Presented by ThoughtLead, it focuses on turning what you love to do into a purposeful and profitable business. 2 times a week, they open a free tele-seminar with some of the biggest names in the online blogging and online business arena. Names like Johnny B Truant, Pat Flynn, Clay Collins are on the list. I guess I should mention Chris Brogan too. He’ll be there.

There have already been a couple but there are still lots to come. Don’t miss the next ones. SIgn up at http://purposefulproduct.com/

No related posts.

Makes me think about life. About me. About everyone I know. About everything I do.

I love to take the time to reflect on what I’m currently doing and whether it’s worth anything. In the end are my actions and projects right now going to be used by someone? Going to be appreciated by anyone?

There can be a big difference between doing only the things that you want to do and only doing things everyone else wants you to do. You may not want to do anything someone tells you do but you might be branded outcast by society. On the flip side, you’d be a complete drone ( like most people, actually) if all you do is what other people tell you to.

Get up

When I’m looking for inspiration on how to get off my ass, grab life by the horns, and give ‘er, I tend to browse through The Middle Finger Project.

Ashley’s unique outlook on life is always inspiring and that push I need to get out and live, not just survive.

I found some of the rules which she founded her site on and at the very least they will get you amped to get out and, as Charlie says, do epic shit.

1. True living is more than just keeping your heart beating and a roof over your head. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that is “just how life goes.” There’s way more possibilities, and, yes, IT IS WORTH GOING AFTER. Be daring.

2. Stop blowing yourself off; we get so upset when others blow off our ideas and desires, but we have no problem doing it to ourselves. Take your ideas, feelings, wants, wishes, yearns & urges seriously–those are your only true guide. Other people have no idea what’s best for you, so stop seeking their validation. Do what you need to do for you. Be confident.

3. Stop doing everything by the book. It’s time to start drafting your own revised edition. Rules don’t always exist in the name of the greatest good; more often than not, they exist because someone wants to establish or maintain power. And that’s just not a good enough reason. Be inquisitive.

4. Life is a series of choices. You choose every single direction that your life takes. Use it to your advantage. Be deliberate.

5. There will be people out there who won’t support what you’re doing. Who cares. Trust yourself more, trust others less. That includes significant others. Be brave.

6. Figure out what you value, and make the necessary changes to align your life with those values. If you value time more than money, stop working 60 hour work weeks. The only way you’ll get more time, is by doing less. It’s simple math. Be introspective.

7. Speaking of money, IT ISN’T AS IMPORTANT AS WE’RE TAUGHT TO THINK IT IS. Money comes, and money goes, and it provides little value itself until you actually exchange it for something that is valuable to you. So, ask yourself that question. What do you value? That’s where the majority of the money you spend should be going. Be prudent.

8. Having good intentions doesn’t yield results. Get off your rear and make it happen. Be zealous.

9. Life isn’t meant to be taken so seriously. In the scheme of things, if you’re going to be late to work, it doesn’t really matter. If you don’t get an A, it doesn’t really matter. If you’re proven wrong about something, it doesn’t really matter. If your house isn’t as nice as your best friend’s, it doesn’t really matter. Relax, and enjoy the ride. Think big picture, not details. Will this matter in 100 years? Be panoramic.

10. The world is not judging you as much as you think they are. Most people are too wrapped up in themselves to even notice what you’re doing. Drop the pride and have a little fun. Be lighthearted.

11. Perhaps one of the greatest goals we can seek for ourselves is exhilaration. Are you exhilarated by your life? Be stimulated.

12. When making decisions, always ask what’s more important. Thinking about canceling on an invitation to a friend’s baby shower or birthday party because you have too much work to do? Get your head out of your ass. Your friend is more important; work can always be done later. Nothing is that urgent. Relationships, however, are your foundation and you’d be lost without other human connections, so value them. And show it. Be thoughtful.

13. You don’t just need to love yourself; you need to respect yourself. You’ll garner that respect by accomplishing things you’ve set out to do. Be relentless.

14. Being content with your life and being proud to call it yours are two different things. Strive for the latter. Be courageous.

15. Last but not least, wine should be drank with meals. Preferably Argentinian Malbec. It’s freaking delicious. Be delighted.

The rules can all be found on Ashley’s Live Alive, Not Just a Life post.

Wear Sunscreen

If you need any more inspiration, take a blast from the past with the sunscreen song. Or the 10 year tribute to it by Ki’une on PickupDance.

“Enjoy your body, use it every way you can.”

In the end

But really, in the end, when it has all boiled down and all you’re left with is a whithered old body not capable of much except reflecting on the past, will you reflect on a life of boredom, regret and laziness?

Or will you cry tears of triumph every time you think of your amazing, full, extraordinary life of passion and adventure?

You choose.

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Week 1 of the Challenge was easy. It was basically coming up with some sort of idea for a business and products you could create a business around. After travelling in Australia this past summer, it became clear that I had a lot of ideas about things I could do to help improve peoples lives. My main goal to improve my life but in doing so I would help everyone that felt the same way.

During my travels I wrote down everything I could about ideas for articles, businesses, websites and products. I didn’t want to waste a single idea. And while I could never implement every single one of these ideas in a timely fashion, they provide the base for most of my ideas that have grown into websites and products that are on the way. Recording all these ideas allows them to simmer and grow while you experience life. Some of them will fall behind and never be touched again. Others will grow and eventually become entire businesses. I highly recommend recording every idea that comes floating by that you like. Who knows what will happen with it.

Week 2 of the Challenge has been a bit more difficult and I’m actually still working on it.

On to the OGSM!

What? Wait, what’s an OGSM?

I had no idea what an OGSM was before today but now I know. It’s basically a very simple, high level business plan that will help you keep the direction of your business true to what you started with. I know well with projects, websites and I’m assuming businesses, as things get going it’s tough to not veer off in the direction  of greener pastures and easy work. Yes, this may be a nice way to get things moving in the short term, it sacrifices the goals and mission of the idea that you started with. Every mission that is important enough to be worked on demands a periodic re-evaluation but to change your direction because the work is hard demands a different evaluation. Are you up for it? Do you really want to do this? Why are you doing this?

Until now I’ve had pieces of an idea for what my business is going to encompass. I’ve also read a few articles and books on putting together a business plan and why you should. That said, I’ve never sat down and asked myself those tough questions. What is the mission is for my business? What are my ultimate goals? What are the strategies for completing those goals? And how will I measure things so I know when I’ve reached those goals.

The Questions

To fill out the OGSM(try and keep it high level and limit to one page), and answer the questions that will keep your business on track.

Lea does a fantastic job of explaining the OGSM and the process in the Challenge Week 2 Video. Here’s a distilled version.

Your Objective: What’s your ultimate goal for your project/business?

Your Goals: What are the specific, detailed goals for achieving the above mission(numbers, markets, audiences, distribution methods)?

Your Strategies: What exactly are you going to do to achieve these goals? (Think about how and where as well)

Your Measures: You need to know when you achieve your goals. What and how are you going to measure things to know when you have reached them?

Now is where you see if you have the motivation and the creativity to move to the next step in creating a business. It’s easy and fun to get caught up in the details and not think about the big picture. What are you planning to do next year with your business? I really have no idea but with the plan I’ve just created with the OGSM, I have a compass that will point me in the direction of the next product or website I’ll be creating. As Lea says in the video, once you have a plan like this every single decision you make for your business will come back to the goals and mission you’ve set out initially. You’ll never have to worry about wandering off course if you consistently follow your mission.

Good luck to all the 12 Week Challenge competitors. I’m very excited for the weeks to come.

Related posts:

1. The 12 Week Challenge
2. New Years Minimalism Challenge
3. 1 Week Into My Minimalism Challenge

Relaxing in New Zealand in a pair of Kuhl Jeans

At first I thought they were more comfortable. But I bought the pairs of dress pants I have because they were comfortable. Yes jeans are comfortable but so are dress pants. So that wasn’t it.

Then I thought it was because they were cheaper. Yes good dress pants can run up in the hundreds of dollars(not usually where I shop) but so can jeans. I could have bought any style of pant for the same price as these jeans. So that wasn’t it either.

I finally stumbled upon my answer.

I dress up a fair amount. For gatherings, parties and work. I like to dress up and look sharp. It gives me an ego boost to be the best dressed in a room. Other people notice. When you are dressed well you stand out. Even so, I still like to wear jeans more than dress pants, especially when I’m working. Why is that?

Dress pants remind me of work. But not of good, fun, entertaining, provocative, invigorating work. They remind me of corporate, dry, boring, repetitive, old, stuffy, traditional, slow work full of rules, restrictions, meetings, bureaucracy and gatekeepers. Jeans make me think of original ideas, plans on napkins, working in coffee shops, intense idea sessions and casually taking over the world.

What do you wear when you’re scheming your evil master plan?

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Enter Location Independence.

While not new or original idea,  Jonathan and Lea Woodward have done a lot to open up the concept to the public and really push it. Where there was once excuse after excuse about how and why travelling and won’t can’t be done on a long term basis, you can now find article after article on their site and others explaining how it can be done, and how they did it.

Need to know how to travel with kids? You can be a Location Independent Parent.

Have a trailer and want to drive around while working and making a living? Do it on wheels.

Want to jet off to Panama, start a business and start living the lifestyle? Maybe Panama will be your next location.

If you want a detailed guide to a particular destination, check out the list of LIP guides.

Am I Location Independent?

Nope. Not yet at least. But I’m working on it. Yes, I know. Excuses and more excuses. Things are going in the direction I’d like them to but certainly not at the pace I would have hoped. Working 40 hours a week at a standard job doesn’t leave much time to put together a business from scratch and get it running. But baby steps are all it takes to get you where you want to go eventually. Every single day, I’m taking steps toward my goal and every day I’m getting that much closer to being able to jet around the world, adventuring to my hearts content.

Everyone gets in a rut though. I wouldn’t exactly call what I’m in a rut but it feels like one. Things are getting done, I’m just not moving forward at the pace I’d like to. Sounds like that’s the problem Jonathan is having as well. He’s looking to become a full-time illustrator. So what do any highly motivated professionals do when they want something bad? They issue a challenge.

The Challenge

The 12 Week Challenge has been set up to accelerate the pace of anyone looking to be come location independent. I’m not sure I can become entirely location independent in 12 weeks but I sure as heck would love to try. What are the downsides? More freedom? More money? More experience? Damn those suck. I’m thinking I should do it now.

In my mind the only way for motivated people to get even more motivated is to surround yourself with eve more highly motivated people than yourself. To become location independent in 12 weeks is an incredible goal and not one for the faint of heart. But I’m up for the challenge.

What’s the worse that can happen? I don’t become location independent? I’m doing that already.

Related posts:

1. Getting in Gear: Week 2 of the LIP 12 Week Challenge
2. Becoming Location Independent
3. 1 Week Into My Minimalism Challenge

That’s how I feel right now.

In an effort to find out exactly what I want to do with my life in the next few years, I’m trying everything I can. And there is a lot to try. But the only way to find out what I like and what I don’t like is to try it.

Yeah, yeah, and what does doing too much have anything to do with minimalism?

Remember what I said in the first post about the New Years Minimalism Challenge? I’m not getting into minimalism to become a monk or to make myself miserable with limitations. I’m diving into these ideas to simplify my life, make it more manageable, and do more of what I want to.

Now that I’ve said it, it sounds like a really lame excuse for why I haven’t posted my week 3 and 4 updates for the New Years Minimalism Challenge. Can I say I’ve taken a minimalistic approach to posting? No, that sucks too.

Well, here we go. Even though you haven’t heard from me in a couple weeks, I’ve still been busy organizing and moving things out the door.

Here’s what I’ve gotten rid of these last couple weeks.

Glass Dish

Extra Cutlery and Glass Dish

Mug

Mug

Old Pot

Plastic Glasses

More Mugs

Old Pan

Old wok

Week 4 is where things really started to get interesting. Believe it or not, most people will have enough stuff to last them right through to week 3. I’ve already been through 2 big cleans and a move in the last 6 months and I STILL had enough stuff for 3 weeks of clearing out.

This is why 30 days is a good length of time for minimizing. During the last week you really have to make a concerted effort to keep on the task at hand and it becomes that much harder to even find things you are willing to get rid of.

You will start to look at things differently after 30 days of getting rid of things. Now I look at things and think not about what I would gain if I kept it but what I would gain if I got rid of it. The piece of mind, increase in spare room and cash that comes with getting rid of things is worth 100 times more than the convenience of possibly, maybe, eventually using something. It’s not even close to being worth it.

Week 4 was the hardest week yet in the Minimalism Challenge but I still manage to find more than enough things to get rid of.

Here’s my list:

Plates

Blue Dress Shirt

Old Rugby Jersey

Old Pants

Quicksilver shirt

Dress Shirt

Rugby Tshirt

Hide them in boxes.

Pack them up. Hide them away. Don’t look at them for at least 4 months. I didn’t try less than that but 4 months seemed to work very well. I pulled the boxes from the closet and my default reaction for every single thing I pulled from those boxes was to get rid of it. I hadn’t worn it for the last 4 months. And the very reason they went into the box in the first place was I didn’t wear them for a while before that. Some of these items haven’t been worn in 2 years. Why I still had them, I have no idea. I might need them in the future? Sure didn’t.

A Big Thanks

A special thanks to Rik from The Dutch Minimalist who really took this challenge head on. Make sure you check out his latest post on the challenge. He dives right into Week 5 of The Minimalism Challenge!

Also a big thanks to Greg from Live it With Less. He’s embraced the challenge with a passion and has done very well for himself. Make sure you take a look at his Week 3 of the Minimalism Challenge. I hope he doesn’t start slacking there and is able to finish the challenge!

And of course, we can’t finish this challenge properly without the solid effort from Dave from The Minimalist Path.  Dave was moving while the challenge was going on and still managed to participate and make a few video posts to boot. Check out his latest video post on the Minimalist Challenge.

The Next Step: Project M-31

If you are looking for ways to continue simplifying your life and decluttering your spaces, but need a bit more guidance, make sure you check out Project M-31 from the Minimalist Path. It’s basically an easy to follow, no bull, step by step guide to attacking the spaces that collect the most junk and actually get it out of your house and out of your life. I’m working through the chapters as we speak and already it’s making a difference in simplifying my life.

Related posts:

1. New Years Minimalism Challenge Week 1
2. New Years Minimalism Challenge Week 2
3. New Years Minimalism Challenge

This weeks pile is another load of clothing. I’ve also added more bonus items to make sure I actually get rid of everything I can. I bet I can do 2 things each day the rest of the challenge. Can anyone else take me up on that challenge?

Jan 22: White Polo

Jan 23: Black Sitka Shirt

Jan 24: Black Dress Shirt

Jan 25: Red T

Jan 26: Quicksilver T

Jan 27: Old Belts

Jan 28: Green Dress Shirt

Bonus: Grey T

Bonus: Old Jeans

Related posts:

1. New Years Minimalism Challenge Week 1
2. New Years Minimalism Challenge Wrap Up
3. New Years Minimalism Challenge

I spent a lot of time in Sydney wandering through the streets, parks and shops looking for interesting things to photograph and buy for souvenirs. One of the more random items was this metallic tree that was on the side of the road near Market City. I ended up photoshopping a bit to make it a little more interesting.

Related posts:

1. Foto Friday! Sydney, Manly
2. Foto Friday: Sunshine on the Opera House
3. Foto Friday: 7 Mile Beach, Australia

A recent post of Corbett’s entitled”Is Lifestyle Design dead already?” really got me thinking about what everyone means when they say Lifestyle Design. I’ll tell you what it means to me.

The 4 Hour Work Week is mentioned in the article and the comments numerous times. I’ve read it a couple times now and it’s a fantastic book but when it comes down to it, 99.9% of us won’t have an experience like Tim’s. We”ll sort of get into the internet thing, we’ll sort of get into building our own business and we’ll sort of get something out of it.

When there is something huge at stake here, like how happy you want to be with you life, “sort of’s” suck. They’re wishy washy, on the fence, decisions that we might regret later because it was a waste of time or we didn’t put our soul into it (I’m not religious, it just means working hard).

If you want something, take it. This has all sorts of exceptions in real life but the message is simple. If you really want to spend your time doing something, then plan out your ideal life and work backwards. Figure out how much money you’ll need, what time is required and who must be around to make your goals happen. To follow any project to conclusion there must be many small steps to get you to the end, achieving anything in your life is no different. But there is always a way to make it happen.

The trap so many people fall into right now is trying to achieve something they’re not ready for. Yes, Tim Ferriss is wandering the globe right now doing whatever he pleases. But don’t forget he worked 80 hour weeks for many YEARS before he was close to doing what he’s doing now. Are you ready for that kind of commitment?

Knowing what he knows now, we can make a few shortcuts but nothing will replace a good idea. He had a good idea, he put it to good use making money with brainQUICKEN and now he’s reaping the benefits.

In the end, all we really want is to look back on the things we did in our life and say “I’d do that again”. Lifestyle Design is just the fancy new term for what happy people having been doing since the dawn of time. Make adjustments to your life every single day to make things better, actually do what you say you want to do, and amazing things will happen.

Everyone is flocking to Thailand to set up small businesses and run it from the beach while sipping on cold drinks. Is that what you want to do? Do you really want to run a business? Did you ever actually want to see Thailand? If not, you’re still stuck in a template, you’re still chasing a dream that’s not yours.

What makes you happy? What do you look back on and say, “That was awesome”, or look forward too incredibly excited? Make plans to do that. Right now.

Related posts:

1. A Change in Direction: Lifestyle Design, Personal Development and Minimalism
2. Becoming Location Independent
3. Creating the Life List

My focus for this challenge has been the lingering items that have been hiding in boxes since the move. One of those is clothing. I’ve got way too much. More than my girlfriend in fact. I used to keep things around so that when I destroyed some article of clothing I’d have other things to wear. That was a long time ago and I still keep things around but never destroy anything.

Right now I’ve got 2 boxes ready to be donated and here is the first of it.

Friday 15th: Sock Em Boppers

Saturday 16th: Old alarm clock

Sunday 17th: Grey Sweater

Monday 18th: Black striped dress shirt

Tuesday 19th: Blue Dress shirt

Wednesday 20th: White dress shirt

Thursday 21st: Kuhl Dress shirt

Related posts:

1. New Years Minimalism Challenge Week 2
2. New Years Minimalism Challenge Wrap Up
3. New Years Minimalism Challenge