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From time to time, it’s good to sit back and ask yourself a few questions. Here’s a starting point. *** Are you happy? Are you doing something you enjoy? A good way to look at is: how much time do you spend on the good things? Who are the good people in your life? Do…
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I woke up yesterday and there was a typhoon outside my window. Whoa. I usually miss all the fun, but in this case I managed to stick around for part of the storm.
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I’m flying to Tokyo for the weekend, which I’d say is a long story but it’s actually a short one. I have a meeting with my local publisher and I need miles to requalify for American Airlines elite status—so I’m heading out for a super-quick Japan adventure. On my connecting flight to LAX this afternoon…
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“Business opportunities are like buses. There’s always another one coming.” -Richard Branson The outside world is an interstate of business opportunity buses passing you by, waiting to be boarded or ignored. Some buses, though, are going too fast. Those buses left the station a long time ago, and there’s no hope in trying to flag…
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From Robert Genn’s recent letter to artists: Choreographer Twyla Tharp’s Creative Habit, describes her morning routine of rising early and going through the same morning rituals; same coffee, same bun. She puts on the same leotards, goes down the same elevator to the same street corner, puts her arm up in the air and gets…
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Greetings from the home base in Portland, Oregon.
It's a holiday today, or so I've been informed as I've gone about the usual business of running World Domination HQ.
Three quick things I'd like to pass on to you -->
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1. I want you to think about something. Maybe you’re like me: coasting along, doing okay, not lacking for anything material. You have a good life. What else is there? Oh, that’s right: everything. At a certain point you have you ask yourself, am I playing a small game or a big one? Am I…
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It's time for another round of the infamous Frequent Flyer Challenge, where I show readers how to earn hundreds of thousands of miles and points that can be exchanged for free travel everywhere.
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I wrote in the original Brief Guide to World Domination manifesto:
We overestimate what we can accomplish in a day, but underestimate what we can accomplish in a year.Read More
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In The Happiness Myth, Jennifer Michael Hecht defines three types of happiness: a moment of happiness, a good day, and a happy life. Hecht suggests that no further definition is needed because the difference between the three is obvious when we use or hear the word happiness in context. However, she points out that these…
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We've had a lot of new readers join recently, so I wanted to say hello (hi, everyone!) and explain more of what it's about.
This blog (AONC) started in 2008 along with my goal to visit every country in the world by my 35th birthday earlier this year.
Throughout the past five years it's grown to much more than a travelogue. Our core mission is to support and encourage non-conformity or unconventional thinking, as defined by this mission statement:
You don't have to live your life the way others expect. You can do good things for yourself and for others.Read More
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Instead of saying “I don’t have time” try saying “it’s not a priority,” and see how that feels. Often, that’s a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don’t want to. But other things are harder. Try it: “I’m not going to edit your résumé, because it’s not a priority.”…
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Want to receive fun surprises in the mail ... four times a year? I thought so. Quarterly is a new subscription service that offers a surprise package each quarter from interesting people. I'm not sure why they thought I was an interesting person, but I liked the idea of sharing some of my favorite things with you—so a few months ago, we sent out a package to an initial group of recipients.
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Greetings, fellow introverts. (Is that not you? Then you can safely skip this post. Everyone else, keep reading.) At every meetup I host, and most of the events I’m invited to speak at, I always mention that I’m a natural introvert. I know that there are likely many other shy, quiet, or introverted people in…
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The focus of WDS is on creating a strong in-person experience, so we don’t do any live-streaming. However, we also realize that many people who aren’t able to attend in Portland are interested in seeing what it’s about. With that in mind, we recently released the first two speaker videos from this year’s extravaganza. Darren…
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