About : The Art of Non-Conformity

“Originality is the best form of rebellion.”

-Mike Sasso

Welcome to The Art of Non-Conformity (AONC), a home for unconventional people doing remarkable things. I’m Chris Guillebeau (pronounced Gil-a-beau). I write books and travel. I started this blog to chronicle my journey to every country in the world—but it’s since grown into a hub for original thinking.

The purpose of AONC is to share the story of how to change the world by achieving personal goals while helping others at the same time. In the battle against conventional beliefs, we focus on three core areas: Life, Work, and Travel.

All of the writing on the AONC site is presented freely with no outside advertising. If you’d like to support the project, pass it on to someone who might be interested!

You can follow along by RSS, updates in your inbox, every day on Side Hustle School (my daily podcast), or just by checking in here at the site every day.

What You'll Find Here

I write about personal development and life planning, with the conviction that you don’t have to live your life the way other people expect.
I write about entrepreneurship and other kinds of unconventional work, with the belief that the work we do should be both fun and meaningful.
I write about travel and adventure, including my journeys to more than 25 countries every year and the stories of other travelers.

The key theme that links each of these topics is non-conformity. I define non-conformity as “a lack of orthodoxy in thoughts or beliefs” or “the refusal to accept established customs, attitudes, or ideas.”

If you’re looking for specific examples of what this means in practice, take a look through the archives or read the most popular posts. Check it out for a while; you might like it. Or you might not, and that’s okay too.

"Once in a while it really hits people that they don't have to experience the world in the way they have been told to."

-Alan Keightley

Philosophy

The essence of my philosophy is this:

You don’t have to live your life the way other people expect
You can do good things for yourself and help other people at the same time
If you don’t decide for yourself what you want to get out of life, someone else will end up deciding for you
There is usually more than one way to accomplish something

In short, I’m interested in the convergence between highly personal goals and service to others. You can learn more about that subject in the original Brief Guide to World Domination that was read by more than 100,000 people in 60 countries during the first six months.

The sequel, 279 Days to Overnight Success, provides a case study for anyone interested in building an alternative career using new media.

Media Bio (A brief diversion into third person...)

Chris Guillebeau is a New York Times bestselling author and modern-day explorer.

During a lifetime of self-employment that included a four-year commitment as a volunteer executive in West Africa, he visited every country in the world (193 in total) before his 35th birthday. Since then he has modeled the proven definition of an entrepreneur: “Someone who will work 24 hours a day for themselves to avoid working one hour a day for someone else.”

Chris’s first book, The Art of Non-Conformity, was translated into more than thirty languages. His second book, The $100 Startup, was a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, selling more than 700,000 copies worldwide. His newest book, The Money Tree is all about finding the fortune in your own backyard.

His daily podcast, Side Hustle School, is downloaded more than 2 million times a month.

Every summer in Portland, Oregon, Chris hosts the World Domination Summit, a gathering of creative, remarkable people with thousands in attendance. Also, Chris would like everyone to know that he was social distancing before it was cool.

Speaking

Every year I speak at dozens of events, companies, organizations, and universities. Recent engagements have included Google, Facebook, Udemy, LeWeb, SXSW, Evernote, The Motley Fool, Hallmark, GrowCO, and Carnegie Mellon University.

My adventures in writing books have taken me to media events in 25 countries, including a 9-city tour of India. For my first book I met with readers in all 50 states and every Canadian province. I’ve also spoken or hosted events at more than 100 independent bookstores throughout North America and beyond. A few of my favorites are Powell’s, Vroman’s, Tattered Cover, University Way Books, Book People, the Harvard Coop, and Green Apple Books.

If you’d like me to speak at your event, please let me know!

If you’d like to host an event specifically related to Side Hustle School, let me know that too.