“That’s the promise: you will live more curiously if you write. You will become a scientist, if not of the natural world than of whatever world you care about. More of that world will pop alive. You will see more when you look at it. Writing needn’t be a formal enterprise to have this effect.…
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This is a traveler case study. (Read others or nominate yourself.) Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll have sold everything to travel the world—twice. After five years exploring Europe and being settled in Prague, they decided to pursue a new adventure. Here’s their story: Tell us about yourselves. We’re a husband-and-wife speaking, writing and photography…
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Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.
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“To the discontented man no chair is easy.” -Benjamin Franklin From my own 193-country journey to the stories of many other people who were kindly willing to share, The Happiness of Pursuit attempts to extract and convey the lessons of modern-day quests. This series explores some of these lessons. Lesson: Unhappiness can lead to new…
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A lot of personal development writers use the phrase “a life that matters,” as in “Here’s how you live a life that matters.” But this phrase is problematic, because everyone’s life has value and “matters” regardless of what they do with it. A better way to think of it is how to live a life…
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This is a “quest” case study, a new feature focusing on quests and adventures of all kinds. (Read others or nominate yourself.) I met Matt in Istanbul last year, at the end of an epic journey for both of us. I had just finished visiting every country, and he’d just finished walking across all of Turkey.…
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James Golding sets out to break a world record of cycling 1748 miles in 7 days: “If you start thinking about fear, you become trapped by it. To get prepared for a challenge of this magnitude is not a short process. It’s something I’ve been building on for a long time.” Sometimes to bounce…
Read MoreIt’s not just my new book that’s new on the bookshelves this week… there are at least two others that you should check out too. [1] Daily Love by Mastin Kipp. Sneak preview: When Mastin Kipp found himself at rock bottom—addicted to drugs and parties, living in his ex-girlfriend’s parents’ tiny pool house, jobless, and…
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Things I found on long walks in foreign cities, or perhaps when someone posted them on Twitter.
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This is a travel hacking case study. (Read others or nominate yourself.) A while back I asked readers to share their stories of earning Frequent Flyer miles to travel the world. I loved Anna’s story because it combined travel hacking and the love of seeing the world. Introduce yourself! Hi! I’m Anna. In 2011, I…
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I got up super early (well, for me) to head down to NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center. I went on the show for a short interview. The segment was a bit rushed (blame ISIS and abusive football players for taking up more of the time), but somehow I managed to be somewhat articulate.
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The day has come!
Live from New York City, I'm somewhat happy incredibly thrilled to publish my new book, The Happiness of Pursuit. This book represents the culmination of a ten-year odyssey to every country in the world—but it doesn't end there. As I approached the end of the journey, I spent two additional years researching and interviewing other people who have undertaken a quest.
“The things that make you happy are not the same things that make your life seem meaningful.” That’s how Ben puts it, and I agree. I’ve also written about this several times before: in The Tower, for example, or in my first book. To increase happiness, do something fun. To increase meaning, do something challenging.…
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Every Friday is giveaway day, but today is bonus giveaway day. Comment to win! Over six years ago, Jodi Ettenberg quit her job as a lawyer to travel for what she thought was a year. She never returned to the law, opting instead to write about travel and food on her site, Legal Nomads. I…
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Buster Benson created the fabulous 750words.com, which encourages users to cultivate a writing streak. He also makes other side projects, including a photo of himself every day at 8:36pm that he’s taken and published for the past 2,000 days and counting. On his website he lists a few rules to live by: You must have…
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