6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XXIII
Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.
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Et Cetera
Profiles
“50 Hourly Jobs in 50 States”: Alyssa and Heath Padgett’s Quest
This is a quest case study. (Read others or nominate yourself.) I met Alyssa and Heath Padgett when they joined our media team for WDS 2014. They arrived with an interesting story—as part of an unconventional honeymoon, they were visiting all 50 states in a used RV, working an hourly job in each one. Tell us…
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Work
The Belief That Career Success Can Make Us Happy Is the Central Illusion of Our Time
From David Brooks in the Times — “The real contradiction of capitalism is that it arouses enormous ambition, but it doesn’t help you define where you should focus it. It doesn’t define an end to which you should devote your life. It nurtures the illusion that career and economic success can lead to fulfillment, which…
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Profiles
Traveling in a Financially Sustainable Way : On the Road with Nora Dunn
Long term traveling doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, it can actually be cheaper than staying in one place with rent, bills, and a home.
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Et Cetera
6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XXII
Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.
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Life
The Flatlands of Suburbia: Abandoned Shopping Malls of America
When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time at the mall. I had two sets of parents and lots of grandparents, but pretty much everyone I knew loved to go to the mall. No matter who I was with, a lot of early evening conversations went like this: “What should we do…
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Work
How to Write a Dozen Novels and Hundreds of Stories
From William Gibson’s about page: “I do have an email address, yes, but, no, I won’t give it to you. I am one and you are many, and even if you are, say, twenty-seven in grand global total, that’s still too many. Because I need to have a life and waste time and write. I…
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Profiles
17 Years of Silence and One Long Walk: John Francis’s Quest
I heard about John Francis when I was researching quest stories for my latest book. His was hard to top: he'd taken a vow of silence that lasted nearly two decades.
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Et Cetera
“Make Ideas, Not Art”: The Sketchnote Workbook by Mike Rohde
If you’re like me, you have no drawing skills whatsoever (which means you’re probably not like me). No matter if you’re a closet M.C. Escher or can’t draw a basic stick-person – if want to improve how you capture ideas and share them with others, there’s hope. Remember our friend Mike Rohde, who illustrated The…
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Travel
Pay $39 and Travel for Nearly Free: The Missed Opportunity of My Recent Guide Launch
Right before the Thanksgiving holiday, our Unconventional Guides crew unveiled a new product to help people travel for less. But what did we miss?
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Et Cetera
6 Discoveries from Near and Far: Volume XXI
Things I found on long walks in foreign cities or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter
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Life
How to Plan an Annual Review (+ New Course from Michael Hyatt)
Toward the end of next week I’ll head out to conduct my Annual Review, an extended exercise to reflect on the year that’s coming to an end and prepare for the next one. This has been quite the year with a lot of ups and downs, so I’m not entirely sure how I’ll process everything—but…
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Profiles
Dreams Have a Habit of Popping Back Up: On the Road with Lola Akinmade Akerstrom
This is a traveler case study. (Read others or nominate yourself.) When no one else believes in your dreams, sometimes they get lost in the shuffle until you find the strength to believe yourself. Lola Akinmade Akerstrom was a systems architect who’d dreamed of making a living of travel since she was a child. Tell us…
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Life
How to Be Alone on a Holiday
I remember a Christmas in which I spent the day entirely by myself. Strategy #1: sleep as late as possible. Strategy #2: fill up the day with as many things to occupy my time without feeling lonely. It didn’t work, at least not completely. I was sad and depressed for much of the day. I…
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