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You realize that panicky, sinking feeling within the pit of your abdomen while you notice you are in serious trouble otherwise you made a mistake? You are so SOL that you do not know what to do.
It is Sam’s spouse Sydney right here, and I lately discovered myself in a bind.
Proper after I booked flights to Japan, I noticed my passport was lacking. No passport, no journey, $3,600 in non-refundable airfare gone! I have never felt this a lot despair and stress in years, which I am going to get into under.
Within the midst of my grief and nervousness, nevertheless, Sam taught me an exceptional thoughts shift train utilized by Navy Seals often called Full Profit.
What Does The Navy Seals Saying “Full Profit” Imply?
Once I first heard the expression “full profit” I used to be slightly perplexed. Nevertheless it’s actually fairly easy. This saying comes from the thought course of that each problem we face is an opportunity to get higher, to develop as an individual.
Not solely that, the tougher a problem is, the extra worth it holds.
Once we face adversity, it makes us higher IF we settle for it. Exhausting challenges and disappointments might make us really feel fully overwhelmed, however they offer us the “full profit.”
Assume again to essentially the most tough or irritating occasions in your life which might be seared into your thoughts endlessly. Now take into consideration how a lot you realized from them. Not solely that, you’re stronger at this time since you had been capable of overcome these adversities.
Examples Of Issues And Full Advantages
20-page time period paper vanishing in an influence outage? Benefit from the full advantage of re-writing a greater paper and getting a greater grade.
Getting rejected from all 10 schools you utilized to? Benefit from the full advantage of saving cash by going to neighborhood faculty for 2 years after which transferring.
Getting rejected from six preschools you utilized to? Benefit from the full profit by homeschooling your youngster for one 12 months, constructing a stronger relationship, and saving cash.
New fridge you have waited 6 months for does not match by way of your door? Benefit from the full advantage of discovering a less expensive, longer-lasting mannequin and turning into a wiser residence remodeler.
Snapping your ankle the one time you neglect to put on your ankle brace? Benefit from the full advantage of forcing you to relaxation your shoulder for a month since you’ll be able to now not transfer.
Shifting focus away from the stress at hand and onto the total profit as a substitute is a good way to shift your mindset. And in terms of constructing wealth, having a powerful cash mindset is paramount!
My Current Debacle Turned Full Profit
For these of you with growing older dad and mom, you realize all too properly how tough it may be to juggle your individual life and theirs. I am experiencing this now to some extent with my mother.
Anyway, certainly one of my many latest duties for her has been arranging a visit to Japan. Her sister handed and there are numerous unsettled duties she has to take care of. My mom initially had plans to go alone, however that is not possible anymore resulting from some unexpected well being points.
Thus, I needed to reschedule her solo journey in Might to a time when each my sister and I can accompany her. My sister will take our mother there for the primary half of the journey, I am going to do the latter half, and we’ll overlap briefly within the center.
After numerous forwards and backwards, we lastly obtained dates and flights sorted out. However proper after I booked my non-refundable flights, I went to go seize my passport and realized it was no the place to be discovered. What?!
The place The Hell Is My Passport?!
Hadn’t I simply I efficiently renewed it in 4Q2022? My reminiscence high quality is fairly frayed across the edges resulting from poor sleep resulting from our daughter. So after I could not discover my passport it the place it ought to have been, I began to panic. I used to be so caught off guard that my reminiscence went fully clean.
Did I even obtain it after submitting my renewing within the first place? If I obtained it, did I hold it within the envelope? Or did I take it out and conceal it? If that’s the case, which place did I put it? And wth is not it there?!
Over the following a number of hours, I began to recollect just a few issues. I remembered getting it within the mail and exhibiting it to Sam. “Hey verify this out. That is what the most recent passports appear like.” However what I did after that also stays a blur.
After frantically looking out the home high to backside for 3 days, I lastly accepted it was gone for good. I concluded that I both put it again within the precedence mail envelope it got here in and someway it was inadvertently discarded.
Or I did tuck it away, however one of many 6-7 restore staff who got here by way of our home through the winter poked round and took it after I wasn’t wanting.
Regardless of the case could also be, it was gone and I could not get it again.
Now What?
I used to be so distraught and felt just like the village fool for being so careless. However, I could not afford to remain caught in pity metropolis. With costly non-refundable flights to Japan already booked for all three of us, I wanted to behave quick.
First, I checked out a calendar to see what number of weeks I had in play. Twelve on the absolute most. Hmm, not too dangerous I believed, however nonetheless dicey. Passport processing time for routine service is round 10-13 weeks proper now. And expedited service is just not considerably sooner at 7-9 weeks. However a pair weeks may make a giant distinction for me!
Then I realized that as a result of my passport was misplaced/stolen, I must re-apply in particular person identical to somebody making use of for the very first time. I began looking out all of the SF submit workplace places for an appointment. However each location was absolutely booked for the following 4+ weeks! My pulse jumped.
Oh man, I believed. I actually may very well be screwed. Luckily, my sister gave me a tip that some submit places of work take walk-in appointments. There wasn’t any information posted on-line about present walk-in places, so I began dialing each submit workplace within the metropolis.
Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring…oh no, does anybody on the submit workplace ever decide up the cellphone?!
Passport Demand Is Up, Postal Employment Is Down
Seems only a few submit places of work in San Francisco will reply the cellphone it doesn’t matter what time of day you name. My guess is they’re both too busy to select up the cellphone, or are too unmotivated and disengaged. Fortunately, nevertheless, I lastly did get ahold of 1 particular person on the Noe Valley department.
Though that location doesn’t take walk-ins, she knowledgeable me that the primary department at 1300 Evans Ave does. The problem she stated is the workplace opens at 7:30 am, however individuals begin lining up at 5 am. There are a restricted variety of walk-in slots, so exhibiting up early does not even assure you will get seen.
Then she stated the wait time may very well be an extra 5-6 hours after the workplace opens. Lastly, she guided me that Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays are the busiest. Oh boy.
I felt reasonably defeated already, however nonetheless held onto a ray of hope that I may very well be one of many fortunate ones. Operation early hen, ie my Plan A, was hatched.
Plan B, C, and D
Nonetheless feeling unsettled since there was no assure I may get a walk-in appointment, I got here up with a Plan B, C, and D.
I researched passport expeditor service suppliers, however that would value $700. Sheesh! Not solely that, the evaluations had been horrific and it did not seem to be utilizing one would assist me that a lot anyway as a result of I’d nonetheless want to seem in particular person. I scrapped that concept.
Subsequent, I pinged our son’s faculty grade guardian’s community to see if anybody had any ideas from prior expertise. It was value a shot since many fellow dad and mom have family members abroad and journey internationally for household and work.
To my delight, I obtained some on the spot ideas together with quick service in Mill Valley and Sausalito (a couple of 30 minute drive north) and utilizing same-day service on the Civic Heart passport workplace with proof of pressing journey.
I instantly seemed for appointments in Mill Valley and Sausalito. I obtained one! Nevertheless it was three weeks out, which means I would be tremendous down the the wire on my departure. At the very least my plan B was in place even when it wasn’t nice.
Then I formulated a plan C, which might entail calling the Nationwide Passport Data Heart to attempt to get an appointment for pressing journey inside 14 days of my departure.
And lastly, my plan D can be to name and attempt to get a brilliant pressing appointment if I executed Plan A however was nonetheless caught ready for my new passport inside 5 days of departure.
Plan A: Full Profit
So what ended up occurring? The considered me waking up at 4:30 am to go get in line at 5 am within the chilly was gloomy. I already get little or no sleep as it’s. However the evening earlier than I deliberate to go, I remembered there are individuals accessible for rent on TaskRabbit to attend in line. Genius!
I rapidly submitted a activity request and linked with a extremely rated Elite tasker. Though he hadn’t waited for a passport appointment earlier than, he was fast to reply and appeared dependable.
Now I simply wanted to complete all of my paperwork and arrive by 7:15 the following day to take his spot in line earlier than the passport workplace opened at 7:30.
The following morning, I linked with my Tasker. He obtained there early and was the primary one in line. Wanting good! A household of 4 arrived behind him a short while later as I used to be getting my issues prepared to depart.
Sudden Variables
Then out of the blue, my Tasker texted me at 6:50 am saying the workplace opened early and to get there ASAP. What?!
Despite the fact that the workplace did not formally open till 7:30 am, there was an agent onsite who was able to see walk-ins early as a result of excessive demand. I had not accounted for this.
My Tasker needed to let the household go first since I wasn’t on-site but. However since there have been a unit of 4, hopefully I’d arrive simply as they had been ending.
After I used to be rushed out the door, I ended to verify my bag one final time. Okay, I had each of my types, a verify to the DOS, my drivers license, photograph copies of my IDs, however WAIT!! The place was my expired passport?! I wanted it to show citizenship. ACK!
I rapidly remembered I left it on our printer the evening earlier than after I was making photocopies. I dashed to seize it after which rushed throughout city. OMG I felt like such a multitude.
Fortunately, the household of 4 completed one minute earlier than I ran within the door and I used to be capable of be seen proper after I arrived. PHEW!
One other sudden variable was the agent did not like the truth that my printed types had been “too small.” Despite the fact that I printed them to the max scale my printer may deal with with out chopping off the perimeters, she did not wish to course of them that means.
Speeding Leads To Careless Errors
So, I needed to re-write all of the fields of my DS-11 software on one of many clean DS-11 types they’d onsite. Fortunately, she did not ship me to the again of the road. She was capable of get different issues prepared whereas I rewrote every thing.
There have been additionally just a few containers I forgot to checkmark after I redid the shape, which she happily caught and corrected.
I additionally wasn’t capable of verify with my father what his birthplace was earlier than I submitted the shape. This was a silly mistake I may have prevented if I seemed by way of the shape extra totally a number of days earlier than. Once I noticed the parental data fields initially, I believed that was only for minor candidates. I used to be incorrect!
I took my finest guess, however after I talked to my dad later within the day he informed me I used to be incorrect. Ugh. At the very least I enter the neighboring metropolis, so I used to be fairly shut. Hopefully my software will not get stalled due to that.
Takeaways: From Despair To Full Profit
Lesson realized? At all times lock up your valuables immediately. And inform your partner, siblings, or trusted buddy the place you locked them up in case you neglect! I used to be proud sufficient to point out Sam my new passport when it got here, however dumb sufficient to not put it in a brilliant safe place instantly afterward.
At the very least I obtained the total advantage of this snafu! Now I simply have to take a seat again, wait, and hope for one of the best on the tail finish. After I verify my precedence mail specific envelope made it to the processing middle, I can use the passport software standing checker in about three weeks.
If it hasn’t arrived in eight weeks, I am going to want to leap on the cellphone to see what is going on on. No matter else occurs, hopefully in twelve weeks I will be on my flight to Japan with my passport. And sure, I’ll double verify my new passport is in my bag earlier than I get within the automobile!
Full Profit Comes With Constructive Outcomes
Along with studying lots out of this expertise, there have been another positives as properly. Due to my three-day hunt for my passport, I concurrently benefited from:
Decluttering the home
Organizing closets, cupboards, and drawers
Filling up two baggage of toys and garments to donate or promote
Discovering a number of random issues I would misplaced earlier
Studying extra about passport purposes and processing
Getting to jot down this submit to share about my loopy expertise
Plus, I did not find yourself having to attend 5-6 hours on the submit workplace. I really had zero wait time because of my Tasker. And I additionally used this time to assist my mom renew her passport as properly. That was fairly a painful course of in and of itself for a lot of causes, however now it is finished too.
How A lot Did I Finish Up Spending Due To A Misplaced Passport?
This is how a lot this wild misadventure value:
Report passport stolen $0
New passport photograph $18.46
New passport e book $130
In-person execution charge $35
Precedence Mail Categorical from SF to DoS $28.75
Expedited processing by the DoS $60
1-2 Day supply from DoS to SF $19.53
Tasker charges for two.5 hours, and tip $134
Rideshare transportation, charges, and tip $48.88
Complete = $474.62
Ouch, my carelessness in shedding my passport (or not locking it up when individuals got here into the home) value me nearly 5 hundred {dollars} and hours of stress and nervousness. Sure, I definitely may have saved cash by ready in line myself from 5 am, borrowing a automobile, and never paying for the assorted expedited charges.
However, paying additional allowed me to get some a lot wanted additional sleep, did not impression Sam’s morning work schedule, did not hinder our children getting to highschool on time (we solely have one automobile), and gave me extra peace of thoughts that I ought to have my new passport a number of weeks earlier than my journey.
Full Profit Pays Off
I am glad to report that two months after I wrote this submit, my new passport arrived within the mail. Phew! So the estimated expedited processing time of 7-9 weeks did maintain true.
The very first thing I did was inform Sam precisely the place I put it! In fact I nonetheless have to recollect to deliver it with me to the airport on my day of departure and never lose it throughout my journey. However, I do plan to be additional cautious.
Enjoyable Info About Passports
And to shut, listed here are some fascinating tid bits about passports that you could be not have recognized.
The demand for US passports exploded in 2022 with a report 22 million processed up from 15.5 million in 2021. Demand in 2023 is on tempo to interrupt final 12 months’s report.
Greater than 40 million journey paperwork and passports have been misplaced or stolen since 2002.
Crimson is the most typical passport cowl shade worldwide. Within the US they’re blue.
Australia is the costliest nation to get a passport, about 3x the price within the US.
Reader Questions And Suggestions
Readers, have you ever ever misplaced your passport or had it stolen? Did you expertise the total profit in your journey to exchange it? What are some challenges you have overcome in your life while you skilled the total advantage of going through and overcoming adversity?
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