Nomad Challenge

This weekend I will post a couple quick updates on some things that I have going on that I am excited about.

Today I want to discuss the Thirty Day Challenge. I had vaguely remember seeing something about this a while back, and then as I was starting to create this blog and I got into following various other blogs, I found others who had taken up the challenge before. It seems as though it has helped a lot of people who were getting started with internet marketing and such, so I decided to give it a shot.

This is the fourth year that Ed Dale and Dan Raine are running the challenge. The goal of the 30DC is to help people make their first $10 online. Appearantly a few people who have gone through the challenge have gone on to make well into the six and seven figure range. Right now I’ll just be excited to see that first $10!

Currently the challenge is in “preseason” mode, and will officially kick off on August 1, so there is still time to get involved if you are interested. The entire program and training is completely free. It seems as though it is not just for beginners, but veterans can also benefit from the course as well.

I found Caroline Middlebrook’s posts about her experiences with last year’s challenge to be very helpful. Click here for a link to her post about this year’s challenge. You can also go to her archives as many of her early posts discus the 30DC.

This should be a great experience for me, and it comes at a good time as I am just starting out. Also with no job at the moment, I should have plenty of time over the next month. I guess in that regard, I am in a similar circumstance that Caroline was in at this point last year, so it is encouraging to see how far she has come in 12 months.

I’ll be sure to blog about the 30DC and let you know my thoughts as I’m going through the program. Have any of you ever taken part in the 30DC or are planning to do so this year? Let me know what you think about it.

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(Disclaimer: Yes, I do get a “point” if you sign up through those Thirty Day Challenge links above, which could lead to winning prizes. I’m really not too concerned about trying to win any prizes with it, so you can just go to http://www.thirtydaychallenge.com if you like. I am simply writing about this as it is part of my plan to achieve my nomading dreams, and perhaps others will find it beneficial as well.)

Since I’m likely moving back in with the folks (temporarily at least) in a few weeks time, I decided this past week to take some time off to do some nomad practicing, if you will. I figured, I’m not working right now and there are a few things I would like to do in Florida before I left.

I’d been meaning to go some of the theme parks in Orlando and just never set any plans, and trying to coordinate with friends who are working would’ve been too much hassle, so I just up and left on my own one morning and decided to just wing it. I figure I’ll be doing a lot of that anyway in the future, so might as well get a little practice in now.

I drove up with no hotel or tickets purchased, and decided to just figure it all out once I got there. I guess I was inspired a bit by Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel book, which I am currently reading, as he more or less suggested that taking this sort of approach really adds value to the adventure.

The other reason I decided to go last week was because of a seminar that was in town that I had been to before (past attendees can go for free), so I was going to see if I could get in at the last minute and just combine a little business and leisure. The seminar didn’t work out, so I just did a couple theme parks instead. Afterall, I’ve been wanting to go before I left the state anyway.

The first day I went to Sea World and then I went to Disney’s Epcot the following day. I’m not really into roller coasters and other thrill rides of that ilk, so I tend to gravitate toward the educational-type entertainment (I know, I can be a bit of a nerd sometimes!). It felt a little weird just going there on my own at first, but it was also very liberating. No having to deal with family or small kids and different people wanting to do different things – no offense to my family and friends

Gotta love pengiuns!

Overall it was enjoyable, plenty to do for the adults at these parks. The shows at Sea World are amazing, especially Clyde and Seymour (the sea lions). Very funny! Plus anytime you have a chance to see penguins, I think it’s a good thing. The Shamu and dolphin shows were also great to see, one has to appreciate the training that it takes to put these shows together. Of course I would be remissed if I didn’t mention the free beer at the Anheuser-Busch pavilion!

Epcot was also good. Where else can you go through Mexico, China, Norway, Germany, America, Morocco, Japan, France, the UK and Canada all in one afternoon? I particularly enjoyed the circle-vision videos on China, France and Canada. The French one I think is the same from when I was first there probably 15-20 years ago, but the classical soundtrack with the likes of Debussy and Saint-Saenz adds a great touch. The scenery of China and Canada was awesome. I did a lot of the attractions in Future World, although I didn’t get a chance to do Soarin’… lines were too long (80-120 minutes). Some people I was talking with while I was there said that was the single best attraction in all of Orlando.

Entering "China"

I decided to drive back that night after leaving Epcot, but got tired on the way back home and stopped at a hotel for the night. I knew I was nearby some friends of mine so the next morning I gave them a call and spent the day with them, then went back home the next morning. Not a bad little trip.

Now that I’ve had a few days to reflect, I’m thinking that going to those theme parks was a good reminder of how to be a kid again. Among the themes at these two parks are following your dreams, believing in ourselves and taking care of our environment. Of course when we are little, everyone tells you to never give up on your dreams, which is exactly the opposite of what many of us end up doing once we reach adulthood. I hope the kids are able to learn the lessons in all the messages being delivered about culture, attitude, science and the environment. I know I did when my parents took me there when I was little.

So yea, all in all, it was a good experience and good nomad practice, albeit on a very small scale. Nothing really like the mini-retirements I have in mind for the future.

First off, Happy Independence Day to all the readers out there from the USA!

Ahh, Providence… No, not the nice city pictured above that’s situated on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, home of the prestigious Ivy League school Brown University as well as a famous big blue bug alongside the highway! Gotta love that critter!

The Big Blue Bug “Nibbles Woodaway” Photo by: Jonathan Baker
Taken from I-95 N-bound in Providence, RI

The sort of Providence I am talking about is illustrated in one of my all-time favorite quotes, which comes from W.H. Murray when he refers to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in his book The Scottish Himalayan Expedition (1951):

“Until one is committed
There is hesitancy, the chance to draw back,
Always ineffectiveness.
Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation),
There is one elementary truth,
The ignorance of which kills countless ideas
And splendid plans:
That the moment one definitely commits oneself,
Then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one
That would never otherwise have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision
Raising in one’s favor all manner
Of unforeseen incidents and meetings
And material assistance,
Which no man could have dreamt
Would have come his way.
I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:
‘Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it’”

Absolutely Powerful! Perhaps it sounds a bit too wishy-washy for you, I understand. And yet I believe that no matter what your beliefs are about the universe, religion or life in general, that this advice is golden. Experience has shown me, and I am sure every person can relate, that life sometimes has a funny, seemingly magical way making things happen. This is why I think it is important that when you are planning to reach a certain goal, rather than keeping to a strict course of action, it’s best to leave some room for the unknown to happen.

If you have a real big proper goal, and by that I mean something that you really have to reach and grow for, something that is a true challenge that you have not accomplished yet, then you shouldn’t already know what the absolute best course of action is. If you did, you’d probably have already done it, and it probably isn’t going to help you grow that much. That, or you wouldn’t do it at all because it wouldn’t push you enough. Sure, having some idea of what to do is helpful, but just get started already!!! The rest will come to you as you go along, I promise!

In my previous post, I mentioned that just getting started was a huge step for me, one that unfortunately many people never get past. And committing to my goal on such a public forum just magnifies everything many fold. It strengthens the force of Providence, if you will, as well as my motivation. I’ve crossed the line of no return, there is no “chance to draw back.” Heck, if I draw back now, that will make me look bad in front of all of you!

Leo Babauta, who writes an an excellent blog called Zen Habits, referenced committing publicly in a recent post called The Ultimate Guide to Motivation – How to Achieve Any Goal. Leo gave eight beginning motivation suggestions, and number five was:

“Commit publicly. None of us likes to look bad in front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something we’ve said publicly. For example, when I wanted to run my first marathon, I started writing a column about it in my local daily newspaper. The entire island of Guam (pop. 160K) knew about my goal. I couldn’t back down, and even though my motivation came and went, I stuck with it and completed it. Now, you don’t have to commit to your goal in your daily newspaper, but you can do it with friends and family and co-workers, and you can do it on your blog if you have one. And hold yourself accountable — don’t just commit once, but commit to giving progress updates to everyone every week or so.”

Awesome! A great example of what Goethe said, “Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

What have you always wanted to accomplish that you have been putting off for a rainy day, or for when you have more time, or out of fear? Leave a comment and let us know. Perhaps by stating publicly, you too will take actions toward that goal which will start the chain of events in your favor.

The unknown is nothing to fear, and the perfect time will never come. Get started now!!! I’ve always wanted to have the freedom to set out and see the world, and I knew if I didn’t start to do something about it now, I may regret it for the rest of my life. Two things, you must be clear about what you want, and you must take action. C’mon already! Now let’s get started!!!

In order to attain long-term success in any sort of relationship or business venture, it is imperative you provide value. So what value might I be able to present to you?

Yes, I am still somewhat new to using computers to making a living online, at least on my own that is. Much of my career to this point has focused on writing and working on the web, however, so there are definitely some transferrable skills. I cannot relay tips for MMO from my own personal experience just yet (hopefully soon!). I will, however, let you know of tactics that I am trying out, whether I found out from someone else that has suggested it, or if it happens to be something I’ve come up with on my own. And of course, I will let you know what the results of those actions end up being.

One school of thought would say that it isn’t wise to promote oneself as being new, that even if that is the case, you should still position yourself as being otherwise. Fair play, I see the validity in this. I think this site a bit of a different animal. Time will tell… Everyone has to start somewhere though, right?

And you know what, I may be proven wrong and this whole Nomad Challenge website of mine may be a big mistake. I am willing to go through with it though anyway. It is something I want to do and I think can provide valuable insight and inspiration to others looking to start out.  I know some of the other similar websites out there have inspired me to get this up and running (Hint: you can find links to them on the right).

Two reasons why I believe this will end up being a success. One, I have learned that there is often more than one right way to go about doing things in life. Two, I have started and I am determined to remain persistent in reaching my goals. Most people never get past getting started (more on that in the next post).

As time goes on, it is my intention that this site will grow from being the beginning of the process to the realization of my goals. And when that happens, I will have hopefully proven myself worthy of offering you my story. 

Besides, blogging isn’t the only way I plan to reach my goals. Multiple streams of income is the plan. While I certainly do intend to monetize this site, I am not counting on this being my bread and butter, so to speak. If it ends up turning out that way, then great! Giving something of value is my focus though (give and you shall receive). This site is meant to be both educational for those looking to reach their goals, in addition to helping me learn while having a constant kick in the behind to stay with this!

Greetings!

I figured I would take a little time today to get you all caught up to speed as to how this blog came about. I’ll try to keep this as concise as possible…

First, as you can probably guess, I want to do a lot of traveling around the globe. And as I alluded to in my previous post, my first destination of choice is Australia, although there are many others. Ever since I was little, I’ve always had that bit of wanderlust. I’ve met plenty of people from all over the world, competed in an international sporting event, have a bachelor’s degree in international business, and yet I somehow have only gone out of the country once, and that was to Toronto (not very far outside the U.S., actually, so that doesn’t really count).

Over the years that itch to move about and see the world keeps getting stronger and stronger. I have no regrets over how I have spent the first 10 years of my adult life. Most people who study international business do a semester or two studying abroad. I was on the college’s tennis team and didn’t want to miss out on any of that experience, and I made the right choice. Overall, I’ve done some cool things and met some amazing people during this time. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Second, I recently resigned from my job that I had been at for the past five years (it’s now been a week since I left), and I am taking a little time off to reevaluate where I want to go from here. I won’t to go into all the details. There were a lot of things I liked about the job. It involved one of my bigger passions, I got to travel a good bit around the country to places I probably never would’ve gone to otherwise, and I got to know a lot of great people. What’s so bad about that? Nothing, I’m very grateful for having had that opportunity.

I am also grateful that I finally, after mulling this over for a long time, decided to get out. It was time. I was burnt out (something that happens to people all too frequently in that profession, and many others for that matter) and was really struggling to stay motivated. Long hours and low pay, among other frustrations, got to me. It isn’t even so much the pay. I think if it were a six-figure job I would probably feel the same way. It just wasn’t the right lifestyle for me, not enough balance. I look at where I was headed five, 10, 20 years down the road, and at the people who were already there, and it scared the hell out of me.

For the past few years, I’ve been thinking of ways in which I could work for myself. There was a big craze in real estate and I grabbed every bit of info that I could find on the subject before realizing that it wasn’t really for me. Now what?

If I could pin point the two things that helped me advance in my career it was writing and having some sort of uncanny ability with computers and the internet. Hmmm… why didn’t I think about that before????

Well, now I’m here at a bit of a crossroads. I gave about five weeks notice when I resigned (I’m such a good employee!) and knew this nomad project was something I wanted to work on, although I kept that from most people unless I already knew they were like-minded. I think people were a bit surprised about how calmly I told them that I had no idea what I’d be doing after I left and that I didn’t have another job in the works. I know it was the right decision even though the prospect of not having an income at the moment does scare me a bit from time to time.

So I decided back when I resigned that, while I would still look for a new job, I was going to journal about how I was going about my journey to follow my dream of working and traveling on my own (i.e. being a nomad, if you will, or what The 4-Hour Workweek author Tim Ferriss calls, the “new rich”).

I’d read other stories and how-to guides of people that had successfully gone down this path before, such as the Working Nomad Ebook, and it really excited me! This is what I’ve been looking for all along and I could totally see myself doing this as well! Then I thought, I’ll also journal about my path, except instead of telling my story at the end, I would detail all the emotions, triumphs and bumps along the road as I’m doing it, how unique!?!

Then after searching some more, I realized there are already people who are/have done that as well. AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh well, I’m doing it anyway!!! I am learning a great deal and gathering tons of inspiration from these people, although I feel that each one of us have our own unique perspectives and experiences that I think anyone looking for guidance along this avenue can benefit from all of it.

Full steam ahead…