Letting Go Of The Clutter In Our Lives
By Cheval John
Photo courtesy of Victor Habbick
Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate and I get a commission from recommending books on Amazon. I only recommend books that I have read or I believe that will benefit you, the reader.
This post is in response to Natalie Sisson’s question, “What work and life clutter are you going to remove in order to be a minimalist? #paraphrased.
It is part of Natalie’s “15 Days To Freedom Blog Challenge.”
We were “raised” up to believe that we needed things in our life in order to be happy.
If someone has a new iPhone 6, then you need to get one.
Or the fact that you need to have a house in order to believe that you have made it.
The problem is that once you accumulate a whole lot of stuff, then you have less choices.
In the case of owning a house, all that will do is put you in a bind because of mortgage, maintainance, and limited choices.
Plus, they will have to work even harder to make more money so that they can keep the house and hopefully pay off the mortgage.
James Altucher elaborated further with this quote in his LinkedIn article, “Why Entrepreneurs Should Not Buy Homes,”
“Corporations didn’t want their employees to have many job choices. So they encouraged them to own homes. So they can’t move away and get new jobs.”
The most interesting thing is that people had second thoughts on owning a home after the 2008 Recession and wondered if it is viable to own a home.
Some of those people are deciding to not stay in one place and travel the world.
People like Rolf Potts, who spent over 18 months traveling throughout Asia and the Middle East after making about $20,000 dollars from teaching English in South Korea for two years.
Mr. Potts was a globe trotter when the economy was booming in the United States.
Another person is Ms. Sisson, who runs her online business from anywhere in the world and lives out of her suitcase.
Or Rob and Nadine Pisani.
The Pisanis had what seemingly were “successful” careers as chiropractors and was living the American Dream.
However, they both realized that they needed a change of scenery, so they moved to Costa Rica in 2007 and are now living life to the fullest.
Nadine documented their journey to Costa Rica in her books, “Happier Than A Billionaire: The Escape Manual” and “Happier Than A Billionaire: The Sequel.”
Reading these stories on how people like Mr. Potts, Ms. Sisson and the Pisanis shows everyone including me that it is possible to enjoy life and be happy without having the big houses, college degree or the 9-5 job, though it is not bad to have the 9-5 job.
However, you must be very careful of not falling for the trap that the big houses, a college degree or the 9-5 is the only way to enjoy life.
So for me, I am already trying not to have too much stuff in my life.
However, the one stuff I will declutter is printed books.
The reason is because I can read these books on Kindle and I don’t have to worry about carry them whenever I move somewhere.
And I have already decluttered people who are always negative about the world and always feels sorry for themselves.
As for traveling, my goal is to spend a year on 6 different continents because I got a glimpse of living overseas after spending a month in Mexico and three months in Chile.
What is the one clutter/s are you going to get rid of in your life? You can leave your comments below.
Setting Some Time For Yourself
By Cheval John
Photo courtesy of 2nix.
This post is in response to Natalie Sisson’s question, “What One Thing You Do Each Day To Get More You Time This Year?” #paraphrased.
It is part of Natalie’s “15 Day To Freedom Blog Challenge”
The blog challenge is very close to being over, so if you still want to join, you can visit here.
However, you will have a really tough task of catching up.
People have different hobbies that allows them to relax and recharge from their work.
Whether it is going for a walk, spending time with their friends or even going to the rodeo, these activities will keep them from burning out.
The one thing I will do to get some me time is sightseeing at airports twice a month.
The reason is because it allows me to relax and enjoy the view of airplanes landing and taking off.
I love traveling because it allows me to experience new cultures and see how people live differently from the way you live in your hometown.
Sightseeing at airports is one way for me to see the possibilities of travel.
What is the one thing you will do each day to get more you time? You can leave your comments below.
Setting Deadlines For Your Goals
By Cheval John
Photo Courtesy of www.affirmationsforpositivethinking.com
This post is in response to Natalie Sisson’s question, “What Are Your Three Goals You Set To Achieve This Year.” paraphrased.
It is part of Natalie’s “15 Days To Freedom Blog Challenge.”
If you want to join in on her blog challenge, you can visit here.
Just to forewarn you, you will have to catch up with the rest of us because this is the 8th day of her blog challenge.
I will have to say that the top three goals I want to accomplish are attending the Podcast Movement 2015, publish two more books and speak at an event.
The first goal is really important because I missed out on the first ever Podcast Movement last year.
Hearing so much from top podcasters like Amy Schmittauer of Vlog Boss Studios on the event and how much they enjoyed it really lit a fire for me to make it to this year’s conference.
Plus, I missed out on the opportunity to meet Ms. Sisson and Jaime Tardy of Eventual Millionaire in person.
The both of them were part of a panel there.
This year, I am really determined to make Podcast Movement and connect with awesome people who are doing well with their podcast.
The event will be from July 31st-August 2.
The second goal, publishing two books will be done through Nina Amir’s Blogging A Book 30 day challenges that will be held in April and November. #paraphrased.
I honestly believe that this will allow me to stay accountable to my goals of writing a book and also use this website as a place to see if there is a market for a book.
The goal is to get the third book released by June 1st and the fourth book released by December 20th, God’s willing.
Third goal is to gain speaking engagements.
I have learned about the value of speaking engagements during a four-week self-publishing class taught by Kimanzi Constable and Jimmy Burgess this month.
I will be very honest, I am very terrified at speaking in front of people because I am an introvert.
I have given some class presentations during my years as an undergraduate student.
However, speaking in front of people is a whole different ball game.
So my goal is to gain some speaking engagements by May 1st.
Now that you have seen my three goals, I want to know what are the three goals you are going to fulfill this year?
You can leave your comments below.
Being A Problem-Solving Business
By Cheval John
Photo Courtesy of www.exchange.aaa.com
Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate so I make a commission for books recommended on their site. I only recommend books that I have read already.
This post is in response to Natalie Sisson’s question, “Identify Your Ideal Business Model” as part of her “15 Days To Freedom Blog Challenge.”
If you want to participate in Natalie’s challenge, you can visit her website right here.
Before the days of the internet, everyone who wanted to run a business had to set up shop in a strategic location in order to get customers.
They had to go through the process of filing for a particular type of business structure like an LLC, Corporation, etc.
And for those who had wanted to become a travel writer, they had to be based in New York City, one of the most expensive cities in the United States.
Now with the internet, anyone can run a business without having a physical location.
Of course, they still will have to create a business structure like an LLC, etc.
And those same travel writers can have their base of operations from anywhere in the world.
The only question is “How Will You Stand Out From The Crowd”
You could start out with building a website and have a blog integrated into the site using WordPress and start spreading your message.
Though I am a strong proponent for blogging, the blogosphere is overcrowded.
According to statista.com, in 2011 there were 173 million blogs.
That number has increased dramatically.
One option that will work for those who wants to stand out is having a podcast.
The reason is because there are about 300,000 podcasts in the world today and Apple released their Carplay system that will be in 50% of automobiles by the end of the year.
So if you are creating a podcast from New Zealand, then people who are either commuting to work, cleaning the house, etc. will be able to listen to your show.
So how does this relate to Natalie’s question.
If your podcast, blog, or YouTube channel are really good, you will attract sponsorships opportunities from brands who wants to get their products out to your audience.
Another way is that you can repurpose your information into webinars, books, workshops, etc.
Also, if you are an author of a best-selling book, then you can land speaking engagements that will help your business to flourish.
Even if your book is not a best-seller, just the fact that you have written a book and the cover design is outstanding will earn you respect from people who dream of writing a book.
Just make sure that you are providing valuable information and are focused on solving someone’s problem.
That should always be at the heart of any business.
So for me, my ideal business model is having an online business where it will allow me to travel the world and experience different cultures.
I have already written two books, have a podcast, and this website.
The only thing now is to become a travel writer because it will allow me to share with an audience about the different lifestyles of that culture.
What is the type of business you want to create that will give you the freedom to enjoy life? You can leave your comments below.
Explore Your Hometown Like A Tourist
By Cheval John
Photo courtesy of taoty
Travel gives people the opportunity to explore a culture that is different from their own.
It breaks the preconceived notions of how people in a foreign country live.
Unfortunately, many only travel as a tourist to escape the rigors of work, especially here in the United States.
According to a report by CBS News, the average American only get two weeks of paid vacation time.
That same report by CBS said 25 % of Americans use the entire two weeks of their paid vacation time.
It is not surprising because we have the mindset of “Living To Work.”
We are really focused on getting the promotion we will sacrifice living just to achieve the promotion.
In reality, we were raised to believe that we had to go get good grades in school that we could get into college.
Once we get into college, we should choose the major that will get us that job and from there work until retirement.
We don’t think that it is possible to spend time in a foreign country and explore a different culture.
Another belief is that the only ones who could spend an extended period of time overseas are college students.
The truth is this type of lifestyle in overseas travel is open to anyone who really want to experience a different culture.
However, it doesn’t hurt if you start living abroad during your time in college.
According to the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA), 289,408 U.S. students studied abroad during the 2012-13 school year.
That is only a small percentage of about 18 million students who attends universities in the U.S. according to the Statistic Brain report.
What this shows is that if you studied abroad and are looking to enter the workforce or try to gain an overseas assignment with a company, you will stand out from the millions of people who did not studied abroad.
And if you did studied abroad or lived abroad, you will experience re-entry culture shock.
You will start to feel like things are boring in your hometown, will feel sadness because you can’t relate to your friends or family because they have not spent time overseas.
I can tell you that if you feel that way, you should try to find people who have studied abroad themselves and learned how they overcame re-entry shock.
Also, you can start exploring your hometown like a tourist.
You can visit the museum, attend a symphony orchestra concert, go to a sporting event, etc.
That will allow you to maintain your sense of adventure when you traveled abroad to your hometown.
I can tell you that while I spent three months in Chile, (the majority of the time in Vina del Mar), I walked around the city and explored it.
Prior to spending time in Vina del Mar, I had a preconceived notion that it was going to be touristy because the city is the tourist capital of Chile.
However, I was happily surprised that it was not too touristy because I had arrived during their winter time and the weather changed a lot like here in Texas.
After returning and experiencing re-entry shock, I decided to read up on stories of people who lived overseas.
I also realized that I could walk around the city of Huntsville, which is a small town, and get around easily.
Now that I am in the Houston area, I will aim to explore Houston as much as possible while I am here.
I know that I will learn something new about the city of Houston and will also maintain my sense of adventure for travel.
Have you studied, interned or lived overseas? If you did how did you overcome re-entry shock and how have you maintained your sense of adventure in your hometown? You can leave your comments below.
This post is in response to Natalie Sisson’s question, “What is the one thing you will do to make you feel alive in your hometown as a tourist #paraphrased as part of her “15 Days To Freedom Blog Challenge.”
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