Postcard #7: Benjamin in Grand Haven
Leave your thoughtsThis week's featured postcard comes to us from Benjamin in Grand Haven, Michigan. Here's what it's all about.
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The Quest for 1 Million Photos: Interview with Thomas Hawk
42 CommentsA quest combines a passion for something meaningful with a measurable goal. For example—visiting every country in the world. Running a marathon in all 50 states. And so on. Once in a while I discover someone else on a quest that deserves broad attention, and I'm always fascinated by the back story. Enter Thomas Hawk, the San Francisco photographer on track to producing 1,000,000 finished, processed photos. He does this while working a full-time job and raising four young kids.
Your Backup Plan Is Your Plan
85 CommentsMy favorite part of reading case studies and interviewing entrepreneurs over the past couple of months has been hearing a number of stories with a recurring theme. In dozens of variations, the stories usually sound like this:
“I was down to my last $400 and simply had to make it work...”
“I gave up the option to take a reduced role at my job and just went full-tilt...”
“I didn't know what I was doing, but I finally overcame everything I was stalling on and just started ...”
Refusing the backup plan is a key theme of many successful entrepreneurs and other heroes. A good backup plan creates safety, security and a fall-back option—things you don't want when you're trying to change the world.
Postcard #6: Tana in Lisbon
Leave your thoughtsThis week's featured postcard comes to us from Tana in Lisbon, Portugal. Here's what it's all about.
Breathing Just a Little and Calling It a Life
27 CommentsYesterday I rode my bike down to Laughing Planet on Belmont Avenue for a $4.85 burrito. The sun was out and all was well. On the ride down I replayed the classic “time/money/no object” game in my head. You know, the one where you ask: “If time and money were no object, what would I do today?” This is a fun game to play, and it's even better when you realize that you wouldn't change much about your plan. In my case, I had about $60 in my wallet—but the only thing I wanted to eat for lunch was the $4.85 burrito. I could have had a million dollars in my laptop bag, and I still would have taken my $35 "Craigslist special" bike down to the burrito place.
Rest and Recovery
57 CommentsBack home in Portland, I went to my first yoga class in several weeks and immediately noticed that something was different. This class is kicking my ass! I thought—but then I looked around, and everyone else was doing just fine. The same thing happened during my 40-minute run the night before: 20 minutes in, I was ready to give up.
My most recent epic journey was fairly intense. Among other challenges, I slept in a different bed every night for 10 nights in a row. I hadn't planned it that way—I was in Cyprus for three nights, but I changed rooms one night and hotels the other night. Because of the complex itinerary, I had a lot of transit stops—one night in Munich, one in Miami, one in Heathrow, and so on. Living out of a suitcase can work for a while, but it does wear you down over time.
EBK Day 4, Part II: Live from Amtrak’s “Bloggers’ Lounge”
1 CommentA few notes on our very busy day here:
1. If you're traveling on Amtrak at some point, I recommend the blueberry pancakes for breakfast.
2. Thanks for all the birthday congratulations. You guys are great.
3. A reader told me about the Bottomless Cup coffee shop in Havre, Montana. We have 25 minutes in Havre this afternoon and I'm going to try to make a mad latte dash. If I don't make it back in time, J.D.'s in charge!
4. Oh, and the Empire Building Kit has been flying off the shelves! Holy cow.
Postcard #5: 160 Miles in Minnesota
Leave your thoughtsThis week's featured postcard comes to us from 160 Miles in Bemidji, Minnestoa. Here's what it's all about.
Luciano Pavarotti’s Secret for Online Success
60 CommentsWhat, you didn't know that Luciano Pavarotti was huge on Twitter? Oh yes. Or at least, he could have been. See, every day I talk with various people about their projects. Inevitably, I hear a lot of questions that are rooted in this premise:
"How can people give me their attention?"
In other words: “How can I get more for myself?” The more in question varies: interest, customers, website traffic, subscribers, money, whatever—but it always relates to an increase in focus on the individual.
Postcard #4: Mary in Kentucky
Leave your thoughtsThis week's featured postcard comes to us from Mary in Louisville, Kentucky. Here's what it's all about.
The Journey
51 CommentsPart of what I like about adventures is the challenge for the sake of the challenge. I like the logistics. I like trying to figure out flight schedules to Papua New Guinea. I don't always like getting stuck in random places, but I like finding my way out. Those of you out there with big goals of your own—think about the journey. If you know you can enjoy it for what it is, without any other reward, you know you're on the right track.
Sunday Store Update, “Ignoring the BA Strike” Edition
Leave your thoughtsGreetings from Managua, Nicaragua. I began my latest trip as scheduled and am slowly working my way towards Europe, trying to ignore the news about the big British Airways strike because there's nothing I can do about it. If I close my eyes it will go away, right?
Postcard #3: Jeb in Santa Ana
Leave your thoughtsThis week's featured postcard comes to us from Jeb in Santa Ana, California. Here's what it's all about.
On Synchronicity and the Building of Empires
94 CommentsIt all started when I was feeling overwhelmed in the development of Empire Building Kit, my biggest business project of the year.
I've been working hard on it for weeks, but with all the material I'm putting in, I could see it would need more time.
I'veThen I started making plans for the big trip I'm starting later tonight. I'll be in Central America this weekend, enjoying cheese empanadas and café con leche while working from the road. Then, I'm going across the Atlantic for visits to the Ukraine, Cyprus, and Cape Verde. On the way back I stop off in Pittsburgh for a talk before continuing home.
Jim Collins and $100 Million Dollars
55 CommentsI’m a big fan of Jim Collins’ work, especially the modern day classic Good to Great. Even if you’re not interested in business, the book is inspiring and practical. Nine years after publication, it’s still kicking ass, and deservedly so. I recently re-read my favorite passages, and I especially liked the introduction Jim used to convey how much the book meant to him before publication.
