Damn, he’s done it. Adam Baker of Man vs. Debt has written the book I meant to write and never did. He’s gung-ho like that, never letting a good idea sit for too long. In fact, he’s included interviews with big names in personal finance and simplicity like JD Roth of Get Rich Slowly as well as a forward by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits.
If you want to find out how Adam and his family …
Erase your debt and put your money toward your own happily ever after.
How do you plan to leave your life and travel the world?
Free yourself from the junk that is holding you down.
Don’t just wish for it, do it!
It won’t win any awards, but it is straight talk from us to you.
In 1992 my mom gave me the book Life’s Little Instruction Book
Regardless of the adversities over the years – lost jobs, divorce, unanticipated moves, deaths of loved ones, etc – I have been able to refer back to this simple phrase as reassurance. By keeping a positive attitude towards each situation and realizing that any decision I made to get there was in the past allowed me to focus only on the possibilities of the future. The fact is, regret is really "I wish I had…" applied to any situation. The simple fact is that if I had made any different decisions in the past 37 years I would not be waking up next to the most amazing woman each day and planning this amazing adventure. How in the world could I regret all the small and large decisions that got me to this point and shaped me into the person I am today?
Instead, I am committed to starting sentences with "I am going to…" and then following through. Today, that means I am going to step out of the rat race and travel the world. One thing I can assure all of you is that I will not regret this decision either as it will take me to new highs, and some new lows but in the end I know I will be happy.
My international contacts are giving me a lot of feedback regarding Sarah Palin, the banking crisis, and
various other headlines. This all makes me wonder about our reception in other countries when they find out we are from the United States.
Sure, I’ve gotten flak from people before when traveling, but not heavy flak, and mostly out of concern for our shared future on the planet than anything else. But in all honesty, most of my travel before has been with other tourists in major places with plenty of English-speaking people. I wouldn’t say either one of us has had the "immersion" experience.
I’m not sure what to expect, especially if Obama does not win the presidential election.
In 1992 my mom gave me the book Life’s Little Instruction Book for Christmas. To this day, I remember one key phrase which I have followed since the day I read it “Live life with no regrets”. It is shocking how impactful this saying has been on my life, and now how much of a guide it is as we plan to embark on this adventure.
When I am not working, and occasionally when I am, I find that my mind wanders to the future and how we can orchestrate the change we dream of achieving. Having started a company in the past, I know the rewards it offers and sacrifices it can require. However, I am not sure that I am ready to start a something again that will require staffing, big investments, venture capitalists, etc. Right now, I would love to start something that is simple and just solves a customer problem.
I think I would love to create a web design company that helps small business owners grow their revenue. It seems so rewarding to take a person who is living their dream and help them make it a reality. I could offer sites for $500 and build them from anywhere in the world. All the communication could be via email so time zones will not be an issue. The challenge will be recruiting customers, since my goal would be 10 new customers per month. This would give me a comfortable living, though nothing extravagant.
I am delighted to exchange a big paycheck for the freedom that comes with embracing your life and future.
I just spent a few days in Vancouver, British Columbia at a conference. While there, I was exposed to non-American newspapers and viewpoints. It is amazing to see the different perspectives on American and global events from people outside of the US, and my ignorance of global affairs is embarrassing.
In order to make the most of our trip, we will have to start immersing ourselves in global news and opinions now. I’m adding the International Herald Tribune to my Bloglines account now, and would appreciate any suggestions for news outlets of a global nature.
Of course we will focus in on information for specific countries as we make plans to visit, but it would be great to have a more global view of news and events before we even leave our country.
