My hotel breakfast server was very friendly. It took a while for him to come over after I was seated, but when he did, he was all smiles and exuberance.
I ordered eggs, coffee, and a smoothie (thanks, Starwood). “That’s a great idea!” the server said, and seemed genuinely happy about my order. Over the next twenty minutes, he came back several times to check on me. There was just one problem: my breakfast never arrived. Read More
For the past eight years I’ve made a good living through online publishing. I’ve shared much of the journey along the way, but I first documented the overall process in a manifesto, 279 Days to Overnight Success.
Link: Take the “Born for This” Free Quiz
Consider a successful Hollywood actor. This actor likes to make independent, arthouse films. These films have special meaning to the actor, and he or she believes in them enough to give up a big paycheck to do them.
But this Hollywood actor also makes commercial, popular work. The actor has the prized opportunity to perform a major role in summer blockbusters, the kind of films that rarely win at the Oscars but regularly boost the actor’s stature, not to mention their bank account.
The clash of preferences and opportunities raises numerous questions—most of which miss the point.
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I spend as much time as possible working on things I believe in. It’s not all out of compulsion—it’s also because I’m motivated to create and share. I’m happiest when I’m making progress on projects that make a difference in the world, or at least the corner of the world in which I have influence.
This post provides a review and critique of my overall work in 2015. Previous Posts For years now, I’ve been saying that I want to become more specific and intentional. The problem is that I’m fairly good at a number of things. I know how to decipher and deconstruct successful solutions in several different fields and areas. Read More
We did it!
Over the past few months, I've been interviewing people for my upcoming book on dream jobs. Many of the people I’ve talked to are really busy—they've found or created their dream job, but they also tend to do a lot of other stuff as well. Some of them have side businesses or run ultramarathons on the weekends. Some of them have active family lives. Some of them do all those things... and more.
I don't always ask the same questions of interviewees, but one tends to come up pretty often: "How do you find the time?"
I liked this answer I heard yesterday:
"It's less about how do I find time and more about why do I find time. You'll always find time for things that have a strong enough why."Read More
Link: Join Us for Pioneer Nation
At the welcome reception for the inaugural Pioneer Nation, we asked our attendees to write their biggest business challenge on a post-it note and stick it to the wall, then say it out loud in front of their peers. Here’s what they came up with: We’re very excited to kick off Pioneer Nation again ... in just 23 days! Read More
Deciding how you value your time can help you make decisions. But how do you really know what your time is worth?
It’s partly a hypothetical question, because you don’t always get to choose how much money you'll make or how much free time you'll have.
And it’s partly a practical question, because sometimes you do get to choose. Life is all about making choices, some of which are exclusive and limit us from other opportunities.
A free tool guides you to your own answer of "How much is your time worth" in both hypothetical and practical scenarios.
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Reading:
I'm fortunate to work with great partners, including a wonderful design studio right in Southeast Portland called Jolby & Friends.
I had coffee with an aspiring entrepreneur who was struggling with priorities.
“I worry I’m doing everything wrong!” he said.
Everywhere he went, people gave him free advice. They told him about email marketing ... and webinars ... and the latest new social network ... and all the things he had to do to keep up.
"I'm not sure I'll be able to do all these things," he continued. "I can hardly keep up with the list!"
Well, that’s the thing. First of all, it’s very hard to fully "keep up" these day. There’s always a new network to learn, a new tool to master. There’s always one more thing that can be done.
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Long ago, right before I started this blog and began the full-time quest to "go everywhere," I went through a six-month period of thinking about it. When I say I was thinking about it, I mean it occupied my mental world approximately 80% of the time. I was still working and going to grad school during the day, but my attention lay elsewhere.
Then, at night, I'd go to bed with a notebook on my nightstand. I kept it there because almost every night, I'd wake up feeling excited. I'd have another idea or something new to add to the outline.
I loved this story of Benny Hsu making $100,000 from his t-shirt designs—a huge entrepreneurial success on his own, no doubt. But I also related to how the project took over his life and became all he thought about.
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When I haven’t been recording 30 half-hour lessons on travel hacking, I’ve been reading a lot of survey notes and conducting interviews for my next book.
Something struck me as I glanced through the notes over the weekend. I’ve been paying attention to how people transition between different careers or jobs, and I've noticed a recurring theme.
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You’ve heard the conventional wisdom: never check email in the morning.