Posts tagged with work

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July 26, 2010

16 First Steps to Creating the Life You Want From Some of the World’s Best Bloggers

Editor’s note: More bloggers have joined the fray. Over 16 amazing first steps! Get ready.


I know I’m not alone when I say that upon hearing successful people say, “Do what you love and the money will follow,” the cliche alert goes off in my head. There’s no question we’ve all thought about taking a leap of faith across the chasm of impossibility to see if those timeless words were true. Who hasn’t daydreamed of a life constantly filled to the brim with joy, where work feels like play and the sinking feeling you get right before Monday morning never comes? Unfortunately, most of us have also never tried to take that leap of faith.

Is it the crippling hesitation that corrupts our “go anywhere, do anything” mindset or is it just our feelings of self doubt that stifle us? While these are both true to a lesser extent, they are secondary to a much bigger problem; the problem of not knowing what to do first.

Most people don’t know where to start when they try create a life their own. From this lack of direction, comes doubt. And from this doubt, hesitation. As a result, our hesitation leads to inaction—this is where we get stuck.

To begin doing what we love, and making a living while we do it, we have to have a direction. There needs to be a first step in place before we can move on. This first step will be the most important one that you ever take.

Understanding that this step requires more than just my own assessment, I contacted some of the most successful bloggers in the world to share what they know. From all walks of life, regular people like you and me, they’ve gone through their own journeys in order to live lives their own.

So I asked each of them to answer one simple question:

“What is the first step you should take when trying to make a living doing what you love?”

These are their answers.

Danielle LaPorte of White Hot Truth

“Create an inspiration council. Who do you know – famous, dead, alive, near to you – that’s rocking their vocation? Pretend those liberated heroes are your personal advisory board and imagine what they’d tell you to do every step of the way. Only take their advice (albeit imaginary) when it makes you feel expanded and tenacious.”



Everett Bogue of Far Beyond the Stars

“Reduce your overhead. When you’re trying to strike out on your own, it’s easy to forget that you won’t be making as much as you did at your day job. If you keep spending like you did before you left, you’re liable to fail quicker by running out of money. If you only need $3,000 to last three months you’re a lot more likely to succeed than if you need $17,000 to last three months. Low overhead allows you take bigger risks and increase your chances of success.”



Charlie Gilkey of Productive Flourishing

“The biggest challenge with making the first step in getting paid to do what you love is finding that intersection between what you love and what people will pay you to do in the first place. If you focus too much on what you love and disregard what people will pay you to do, then you won’t be able to put food on the table. If you focus too much on what people will pay you to do, then you’ll make money but you’ll be no happier for doing it.

My recommendation is to find something you enjoy that people are already getting value from and see what you can do to make that solution, service, or product available to more people. And remember: one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.”


Tammy Strobel of Rowdy Kittens

“It comes down to believing in yourself and pushing past fear. If you believe you can do something, passion and focus will follow. I think fear gets the best of so many people. We listen to the lizard brain instead of growing and embracing new opportunities.”



Jonathan Fields of Awake at the Wheel

“First, figure out the activities, people, culture, settings and missions that make you come alive, without reference to whether they can generate money by conventional means. Then, if there’s a conventional path to monetization explore that. If not, look to find gaps in information, community, service, product, mode of delivery and more that can be exploited to create commercial opportunities in a less conventional way.”



Chris Guillebeau of the Art of Non-Conformity

“The first step is to get clear about what you can offer the world. Everyone has something to give, yes — but the trick is to figure out what your unique contribution is, and how that translates into a marketable skill. If you spend time on that at first, the next steps will be much easier.”



Leo Babauta of Zen Habits

“Assuming you’ve already figured out what you love, the first thing you should do is … do what you love. Do it for free, in your spare time, and have a blast doing it. Connect with others interested in the same thing, feed off their energy. Eventually you’ll be able to make a living doing it, but for now, just do it.”


Steven Aitchison of Change Your Thoughts

“When making the decision to do what I love I had to ask a tough question: Do I go for the money or do I go for what I really want to do in life and be proud of my work?  I went for the latter and took a 30% pay cut to do something that I love doing and that’s coaching clients who have addiction issues.  That work also transfers very well into the web and I love coaching clients from around the world. What better way of making a living could you ask for?  Going for the money is great but if you go for the happiness instead you’ll reap the rewards in heart and also financially.  I’ve found that people are attracted to others who love what they do, no matter what field you are in, so you will open up a lot more doors doing what you love and you’ll find a lot more closed doors when you go for the money.”



Dragos Roua of Brilliantly Better

“Short version: Break up with the past.

Long version: Break up with things that are holding you back. It may be your job, your current relationship, or it may be just a belief you don’t know you have it. You gotta let this go.

If you want to make a living doing what you love, it means at the current moment you’re not doing what you love. So, you gotta break up first with what you’re doing now. Make room for what you love.

It’s much easier than you think, once you summon the courage to actually lose something in the process: namely, the old you. It’s in the human nature to associate lost of something with regrets (by the way, I try to break up with human nature in this regard, regrets are a waste of time for me). But even if you will regret some things at the beginning, things will eventually unfold in the right direction.

And the new you will be much more fun.”



Scott H. Young of Scott H Young.com

“My first step: Get out there and do something. Look for a first client, create a first product, put your skills into the market. Too many people waste years of life guessing what the world needs instead of having the humility to ask.”













Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle

“The first step is figuring out WHAT you love. It’s amazing how many people pursue the dream they’re handed by society, when in reality that dream isn’t a good fit for them personally. Identify what you love, figure out what the first step is to get there, and take it. Right now.”









Glen Allsopp of ViperChill

“Sign a contract with yourself that states you will not stop going until you’ve achieved some level of success. Also agree that you won’t chop and change between projects until you’ve achieved something with the first. I lost years because I was always testing things others told me worked rather than sticking to one thing and finding out for myself.”




Shrinivas Rao of Skool of Life, BlogcastFM

“Find what you absolutely love to do. It has to be the thing that gets you up in the morning and looking forward to every single day. For me, that’s riding waves. Build the business around that.”








Luciano Passuello of Litemind

“Provided that you already know which passion to pursue (not a trivial thing), a good first step is to get in touch with people who already “made it” — those that are already living the reality you want for yourself. If they’re really passionate about they do, they’ll not only be glad to help, but will also show you reality as it is (with the *real* challenges and rewards, not what our brains usually fantasize about it).”







Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income

“The first step is to create goals for yourself. Not just one ultimate goal, but smaller, tangible goals that will help you reach that final goal of doing what you love to do. Don’t be afraid of deadlines, dates and numbers to help you take action and get to where you want to go.”









Tim Brownson of A Daring Adventure

“The most important first step in my opinion comes just before that. It is to truly know at your deepest level that it is what you love to do and not what other people such as you parents love you to do or what you think you should love to do. If you had $10m in the bank and no need of money whatsoever, would you still do whatever it is every day? If not, then how much do you really love it?”





Celestine Chua of the Personal Excellence Blog

“I’d make sure money is not an issue first, then pursue what I love. When pursuing your passion, there will undoubtedly be an initial phase where you’re picking skills, figuring things out, and that’s when money will be slow. If you have money concerns hanging at the back of your mind, that will affect your dedication to your work, which is not what you want.

When I quit my job in Sep ’08, I was financially good to last for another year. Hence, I didn’t need to worry about money at all (in the beginning) and could get down to dedicating myself fully to my work, without having to worry about whether it’d generate money. In the end, it turned out that I started generating income in the 4th month, and from there it evolved into a sustainable full-time career. I’ve never look back since. Today it’s been almost 2 years, and I’m earning more than my pay back in my corporate job.”



Corbett Barr of Free Pursuits, Think Traffic

“The first step I would take would be to get away. Get away from your job, your town, your friends and anything else that influences how you think about the world. Get away and really listen to yourself. Contemplate if what you “love to do” is really where your passion lies, and if it is really something you want to earn a living from. By unplugging from your normal life for a day or a week or even months (that’s what I did), you’ll be able to listen to yourself in ways that your “normal life” stifles.”



Matt Cheuvront of Life Without Pants

“The first thing I always tell ‘wannabe’ entrepreneurs is that you MUST first figure out what you NEED – not what you want, but what you need. We inherently tell ourselves that we need more than we actually need – needs and wants get intertwined, and when they do, it can seem overwhelming and impossible to survive on your own. But, when you figure out what you need, you’ll most likely come to find you CAN survive and get by with a lot less than you believed. Figure out what you need, then go get what you want.”



Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist

“Discover your strengths and play into them. Do you love to write, speak, create, teach, plan, network, invent, problem-solve, build, or think? Find your greatest strength and build your lifestyle around it.”















Derek Sivers of Sivers.org

“Much of success is luck. What the public loves will usually be a
surprise. So do many things, giving each one 100%, but if the public
just isn’t excited about it, walk away and do something completely
different. Knowing this in advance, your first step should be to just
do anything useful to others, realizing it’s just the first of your
many endeavors and shouldn’t be taken too seriously.”



Erin Dolland of Unclutterer

In my opinion, there are only two kinds of jobs that you can love:
1. A career that you are devoted to with a deep passion, surrounded by great colleagues who support and believe in a similar vision, and that is an integral part and reflection of who you are, and
2. A job that has regular hours, no demands on your time beyond your scheduled work day, generates enough income for a comfortable lifestyle, great colleagues, and a positive corporate culture.
To get both, the first step you need to take is to clear the distractions that get in the way of making it happen. There are no shortcuts — put in the time and energy to get rid of the clutter. Once the clutter is gone, you can focus all of your attention on making your dream job a reality.



Jonathan Mead of Illuminated Mind

“The first step is knowing what you want. The second is then doing shit. Or taking lots and lots of action. Don’t wait to implement until you have the perfect plan, don’t wait for the right resources to show up, or the right timing, or situation. Act now, and then keep acting. Make your business plan “Do Stuff” and that’s it. It will get you much farther than most.”





These are their first steps. Have the courage to take them.

What steps have you taken to live the life you want? Share your thoughts below.
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July 19, 2010

Be More Than the Average Person

The ones who do more than the average get extremely good results.

The man who works hard every single day gets the most compensation for his efforts, while the guy who works strictly on weekdays receives his standard pay.

The girl who dances without limits, who tries her very hardest, and instills passion in every twirl, jump, and hip movement will become a master of the dancing arts yet, while the competition practices at set times throughout the week, never straying from their schedules.

In our society, there are only people who do the standard affair and people who do much more than is necessary.

Generally, people aren’t comfortable being or doing more than they are. They will do as much as they can to keep from looking awkward, or weird, or self conscious. In the process, they end up looking like all of these things anyway.

Very few people are bold enough to be themselves. Those who are will do as they please, whistle as they walk, and throw paint on the bland and the dull to make it into art just because they feel like it.

As a result, these people are looked down upon. And it’s right that they should be, correct? I mean, how can they act so out of the ordinary and expect to be treated like everyone else?

And that’s just it. They don’t.

To be treated like everyone else is to be treated like jut another person. Just another worker bee. Another cog in society going where everybody else goes. This is why the bold decide to be different.

Because when at first they are ostracized, in time someone will say:

“Whatever you’re doing… that’s neat!”

And then another one will say that and then another. And another. And then, like magic, a movement is born and the one who is bold becomes the leader put in the front of it.

Why do you think the ones going against the norms are singled out? Why do you think they have an easier (or should I say, more fun) time getting to where they want to be?

Why do you think the ones who are different get extremely good results?

Because it makes them indispensable.

The world has enough people running around who are exact clones of one another. Those who have the guts to stand out and be different already realize this. And, inherently, the rest of us know it as well.

No one is born restricted

As children we are free to deem the world our oyster. But over time, we are given rules (through parental guidance or school training) that force us to obey. We are given orders to sit still and pay attention. Be quiet and draw within the lines.

Use the right colors for the right picture.

So as these rules are applied to the actions we do and to the way we live our lives everyday. Eventually it becomes a habit. And in the end, it becomes who we are.

But the few that break through this programming are the “glitches”. The individuals with a spirit that standardizing rules and behavior-management laws can’t control. These people are more than the average person.

How to be more

You too can be more than the average person. You don’t have to be another worker destined for corporate ladder climbership. You can create your own separate identity… an identity far more valuable than you ever imagined.

This is what you have to do.

1. Encourage breaks in perspective

Your perspective is your reality. When you see something happen that you never thought was ever possible, this is called a break in perspective. Find as many of these as you can. If you think you can’t do something because it seems way too out of the ordinary, assume you’re probably wrong. I would’ve never guessed that a mere child (Justin Bieber) would be the focus of the most popular video on a social networking site — and he’s not even that great of a singer. But what makes him stand out is that he’s different: he’s a child with a half-way decent voice discovered by Usher.

Look for the weird feats, believe in bold accomplishments, and aspire one in a million chances. You just might be able to pull one off.

2. Read the biographies of the indispensable

Do you think that you’re the only one pushing to be unique in a world of conformity? Countless others just like you are struggling to make the world their own. And through these struggles come amazing feats — the impact of which you should be taking advantage of.

With the “safety” of a consistent paycheck calling to you, it can be difficult to choose a path less beaten and control your own life. Fortunately, there are individuals who have already attained what you seek – a life that’s better than average – and you can use their accomplishments to fuel your desire.

3. Act with your own incentives

Average people have the typical incentives – marry so they can have kids, have kids because it seems like the next step, get a job so they can make money. Incentives that are taken up for little personal reason aren’t worth shooting for. Aim for incentives that are all your own and greatly improve your enjoyment of life.

Do you think the artist paints because art sells? No, he paints because he loves to do it. The extraordinary dancer dances because it’s her passion. From embracing what you enjoy, you gain personal fulfillment and acceptance.

So don’t be one who goes with the flow. Get a job that you love. Live a life that you’ll love. Take on challenges that inspire you to have them bested.

Act with your own incentive.

4. Infuse quality with time

There is no such thing as “closing time” on a mind motivated above the average. Even more so, there is also no such thing as working 9 -5 or any sort of set time line. If the work you get enjoyment from requires you to do a project that will take most of the day to complete, you wouldn’t complain. Because it’s your work.

You can never work too much or toil too little, as long as every minute is dedicated to quality. Long ago, time was perceived to be valuable. Farmers took great care in making the most delicious crops around. Owners took great pains to see their customers smile.

Now, we are in a time where quality is sacrificed for the sake of speed and efficiency. Just getting a product out matters more than creating quality. The average person values time over quality. The above average person values both.

The average person wastes time doing needless tasks. The above average person invests time in quality, understanding that value takes time to make.

You don’t have to be average

This took me a while to realize, being swamped underneath the delusion of “saving time” and “making deadlines”. While these things are vital tools in motivating you to do great work, never sacrifice yourself or your uniqueness just to get by and get things done. Chances are you’ve been “just getting by” your entire life. Doing just enough to pass on to the next stage.

Forget the next stage and forget about passing on. I used to always tell myself, “I can’t wait until this tedious period in my life is over, then I can do what I want”. Foolish words I know them now to be. If you can’t control your life now, then you’ll never be able to. This is something the average person already knows, but refuses to accept.

Until the day they die, they will live under the heel of someone else’s paycheck, most likely that of their boss. And when their social security checks come in, whether they’re currently working or not at the ripe, old, go-crazy-with-your-money age of 65, then they will know:

To live as average is to live a life controlled by others. You have to be more to be free.

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July 15, 2010

Creating Your First Product (Part 1)

The feeling you get when working towards an end is the best feeling in the world.

I remember when I first came to college. For years it had been my sole purpose to get accepted into a top institution. All the years poured into mindless education had finally paid off when I got accepted into the University of Chicago. I was at a loss for words. But soon I myself would feel lost as well.

Having lived out my purpose, I felt like there wasn’t much left to do but wander aimlessly for a few months, going to parties, cutting back on classwork, but mostly just seeing how everybody was going about their college careers.

To my surprise, a lot of my housemates where majoring in the sciences. I thought maybe this meant something. I originally had come to become a doctor. Maybe this was where I belonged.

Unfortunately, my grades didn’t reflect this. And in reality, I wasn’t all that astonished. The work was just too difficult. It seemed that all we were learning were pointless theoretical concepts. Concepts that I couldn’t be less motivated to understand.

This wasn’t what I wanted to do. In truth, I aspired to be a businessman. And not the type that merely sold things for the sake of money, but sold inspiration.

Realizing this, I went online and looked for inspiration. There, I learned of people I came to idolize: Steve Pavlina, Jonathan Mead, Tim Ferriss. It didn’t take much to figure out what they all had in common; they were writers.

My true calling

I found a new purpose and discovered my passion: writing. Writing to inspire others.

It’s been over a year since then, with many bumps crossed, lots of confusion clarified, and focuses regained. I’m now living my passion.

With my third year far into the future, I’m happy to be able to focus more directly on improving my writing and my relationships with other bloggers seeking to make a difference.

What’s more, I’ve finally the time to work on shipping an actual product. In the coming weeks, I’ll be releasing a very short (maybe 15 pages or so), free e-book. This will be nothing too major, since this is just my first foray into product creation and design.

I’ve read countless e-books, devoured advice from other bloggers, and learned about all the possible outcomes. Worst case scenario, no one downloads the e-book, though my aim is to get over a hundred downloads.

Creating your first product – a series

I’ve decided to give you guys an up-close-and-personal look into how I’ve gotten started making my first e-book.

1. Find an audience that’s yours

For a product to have any traction, you have to take the initiative to find a crowd that’s interested in your type of art. After that, all you have to do is make some commotion. Make yourself known, state a clear purpose, and be original.

Not many people do this online. Take this to heart and you’ll be able to differentiate yourself from the fakes and become a true linchpin – someone indispensable.

2. Research on material related to your niche

An artist’s inspiration does not come from only looking over his old works, but also from taking bits of wisdom from other artists. But isn’t that stealing?

Actually, it isn’t. Whatever has been said in the past is being regurgitated right in front of you. What separates new works of art from classics is how the modern artist integrates his perspective into what’s already been done.

3. Be ruthless with what you create

Revise, refresh, repaint, resurface, recreate, whatever; do what you have to do to put out your best work. What you’ve giving away for free has merely been the appetizer. This time, for your very first work, pull out all the stops.

It’s taken weeks for me to try and make what this e-book says worth remembering… and I’m still not completely finished.

This is how all great art is made. Constant revision and critique until it’s as good as it can get. It’ll never be perfect, but putting in your best effort will make it worth it.

To be continued in part 2…

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July 1, 2010

The Truth Behind Doing Work You Love

The other night, while I was working on my e-book (details coming soon), I asked myself why I was doing this. Why go through so much pain for one e-book when I can spend my vacation basking in the sun or getting paid the traditional way?

Let’s sit on this idea for a second. It’s summer. There are jobs that I could’ve easily applied for and gotten hired to do. I know plenty of people who could recommend me for very good positions.

So, why am I busting my butt trying to get this e-book done instead of selling out and getting employed like the greater portion of college kids my age do? Why am I doing such hard work that’s so far been yielding me no payment?

I’m not going to get any sort of medal. Maybe a few thousand people will get to see the result of my hard labor. Even fewer will decide to purchase it.

It’s funny that when I’m in the thick of difficult work that I ask myself this. And then the answer came to me, as if I was struck by neural lightning:

Because I enjoyed doing it.

But in an instant, I had another conundrum. I already knew that I enjoyed it. But why is it so difficult? I thought doing what you love was supposed to be easy?

Then another answer came to me in my somewhat enlightened state:

For anything to be a success, hard work is necessary. Hard work is what separates the winners from the losers; the expendable from the indispensable.

A wake-up call already woken up to

Somewhere along the line, we’ve seem to have forgotten the adjective that goes in front of the word “work”.

All the time I hear the gurus say we should be doing “work that matters”. Instead we should be telling ourselves to do “hard work” that matters. I don’t know about you, but I get the notion that most of us think doing what we love is going to be easy.

That the four-hour work week is acquired by working for four hours of week from the get-go.

That doing what you love is all fun in the sun while you get to work from anywhere.

Unfortunately, when you actually test that theory, it’s proven that only the opposite is true.

Whether you’re pushing pencils, or striving to increase awareness about the impact humanity is having on the world. Whether you’re a famous actor on the stages of Broadway, or sitting at the desk in another one of those gray cubicles. Whether you’re doing what you love or doing what you hate.

It all takes hard work.

Hard work and passion go hand in hand

“When you live for a strong purpose, then hard work isn’t an option. It’s a necessity.” – Steve Pavlina

When you really care about something (maybe you want to start a movement and bring change) you can’t mull around expecting someone else to take the first step. Or rather, you won’t let yourself do that.

You already know, as if instinctually, that intention backed up by action makes things happen. As Steve says, hard work is a necessary element in order for your goals to be realized.

There are no shortcuts

“There is no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas Edison

There are no lottery tickets in life that will dramatically increase your odds of success. Hard work has existed all these years for a reason. It’s the only tried and true way to successfully doing what you love.

The only shortcut to hard work is less work, which in the end leads to a higher chance of you not succeeding.

Greatness is not obtained through a slack work ethic

“Unless you are willing to drench yourself in your work beyond the capacity of the average man, you are just not cut out for positions at the top.” – J.C. Penney

Alright, we know hard work matters and that it is necessary, but how much of it are we supposed to do? The answer is however much it takes to get where we want to be.

Anybody can do hard work for a few hours. Take a look at how many people work part-time. But less can remain dedicated for a few months. Even less so can stay hard workers for years.

This is why there are so few at the top. Not because they took shortcuts or free-rode on the backs of the more dedicated. But because they understood that hard work is what rules all.

The truth behind doing what you love

The truth is that doing what you love requires you to work much longer and harder than your employed counterparts for no pay whatsoever (at least in the beginning). The paycheck you seek is not coming at the end of every bi-weekly period.

But what matters much more than the time invested, the money lost, and the sweat put in is that you are doing what makes you happy and what others can enjoy.

Is this not what life is about? The pursuit of happiness? I can hear the naysayers already, telling me that this pursuit is imaginary and the “American Dream” was lost long ago.

I beg to differ.

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June 17, 2010

Interview with Chris Guillebeau: How to Achieve the Unconventional

Challenging authority since 1978, Chris Guillebeau has made it his goal to travel to every single country on the planet by 2013. In addition to that, he’s been helping others to create online businesses, follow their passions, and achieve the unconventional.

Chris’s blog, called The Art of Non-Conformity, also has a boatload of quality content containing priceless strategies on life, work, and travel.

With a résumé like that, it comes as no surprise that Chris’s efforts to help change the world have influenced countless other bloggers to follow in his footsteps.

I am one of those individuals.

For being such a great source of inspiration, I’ve invited him to share some of his unconventional wisdom here on HiLife2B during his travels:

———————————————————————-

John: What inspired you to start this journey? What was the big epiphany moment that drove you to create the Art of Non-Conformity?

Chris: I began thinking about non-conformity and unconventional living during the four years I spent in West Africa (2002-2006). But the epiphany moment was after that, around 2007, when I had returned to the U.S. and was thinking about the next step. I realized I had been fortunate to have done a lot of different things, from living overseas to being self-employed for ten years, but I lacked a convergence point to all of it. I started AONC to chronicle the adventure and hopefully help other people in their own unconventional quests.

John: You’ve definitely inspired mine. I’m on my own quest to create a sustainable passive income so I can live anywhere, and do anything. It seems everyone wants to attain this goal, but how would someone go about getting started, assuming they already have a job, a home, a computer, and a family to take care of?

Chris: There are two approaches to this:

1) I always ask people to think big-picture about what they care about that other people also care about. This is important because despite what you may hear, you can’t build a business strictly around yourself. It has to be an intersection or convergence between yourself and a big enough group of prospects/customers/supporters/clients to support you. Ultimately, that is the best path to starting a business oriented about someone’s passion.

2) That said, you can also just get out there and start doing things. The “throw stuff against the wall and see what sticks” strategy can work very well, especially in the beginning when you’re not sure what you want to do. Can you list something for sale on eBay or etsy today? Create a website in a day? Offer some kind of service on a blog and see who’s interested? There are all kinds of interesting business models out there just waiting to be discovered. Look at this guy who wears company t-shirts every day for a living. Look at the infamous million dollar home page. Those ideas are taken already, so what’s yours?

John: I think I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve (laugh).What do you think it takes to live the life you want? Is it really as easy as it seems?

Chris: I don’t know if it’s easy — it may be easier to go with the flow and do what other people expect you to — but I also don’t like it’s prohibitively difficult. We all make time for what’s important to us, one way or another. I think it’s better to do that intentionally, which requires tradeoffs and sacrifices, but is also very rewarding.

John: What do you think is the biggest challenge for people when traveling to new countries, or anywhere new for that matter?

Chris: The biggest challenge is fear of the unknown. When you enter a new environment, things work differently than in a familiar environment. One tip: to overcome this, it’s usually best to figure out how the new environment works than to insist on doing things the way you are used to.

John: What do you plan to do after you’ve visited all of the countries in the entire world?

Chris: As Jacques Cousteau said, “Jet lag is my favorite drug.” I travel for travel’s sake — I like the process, the planning, and just being on the road. I probably won’t go to places like Equatorial Guinea, where I’m writing these notes, but I’ll still keep going.

John: If you could give one last piece of advice to all of the individuals striving to achieve better lives and reach their dreams, what would it be?

Chris: Most people don’t begin to think about leaving a legacy until they’re close to the end of their lives, or maybe even on that deathbed. I think it’s much better to think carefully about legacy as early as possible.

I’d also encourage everyone to live with as few regrets as possible. This isn’t as difficult as it may sound. Start by thinking: if I had only one year left to live, how would I spend it? Then find a way to incorporate those ideas, dreams, and goals into your daily life.

John: Thanks for the interview, Chris! It was a pleasure to have you.

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I only promote what I whole-heartedly support, so I highly recommend checking out Chris Guillebeau’s website, The Art of Non-Conformity.

If you want a chance at reading some of his premium content and learning more about what Chris teaches, look into the Unconventional Guides (some of them are in my “Read These Books” section on the sidebar) and follow him on Twitter.

Creative Commons License photo credit: gwen bell

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June 7, 2010

Your Life’s Purpose

The goal is to be content. Your ultimate end in life — you know, that vision for yourself you always think about in the back of your mind — shouldn’t have to involve eventually riding on million-dollar yachts, spending numerous weekends at the Hamptons, and buying stylish clothes or high tech electronics.

Marrying a nice girl or boy, having kids, getting a tricked out van to stuff them all into, buying the perfect house, reaching your “dream income”, drilling every piece of information (enjoyable or not) into your children to be future leaders of the world, having a laundry list of accomplishments to insert into casual conversation amongst your colleagues (you know you love hearing the “oh my’s” and the “amazing’s”), just to name a few more …

I admit, those things would be nice to experience in moderation. Even now, they sound pretty easy on the ears.

You think I don’t like it when people praise me for my accomplishments? I eat it up. To be humble is the best part:

“No, no, it’s not a big deal, really. I just happened to save 1,000,000 starving children in [insert third world country] with a donation from the John Chukwuma Anyasor fund. No big.”

But the things that give us such fleeting pleasure aren’t everything.

Your happiness shouldn’t have to come from material things and menial feats that merely serve to validate and skyrocket your social status. They should come from experiences made for yourself and/or with other people.

I’m not saying you have to help anybody in a big way. If that’s your goal, that’s okay, but don’t feel pressured into changing the world. All that matters is that you feel strongly about something and share it with however many people you want.

Make clothes for the poor, if that’s what you enjoy doing.

Sing a song for all to hear, if your heart wills it.

Or write poetry and keep it to yourself; for your eyes only.

It doesn’t matter what you do in this world, as long as you do what makes you the happiest. And I can guarantee that you won’t find happiness in buying brands and other depreciating products.

The flip side

Let’s say that you brazenly ignore my advice. You instead choose the conventional over the adventurous.

Let’s say that you get every thing that you’ve ever wanted (a big car, house, trophy wife/husband, your name in lights). I’m sure you’ll feel happy in the moment. Whenever I get called on for being great or receive a gift from somebody else, I get really happy.

But afterwards, long after you’ve gotten your recognition, gotten that one thing (or those things) that you’ve always wanted… the feeling fades. It begins to mean less and less to you. And it doesn’t even matter because maybe your house is getting a little old. The neighbor’s kids got higher marks on their standardized tests. Your one-use gown is SO last season.

You have to keep accruing more. More and more accomplishments are to be achieved and bought. It’s never enough.

Then the time will come when you decide that you either just don’t care anymore or you’ll keep accruing until the day you die. The result of the latter option seems fairly obvious; simply consumption to extinction.

But what about the former?

When you choose to stop buying what you don’t really need or want, what will you have left to fall back on? So many years will have been wasted investing time and energy to make money just so you can buy back more time and more energy to make more money.

Regardless, this choice is not hopeless. In time you will make your way back to what you’ve always wanted to do. If you got paid for this hobby, whatever it is, you would do it all day long.

In the end, your life’s purpose is your own

Ideally, everyone would live life simply to be content with ourselves and the memories we make with others. But in a world like ours, where money, fame, and status are held to higher regards than simply living well, it’s not always easy.

Nearly everyone I know is raised to “achieve”, which typically means getting most of the things that I mentioned earlier before a certain age. With family and social pressures closing in around you from all sides, how can you possibly live a life your own?

Simple. You must choose to. However way you get to that life lies on your shoulders.
Creative Commons License photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

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May 27, 2010

No Inspiration

I’ve once again fallen into the rut of writing for the sake of writing instead of writing for the sake of caring.

There are so many things I want to read and want to share with you guys.

Unfortunately there are too many distractions occupying my time. Namely school.

Thankfully, the school term’s about to come to an end in a few weeks. Another great end to another semi-interesting year.

On the plus side, I’ve made over $200 courtesy of my affiliate products. Thanks Chris Guillebeau! And thank you guys for supporting my blog and Chris’s work by purchasing his e-books. You’ll find that they’re worth the money. When summer starts, I’ll provide definitive reviews on all of the products that I’ve read and used.

Anyways, did you guys catch that? I made over $200 dollars (more like $278.56) online. I never thought that I could make any sort of cash through the internet. I mean, sure I believed that it was possible, just that I never thought it would happen right now. It always seemed like some sort of faraway accomplishment. Like my head was up in the clouds when I decided take on that challenge.

Now that I’ve achieved that goal, I feel like getting a full-time income from blogging is entirely attainable.

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When you have so many things going through your head each and every day, it’s hard to be really focused on one thing. It’s not difficult to find time to write, but when I stare at the screen for literally hours at a time not knowing what to write because my mind wanders to assignments that might be due or errands I have to finish, it gets frustrating.

I actually have a lot to say, but that ends up being a double-edged sword at times.

******

I’ve changed how I respond to comments. If readers ask me questions or leave comments that warrant a response, I’ll reply in full. If not, please understand that even if I don’t respond, I read all the comments (I even skim over spam). Rest assured your comment is being read by human eyes.

******

Some of my favorite blogs aren’t within the personal development sphere. I think I know why. Most of the personal development blogs that I don’t tend to come back to simply relay advice. Where’s the personality? The pizazz? The intoxicating oneness with the blog and the blogger?

I don’t want this blog to just be about “giving advice”. I don’t want this blog to be just like the other blogs. This is about inspiring people to achieve their dreams – in a creative way.

My personality must shine through.

******

I’ve always wondered why my most popular post of all time is “Blog Update: The Road Ahead”. Now I think I know the answer.

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I’ve noticed some bloggers have left the blogosphere. We (including everyone you have affected with your writings) will not forget you. We’ll always have Facebook and Twitter… even long after they merge into Twitterbook.

******

I hope you found this post as useful to yourself as it was for me. I just needed to clear my head for a bit.
Creative Commons License photo credit: Vince Kusters

21 comments

May 24, 2010

75 Life-Changing Truths Written While Lying on the Grass

Wrote most of these Saturday evening while (as the title already tells you) lying on the grass outside. They were compiled to get myself out of boredom and now I feel inspired again.

Enjoy!

1. Whenever you focus heavily on an outcome, you rarely ever get it

2. Ultimately, nobody really does care about you more than yourself

3. People love children more than adults because they’re so unpredictable (in other words, act like an adult, but live as a child)

4. It’s very hard for people to follow others’ advice, even more so their own

5. A mountain’s worth of effort will get you anything you want

6. Laying on the grass isn’t as bad as I thought it would be – it’s actually quite freeing

7. What people may think of you matters nothing compared to what you think of yourself

8. The stuff that people try to distract you with (their words, their praise, their criticism) – that is noise. Filter that out and find the true meaning within

9. Complaining alters nothing (or at the very most, alters very little). For maximum impact, physically do something about it

10. I’ve found that people don’t like hearing the truth. That’s why I have this blog. This way I won’t have to argue, plead, or shout to be heard. All I have to do is type

11. Television, movies, books, even blogs – they serve as an escape from reality. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take lessons from them to change your own reality

12. I’m almost certain that I would be happier as an animal than as a human. At least I’d actually live everyday as if it was my last

13. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with sex. Just be smart enough to know when and how to do it

14. Sometimes, you just need a break from your normal social circle. I’m lying in the grass instead of going to the movies. What are you doing?

15. If I can make $200 doing what I love (writing on this blog) then so can you doing what you love. Just prepare to work your ass off

16. You really don’t need as much as you think you do

17. Minimalism does not mean to be happy having absolutely nothing. It means being content with having manageable amounts of stuff

18. Placating others for them to like you is low-class behavior

19. I could’ve chosen to be miserable and bored, but instead I’ve decided to make myself happy and write. Are you listening? You can change how you feel in an instant

20. Don’t seek a reaction from other people. Do what you want because YOU want to

21. How can you [blank] another if you can’t even [same word] yourself? Nearly any verb will do

22. Appreciate all music. It is created from the raw emotion of a composer

23. School is only fun from grades Pre-K through 2nd grade. From then on, you have to start breaking the rules to keep from being bored

24. Learning isn’t really that much fun. It’s just interesting. Applying knowledge > witnessing someone else apply knowledge > reading/learning about it

25. The greatest pleasures in life are requited love and doing what you love

26. I used to get scabs all the time. They were the battle scars gained as children waging the war on boredom through play

27. Stories matter

28. Focus on the ‘why’ rather than on the ‘what’. Life instantly becomes more meaningful

29. Don’t let inspiration go to waste. Act on it, just as I’m doing right now

30. College focuses too much on memorization and grades than on what you actually learn to internalize

31. The teachers who have inspired me are the ones who I remember the most

32. Accept the fact that you can’t be the best at everything

33. Science rules the world. Even emotion (although metaphysical) is based in science

34. All emotions are contagious – enthusiasm, depression, anger, you name it

35. White lies are better than regular lies; at least you’re acknowledging the truth rather than completely disregarding it

36. Ignorance is truly bliss. Didn’t even know what racism was until I learned about it in school

37. Farting in public will always be hilarious, no matter how old I get

38. Sometimes it’s better to be a jerk than to be a nice guy

39. The happiest people are the ones who get paid for doing what they love instead of what they like or what they don’t really care much for

40. Everyone is judgmental. Deal with it. You cannot deny human nature

41. Cool, calm, and collected; that’s how you carry on business

42. Certain people will always try and find a way to show your success in a negative light

43. Where are your balls? The opportunities are right in front of you. Take them

44. Why do people keep on living when death would be so much easier? Because life is fleeting and death is forever

45. Doubt really sucks. It serves no purpose other than to keep you from trying something new (okay, and maybe keeping you from getting yourself killed, but still)

46. Public speaking is only scary when you don’t know what you’re talking about

47. Having superpowers wouldn’t make life that much easier. You’d just have a lot more crap to deal with

48. With great power comes a lot of people asking you for help

49. Men and women are actually not that hard to figure out, as opposed to popular belief

50. No lock is impenetrable. You just need to find the right key (never said it would be easy to find though)

51. If religion just feels like an extra set of rules to follow, don’t practice it

52. In fact, if a certain action is more trouble than it’s worth, cease and desist

53. You can’t choose who or what you’re attracted to. It’s a DNA thing

54. Being a skeptic of a traditionally-held idea is positively exhilarating

55. Push your creativity to the breaking point. Your best ideas will be just beyond it

56. Your reaction to a situation is more important than the situation itself

57. To be able to change your life, you have to be bold

58. The world does not reward those who expect things or feel entitled to outcomes

59. There is no point in fearing the things that cannot possibly kill you

60. Nobody knows what you’re thinking until you tell them (or show them)

61. People try new things (good and bad) because they’re bored

62. Your thoughts come through in your body language; if you’re confident, you stand tall or lean back. If you’ve got low self-esteem you slouch and flinch easily

63. It’s not worth it traveling to other countries if you’re just going to sight see. Actually, “live” inside another country

64. Hesitation, fear, and excuse-making are the things that keep the “right time” from happening

65. Without respect, no relationship can prevail

66. Boredom is death within life

67. Everything starts in the enigmatic properties of your mind. Your perception is everything

68. You cannot be completely neutral in this world. Pick a side on your own before peer pressure forces you to

69. Express yourself any way you can: laughing, living, writing, loving, drawing, blogging, singing, working, cooking, building… the list goes on and on

70. People will remember you for what you did more than what you said

71. There’s a reason everyone harps on aging; youth is the only span of time when your stamina, body, and mind are at their highest performance

72. Your problems are not unique. Somebody on this planet is sharing the same pain you are

73. On the flip side, with regards to #72, you could also say the same for accomplishments and joy

74. You think you are any different from the people that inspire others? You too have the ability to inspire

75. Everyone has gifts. It’s up to them to find the value in their own abilities, to find the light underneath their dark, to find the blessing within their curse

Creative Commons License photo credit: Gibson Claire McGuire Regester

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May 13, 2010

On Being Indispensable

The only thing that will ensure you will live a sustainable lifestyle for the rest of your existence on Earth is becoming valuably indispensable.

Now, what does it mean to be valuably indispensable?

You must have value – as in, be worth something.

You must be indispensable – as in, you must be someone who is so valuable, it literally be an act of stupidity not to hire you or not to recommend you.

Two paths – one choice

In this world, there are two types of workers. The first type is the typical worker bee of an employee. He seeks to please the boss in the hopes of someday getting to be the boss. He would nearly go as far as considering jumping off of a bridge to get a gold star from the guy upstairs.

When the boss says jump, this guy asks how high.

When the boss says do this project or file that document, he does it in record time.

When the boss tells this guy to do what he thinks is best, the worker bee can only panic.

He can only muster, “Aren’t you supposed to tell me what to do?” while the boss barks back, “Figure it out! What do you think I hired you for?”

This is the plight of the worker bee.

The second type of worker is extremely rare. We’ll came him the valuable artist.

An individual of vast creativity and knowledgeable experience, this guy is, in retrospect, nothing aesthetically special. He has no denoting characteristics that make him look any different than the common worker bee. He may not be as fashionable, not as outgoing, or maybe not even as good-looking.

But you’ll know who he is once you look him in the eye while he works.

When he shifts into overdrive, this person becomes unstoppable; a force to be reckoned with. Watch the worker bee work and witness the valuable artist create. The difference is prodigious.

The worker bee will do everything diligently and efficiently, step by step, never straying even one hair from the lines. He’ll sometimes get the urge to do something his way, but you’ll never catch him taking that chance. His job, no, his life is on the line.

He tells his inner artist to wait until another day.

The valuable artist, however, will be sure to not disappoint. He asks not for guidelines, for he needs only one: to create the best work of art possible. He rises above and beyond the call of duty of any task put in front of him. He doesn’t merely produce work, but he also strives to innovate.

Each and everyday is a chance for him to do something amazing.

Of course, the valuable artist is not well-liked. A lot of people, in fact, live to despise him. You can hear the cries throughout the office walls: “Why is hasn’t he been fired yet!? That’s not what the boss wanted! Why does the boss like him so much? He’s too unorthodox!”

“Teacher’s pet.”

But he cannot hear them. The only thoughts that are taking over his mind are the thousands of ideas that he wants to try, wants to test, wants to experiment with!

This is the marvelous existence of the valuable artist.

The tipping point

But one day there will come a time where everything will change for both the worker bee and the valuable artist employees.

This day will change their lives forever.

On this day, the boss will call them both to his office. He will ask the worker bee to come in first. Happy to do anything for the boss, he will oblige. He sits down, eagerly awaiting the good news of a promotion or a massive pay raise.

The boss will give a speech detailing how valuable the worker bee has been to the company. And at the end of the seemingly never-ending conversation, the boss will say the faithful words, “I’m sorry Worker Bee. I have to let you go.”

The worker bee storms out, unable to even look his once honorable master in the eye. Without the direction of a boss, what can he hope to accomplish? He decides to think on it for some time…

After the worker bee leaves the building, the valuable artist is called in. The boss asks him to sit down. The valuable artist sits, ready for anything the boss can bring. He already knows his answer.

“Do you know why you’re here?” the boss asks.

“Yes… it is because you want to fire me”, replies the creator.

“…Actually, no. I want to keep you. You are one of the ones I need to keep this company afloat. I can’t possibly let you go.”

Our artist is unmoved. He replies, “Thank you, sir. I thank you for allowing me to stay with the company for this long. Now I know that I can do good work…. but I’m afraid I can’t allow myself to stay.”

The boss quickly becomes flustered and baffled. “Wh- What did you say? I need you here on this team.”

“You’ve given me many great opportunities, sir, but I cannot allow myself to work under you any longer. My creativity means more than the world to me. I feel that I can do so much more remarkable things… on my own”, says the artist.

A meaningful silence befalls them both. For a moment, they look each other in the eyes. For just a moment, the boss sees himself in the eyes of the valuable artist. The eyes that have hidden a desire to grow… that has just now been released.

“I…understand”, says the boss.

“Good luck, sir. And thank you.”

The valuable artist steps out into the world, his canvas, unsure if he made the right decision. But in the end, it matters not. The months ahead will not be easy, but rest assured he knows his path, his passion, his end.

He cannot fail. Or, better yet, he won’t allow it.

–inspired by Seth Godin’s interview at Brazen Careerist

Creative Commons License photo credit: prosto photos

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The True Meaning of Passion

I figure I could be doing more than just writing about what I know. A lot of other web artists have learned amazing life lessons, so why not hand over the spotlight to them for a bit?

That’s why, today, I’m highlighting a 28-year-old artist who goes by the name of Monty Oum. If you take a look at his work, you just know that he’s passionate about what he does. For over six years, he’s been making CGI animation videos, slowly rising to become a prominent computer graphics artist within the videogame industry. I myself discovered him just two years ago, and I love his stuff.

A few months back, I stumbled upon a very intriguing blog post of his that I think you guys will find valuable. I hope you can pick out the nuggets of gold in his wise words:

Words to Live By

“I continually hope that someday I’ll get a chance to pass on everything I’ve learned. There hardly seems a moment considering living by my words only means having absolutely no time to say them. So at least I can take a moment in slight to utter in passing.

Never let anyone tell you that something is impossible.

I lived by that when it sparked in me the possibility of achieving something despite everyone telling me it being impossible otherwise. People have always told me it’s impossible, that it’s been tried. If you know what I’m talking about then your already on your way. What I will say to you ignore those who’ve been defeated by what they call “experience.” Keep going and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

I know this might sound familiar even, never give up etc. But it’s how I live my life even currently as there still are more “experienced” people who will criticize that I’m doing it wrong. It’s the human spirit that’ll keep us alive. This rings true to the events of my life, when I started Haloid. I didn’t do it because I wanted to get a job in games, or that I wanted to become famous, or what have you. I did it because I knew it could be done, and that the road to finishing it was imperfect and difficult. What finishing it yielded me was only more steps on the path to pushing forward in what I believed in.

My life lacks much, I’m broke, my car is in horrible shape, my apartment is a mess, I spend 3 days in a row at the office regularly and sleep on the couch only when I need to. I’m helplessly antisocial. I see my girlfriend 3 times a year.

I come from an impoverished family of Cambodian civil war refugees. It been a long journey between being so incredibly poor that I didn’t have paper to draw on when I was little, to where I am now. It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t dive headfirst and take a risk, and continually risk it all to keep going forward… Heh, success? They thought it was impossible.

What is the greatest reward for living in such difficulty?..

I hope you see it someday too, Cause the world looks very different, when you’re pushing yourself every second you’ve got.”

- Monty Oum

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Here’s some of his art in motion. Keep in mind, he created the entire video himself. He is remarkable in every sense of the word.

(Warning! You must be 13 years or older to watch – normally I don’t advocate random, bloodless violence, but this is art):

Watch it here if you’re interested.

Creative Commons License photo credit: Letcombe

Have you yourself been living passionately, pushing yourself every second you’ve got towards what you enjoy doing? Discuss.

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