Over the past several years, the phrase “team building” has become somewhat of an office buzzword. Entrepreneurs, CEOs and business owners everywhere are clamoring to schedule events and afternoons that encourage togetherness, collaboration and cohesion among employees. What these go-getters don’t realize is that they’re often confusing team building for team bonding, and that the two concepts are actually very different.

It’s that time of year again. Thanksgiving? Yes, but no. Christmas time? Yes, but no. For many in the outdoor adventurous realm, especially those in water sports, now is when we break down and put on socks. For most this isn’t a big deal. Most wear socks regularly, daily even. But for me, it is a big deal. I need socks that can keep up with my lifestyle.

Team building is an essential activity within an organization. In a previous post here on OPA, we’ve cited reasons why it’s important, thus, companies and other types of groups ensure that team building is always a part of their developmental plans.

One of the challenges though, is to think and prepare various activities that will do the job of accomplishing the goals of the team building process, whilst simultaneously letting participants enjoy the sessions. Coming up with new ways to achieve both results fall upon the organizers of the event.

One of the biggest challenges that any business faces is to have all of its employees working towards a common goal. In order for that to happen, everyone within the organization needs to be on the same page, but it can be difficult for that to happen when you have all kinds of different personalities working in the same building. There are going to be natural leaders and followers, and there are also going to be people who want to lead, but who simply sit back and watch for fear that they will fail. Making sure that everyone is in the right position to succeed is important, and team building exercises are a great way to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of everyone within the company.

The success of a business depends on the relationship between the employees and the management. The main reason for team building is to build trust and instill confidence in employees. Through team building activities employees feel free to interact with their employers and in doing so gain a sense of belonging within the organization. Team building boosts staff morale thereby increasing motivation.

We should all take a few minutes and consider the potentially great reasons why adventure and travel can be so good for us.  Why breaking away from routine and everyday life is exactly what the doctor ordered.  Why getting away from it all will bring a new sense of peace and joy to our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.  The possibilities are endless and the ability to gain from an adventure is unparalleled.

I recently got to test out my new Tribord easybreath snorkeling mask on a cruise to Mexico and Belize and it was as amazing as I hoped it would be.  I did a lot of research before finally pulling the trigger on this purchase I mean $99 isn’t just pocket change though now you can get it on Amazon for $75.  After reading a bunch of reviews I figured what the heck it’s different but let’s give it a whirl.

It seems that every week a new blog is circulated vitally via social media regarding dating or marriage advice. The captions with the post often are ‘Amen’, ‘Preach it!’, ‘I want this’. Many of these blogs don’t dive too deep past the surface of their topic, and from that vantage point every bloggers opinion seems like a great fresh approach to relationships...mainly because our image only society (meaning JPGS and MP4s) doesn’t really know how to analyze thoughts anymore past the 2 dimensions. As a result, we get 2-D topics.