An adventure we took in July 2010. Half Dome, Yosemite, California

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” –Lao Tzu

We’re continuing on with the adventure theme, because I truly believe that it can be truly life-changing if you’re willing to embrace it.

Last week, we talked about how adventure can be a means of finding out more about who you are.  We didn’t get very many comments on that post, but I don’t believe that to be a sign that it didn’t resonate with readers.

At the end of the post, I asked “What adventure will you be going on this weekend?”.

I think the challenge with this question had to do with the context given to the word “adventure”.

For Jo and I, the adventure has been traveling the world for the past 12 months.  16-hour visa runs. Street food. 3-foot long monitor lizards and rhinoceros beetles. Learning new languages. Experiencing new cultures.

Maybe you’re thinking: “I was just planning to take my kids to the park this weekend and have a picnic. That’s hardly an adventure.”

My friend, every single adventure you take contributes largely to expanding your vision into what is possible.

It is not the size or expense of the journey that matters.  The important thing is the quality of the experience for you.

A Great Adventure Has You Coming Back For More

Overnight success is anything but overnight.  Except for winning the lottery, most people build their dreams over years of learning, growing, and taking action.  That last part is the most important.

Without action, anything you learn is only potential.  Action gets you the results, and seeing results keeps you coming back for more.

Consider the possibilities:

That trip to your local park could awaken something in you to take a bigger adventure to the beaches and outbacks of Australia, like our friend Steve at NerdFitness did last year.

A 15- minute jog three times a week could balloon into 26.2-mile marathon like it did for my amazing sister Jackie.

A weekly bike ride with friends could become a full-fledged cycling team like Fred and Candee’s Team Disco Inferno, who are raising funds to beat cancer through Livestrong.

A weekend project adventure of installing a home theater might inspire you to create a product to guide others to a clean installation.  Jo’s awesome brother did just that when he created the hol-e-cap as a side business, which earned him thousands of dollars in revenue.

Want to go from ordinary to extraordinary?  It’s simpler than you think.  Like the people we just mentioned, it’s simply a matter of you going on an adventure that you’ve been curious about and have never tried. Do something that is not part of your ordinary routine.

Adventure Adds Tremendous Value To Your Life

Keep changing it up.  Seek a new adventure every chance you get.  Keep learning new things, and meeting new people. Learn a new skill, or take a cooking course.

It’s your small adventures outside of the ordinary, that have the potential to change your life in an extraordinary way.

Consider these examples:

Maybe this weekend your adventure was to start one of those “photo-a-day” projects.  That’s what our friend Benny did, and it made him over $30,000 in 30 days. Maybe you’re familiar with his app, Photo365.

Maybe you don’t usually spend time in the kitchen cooking.  What if you knew that a culinary adventure making some energy snacks this weekend would blow up into a $200 million a year enterprise?

Is working out atypical for you?  What if you knew that the one trip you planned to take to the gym this weekend would catapult you into a multi-millionaire like it did for this guy?

Your Adventure Could Blossom Into Your Dream Job

Those last few examples showed you how a little adventure can become a great business.  Find something you love and feel passionate about. Help others improve their lives with your product or service. Impact the world in an amazing way. Live off of the fruits of your labor.

Isn’t that what we are all striving for in life?   You’re doing an amazing job of taking care of yourself and your family despite the harsh conditions in today’s economy.

But I know if you could pull it off, you would love to have your own gig, working when you want and only on things you truly love to do.

We want the same thing.  We want to work with people like you, to help you empower your life through action. You’ve got unlimited potential within you, and we’re making it our business to help you achieve whatever goals you aspire to in your life.

That’s why we’re so excited to share with you about a really cool book that we just finished up reading, one that might just give you the courage to try putting yourself out there and exploring the possibility of turning something you love into a business.

The $100 Startup

Many of our long-time readers know that we are huge fans of Chris Guillebeau’s work. His book The Art oF Non-Conformity really changed the way we look at life, career, and the world at large.

Reading the book for the 10th time, at the beach in Perhentian Kecil, Malaysia

Chris is at it again. He just published his second book, The $100 Startup, and I’m happy to report, it’s a hit!

In the book, he features 70 different case studies on people who for one reason or another found themselves starting a business for as little as $100, and built it into a business earning at least $50,000 a year and in many cases several times that.

These folks dared to do something different, whether out of necessity due to being laid off, or out of a passion for something totally unrelated to their day job.

In essence, they got out of their comfort zones and ended up getting on a path to some pretty lucrative business (ad)ventures.

Filled with many examples of thriving businesses that started out as simple dreams, this book will get you thinking about the possibilities within your own realm of adventure.

In addition to the real-life entrepreneur profiles, Chris covers the bare essentials you need to consider so that you can quickly get started on whatever venture you are thinking of pursuing.

Speaking of bare essentials…one of the people he profiled is our good friend Courtney Carver from BeMoreWithLess, who turned her love for simple yet purposeful living into a thriving business with just a laptop and an internet connection.

While other books read like an MBA textbook, The $100 Startup gives it to you in simple and easy-to-understand concepts that don’t have you stuck in analysis paralysis.

Covering topics such as writing your business plan, creating your offer, product launch, and promotion, this book will get you ready to start exploring the possible paths you could take with your business idea.

As if the book wasn’t enough, there are online tools provided as well, including “The Instant Consulting Business”, “Become Your Own Publisher”, and “7 Steps To Market Testing”. The best part? These are offered absolutely free!

For the vast majority of would-be entrepreneurs, the major obstacle is not money, resources, or a sure-fire idea. It’s courage to take action. Most people under-appraise their skills and abilities, and this is a major obstacle in getting started.

This book serves as in inspiring read to give you the right mindset for starting a business(or anything in life for that matter). It then merges that with real-life examples of people who’ve successfully taken the leap, and provides you tools that you can use to get started.

Get a copy today. You might just get an idea to start a small venture that could be the start of something huge!

We’d love to hear some ideas that you have for an adventure in the near future.  It doesn’t have to be about business, we just want to be inspired by your courage to try something new!  Let us know in the comments…

First off, Jo and I would like to greet all the amazing moms out there an Awesomely Happy Mother’s Day!  We’re a day ahead here in Bangkok, so today is the day!

Last post, we wrote about adventure and how it can help you find out who you really are.  On that note we wanted to pass along an incredible deal we found that could help you go on your own mini-adventure somewhere.

The Club Carlson Hotel Group(which includes The Radisson, Country Inns & Suites, and The Park Inn), is pulling out all the stops this summer to promote membership in their frequent traveler program called Club Carlson.

The deal is, each of the chains is giving away up to 50,000 points for staying at least one night in their property from May 15, 2012 to July 15, 2012.

Radisson is awarding 50,000 points. Country Inns and Park Inns are each awarding 44,000 points.  That’s a total of 138,000 points you could potentially earn with this deal!

Why We’re So Excited

So now you’re asking, “What does 138,000 points mean in practical terms?”

Well, Carlson hotels categorizes their properties from 1 to 6 depending on location and amenities level.  Category 1 hotels start at 9,000 points per night, and the high-end Category 6 hotels go for up to 50,000 points per night.

This deal is essentially about booking a single night in each participating chain in exchange for a huge bonus in reward points. The points can then be used in the future to stay for a night at a higher-end property or multiple nights at a standard level property.

If you have the cash available today (a single night stay at a Radisson is about $200/night, Country Inns about $150/night), it could pay off later on in a future adventure for you. Those figures are for California.  You can find them for half that elsewhere in the U.S., such as in the Midwest.

Take advantage of the bonus, and you could be going on quite an adventure!

Consider this: It’s only 9,000 points per night to stay at the Radisson Orlando – International Drive at Disney World!

Or, you could splurge a full 50,000 points for a special day like your birthday, anniversary, or *ahem* Mother’s day and put up for one night at a higher-end property such as the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

For more detail on point exchange values and where various properties are located, you can review the Hotel Category and Redemption list.

Otherwise, let’s move on to the details of getting in on the deal…

STEP ONE – PAY IT FORWARD. SHARE THIS AWESOME NEWS.

Wealth of knowledge has greater value when shared.  We want to help as many people be able to go on an adventure as we can. To do that, we need YOUR help to get the word out. Facebook it, Tweet it, Google+ it, Email it.  Whatever floats your boat.

Wow, look at that…we made it totally easy for you to share this!

STEP TWO – CREATE A FREE CLUB CARLSON ACCOUNT TODAY

Join Club Carlson today. It’s free to create the account, and there is a separate promotion going on right now(code NSB2K12) where just for creating an account you will get 2,000 points added to the account after your first stay.

Bonus: Do you have a spouse? Why not create TWO accounts and double dip into this deal?  After all, sharing is caring.

CLICK HERE to be taken directly to the page.

What is Club Carlson? It’s like a frequent flyer account, but it’s for hotels within the Carlson network (Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, Park Inn/Plaza)

STEP THREE – STAY UP ON MONDAY NIGHT TO REGISTER YOUR CLUB CARLSON ACCOUNT FOR THE PROMOTION

There are three separate bonuses you should register for so that you have a chance to earn the maximum points in your Club Carlson account.

Have your Club Carlson account number(which you have already created in STEP ONE, right?) ready on Monday night. When the alarm goes off, use the links below to register your Club Carlson account for the promotion.

On Tuesday, May 15, 12:01AM CENTRAL TIME, when the servers will officially open for business at the links below.

Note, this is Monday night in the earlier timezones. Check your timezone accordingly and set your alarm if necessary.

You’ve got to act fast when the time comes, because the bonus points offered are for a limited number of account-holders. First come, first served.

1) Radisson Hotel’s Big Night Giveaway. Register your Club Carlson Account number to receive 50,000 points upon staying one night at a Radisson property.   CLICK HERE  The first 100,000 members who register at 12:01 AM CDT on May 15th will earn 50,000 bonus points after staying at least one night at any worldwide Radisson or Radisson Blu hotel from May 15 – July 15, 2012. * After the first 100,000 spots are taken members will be provided the opportunity to earn 15,000 points instead.

2) Country Inn & Suites Stay 1 Get 1. Register your Club Carlson Account number to receive 40,000 points upon staying one night at a Country Inn property.  CLICK HERE  The first 35,000 members who register at 12:01 AM CDT on May 15th will earn 44,000 bonus points after staying at least one night at any worldwide Country Inns & Suites property from May 15 – July 15, 2012. * After the first 35,000 spots are taken members will be provided the opportunity to earn 15,000 points instead.

NOTE: The third promotion starts on May 22nd, but we’re noting it here to keep everything in one place.  Mark your calendar for this one.

3) Park Inn 1 + 1. Register your Club Carlson Account number to receive 40,000 points upon staying one night at a Park Inn property.  CLICK HERE  The first 20,000 members who register at 12:01 AM CDT on May 22nd will earn 44,000 bonus points after staying at least one night at any worldwide Park Inn property from May 22 – July 22, 2012. * After the first 20,000 spots are taken members will be provided the opportunity to earn 15,000 points instead.

STEP FOUR – BOOK ONE HOTEL NIGHT FOR EACH PROMOTION

Book yourself for one hotel night for each of the three promotions(Book a Radisson night, a Country Inns night, and a Park Inns night) by going to the website for each of the chains. Enter your Club Carlson account number when you make the reservations.

Don’t forget. If you have a spouse account book a second night using their Club Carlson account number. Yes, this is twice the cost…but also twice the reward!

You can book  any night from 15May2012 through 15July2012. The bonus points for your stay will land in your account about 6-8 weeks after checkout from the hotel(s).

Here are the links to the booking pages for each hotel chain participating in the promotion.

Radisson Hotels

Country Inn & Suites

Park Inn Hotels

The information we have on this deal was gleaned from the various sources online.  We’re passing along what we know as of right now. The complete terms and conditions will be announced when the promotion pages launch on May 15th.

For now, the best thing to do is to act now and register for the deal so you don’t miss out on your chance to grab those points!

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

How is this a deal if I’ve got to spend money I wasn’t going to spend in the first place?

You’ve got to be the judge of that. It’s choose your own adventure.  Is it worth it to spend $200 today to get more value tomorrow?  Only if you have the funds, and only if you intend to use the points you earned somewhere in the near future.

The nearest property to me is over 150 miles away.  Do I have to be present to get this deal?

The official rules say that the guest earning the account bonus must checkin and checkout to receive the bonus.

I’ve stayed at Radissons before.  They’re not as great as Starwood, Marriott, or Hyatt.  Should I still go for it?

Radisson’s properties tend to be of higher caliber internationally.  Examples are The Mayfair in London, and The Radisson Blu Ambassador in Paris.  Each of them go for $600+ per night this summer…or 50,000 points per night. So you could spend $200 today to potentially get into a $600 property later on.

Radisson’s first and only Blu property in the U.S. is in Chicago and runs about $300 per night. Radisson Lexington in New York is $600 per night. If luxury is important to you, you’ve got to weigh that in your decision.

If you’re like us, a free night is a free night.  50,000 points will get you five nights at The Radisson Orlando! Do what you think gives you the best value for your needs.

What are you two doing to get the best deal with this promotion?

Jo and I will be attending the annual World Domination Summit again this summer in Portland, Oregon.  So we’re gonna book ourselves into two nights at the Radisson in Portland(checkin once under Marvin’s account, then checkin on the second night under Jo’s account).  Then we’ll repeat the process at the Country Inn in Portland for another two nights.

So essentially we hope to earn 94,000 points each after our stay in Portland.  A total of 188,000 points.  How those points will be spent is yet to be determined…but anything’s possible with us.

We’re still trying to figure out how to swing the Park Inn promotion, as there are very few of their properties in the U.S. Fresno, California has one though…possible road trip for those so inclined.

I love this deal!  Will you be sending more out in the future?

Excellent question.  Being that we are full-time travelers, we’re always sniffing out some of the best deals we can find for travel, and we intend to share the truly awesome ones here with our valuable readers.

If you haven’t already, join our email list so you don’t miss a thing!

Any other questions? Let us know in the comments!

Trekking in the backwoods of British Columbia, Canada

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” — Henry David Thoreau

As my life has played out over the past few years, I’ve come to believe more and more that life was not meant to be lived within the confines and rules of a world designed by others.

Rather, life is an epic adventure, whereby we as intrepid seekers must take it upon ourselves to solve the mystery of who we are and what we were placed here on earth to do.

Up to now the rules of this game were well-defined. Before taking our first step, the adventure had already been written. We were simply characters operating within the confines authored by society.

Ask yourself this question: Who were you meant to be?

Most of us don’t know the answer. That’s ok. What’s important is do you have a burning desire to find out? If so, the answer could lie in you creating your own adventure.

It might be to take a year off and travel.  Or maybe you will go on a quest to complete a marathon. Drew Jacob is walking 8000 miles from the start of the Mississippi river all the way down to the mouth of the Amazon river in Brazil.

Use your imagination. What adventure would you like to create?

The Old Choose-Your-Own Adventure

Most of us are raised to walk the well-traveled path in life. To be “secure and stable.” (Although nowadays the validity of that notion is arguable).

Like a choose-your-own adventure novel, the options available were well-defined. As long as you chose from the paths available in the book, you would reach some known outcome that the author(society) outlined for you.

Dragons found on the roof of one of the oldest chinese temples in Malaysia. Melaka, Malaysia

Just like the Dungeons and Dragons games of old, someone else called the shots.  Sure, you got to choose what moves you would make.  You got to select what armor, what weapons, what spells you would use to complete your quest.

Despite all this freedom of choice, the destiny that befell your character was always limited by what options the Dungeon Master gave you.

He never told you there were more options(it was against the rules), and you never bothered to ask.

The New Rules(hint: there aren’t any)

This game has changed forever. We are still on a quest to find out who we really are and what we are meant to do.  But to solve this mystery, we must throw away all the old rules.

Those rules no longer serve their purpose. They don’t deliver the result the authors promised they would.  There are fewer hot stories today of rags to riches, and you hear more stories that read: business analyst to barista.

A man selling fresh coffee beans at the local market. Surabaya, Indonesia

It doesn’t have to be this way. For far too long, we’ve left it up to the Dungeon Master to tell us what choices we have.

It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. –William Ernest Henley

The Seekers Awaken

We are in the midst of a sea change in the world.  People are no longer willing to leave it up to their Dungeon Masters to define the parameters of their adventure.

No longer willing to live in fear of the unknown, these seekers are breaking free from their shackles. They are exploring beyond the confines of the Dungeon.

Trekking the Grouse Mountain Grind. Vancouver, Canada

In doing so, they make a fundamental discovery:

To find who you were meant to be, you must awaken and seek the answer beyond the realm of certainty.

We grew up in a time where what you wanted to be was more important than who you wanted to become.

Ever notice how when you meet someone new at a party or other gathering, it’s only a matter of minutes before you ask, “So what do you do?”

I know. It seems rather terse when written down here. Why do we ask that? Does a person’s occupation help us accurately define who they are as a human being?

Don’t feel bad.  This is a natural outgrowth of years of focusing solely on what you want to be, and not much on who you want to be. As you’ll see in a moment, you’ve gotta ask better questions if you want better answers.

Why Adventure Is Good For You

So many lives are lived in mediocrity today because of people learn to identify themselves solely by what they do. If you take away what they do, there is nothing left to define them by.

There is nothing wrong with loving your job.  Just remember that it’s what you are…it is not WHO you are.

When I lost my marketing job in the Silicon Valley, it stung quite a bit. But I refused to be defined by it.  I was in the middle of an adventure of over 140 miles., that helped me find out more about who I really am.

Want to find out who you are?  Go on an adventure.

Run a 10K. Go on a camping trip for a couple days. Hike to the top of a mountain. Take a vacation to a “non-resort” place. Try something new. Something that makes you uncomfortable.

Grab the mic at open karaoke or open improv night. Ride a bike. Go on a sailboat trip in the bay. Go skydiving. Go whitewater rafting.

Leave the blackberry at home. Work will still be there when you get back.  This is your LIFE. What could be more important?

Find out what gets you excited.  Find out what gives you goosebumps. Go on enough adventures, and you’ll find it.

Then the next time you meet someone, you can ask them “What do you get excited about doing during your free time?” Instead of the tired old, “What do you do?”

And you’ll be able to share a little about your own adventures and what makes life exciting for you.

And you’ll be that much closer to knowing who you are.

What adventure will you be going on this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” –Mark Twain

April 24^th 2011…Easter Sunday. Appropriately enough, it’s the day that we flew out of San Francisco…ascending into the heavens on a jumbo jet to a destiny and future yet to be written.

365 days and nearly 50,000 miles later, the journey has been transformative and life-changing for both of us. On the surface it might appear that it’s been nothing but fun and laughter throughout.

The truth is, this past year was four quarters at Life University.  Most times it was enjoyable, as we explored new places and learned about new cultures.

A learning experience about the Muslim religion. National Mosque, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Other times, it was rough…as we learned more about each other and our different thresholds of tolerance for everything from customer service, to foods, to creature comforts.

Tucking in during our 18-hour journey on the sleeper train from Penang, Malaysia to Bangkok, Thailand

Through these challenges, we’ve grown by leaps and bounds in a very short period of time. This experience has made us stronger in every way, and has strengthened and deepened our love and appreciation for each other.

While we’ve learned so much in the past year, there are still so many lessons yet to be learned through this journey. Below are the most prominent ones we learned during our first year in the Study Abroad program at Life University.

Your health is the most valuable asset you have in your life.

In a year of travel, Jo and I have never gotten seriously ill.  We stocked up on all kinds of ointments, antibiotics, anti-malarial  medicines, and even a couple of epi-pens, but have never had to use them.

Other than the occasional upset stomach or headache, we haven’t gotten sick.  We directly attribute this to our commitment to eating healthy and maintaining our fitness while traveling.

Posing at the finish line with our new friends at the Chiang Mai Marathon in Thailand

Whether you are traveling or not, making your health a priority will go very far in improving the quality of your life. If you haven’t already, start a regular fitness and nutrition regimen. Your life can only improve by it.

Jo gets the job done on a training run in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

A great resource for beginning a fitness program is our friend Steve Kamb’s site NerdFitness.

Traveling is not the same thing as vacationing.

Whenever we keep in touch with people back home, the conversation invariably ends with an encouraging “So glad to hear you’re enjoying your vacation.  Stay safe, and we’ll talk to you soon!”

Without a doubt we appreciate the words of encouragement and the well wishes from everyone back home.  However, life on the road is not all glitz and glamor.

Disembarking from Friendship Bridge shuttle bus from the border of Thailand into Laos.

Not to sound elitist…but the business of traveling is a much different affair compared to that of vacationing.  Have you ever noticed after coming back from a vacation you are twice as tired as you were when you left?

Why is that? Because a vacation is a project. You’ve got to decide when you’ll go, when you’ll leave, where you’ll stay, how you’ll get there, what you’ll do, what you’ll eat, how much you’ll spend, and more. Not to mention visas if it’s an international trip.

And when you get to where you need to go, every day is filled with places to be and things to do. After all, you didn’t exactly go on vacation to lay in bed all day long.

Marvin passed out...exhausted...after a grueling 16-hour overnight journey involving three buses, two tuk-tuks, and a taxi. Thailand to Laos visa run.

Now multiply that times ten. If you visit 10 countries in a year, that’s how much effort it would be to travel long-term. Add to that maintaining a website and keeping it updated, and you get an idea of what our job has been for the past 12 months.

Our "office" in Kuala Lumpur at a travelers hostel. $12/night including all day coffee, tea, and continental breakfast

We’re not complaining.  We’re just clarifying.  Traveling, writing, and coaching is work.  Thankfully, it’s work that we love.

To live a rich and fulfilling life, we need less, not more.

We only started to understand this concept in the past three years. Whenever we wanted to travel, there was always the matter of managing our “stuff” before and after our trip. Not to mention, there was always less budget available for travel because all of our resources went to the upkeep of our stuff.

Having less stuff has allowed us to turn on a dime when necessary.  It has enabled us to have ultimate travel flexibility, and to change plans easily.

Everything we need fits into these: One large pack and one daypack each

When you’re unburdened by things, it’s a truly liberating feeling. You have less to maintain, and you can spend more time and energy working on your dream or even working on improving yourself.

I don’t propose that you sell all your stuff off and become a minimalist. Although if that’s your goal there are resources we can suggest to help you. Adam Baker’s Sell Your Crap(aff. link) program is a good place to start.

Most big dreams are held back not only by mental barriers, but also because they are crowded out by other things in your life competing for your attention. All the while, time runs out for you to make things happen.

Figure out what things are slowing down your progress to your dream, then ditch those things. Don’t worry, you can always figure out a way to get those things back.  You can never get the time back that you lose by being distracted from your dream.

Don’t believe the hype in the news.

By the time we set off for our trip, we had already weaned ourselves from the news media for a year. We rarely watched TV, except for maybe the weather, and we spent most of our time either exercising or preparing for our launch.

Today’s news media does an incredibly good job of paralyzing you through fear. Most of what they cover is sensationalized to the point of hysteria. There are definitely some stories that are of legitimate value, but most of what you’ll see is useless noise. 

When we decided to tune all that noise out, we opened our minds to be able to experience so much more. We toured Burma for a month in February.  Yes, that Burma.  The one that everyone’s been avoiding due to fear of the ruling military junta.

Biking with the locals. Bagan, Myanmar(Burma)

Not once did we feel in danger, nor did we ever get robbed or held up. Every person we met was so open and friendly to us. Our taxi driver gave us a tour of the capital while we shuttled between our hotel to the bus station…at no extra charge.

The most eye-opening for us was the amazing friendliness of the people we met in Muslim countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia. We never encountered any militant anti-Western sentiments.

Sharing a meal with our driver Suprapto. Surabaya, Indonesia

We were always greeted with open hearts and welcoming smiles. They seemed happy that others considered their country worthy of being visited.

The nice family who hosted us during our visit to Surabaya, Indonesia

Bottom line: While the number of truly dangerous places in the world can be counted on two hands, the truth is that anywhere you go…even your home country…is dangerous enough.

But that has never stopped you from stepping out your door each day.  Don’t let that stop you from going for your dreams. Start by watching less news.

Being homeless is a state of mind.

If you’ve read our About page, you will know our decision to fulfill this dream of traveling the world included us leaving behind our material belongings and house.

Once we realized what we needed to eliminate in order to make this dream a reality, the decision to leave it all behind became so much easier to accept.

Alexanderplatz (Alexander Square). East Berlin, Germany

In the weeks leading up to our launch date, someone jokingly said: “So what does that mean, are you homeless now?”

You might never hear someone say that to you, but you may hear other words that are designed to be just as hurtful. Words designed to elicit a feeling of inadequacy or shame for what you are doing.

The truth is, we are far from being homeless.  A typical renter signs a yearly or even monthy lease. Jo and I consider ourselves “micro-renters”. Our leases are usually daily or weekly commitments.

Our home for the week we stayed at Inle Lake, Burma

We pay a property owner a specified sum of money in exchange for shelter at a pre-defined interval of time. This arrangement is commonly referred to as a landlord-tenant contract.

Coincidentally, we have been in Bangkok since March, having signed a monthly lease on a furnished studio apartment after our adventures in Burma.

We decided to hunker down to get more quality work done for you our valued readers here at Intrepid Motion.

Don’t let anyone shame or guilt you into not pursuing your dreams. The bigger your dream is, the more people there will be to hold you back from it. Strengthen your heart and mind for this. Nothing worth doing comes easy.

Our cozy and comfortable bungalow home for a week during our stay at Vang Vieng, Laos

Our amazing view in front of our bungalow in Vang Vieng.

If you have children, and they have the courage to share with you a fantastic dream of theirs, honor their bravery. Help them gain further confidence by offering to help them brainstorm what it would take to make their dream happen.

Most of all, be proud that they don’t have a limited mindset about what is truly possible for their life. Suspend disbelief, and show them that you have the courage to support their dream.

Confidence goes a long way in making dreams a reality.  Your kids will only believe in themselves as much as they think you believe in them.  Your belief in their dreams means the world to them.

A young Burmese dreamer smiles for us on the way to school. Nyaung Shwe, Inle, Burma

The end is never near if you’re willing to see each day as a new beginning.

Jo and I set out on this journey not knowing how things would play out. Unlike our old way of traveling, we didn’t map out twelve months of travel in advance. We didn’t know our next destination until usually a few weeks prior to making our move.

Near the rim of Gunung Bromo volcano, this horse looks at me wondering if he'll have to carry me up to the top. I opt instead to walk it, saving his back.

With many things in life, you want to know the outcome before you set out onto the path. You need to plan every move, so that you can predict your results. You only want to play a game that you know you will win.

“I know you’re out there. I can feel you now. I know that you’re afraid. You’re afraid of us. You’re afraid of change. I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin.” –Neo, from the Matrix

Children don’t worry about the future. They treat each waking moment as a new beginning.

Be like a child, and every day is a chance to begin again. There is no fear for what the future holds, for today is the only thing you know for sure that you have.

Jo and the lively children in Nyaung Shwe, celebrating the first full moon of the year. Nyaung Shwe, Inle, Burma

When we set sails for the world a year ago, we didn’t pretend to know what the final outcome of all this would be. We gave ourselves a year to “see how it goes”, and said we would decide at the anniversary whether we had reasons to continue.

We are grateful for all the support and love we have received from the remarkable people in our lives, including family, friends, fellow bloggers, and most of all you…our loyal readers.

We continue to be inspired and in awe of what people are truly capable of when they rally together to achieve big goals.

Admittedly, we have decided that we will continue this adventure, continue to learn more life lessons, and most important, we will continue to share those lessons with you right here at Intrepid Motion.

If you’ve just joined us, welcome and thank you so much for tuning in. We’re so honored to have you join the movement! It’s an exciting time, for the journey has only just begun!

Three boys entering a river inlet to catch tilapia in Vang Vieng, Laos. Positive thinking combined with positive action produced a result: Lunch

“The future depends on what you do today.” –Gandhi

I have a friend who says that bad things always happen in threes.  Accidents, injuries, even deaths.  Science has yet to prove that, but assuming bad things do happen in threes, does it really improve your life outlook if you habitually seek out these clusters?

Of course not.  It just reminds you of everything there is to be afraid of in the world.  It has you thinking, “I’m not sure if I want to try this, something bad might happen.”

Worst case, you might start telling yourself not to try at all since something bad happens every day somewhere in the world.

There’s always something happening(good or bad) at any given moment in your life. Actively seek out the positive, and you’ll see more and more evidence that great things happen in threes!

On that note, Jo and I would like to share with you three great things that happened for us in the past week.

Awarded A New Writing Gig

I was just brought onboard as a monthly contributing writer to the popular site Lifehack.org.  With a readership of over 85,000, Lifehack is widely recognized as one of the premier productivity and lifestyle blogs on the web.

I am both grateful and extremely excited about this opportunity, as it will allow us to increase our reach with our message here at Intrepid Motion. My first post went live on Lifehack yesterday. Of course, it had to do with positive action. You can read it here.

How did this happen? We are active members of the A-List Bloggers Club, which features insanely useful training for all stages of blogging. If you’re serious about becoming a blogger, learn more about how the club might help you by clicking the image(affiliate link) below.

Our active participation in this invaluable resource for bloggers led us to a member of Lifehack who shared with us the opportunity to apply.

Visualizing the outcome you want for your life is great. Studying and applying what you’ve learned in order to make that vision a reality is ten times better.

This is true whether you want to become an author or complete an Ironman.

Of course, Jo and I were doing the dance of joy when we found out they liked my work enough to offer me a chance to be a monthly contributor. Great happenings demand great enthusiasm!

Scored A Review Copy of The $100 Startup

Earlier this week, we had the great privilege and honor of being one of the first to lay eyes on Chris Guillebeau’s forthcoming book on entrepeneurship, The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future. (this non-affiliate link takes you directly to the book site for some great pre-order deals)

The book releases on May 8^th, and we were so excited when Chris offered us an advanced reviewers copy. We couldn’t wait to get our hands on it!  (below image is an affiliate link to the Amazon pre-sale)

It arrived on our doorstep here in Bangkok last week. We’re almost done reading it, so be on the lookout for a review sometime in May. Better yet, place your order! It’s a great book for those wanting to bootstrap a small business.

How did this happen? We’ve been fans of Chris’ work for a couple years now. We met him for the first time in 2010 on his book tour for The Art of Non-Conformity…the catalyst for our world travel adventure.

When you really admire someone’s work…particularly the stuff that’s life-changing…you do more than leave a nice comment. You go out of your way to seek the person out to thank them.

Actions speak louder than words, and we made sure to let Chris know that we are not just fans but that we wanted to really make a personal connection with him and help out if we can.

The following year, we met him twice on the road: Once in Singapore, and another at the inaugural World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon.

If you really feel strongly about a person’s work…let them know.  You never know what might come out of it!

Won A Free Book From Another Best-Selling Author

Yesterday, we got an email letting us know that we had won a copy of Danielle LaPorte’s new book: The Firestarter Sessions: A Soulful And Practical Guide To Creating Success On Your Own Terms

This book redefines the meaning of what success means to you. We live in an age where work-life balance and setting practical goals seem to be offered up as the key to a fulfilling life. 

Danielle puts you in the hot-seat…proposing that balance is a myth, well-roundedness overrated, and that how you feel about your life at any moment is the real yardstick by which you need to measure your success.

How did this happen? We read a lot while we travel.  We carry with us an Amazon Kindle E-reader(aff. link) with 100+ titles loaded on it.  We follow many different authors online and offline who share a message that is congruent with our own.

We interact, and we leave a positive comment to let them know they are doing great work that is impacting lives.

Most importantly we subscribe to the blogs we love, so that we don’t miss any important nuggets of wisdom that could help us in our journey through life.

Tina Su of ThinkSimpleNow held a contest to give away copies of Danielle’s book, and all we had to do was leave a comment on the question, “What activity puts you in your comfort zone?” The answer we left is in the comments section of the post at this link.

Every day is an opportunity to focus on the great things that happen in your life. Don’t waste any of your precious energy on the bad.  Instead, move yourself to act in pursuit of the positive, and you’ll see more of it.

If you’ll make this a daily habit, it will be rare that you will have a truly bad day in your life.

Your turn, can you name three things this past week that you felt great about?

Let us know in the comments!