Sovereignty of the Individual

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.

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

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.