Postcard #28: Kyrie in Alpharetta
This week's featured postcard comes to us from Kyrie in Alpharetta, Georgia. Here's what it's all about.
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Et Cetera
38 Comments
Life
The Agenda, Part II: The Individual As Hero
Welcome to Part II of The Agenda. Part I is here. I don't follow professional or amateur sports, but every two years, I love watching the Olympics. I enjoy the stories, the years of training without reward, all in pursuit of a big dream. To give it all in pursuit of such a dream—I think this is a good thing. If people are dreaming and striving hard to achieve their dream, brushing off the criticism they receive and overcoming the obstacles they encounter, the quest becomes life-affirming to themselves and inspiring to the spectators around them.
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Life
The Agenda, Part I: Ask Why
In 2009, I visited with Seth Godin and his Alternative MBA students. Afterwards, I asked Seth for advice. “I know it's a long list,” I said, “But what's one thing you think I can improve upon?”
He said, “I think you need more of an agenda. Consensus is overrated!” That was a very Seth thing to say, and I liked it. For the rest of the year, I thought about the agenda.
This is a six-part series to explain how I think we can change the world. I originally started AONC with the goal of writing for 1,000 people. Now my goal is 100,000 people, and it looks like that's only a year or so away. Lesson learned: small goals turn into big ones if you take them seriously. And also: it's good to be clear on what you're really about.
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Life
Notes from the Road, Vol. III
Hi from St. Louis, Missouri, where I'm back on the road for a big swing through the Midwest and Great Lakes region. Between the World Domination Summit launch and getting back on the tour, it's been a big week over here.
If you're new to AONC, regular articles are posted on Mondays and Thursdays. I often use Sundays for a weekend update about my business, UnconventionalGuides.com. For the rest of 2010 I'm not doing much business work, so I'll use this space more often for updates from the book tour.
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Et Cetera
Postcard #27: Jodi in Ojai
This week's featured postcard comes to us from Jodi in Ojai, California. Here's what it's all about.
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Travel
Notes from AA 476
Greetings from the early-early flight (6:05am departure) to DFW, where I'll transfer to an American Eagle jet up to Des Moines, Iowa. Over the next 14 days I'll be in 13 cities, taking the message of AONC on the road through the midwest and the Great Lakes, meeting readers, and trying to keep the plates in the air.
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Life
Why Do You Do This Every Day?
For a long time I kept this image on my desktop so I’d see it whenever I opened my computer. It’s a good question to ask when you’re evaluating your career, your life, your whatever. Otherwise you could wind up like everyone else, and if you’re reading The Art of Non-Conformity, I’ll assume you don’t…
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Work
Notes from the Road, Vol. II
I wrapped up the first part of the Unconventional Book Tour with ten stops in ten days. Now I'm home in Portland for a couple of days before heading back out on the longest leg of the whole trip.
If you're new to AONC, regular articles are posted on Mondays and Thursdays. I often use Sundays for a weekend update about my business, UnconventionalGuides.com. For the rest of 2010 I'm not doing much business work, so I'll use this space more often for updates from the book tour.
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Et Cetera
Postcard #26: Kyle and Bessie in Bali
This week's featured postcard comes to us from Kyle and Bessie in Bali, Indonesia. Here's what it's all about
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107 Comments
Work
What’s Your Message? Why Not Share It?
Greetings from Burlington, Vermont. After today, I have a few days home in Portland, Oregon, then I'll set out to visit the midwest and Great Lakes region starting next week. In this (very windblown) video update, I talk about social media and why if you're trying to build a platform, you should talk about yourself more than others. Stay with me, because this idea is definitely contrarian to the conventional wisdom.
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126 Comments
Travel
Travel and Social Privilege
Pat from the UK writes in on the growing discussion about “Why You Should Quit Your Job and Travel Around the World”. To say the least, the concept of investing in expanding your worldview as opposed to investing in a career draws a range of perspectives. I thought it was a good comment, so I'm including it here with his permission.
This is a fascinating idea but such traveling can only exist because most other people cannot do it. For example, that airplane you use to travel is built by non-traveling factory workers who earn low incomes and have families to support. It's flown by pilots, staffed by stewards who work full-time. When you land, you are staying in a hotel or hostel ran and maintained by non-traveling staff. The taxis you use, the buses you use, all staffed by non-traveling people. I can go on about restaurants, etc. If the whole world decided to live like this, it would be an unsustainable way of life.Read More
Et Cetera
Postcard #25: Hannah in Portland
This week's featured postcard comes to us from Hannah in Portland, Oregon. Here's what it's all about.
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42 Comments
Life
If You Love Something, You Have to Protect It
You might have heard this advice before: “If you love something, set it free.” But I'm not so sure about that. It seems to me that if you really love something, setting it free is exactly what you don't want to do. I've been thinking about this idea ever since a friend gave me the opposite advice recently:
“If you love something, you have to protect it.”Read More
82 Comments
Life
Calm Before the Storm
In the time leading up to a big day, you do everything you can. You make plans. You consider contingencies. You supply, you restock. You practice, you rehearse, you try to anticipate. You ask for help ... a lot of help. Good planning goes a long way. Giving a speech is a lot easier if you know exactly what you want to say. Laying the foundation for maximum impact comes through careful work done over the course of weeks, months, and years.
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Et Cetera
Postcard #24: Chelle in Orlando
This week's featured postcard comes to us from Chelle in Orlando, Florida. Here's what it's all about.
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