People say the French are rude. I found this to be completely untrue. Why? I don’t speak much French. Fortunately, most people in France speak English. I managed to get around fine with basic phrases like “hello”, “good evening”, “good bye”, “thank you”, “no thank you”, “excuse me” and most importantly, “I’m sorry I don’t speak French. Do you speak English?” I found people were much friendlier and willing to help me when I used these phrases instead of automatically assuming they speak English and speaking to them in English right away.

These phrases are basic and it may seem like common sense but I’ve met a lot of people that seem to not know this. They are too concerned with getting what they want right away, they forget that people want to be treated like people. If anything, I’d say there are times when us Americans can be very rude.

5. BYOTSC (Bring Your Own Toilet Seat Covers)
No deep thoughts of self-reflection here. I call a spade a spade. There are no toilet seat covers so bring your own. You can get these in the travel section of any Target.

I had a wonderful, unforgettable time in Paris. The culture and the Parisian lifestyle is so different than what I’m used to. It was a much needed vacation and a review course in Life 101. Now I feel refreshed, recharged and ready to take on the world. So watch out!