I've just been going over all 400+ posts in this blog as I've been splitting them up and getting them ready for the new members lounge. It's been quite an embarrassing process and I've had plenty of opportunities to laugh at myself, but coming out of it I just have one HUGE recommendation for those of you who would like to learn to write better posts. It is this:

Talk about ONE thing per post. Don't start talking about your life... AND a recent trip... AND an experience from the ministry, AND etc, etc, etc. Stick to one thing and do it right.

A great deal of thinking has been going on in order to decide what my online presence should consist of. Thanks in part to Gina, I'm seeing some pitfalls to regurgitating my life for all to see. Perhaps it was not meant to be. If you cannot speak freely without offending someone, and you aren't allowed to offend anyone... well then blah. Of course the other end of that is that there are probably plenty of people online who would like to do you harm. This world really is messed up.

We're going to have to go to war with my insurance company who (naturally) doesn't want to pay anything for medical expenses from a car-wreck we were in over a year ago. Looks like I'm going to have to sue my own insurance company... Not that the chiropractor hasn't been greedy either! As soon has anyone hears that there's possible insurance money behind an accident, it's like a feeding frenzy.

On the one hand it's good that the insurance companies don't just pick out the cheapest doctor for you to visit, but when you get to choose your doctor, it makes the doctors feel important and gives them the opportunity to charge whatever they want because "the insurance has to pay it." Free markets do actually work - like in Mexico where insurance is a lot less common, and people become doctors not to become rich but to avoid manual labor - but perhaps here, where insurance is very common and a fewer percentage of the population are doctors, regulation of the medical field is in order.

Yes, now that I think about it, the medical field is not like buying a lamp. You get a choice with the lamp:

• What kind would you like?


• Is it too expensive?


• Which other kind would you like?


• Maybe you don't need one after all...

The free markets are determined by supply & demand, but what's the supply/demand ratio on cancer surgery? How much would you pay (or go into debt for) to save your life? Let's just say a billion dollars. But is the surgery actually worth a billion dollars then? Well it depends - according to the law of supply/demand, the answer is yes, but logically the answer is no.

This would tell us that Health Care is too important to be left entirely to the free markets. If it were then everyone would need to become a doctor, to take advantage of the people that need a doctor, and to be able to pay for their doctor when they need surgery! Of course maybe then - once the world was full of doctors, supply would force the price down.

Solution: 1

We currently have the medical doctors (those receiving payment) fighting a constant battle with the insurance companies (those paying).

National health

Just a quick post about the awesomeness of Discover Card, and the relative aggravation with Schwab. Here's an example of how two companies treat their customers. First Discover:

I called in because I'd payed the card with the wrong bank account and it wasn't payed. Both Discover & Schwab charged me $25. But then Discover tried 2 more times automatically, and caused 2 extra $25 charges at Schwab. I now had a total of $100 in fees. Discover was a good sport about the whole thing. The conversation took under 2 minutes, and when I asked her to reverse the charge, she said she'd already done it. Wow, I love these guys!

I then called Schwab about the remaining $75. The woman didn't sound friendly, and despite already seeing the problem, required me to wait on hold for 5 minutes, apparently so she could figure out why I couldn't be considered a worthwhile customer. Upon asking for the fee reversal, she replied with an indignant, "You want me to reverse the charges?!?" Um... yes, please. After trying to make me feel bad, she eventually said she could reverse one fee. When I explained how I was trying to get all my accounts switched to this one, but needed some slack on this one mistake and would appreciate it if they would reverse at least 2 of the fees, she resorted to telling my how my account wasn't worth anything to them because it was new, didn't have enough deposits, etc, etc, etc... She was really doing a lot for me already she said. Wow, really? Nice. At least I still made $50 in 20 minutes.

Discover = Awesomeness (everytime I've had to call)

Schwab = Thumbs Down.

MORAL OF THE STORY:

Our sucess in life is dependant on the number of uncomfortable conversations we are willing to have... oh ya, and Schwab stinks.

Many books or would-be advisors tell us that goal setting is critical to our success. How could we ever reach success if we didn’t know what success would look like? In addition, many of these advisors tell us to dream big and set at least a few of these goals with the understanding that we can do anything. Have you ever done this exercise? If not, it’s a great one for expanding your imagination and picturing yourself doing all sorts of amazing things!

I would like to add one other critical component to the equation however. When you set one of these goals to paper, make sure to list the reasons why you would like to attain this goal, and also the sacrifices you’ll need to make in order for it to happen. Say for example that you’d like to run a marathon. Some of your desired outcomes may be better health, less fat, feeling better about yourself, etc... while some of the costs may be getting up early to run when you don’t feel like it, not eating some of your favorite foods, the cost of entering the race, etc.

The reason why I’m asking you to take this additional step in your goal-setting isn’t just so that you’ll know what you’re up against. It’s to alert you to the possibility of conflicting goals. Let us say, for example, a few of your goals include the following:

• Spend 70+ hours a month in the ministry teaching others truths from the Bible.


• Live in some of the world’s most exotic locations.


• Own an expensive house in the mountains.


• Own a Nissan GT-R.


• Be a district overseer.

 

These are just a few... but perhaps you can already see the dilemma. Although any of those above things could easily become a reality... It would be pretty tough to do it all at the same time. Although...  ;)

By thinking of the issue of conflicting goals in advance, you save yourself from making decisions today that prevent you from obtaining important goals later. Most people don’t really think. They grow up, get an 8-5 job, have kids, have to get married, work hard, get the biggest house they can get a loan for and go into debt for 5-7 years for a new car, work harder, take the occasional “keep-it-short-or-get-fired” vacation and can’t wait to get old so they can (hopefully) retire. Each step of the way they smack into the next decision and make it without thinking of the consequences.

You don’t have to live that way.

You’re welcome.

Stephen Covey’s book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” would like to have you take total responsibility for your life - good or bad. But it doesn’t turn out to be a one-time “Okay, I’m responsible now” type of epiphany, but rather something you must remind yourself of every day and in every respect. Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’d rather be INSERT FUN PLACE OR ACTIVITY HERE? The beach or fishing are common examples... right now I think I’d rather be exploring the islands of Greece via catamaran. But let me ask you this: Why aren’t you?

...

No, I want you to think about that. WHY AREN’T YOU DOING THAT RIGHT NOW?

...

...

...

If you said “Because I’ve got kids” or “I can’t miss work”, then perhaps what you really mean is that because you’ve chosen to make the decisions you’ve made to place you in your current situation, you would rather go to work (at the job you’ve chosen), pay for the other things you feel you need, and stay in your comfort zone, than to go or do the other thing. You can’t argue this next fact: Really, almost anything is certainly possible for you if you’re willing to make the necessary sacrifices. Can you make a few million dollars. Sure. Easy. Can you do it while having meaningful relationships, keeping your first wife, and maintaining your spirituality? Doubtful. So... what do you want?

You can be, do, and have just about anything... just not everything.

Do you not like what you’ll be doing today? Do you not like where you live? Stop blaming circumstance. Yes, upbringing plays a major role in our lives. You’re completely subject to the random luck of the draw from the parent lottery for the first 20-25 years of your life. Sorry. But these years are your foundation, not the monument of your life that you still have to build. The rest is up to you, so stop your whining, take responsibility, and start living. Say it with me now...

< 20 years old = “I am laying the foundation for my life. I’ll search for wisdom from older/mature people, and try not to destroy my future with stupid decisions that seem fun at the time.”

> 20 years old = “I have chosen to be exactly where I am now, and I can choose to be anywhere else. I am responsible for what my life looks like.”

Remember the most awesome part of all this... If you take some risks* and the worse-case scenario actually does happen, you can usually always get right back to where you are now given a little extra effort.

So what are you afraid of?

 

PS: I'd love to see what you would  be/do/have if you could do anything! Let me know some of your goals, along with what the cost of achieving them would be!

 

 

*Disclaimer: I’m talking about risks like getting a different job, learning new skills, or moving somewhere totally random. I’m not talking about abandoning Bible principles for a little while... which will totally mess your life up fast.

Are you materialistic? Doesn’t sound like a good thing right? How about ambitious? Sometimes it’s hard to see whether these traits are a good thing or a bad thing. Would we rather be able to accomplish our tasks but always be setting higher dreams - never being satisfied... or would we rather just be satisfied, but never improve our circumstances? This article is about the answers that I’ve come to after much thought over the years, and hopefully it can help you find your answer to this important question.

Satisfaction is the secret that makes poor men rich, and that makes rich men poor.

The answer is to find satisfaction with wherever we are in life, knowing that this doesn’t have to affect our happiness. The secret is realizing that money is not the goal; it’s a tool to be used towards the attainment of any other particular goal... and the best goals oftentimes don’t require much money. In the words of Randy Pausch, the secret is understanding that we cannot change the cards we are dealt, only how we play our hand.

Does this mean that the American Dream is dead? Do we have to just be content with whatever chance happened to give us? What if we want something different than what we have? Is it impossible to change our lives or to make a lot more money that we are now? No, it doesn’t mean these things, and that’s just the point. It is possible to do anything we want, be anyone we want, or have any possessions we may desire... but at what cost? Make no mistake, the attainment of a major life-altering goal will typically require you to sacrifice almost everything else. So there you go. In many places in the world today, the question is not whether you can, it is whether or not it is worth spending your life doing. You can do it, but you do have to choose what to do.

Is it fair that all men are not created equal? Is it fair that all men do not all have the same opportunities or are not born with the same advantages? No, not really... Sorry. You can’t choose which cards you get remember? Only how you choose to play your hand. So no matter where you are in life... you are here. There is no other place you could possibly be. Your life is the result of chance and of your decisions. The only place you can go from is here. So here is where you’ll have to start.

Perhaps you see the problem now facing us... What’s next? Do you know exactly what it is that’s so important to you that you’re willing to give up everything else in order to have it? ... No? What do you mean no? Don’t worry, it’s not okay (you’ll still have to figure this out), but you haven’t really been left behind. Everyone struggles with this question, and it is for precisely this reason that so many become materialistic. Think about it. Materialism is easy. Not only are we bombarded by messages everyday telling us we’re not good enough if we don’t own a particular product or brand, but it’s seductively easy to believe that your happiness is only one more purchase away. Why bother with the meaning of life when you can simply buy something and be happier? Materialism makes us feel better immediately (when we actually get to buy something we want), gives us a meter by which to compare the “success” of our life with others, and is simple to understand. Too bad it leaves a wicked aftertaste.

Materialism may seem natural (we want more and better things), but it is actually merely laziness. It’s choosing to work for things instead of for what you truly care about because you won’t take the time to determine what these are. We are only happy when we are satisfied, and materialism keeps us always wanting more.

 

Besides laziness, another factor leading to the adoption of materialism as a lifestyle - is boredom.

Frankly, the truth is that if you’re reading this, it’s highly probable that YOU ARE VERY RICH (given a worldwide scope), while at the same time feeling like you have nowhere near enough. Millions of people live on less than $2-a-day. There are millions who have to struggle so hard for survival, who have little to no hope of ever improving their circumstances, who are thrilled if they’re able to eat everyday.

I am suspecting that you however...

• have plenty to eat, probably too much to eat.


• do not live in fear of your government killing you and stealing your possessions.


• have a home - insulated from the elements.


• have air-conditioning & heating, so that you’ll be comfortable.


• have electricity to power your appliances.


• have a computer and access to the internet.


• have a refrigerator to store food for a long time.


• have modern cooking surfaces.


• have a car to go anywhere you like.


• have plenty of opportunities for work... if you’re willing to work.


• have modern medical facilities that care about keeping you alive.


• can travel across the country or world if necessary.


• have a decent amount of disposable income to spend as you please.

And you want more you say? How much more? What will be enough? Tell me.

What happens when we have everything we could possibly need or want, sparing only special brands of those things? I think we get bored. I think that without a convincing meaning-for-our-existence (that we think of daily) and pressing survival needs, we feel a little lost. What are we supposed to do? Oh wait, I know! Other people have more stuff... I CAN GET MORE STUFF TOO!

I think when we see other people with more “stuff”, we tend to make the rash conclusion that they have been successful in life, without talking to their psychologist to see whether they really feel that way or not. I think reading about these people appeals to our needs of significance, competition, and the feeling of jealousy. Try to move beyond that. Don’t worry. There is more to life than making an easy living while sailing a catamaran off the islands of Grease.

 

Moral: What is materialism costing you? Are you constantly trying to figure out how to make more - easier? What do you really need? Can you be content with just a few extra toys? Could you then spend more time figuring out your meaning-of-life - a convincing, big picture answer to the question of why you’re really here, an answer that you know in your gut is true and that helps get you though the day? Could you then spend more time figuring out how you could help other people?

This guy just blows me away every time. Watch this.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0h0LlCu8Ks&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3]

If you’ve been reading Seth Godin at all, you’ll know he came out with a new book (called Linchpin) that is a call-to-action for action-minded people. Ignoring the obvious question, (Do action-oriented people need a call-to-action?) I am going to recommend you do the opposite.Yes, DON’T be a Linchpin!

Why this call to inaction? I’ll admit it’s personal. Basically, I make easy money sometimes because other people don’t want to take responsibility for something. I’ll give you an example... Today I applied 3 Mary Kay stickers on a new car for a dealership that were about 2x6 inches each and had no possibilities for bubbles. All I had to do was put them on straight, and I got to charge $45 for a 5 minute job. Now obviously my commission wasn’t 100%... and there was travel time and billing time involved... but for those 5 minutes, I still made about $270-an-hour.

Why did this happen? Any of the guys working there could’ve spent about 10 or 20 minutes, done it carefully, and gotten it straight. But who wants to take responsibility for something that you could potentially mess up when you’re not getting paid for it? Answer: Only Linchpins. They recognize that taking responsibility and getting things done is the only way to grow and to get more power.

Here’s a secret for all you Spiderman fans... Great power may incur great responsibility, but also... Great power typically comes to those who take on great responsibility.

Yes, if great power happens to fall into your lap, then you’ll have to learn to be responsible. But what if great power doesn’t fall into your lap? What then? If you still want great power, start taking on great responsibility. People are afraid of responsibility, and they’ll gladly hand over their power and their freedom if someone else will take their responsibilities.

So thus my call to inaction: DON’T BE A LINCHPIN! ... PLEASE!

I was needing an oil change in my work-car, so I pulled up to Jiffy-Lube and asked how much. He said $40! I said that seemed like a lot and I'd have to call my boss, and he told me to drive down to Midas... that they're doing them for $20!

I thought about why he would share this information with me, and realized that he had nothing to loose by me going somewhere else. In fact...

If he could convince me to leave, he would still be getting paid without having to do any work.

Interesting. That means it's in the best interests of an hourly employee to actually damage the company he's working for! We can learn a lot from this brief lesson at Jiffy-Lube. If you're going to pay your employees hourly, make sure that they either don't have contact with your customers, or add an extra incentive to encourage positive behavior. In fact, I would say that there should always be an extra incentive - like the tipping principle at restaurants, getting paid on partial commission, or a bonus based on units-sold or something. Just a bit of advice for all you business-owners out there! ;)

PROBLEM:

These instructions are for when you’re trying to take a shower in a public place (such as at a state park) and the floors are wet, the air is cold, the water doesn’t get warm, and you don’t have much space to move.

SUPPLIES:

• shower-gel


• washrag (optional)


• shampoo


• 1 dry stool

INSTRUCTIONS:

First of all you’ll need a dry place or stool to put your stuff, and you’ll want to stack it all in the order that you’ll need it, namely:

1. towel


2. underwear


3. shirt


4. beanie (optional)


5. pants (preferably shorts)


6. socks & shoes (preferably just flip-flops)

The floors will probably be muddy or dirty, so you’ll want to wear your flip-flops even during your shower, and afterwards if you can wear them back outside and put on your socks and shoes latter, all the better. You’ll be using shower-gel as opposed to a bar, and I’d recommend just using your hands to apply it - a washrag is just an unnecessary extra and you have to find a place to hang it or it’ll get dirty. Oh, and the shower water probably won’t get too hot, so you’ll want to keep it quick.

So you’ve finished your shower...

• Dry off and put the damp towel around your neck.


• Next put on your underwear and shirt and, if it’s cold, the beanie on your head will help keep in a lot of body heat.


• Balance on one foot as you slip off one sandal, dry your foot, slip on half your jeans, roll up the bottom like sleeves as much as you can to keep it from getting wet, and put your sandal back on.


• Repeat for other foot.

Okay, well now you’re all set, and hopefully your clothes are still dry and you haven’t gotten too cold.  :)

It has come to my attention that some of you would like to become famous. Some of you would like to do great things and be recognized for them. Please understand that fame, like popularity and money, is never given. It is always earned. You must first do those great things, you must first make others feel important, you must first give others a product or service they value... and then perhaps be recognized, popular, and rich.

The reason the masses remain in obscurity is becuase they too are only interested in themselves. Like everyone at a table trying to feed themselves with 5-foot long chopsticks, when the whole world cares only about themselves and their own significance, nobody cares about you. Use your chopsticks to feed others, and you will be fed.

Most of these masses with realize the need for a job - a boss that will prod them and sculpt their forced efforts into a product or service that someone else may actually care about receiving. What these masses may not realize is that giving something valuable to others is the only way to make a dent... the only way to make money, the only way to be popular, the only way to attain fame. Society demands that we serve others. In the workplace, if we can't figure out how to give people something they want, then we must find a boss who does, and figure out how to give him what he wants - a good and hardworking employee.

Anywhere you wish to go in life will require you to serve others to get there. Famous people are not famous for no reason... they work hard to give to us things that we find interesting - songs, movies, inspiration, etc... and when they cease to do so, they stop being interesting and eventually fade away. We don't really care about what we can do for them. We care about what they give to us, and we appreciate them for it.

MORAL OF STORY:

Everything good in life comes from giving to others. We can't provide for our wants on our own. So if at any point you're unsure of what to do next... try serving others...  you just might end up finding yourself served.

Today was, in a word, unconventional. It was also totally awesome. Lately I’ve been reading the Art of Non-Conformity blog by Chris Guillebeau, who writes about “unconventional strategies for life, work, and travel”. I bought his book, a few of his e-books, and am currently an “emperor-in-training” through his famous Emperor Training Kit. Anyways, it seems I connected with Chris just in time to get to meet him in person in Houston during his Unconventional Book Tour - a self-funded road trip to all 50 states (63 cities) and all 10 Canadian provinces! He had said that anyone was free to bring cookies or to photograph, so I decided to do both. By the way, you can check out the other photos HERE!

Houston is about a 3.5-hour drive from San Antonio, so I got off work early and borrowed my dad’s convertible for a fabulous drive! When we got there, I must admit I felt a little star-struck at first. It doesn’t happen that often (I guess because I don’t really follow the lives of singers or attend many concerts) but it just felt cool seeing in person the guy I’d been following online for the past few weeks. I also happened to become the default photographer for the gig - which tends to happen when you have an SLR with a big flash. All in all I got some pretty decent shots (what I wouldn’t give for a 1.4 lens though!), and I hope Chris is able to use them for something.

Co-hosting the event was Karen Walrond, who authors a blog called over at chookooloonks.com. Today was the pre-release (out on Dec 2nd) of her first book “The Beauty of Different”. I must confess that I wasn’t planning on buying it... until I met her! After only a couple of minutes of talking with her, and seeing her personality... I knew the book would be something special. I picked it up in faith, and have really enjoyed her inspiration! She really knows how to tell a story!

Chris only spoke for a few minutes before opening the floor for questions. I think most of us had already read the book and the blog, and really the questions were where the main focus was. One question I had been wondering about was whether his wife traveled with him. I had assumed the answer was no since he rarely mentions her, speaks of traveling alone, and was apparently on the book-tour alone too. Personally, Gina (my wife) and tend to always be together, so I was wondering how this dynamic works out for them. Well apparently she does travel with him. At least some of the time. Other times he’s alone, but it’s really only for a couple of weeks at a time at the most, so it’s not that bad. I guess I just needed to be able to visualize myself being able to do it. The other question was about how long it takes for him to write a post. Apparently a couple of hours is on the short side for Chris. Actually, honestly I think that’s on the short side for me too. Writing is still not the most natural thing for me to do, and it sometimes takes a long time for me to craft out a post. Hopefully I get faster as I practice more.

NOTES FROM THE EVENING:

• It’s all in the way you frame your talents. We all have things that we’re good at, and things that we’re bad at. Successful people can combine what they’re good at with what people are willing to pay for (convergence), and can frame those talents to present themselves well.


• Books are still special. Chris told us that even with blogs and Facebook and Twitter... books are still special. Why? Books can change your life. Have you ever had that experience? Where you’re reading a book, put it down suddenly, and think, “I’m different now”. Books do that. When was the last time a blog post changed your life? How about a tweet? It doesn’t really happen. Books are still special.


• Forget efficient, pursue meaningful adventure. Stop focusing so much on being efficient. Don’t work so hard climbing the ladder because you never know when the ladder is going to be leaning on the wrong wall. Instead... pursue meaningful adventure in your life - and you will be happy.


• We have the privilege of wondering what we want to do with our time. For all of us going through life trying to figure out what we really want to do, we need to always remember that the ability to do so is a real privilege! So many people in the world do not have this privilege. With great power comes great responsibility. Realize how rich you really are, and concentrate on giving back.


• What will our legacy be? No need to wait until we’re old... It’ll probably be too late then. Start focusing what what your legacy will be now.


• Are you worrying that you’re too late? What, you thought that only you worried about this? Lots of people worry about being too late to a market, too late with their product, too late to learn a skill... you’re probably not. Figure out what you’re passionate about that you can give to the world. Then do it.


• Do you need to go to college? A popular subject for questions throughout the evening was whether or not Chris and Karen recommended going to college. The focus of the answers was that although many have felt that college wasn’t that great of a return-on-investment... they have never regretted getting the education. Although Karen doesn’t use her engineering or lawyer degrees, she’s happy she did because one choice leads to another, and another, and another. All you can do is make the choices as they come. They technically also said that there’s no such thing as a “wrong” decision... although I would say that that’s not true with everything...


• Try not to have to motivate yourself to do something. This one may not work for those of you with ADD (like me), but the idea is that you should actually enjoy what you’re doing... otherwise it’s not going to work out. Chris talked about using the “HELL YA!” approach. If it doesn’t make you say it, don’t do it.


• You don’t have to know all the technical stuff. Chris was a self-proclaimed pretty good website designer... back in 1999. Unfortunately a few things have changed since then. I share his pain. I’ve been decent at a number of multimedia skills... and have seen them constantly diminish in value as the technology of only 6-7 years ago becomes archaic. Remember, you don’t have to know everything - just get started!


• Personality Blogs require you to interact with your readers more and be more open. Chris’ blog is a personality blog. It’s not really specific, in fact the tagline involves life, work, and travel! The key is the theme of unconventional techniques, which pulls it all together.


• Chris’ original ebook products were based on what his readers were asking for. The best way to make money is to simply find out what people want and figure out a way to give it to them. Win-win.

A FEW EXTRA INSIGHTS:

• Write about what lights you up.


• How do you want to change the world? Have you thought about that?


• Do as much as you can. Work hard.

Hey Nick, I just had an obvious idea for enjoying some exercise! Go to New Balance for some comfortable shoes, get Nike+ for your iPhone, go walking at night now that the weather is nice, and listen to The Great Courses as you walk for an hour or more. Why didn't YOU think of this?!?

Great news... I’m rich! It happened yesterday.

Oh ya and there’s more good news... you’re rich too!
It’s amazing what a little perspective can do. Although I’ve still got 277,391,304 people ahead of me, the good news is that I’m already in the top 4.62% percentile of the world’s wealth! I really think you just be super-rich too... it’s really not that hard. As long as you make an average $70/month, you’re right in the middle class! Here’s a picture of my newfound wealth - I’d suggest you too go get a reality check over at www.GlobalRichList.com



 

Update [2012/Jan/12): This really is a reminder that happiness isn't dependent on money, and that becoming wealthy doesn't have to mean depriving yourself of your wants. It's just that your wants change. You learn to control your wants. Because that's really what brings financial happiness (and eventual prosperity) - learning how to control your wants.

As I mentioned on Monday, Seth Godin was another inspiring author for my recent progress, and I’d really like to share some of what I’ve learned with you. I started off with his book called "The Dip", and as it's subtitle says, it's "a little book that teaches you when to quit and when to stick”. Here’s what it’s all about:



Basically, there’s this thing called “the Long Tail”. Blogs didn’t end up being the death of mass media as I sort-of predicted on an old post entitled “The New World of Media - Staying Alert”, but rather it has opened the floodgates of information so that people to find information on any number of tiny niches. People’s attention is divided up more than ever, and it’s really only a relatively few sites that still get all the attention, while the other ~400 million blogs out there - like mine currently :( - get about 5/day.

The idea is that if you’re not at the top, if you’re not the best at what you do... you’re invisible.

I’m afraid that’s not very encouraging news to those who have been trained to be average. Average people, trained for average jobs, getting an average pay, and leading an average life. How can you hope to break away from being just “average” at what you do? Well first off, it’s going to require focus. Lots of focus. In fact, you’re going to need to quit pretty much everything else you do if you hope to be spectacular at what really matters to you. That’s pretty much the answer. QUIT. Quit everything you’re not going to be the best in the world at.

You see, everything you learn has a “dip” to it. It’s the time period when it stops being fun and starts being work... but before you’re actually successful. I went through this dip when I eventually learned how to paint on automotive pinstriping - straight. Dips are actually pretty good though. After all, if it didn’t take half a year of painting a straight line every day to learn how to do it, everyone would. So there’s your goal...

Find the biggest, widest dip that you’re interested in crossing, determine in advance that getting to the other side is worth it to you, and then go be the best in the world at that one thing. That’s what it takes to be truly spectacular.

So ya, it’s a pretty short book. It doesn’t take long to summarize, but I skipped a lot of the background information. Seth really does a much better job it, so I’d encourage you to pick up the book. Have you already read it? What did you think? How did it help you? Answer below...

As you may know, today is the official rebirth of the NomadNick blog... and I wish to recognize the two main sources that have inspired my recent transformations, and summarize some of the importaint lessons that I've learned. Hopefully you too can benefit from answering the "2 most important questions in the universe". My first inspiration has been Chris Guillebeau from www.ArtOfNonConformity.com, and I would like to dedicate this post to his first manifesto entitled "A Brief Guide to World Domination - How to live a Remarkable Life in a conventional world". Here's a summary of the basics, but feel free to check out his site and download the whole thing!

This information is basically for people who are serious about changing the world, and the first step really involves you deciding what it is that you really would want to change. It's okay if you don't know right away. In fact, most people have pretty much decided that they aren't here on this Earth to really change much of anything. They have conformed to the idea that they are average people, destined for average jobs in which they do average things. How many people do you know really have a mission in life? How many know their calling? How many wake up each day excited because they know that by the end of that day, they'll have changed the world for the better? Huh? ... Ya, not many. So I present to you the 2 most important questions in the universe! Answer these two questions, and you'll discover much more direction in your life.

Question #1:  WHAT DO YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF LIFE?

Question #2:  WHAT CAN YOU OFFER THE WORLD THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN?

I'm posting my answers here. After spending some time with these two questions, please feel free to use the comments section to share your answers!

1. Find the secret to living forever. Continuously attain wisdom. Be happy in my spirituality, family, and employment. Prove to myself the truth of all things. Have the money and time and attention and energy to do, be and have what I want.


2. A fresh perspective on the simplicity of religious truth. Lead a movement to help those who want to prove the truth to themselves, and to make studying the Bible & religion: Easy, Engaging, Interactive, Social, & Fun!

Something else to think about too is what some of your lifetime goals are. (Hint: Make sure to set these really high!) The next thing to realize is that if the world isn't paying you any attention... it's probably for a good reason - you don't deserve it. You could call it the Purple Cow effect (I'll talk more about Seth Godin next time), but what it really boils down to is that even with all this noise and marketing and attention deficits... when you finally have something that is truly worth caring about, people will notice. That's one reason I recently looked back at my posts over the past 2+ years. Nobody was paying any attention, and sure enough, I found that I wasn't writing anything worth caring about. What can you give that is worth caring about?

Now look back at your answers to those 2 questions, and think about this: "When you combine what you are most passionate about with a focus for helping others, you'll often end up exceeding your expectations for both efforts." Can you combine what you truly care about with what others will truly care about, and that will help them and make the world a better place? Can you offer something spectacular? This is truly a win-win! Can you imagine if everyone on the planet thought this way? How much better would our lives be with all these remarkably un-average people walking around trying to make our lives better?!?

1. To sum up, you don't have to live your life the way other people expect you to.


2. Decide what your goal is.


3. Create a compelling vision others can follow.


4. Develop expert status in your chosen endeavor.


5. Connect with a small army of fans who cheer your vision and want to push it further.


6. Devote the needed time and money towards your vision of the future.

JUST DO SOMETHING.

Chris is crusading against mediocrity and conventional beliefs. My mission here is to help improve people's lives by showing them how to hit the reset button on their lives, identify their priorities, and get themselves and their stuff organized. I'm also crusading to end the religious debate and spread accurate Bible teachings based on truth and common sense on my other blogs. Anyways, here are Chris' 2 final thoughts he wants you to take home from his manifesto:

1. You don't have to live your life the way other people expect you to.


2. The world is waiting for you to figure out what only you can contribute. Take as much time as you need to find the answer, and then get started on it.

 

Finally, one last thing. If you have found the above information useful, and you think others may appreciate it too, please feel free to share it with your friends via any of the links below. Oh, and make sure to answer the 2 most important questions in the universe in the comments section below!

I have just come to the realization that I have posted only about 10 useful articles on this blog since its last rebirth in April 2008. The other 300+ are what I would like to call "my cat went to the vet" posts. Nobody cares. Well, maybe my mom... In a way it felt good, and if that's what it took to get me into the habit of writing, then so be it. I'm just glad I started in time to record the relationship I formed with my wife back when we were dating!

I don't want to start this site over again from scratch, but rather wish simply to declare a 4th rebirth of this blog. From "The Assemblage", to "The Top Secret Journal of Nick", to "NomadNick", to "NomadNick 2.0: Professional Butt Kicker for Hire", I continue to grow and understand myself and my goals better. I'm in the process of writing more about what this development means to you as a reader over on the "About" page (will be finished soon), as I'm sure that this post will eventually disappear under the hundreds of upcoming (and hopefully more useful) articles.

My online life will now center around three key arenas:

1. This site will remain my primary soap-box, where I share with you how I'm going about changing the world, tips and techniques for doing the same, and encouraging you to hit the "reset" button on your life.


2. In case you haven't heard, the two things you're not supposed to talk about with people are religion and politics. Well, I'm sorry, but religion is what most people need some major butt-kicking over! I will move all posts about religion and politics to this separate blog, where I show you why 99% of religions out there are just dead wrong and probably end up upsetting you and making you uncomfortable in the process. I frankly do not recommend you visit what will soon be www.ProveitTome.org.


3. I will be building and leading a small tribe over at www.ProveitTrue.com. Our mission is to make study of the Bible and religion: EASY, ENGAGING, INTERACTIVE, SOCIAL, & FUN. You'll be hearing more about this very soon.

So with this declaration, I proclaim that  [Monday, November 1, 2010] will be known as the official rebirth of this blog. I can only promise better things to come.

Now go change the world :)

Well good morning world! I know the following content won't matter to anyone out there but me, but yesterday was my most rewarding day of blogging thus far! For some reason this past week my hit counter has been rising (no it doesn't count my visits ;) ) and the past two days have gotten 25 and then 28 visits to the site. No, that's nada in the world of blogging... but considering how many sites get "0" everyday, at least it's a start! I also got my first troll, was called a blasphemer, and am TravelerTim's arch-nemisis!  haha

But as I thought about it, I realized that if you're counting hits, you're focussing on the wrong end.

The objective of blogging is not to get eyes or attention. It's to share something valuable (your art) with the world.

Although this is my personal blog and I use it sometimes as a journal, I also hope to share information that some may find interesting or useful. I'll try to be focusing on that more from here on out.

Now go, have a great day, and make life interesting!

I've decided that my iPhone is the only iOS device I desire. Forget the iPad... the new Air will fit in nicely with my tech setup. Here's why:

1) Able to type faster and easier.
2) Able to view flash content.
3) Able to click and drag and do all kinds of things you can't do with multi-touch (like add numbered lists on wordpress!)
4) Contains the entire OS-X for more and better programs.
5) More comfortable - in my opinion.

What do you think? Would you rather have an iPad or a new MacBook Air?