Sovereignty of the Individual

Every year I spend time in December reflecting on my life, reviewing the accomplishments of the past year, planning adventures for the next year, and setting my resolutions for the new year.   Several years ago, somewhere around 2001 I came to the conclusion that I wanted to identify all of my irrational fears.  During this time of reflection I put my mind to accomplishing the following very simple goals over the next year:

1.  Identify all irrational fears and make a list

2.  Overcome them

As simple as it sounds, it turned out to be one of my best new years resolutions and resulted in a year of radical self growth.   As the days passed I would be actively aware of any concerns or fears that kept me from doing something I wanted to do.

I started out with some lingering health problems that I had been avoiding.  After many years of playing sports, I had a lot of pain in my lower back and shoulders.  My fear was that I would have to have major surgery or worse, there was nothing I could do.  For literally 10 years I had dealt with the pain and put off many activities I thought might make it worse.  Knowing what I had to do, I scheduled doctor’s appointments and went to them.  For both injuries the docs suggested I go see a physical therapist before surgery, which I did.  Amazingly, both injuries were a result of a muscle imbalance and after a few weeks of minor adjustments to my regular work out schedule both injuries were resolved.  WOW!  I should have done this a LONG time ago…  Reflecting on these fears I realized that the fears were much worse than the reality of the situation and had drained my drive and physical accomplishments for years.

Over the course of the year I worked through many fears and found that as I did my personal energy increased tremendously as my mind was free of the fearful and often irrational thinking that comes from dwelling on your fears.

This resolution is one that I now renew every year.  New fears regularly present themselves and it always feels great to master them.

What fears are holding you back?

I spent the day today on the beach from 9 am to 6 pm.  Now before you dream up images of a fruity cocktail, an umbrella, and a good book, I have to tell you, it was much better than that.  I spend the day with 6 children under the age of 7 years old.  We built sand castles, buried each other, played in the waves, and filled the entire day with just us, sun, sand, and water.  It was a great reminder of the simplicity of happiness and making the most of a situation.  At different times the kids would get tired and lose their charm, but after a nap in the shade they were up and going again.

Contrast this with a family that set up shop next to us.  They had coolers, a bbq pit, an elaborate tent, chairs, towels, and more toys than you could count.   It took about an hour for the father to set up their camp.  All through the day they grouched and grumbled at each other.  The father was clearly stressed out trying to keep everything organized and everyone happy.  I was fascinated by how unhappy a family could be while spending a gorgeous day on the beach.

The moral of the story for me was that sometimes things, even great things, get in the way of living in the simple pleasures of the moment.  Nothing keeps me in that state of mind better than spending time with a child between the age of 2 and 5.  Kids at this age, as long as they have enough food, and shelter, and sleep, can be happy playing with anything from socks to sand to pots and pans.  Spark their imagination and they can revel in the simple pleasures of life for hours at a time.  I find that when I’m able to operate at that level and truly marvel in the simple pleasures of life that all of the adult stress and struggle seems to melt away, and for a few minutes I find the panacea of childhood again.

The pure hearts and uninhibited childish humor that a child of this age range shares is a priceless gift.  Sometimes when I’m around other people my age, they seem old to me.  They don’t smile often and are very prim and proper in their appearance.   When a child give you a hug and a kiss, there is not motive or manipulation.  It is pure love.   I like keeping some of the childish ways in my habits.  We can all learn a lot of life lessons from the children among us.

OVERNIGHT SUCCESS (revealed)

I keep reading Chris Guillebeau’s content and continue to be impressed.  Chris is to be commended for his open and frank view into how he got his blog (http://chrisguillebeau.com) off the ground.  It’s not often in today’s world that you will find someone that shares his income in a free manifesto as well as his successes and failures in his business ventures for the betterment of his readers.  This kind of transparency is refreshing and encouraging.    In this 79 page manifesto Chris covers all the subjects that would normally get someone in trouble such as why google adsense is a bad idea for a blogger, why you should fire google, suggests trying turning off post comments, and how you should ignore some of your readers if they don’t fit your desired profile.   Chris is definitely confident in his knowledge of how to make a successful blog and a successful brand.  He presents his prose in his “unconventional” and refreshing style.

Reading this manifesto led me to purchase the unconventional products also listed on chrisguillebeau.com including:

Bear in mind Chis is not an afflliate and this is not an advertisement or a paid endorsement for Chris’s products.  I just like them THAT MUCH.   I’ve already started reading the Travel Ninja, and it’s living up to my expectations.  And if it didn’t, of course, he’d give me my money back.

When deciding what sovind.org would be focusing on, personal and government finance were toward the top of the list.   I ran across visualeconomics.com today and was impressed with the simple visualization of some of the more complex global and personal finance concepts the site provides.  The graphics are clear, concise, and seem to be factually accurate.  The image that initially caught my attention was :

How The Average U.S. Consumer Spends Their Paycheck

Of course I had to compare myself to the average US household and see where I was being wasteful.    I gained some simple insights into my spending habits.   After exploring visualeconomics.com though there are several info graphics worth taking a peek at.   Follow the links and check them out.  Good Stuff!

I particularly liked the focus on subjects such as government efficiency, national and personal debt, and world wealth.  These info graphics help the sometimes complex concepts come through with remarkable clarity.

A Lifetime of Debt: The Average American’s Financial Journey

50 Wealthiest People in The World

GDP vs National Debt by Country

Follow the links to check out all that visualeconomics has to offer.

• Economic Infographics
• Finance Infographics
• Humorous Infographics
• Loan & Credit Infographics



How The Average U.S. Consumer Spends Their Paycheck

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Response to and thoughts about Chris Guillebeau’s A Brief Guide to World Domination

I recently downloaded and read Chris Guillebeau’s popular a brief guide to world domination (ABGTWD).  I was not disappointed and found myself challenged and encouraged.  I highly recommend this free download for anyone who’s thinking about how to create some momentum in their life.

One section, “11 ways to be unremarkably average,” really hit me hard.   Even though I consider myself a free thinker I realized I was guilty of each of these to at least some degree.

1. Accept what people tell you at face value

2. Don’t question authority

3. Go to college because you’re supposed to, not because you want to learn something

4. Go overseas once or twice in your life, to somewhere safe like England

5. Don’t try to learn another language; every­one else will eventually learn English

6. Think about starting your own business, but never do it

7. Think about writing a book, but never do it

8. Get the largest mortgage you qualify for and spend 30 years paying for it

9. Sit at a desk 40 hours a week for an average of 10 hours of productive work

10. Don’t stand out or draw attention to yourself

11. Jump through hoops. Check off boxes

So I’ve decided to turn each of these around, as I’m certain Chris intended:

1. Think about what people tell you and consider their motivations and ambitions when coming to your own conclusion.

2. See #1

3. Continue to learn and grow based on your curiosities, business interests, and passions

4. Travel internationally at least once a year

5. Develop fluency in a second language (Spanish)

6. Start your own charity/business (ready, shoot, aim = sovind.org)

7. Start collecting thoughts and ideas around living a thoughtful life in preparation for a book on the same subject

8. Review finances and budget, figure out ways to live more within your means

9. Consider quitting your job, changing to something you have more passion about, or using your extra time productively to improve the world (sovind.org)

10. Dare to be different, bold, and accept any criticism as an indirect compliment

11. Make every major action you take a willful decision that will lead you to fulfill your ambitions and goals

Later in ABGTWD Chris challenges us to answer two questions:

1. What do you really want to get out of life?

Having rich experiences with my children

Travel and experience other parts of the world

Learn and master new things

Have an adventurous life

Be a catalyst for positive change in the world that makes it down to individual’s real lives

1. What can you offer the world that no one else can?

I am very introspective and self aware

I am outstanding at understanding complex systems and visualizing them

I have a good deal of corporate fortune 10 experience

I have a solid grasp on personal finance and live well within my means

I have the ability to discover and reduce red-tape and waste in a system or process

I have a passion for self improvement and growth

I have a passion for the outdoors

I have a passion for personal fitness

The other exercise I particularly enjoyed was to describe in detail your perfect day.   I had the HARDEST TIME writing the perfect day without an 8-5 day job in there!   I’m going to have to work on that!

My Perfect Day:

I wake up without an alarm clock and feel very well rested

Exercise (Run/Bike/Swim/Gym)

Take a shower, shave, and get dressed for the day

Pray/Meditate

Eat a light breakfast including a bowl of fruit

Journal/Write

Learn a new skill / experience something new

Eat Lunch

Wow, what a void is created by not putting “Going to work”  (Hard to get my mind past it)

Eat Dinner

Sleep

I am not a political scientist.  I made a C in polysci in a state college so William Rees-Mogg and James Dale Davidson and company get all the political science credit.  I don’t intend to debate the political science principles of this concept or take any credit for its original development.  I thank William Rees-Mogg and James Dale Davidson and company for introducing me to the concept.

I am not a great writer or intellectual.  I’m stumbling through this because I have a passion for it and it connects with a central part of me that has become a point of personal resonance.  Out of that passion I share my thoughts with the world and they can take it or leave it.  I would love to find some likeminded people to socialize and share ideas with.

It is not being disrespectful to God.  Some people jump to this conclusion but they are just flat wrong…  I am a deeply religious person and humbled by God’s greatness every day.  I try to humble myself and follow his direction in everything I do.  I do follow him and succumb to his will freely.

It is not an insult or attack on any country, especially the United States of America. I love the United States of America and cherish the freedoms it grants its citizens.  I do believe however that every human organization suffers from the frailty of the men and women that make it up and so must be kept in adequate check or it will run amok.

It is not an excuse to pollute, destroy, or take other selfish actions that are negligent or wasteful considering the rest of the world population of humans and other life forms.

It is not a statement about abortion euthanasia, or suicide.  I have opinions on these things but they won’t be discussed here.

It is not about taxation or the avoidance of taxes in ways that are deemed inappropriate by the US Internal Revenue Service

It is not about absolutes, taking everything in moderation and being mindful of your day to day activities is the name of the game.

When I think about how I will change the world, and I take it down to an individual level these are the things I focus on:

• Food, Water, Shelter:  I want you to have your basic needs fulfilled through your honest labor.
• Employer:  The 13^th amendment of the United States Constitution abolishes and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude.  Whether in the USA or not, I want you to have a job that you love but are empowered to leave if you so desire.
• Debt:  I want you to be free of consumer debt.
• Consumption:  I want you to consume based on your desires and needs and for you to be minimally affected by advertising and over consumption.
• Freedom of Location:  I want you to be able to travel freely and work from any location.
• Time:  I want you to own your own time and live life to the fullest.
• Travel:  I want you to have the freedom to travel internationally if you so desire.
• Personal Health & Fitness:  I want you to live a lifestyle that encourages health, fitness, and a long life.
• Money and Labor:  I believe that an individual’s labor and the resulting profit they earn from it are intrinsically theirs and should only be distributed based on that person’s willful choices.  I want you to be free to spend, save, and invest your financial resources with a clear vision of the consequences of those actions.
• Companionship:  The company of people that love you for who you are.

A social movement, aiming to improve people’s lives around the globe by encouraging individuals to think for themselves and act accordingly.

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What is sovind.org?
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Why was this site created?  Three reasons:

1. I have a great life, a great job, and a great family.  But at the end of the day I feel like I’m leaving something on the table.  I created this website with the hope that I would find some fulfillment in it, some camaraderie from like minded individuals around the world, and an outlet for my observations.
2. Many years ago after a recommendation from my father, I read a book titled “The Sovereign Individual.”  I have not read a political science book before or since, but I was completely engaged by the defining principle of this book as simply stated in the title.  The concept of a Sovereign Individual was planted in my brain and resonated with my core beliefs to the point that it became a defining principle which can be summarized as “Self Ownership.”  Since that time, I’ve wanted an avenue to help other people find the joys of taking control of their lives in the same way that I have.
3. I have a desire to start a charitable organization.  A legacy project to leave this world better than I came into it.  My hope is that this site grows into a charitable endeavor as it matures.