Lessons from Thailand

I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Southeast Asia this winter break. One of the countries I visited was Thailand, one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Though I was traveling for only a few weeks, I tried to absorb as much as I could about the culture, the history and the Thai way of life.

I learned the importance of incorporating spirituality and peacefulness in one’s life. A great aspect of Thai society is the incorporation of Buddha into everyday life. Throughout the day, people from all levels of society, from the rich to the poor, take time out of their day to pay respect to Buddha. 

One day I had the opportunity to strike up a conversation with a lady who was praying outside. She told me, “Taking a few minutes out of my hectic day to pray to Buddha helps me clear my head. I cherish this time and find it to be the most important time of my day, even more important than my work. It relaxes and increases my focus which helps me become more successful in my job.” 

That resonated with me. We are often overwhelmed with work and other tasks, and we forget to take time to reflect and clear our heads. As the new year and decade unfolds, one of my resolutions has come from this experience: I want to take time each day for contemplation. Taking the necessary time to gather one’s thoughts can be advantageous in ensuring renewed focus and help us do better in the tasks we do.

Traveling to far-off places can often provide important perspective about what's right in front of us. That's just one of the benefits of Maryland Smith's MBA Global Business Course, which allows students to travel to various countries during Winter Break.   

–By Ashraf Khan. Khan is a 2020 MBA candidate and dean's fellow at Maryland Smith. He is originally from Potomac, Md., and worked as a civil engineer in the Washington, D.C., area prior to pursuing an MBA with a concentration in marketing.