24 Hours

May 28, 2011 3 Comments

“If you only had twenty-four hours left to live, what would you do?”

It’s one of those hypothetical questions people often ask themselves (or others) to determine whether they’re following their hearts, living their passions, or leaving a meaningful impact. At the end of our lives, we want to be able to look back over the years with a sense of accomplishment, of having made a difference. We want to be remembered for the good we brought to others.

The other day I was asked that question: “If you only had twenty-four hours to live…”

As much as we might wish it weren’t true, we all reach a point in our lives where we’re left with only twenty-four hours to live. And right now, there are people making plans for tomorrow without realizing they’re going to die today…

It’s cliché to say “Live each moment like it’s your last,” and there are hundreds of similar phrases, all telling us the same thing. But rare are the moments when we actually pause to appreciate how fortunate we are to have been able to grace this strange and wonderful planet, to have had the opportunity to leave a mark. Too often we’re caught up in the minutiae of daily life to acknowledge just how blessed we really are simply to be able to take in this breath at exactly this moment.

A diagnosis, an accident, an undetected medical problem…in an instant, life can (and eventually will) change for each of us. And while we’re all planning for a bright future ahead, some of us won’t be there to see it. None of us are promised a tomorrow. Are you living your life today like you might not see tomorrow? Because you just never know…you might not.

Appreciate your gift.

Filed under Attitude, Behavior, Life, Philosophy, Prioritizing

Be Aware of What You Eat…

May 14, 2011 2 Comments

I’ve been vegetarian for about seven months, and Vegan for two(ish).

To say that I’ve been excited and proud of making the switch would be an understatement. I’ve shared recipes with friends, cooked for family, spouted off condescending slurs towards omnivores, and just generally felt great about being Vegan. I’ve shared videos exposing the cruelty of factory farms, sang the praises of Veganism and all the benefits of not consuming animals.

And then I realized something.

As much as I believe in everything I’ve preached over the last many months, I enjoy eating without stress.

Let me try to explain what I mean in that statement; I enjoy eating without stress. Being Vegan has brought many challenges to the dinner table. At home, creating Vegan meals isn’t always the most convenient. Since we live in a small town, finding certain ingredients can be challenging, if not impossible. Still, I’ve fumbled my way through and have managed to get by. I’ve done quite a bit of experimenting in my diet, creating many dishes I’d never heard of before. Most of them were delicious.

But it isn’t eating at home that’s the source of stress.

I travel, a lot. And when I travel, it’s been nearly impossible to go out to eat without being limited to a $15 salad that I’ve had to ask that most the ingredients be removed. No chicken, no cheese, no eggs, no Caesar dressing…and it still costs $15 when the bill comes, despite being what amounts to a pile of lettuce on my plate. It really pisses me off.

When we went to Europe a few months ago, I wasn’t Vegan, but found that I was only eating pasta and pizza. By the end of the trip, I felt like shit. I wasn’t able to properly nourish my body while trying to navigate around a continent. I can only imagine what that trip would have been like if I’d have been Vegan.

On our road trip to Florida a couple weeks ago, I practically starved for the first couple of days, refusing to break my Vegan diet. I had my Larabars, damn it! I wasn’t eating cheese! Until I ran out of Larabars and hadn’t eaten for twelve hours. I gave in and ate a cheese pizza. Great choice, huh?

So I’ve been questioning my choice to be a Vegan. Why did I decide to become Vegan? Is it because I think meat is disgusting? No. I don’t think meat is gross. I’ve killed my own food in the past. I’ve slaughtered my kill. I grew up on a beef farm, and watched the cows be slaughtered. I’ve never been repulsed by the process of killing an animal, or slaughtering it. Not until I learned what happens behind the walls of factory farms. There is no compassion for the animals, and that’s the reason why I wanted to become Vegan. I didn’t want to contribute to the brutality perpetrated against animals raised and slaughtered under these conditions.

I believe animals deserve a life that is enjoyable and a death that is humane.

And what I found is that there is no humanity in factory farming. If you’re interested in knowing what happens behind those walls, please take the time to watch the documentary Earthlings. It might change how you feel about the food on your plate.

I made the transition to Vegan over the course of five months, and have been (mostly) successful in keeping a Vegan diet for the past two. But as I mentioned before, I’ve struggled while traveling, and began to question my thoughts on Veganism and even whether or not I found it practical to be vegetarian. Afterall, it wasn’t the meat that I was repulsed by, but the system.

I’ve been thinking about this for a couple weeks, and have made the decision that I’m not Vegan. I’m an omnivore. I think being Vegan is an honorable choice, and I encourage everyone to make an honest attempt at going for some time without eating animal products. Learn about the food that’s on your dinner table, and where it comes from. Take the time to research the benefits of Veganism from a health-based perspective. Look through the misinformation campaign being waged by the meat and dairy industries. Question everything you’ve ever known to be true about food.

I feel I’ve done that research, and I know that while I may not consider myself Vegan any longer, my diet will be forever changed, and I won’t look at food the same way again.

Filed under Activism, Balanced Diet, Dieting, Environment, Food, Health, Life, Philosophy, Politics, Prioritizing, Psychology

The Moments that Change Our Life

February 3, 2011 6 Comments

When was the moment that you realized who you are, what you love or what you’re supposed to do with your life?

In my life, I’ve experienced many of these moments, from being arrested and realizing that getting fucked up everyday wasn’t the life I wanted to the road trip to the Rocky Mountains with my friends where I found my passion for travel.  Both of these moments caused a fundamental shift in my thinking and instantly changed the direction of my life.

When I was arrested, I promised myself that I’d do whatever it took to get myself clean, even if it meant losing every friend I had and starting over from scratch, which is exactly what happened.  The road trip gave me a chance to see the world beyond the limits of my small Midwestern town and after that trip, I saw life from a different perspective and a new way of thinking.

And while I didn’t realize it at the time, my hike to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park also helped define who I am today.  I’ve been reminiscing about that trip in my mind, thinking about the beauty of the park, the challenge of the climb and the triumph of reaching the top.  The sore knees and the other pains have long since faded and now I’m left with only fond memories.

I want to go back.

Thinking about everything I want to accomplish this year and the amount of time I have to do it, it’s time to start prioritizing.  Turkey, Russia, Ethiopia, Japan, New England, Yosemite are all on the radar this year but I only have a few weeks in which I can dedicate myself to travel due to summer classes.

I miss Planet Earth.

When I travel, I’m visiting huge cities like Paris, Rome or Buenos Aires and spend a lot of my time riding subways, taking taxis and breathing exhaust.  I long for the solitude of the forests and the thrill of climbing mountains.  There’s something special about a bear and her cub walking next to you in the wild, about getting your boots dusty and the feeling of a cool mountain river to soothe your body after a long hike.

So, while I might not be wandering around the bazaars of Istanbul or doing hand stands in Red Square this year, maybe I’ll return to my favorite place on the planet instead.

Filed under Life, Prioritizing, Random Thoughts, Travel

How to Give Your Life Meaning

October 26, 2010 Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I wrote an article called Kim Kardashian’s Ass because I was frustrated with the lack of concern in our society for anything that doesn’t have boobs or isn’t Justin Bieber.  Now “Kim Kardashian Ass” has become the top Google Search people are using to find my blog.  I hope they read the article.

When I look at the people around me, I see, in Thoreau’s words, “a mass of men lead[ing] lives of quiet desperation,” each of us concerned exclusively on our own prerogatives.  We’re absorbed in a life of inflated importance; a life in which we’re the only person that matters.  We never stop to question the way things are, what we’re doing or how our actions might affect someone else or future generations.  “Fuck everyone else.”

I wonder what my generation is going to be remembered for.  What will our legacy be?

We must overcome the notion that we must be regular.  It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary and leads you to the mediocre. ~ Uta Hagen

Our lives revolve around keeping our 500 Facebook friends in the loop with our clever status updates: “Hey baby. Wanna come over to MySpace and Twitter my Yahoo ’til I Google all over your Facebook?”   We’ve got better things to worry about than our soldiers on the other side of the planet who are dying in the dirt for cheap oil.  More important things like  The Biggest Loser and Dog the Bounty Hunter.  You know…reality.

If you’re searching for a way to bring meaning to your life, find ways of giving yourself to others.  Until you share your energy with the rest of the world, your existence is irrelevant and of little consequence to anyone else.  You must become part of something bigger than yourself; something that benefits other people, other places and future generations.

Wouldn’t you rather your life be an inspiration which motivates people to do something great with their own lives than to exist for no other reason than your own benefit?

Filed under Attitude, Inspiration, Prioritizing

…the World Needs You!

October 18, 2010 2 Comments

Often I’ll hear someone talking about how they wish they could solve the many problems in this world.  Their concerns sound genuine and heartfelt; “It’s so terrible what’s happening in Africa!  Those poor children, I wish there was something I could do.”

They wish there was something they could do, but…

…the money, the time, my family…job, house, school.  It isn’t our fault we can’t save the world…just look at our list of responsibilities!  They’re the reason!!!   We scroll through the archive in our mind, finding countless reasons why we can’t, each a reminder that we have other priorities and obligations that need to be met.  We convince ourselves that it just isn’t possible to escape the commitments.  It doesn’t take long before we’re using our excuses as a waiver of liability. 

Even though we want to help, somehow we’re comforted in knowing that we can’t.  It was a nice thought, anyway.

Have you ever thought to ask yourself whether or not that long list of ”responsibilities” isn’t really just a fairy tale?  A bunch of lies that you tell yourself so you’ll never need to deviate from the routine or step outside your comfort zone?  Let me ask you this: if you’re afraid to expand your horizons and challenge yourself to move beyond your comfort zone, are you really living…or simply existing?

When I hear people trying to justify why they can’t [whatever], I think about the people who can, who are and who did.  What if Martin Luther King, Jr had said “I have a dream, but…”, or if Gandhi never was the change he wished to see in the world?  What if all the people who ever changed the world, hadn’t?

All around us are everyday people doing extraordinary things.  Maybe you’ve heard of Albert Lexie, or maybe you haven’t.  He earns $10 an hour shining shoes.  Since 1982, Albert has donated all of his tip money to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburg…more than $150,000.  Albert is only one example of countless people across the world whose actions could inspire a nation.  Each day people are being the change.  They, too, have a dream…

How would your life change if you were to quit making excuses?

Instead of just wishing there was something you could do to help the people of the world, without any excuses holding you back you are free to dig wells in Africa so the people can have access to clean drinking water.  If Africa isn’t your thing, you can volunteer at a soup kitchen in your own city and help feed the hungry.  Get involved!  Don’t waste another moment wishing you could help.

It’s time to quit making excuses, not only for yourself but for the world.  We need you!

Filed under Attitude, Behavior, Freedom, Goals, Happiness, Inspiration, Motivation, Opportunity, Passion, Potential, Prioritizing

Travel the World for Two Dollars a Day

October 17, 2010 4 Comments

The other day on the Hundred Goals Facebook Page I asked “What can you buy for two dollars?”  It didn’t take long for some really interesting (and admittedly strange) responses to start coming in.  Tony from Venezuela says he “can’t buy shit” in his country for two dollars.  Isaac can park his car for two hours in the metered parking on campus and two dollars will pay for Sheena’s ATM fees for withdrawing cash from her bank account.

It seems that our feelings for two dollars isn’t much different from two cents…in other words, pretty worthless.  On its own, two dollars really isn’t much.  Maybe it’d get you a couple of McDonald’s cheeseburgers or a few minutes on a payphone but you probably won’t get very much more than that.  You can’t even get a Starbucks coffee for less than two dollars!

If two dollars is such a measly sum, how can anyone possibly travel the world on that kind of money?

In the book The Art of Non-Conformity, Chris Guillebeau points out on page 194 that you can get to almost anywhere in the world for two dollars a day:

I’ve found that even people who say they don’t like travel can usually think of at least one place somewhere in the world they’d like to visit before they die.  I believe that if you can save as little as $2 a day, you can get to that place within two years or less.  Many places cost less, and if you can save more than $2 a day, you can get there sooner.

Two years, 365 days a year, two dollars a day: $1,460.

Seeing it like that makes it look like a pretty impressive amount of money, doesn’t it?  And all you thought two dollars could get you was nothing.  But the question now is, can $1,460 really get you anywhere in the world?  In my experience, yes.  I’ve never paid that much for a plane ticket, so you’ll probably even have money left over to pay for other expenses like a room and the cost of food while you are there.  Okay, it’s probably true that getting to Bora Bora might cost a little more, but in all honesty, not that much more.  To get there in two years, just save a little more each day or save a little while longer.

Maybe you can’t afford to be a world traveler at this point in your life but that doesn’t mean you can’t see the world.  Saving even a small amount of money each day will eventually get you to anywhere you want to be.  Egypt, Japan, Italy, Brazil, Alaska, Russia…anywhere you can imagine.

The next time you think two dollars can’t buy you anything, or that the ATM fee isn’t a big deal, think about what you might be missing out on.  Change your perspective about those two dollars and give your money its value again.  Just imagine yourself wandering around the ancient cities in Greece or riding through the Serengeti on safari and adjust your spending habits accordingly.

Think of your money in terms of how it will bring you closer to accomplishing your goal.  Ask yourself, “What can two dollars buy me in France?”  The answer might be “Not much!” but wouldn’t you rather spend your two dollars in France than wherever you are now?  I don’t know about you, but it always seems just a little better sipping on a soda halfway around the world than it does on the couch in my living room.

Spend wisely my friends!

Filed under Goals, Money, Opportunity, Prioritizing, Savings, Spending, Travel

In the Blink of an Eye

October 11, 2010 2 Comments

Do you care so passionately about something that you’d give up everything to chase after it?

Would you sacrifice the creature comforts of your everyday life or challenge the strength of a relationship?  Could you walk away from a stable career, even if it meant losing the assurance of a steady paycheck?  In the blink of an eye, could you turn your back on life as you now know it to risk turning it into one that dreams are made of?

Most people wouldn’t.

Not because they can’t but because it’s hard.  So many things could go wrong.  It’s far more reasonable (and safe) to stay the course with the life we’ve already created for ourselves.  Life-altering change isn’t something most of us actively seek out.  It’s one of those things that smacks us in the face when we least expect it.

Someone we love dies.  We discover that our partner has been unfaithful.  Maybe we lose our job without warning.

When these things happen, we have a decision to make; either we ignore the problems or we rise to the occasion and turn tragedy into triumph.  But why should we wait for our lives to be flipped head over heals before we become active participants in our destiny?  Why slog through yet another day ignoring our dreams and suffocating our passions.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

The Rulebook of Life doesn’t exist and you don’t need permission from anyone to live life on your own terms.  There’s no reason to spend the rest of your time here on Earth doing something that doesn’t bring you satisfaction or give your life meaning. 

It may not seem like it, but each day we have a choice to make.  Either we can put the right shoe on before the left, just as we always do, and live a repeat of yesterday or we can wake up and make magic happen.

“But I don’t really have a choice and besides, change isn’t practical.”

You do have a choice.  We all do.  The door to life isn’t locked, you just need to give it a little push and it will swing wide open.  No one else can do that for you.  And maybe change isn’t practical, but tell me, what practical person ever influenced history?  It’s the people who took risks and had big dreams that changed the world…will you be one of them?

These are your days, make the most of them.

Filed under Attitude, Goals, Inspiration, Life, Lifestyle Engineering, Motivation, Opportunity, Passion, Potential, Prioritizing

I Wish I Could Do That

October 9, 2010 7 Comments

I’d like to discuss a passage from Chris Guillebeau’s book The Art of Non-Conformity:

Almost every time I head out on an international trip, I end up talking with someone who expresses an interest in doing the same thing.  Their statement is usually something like “Wow! I wish I could do that.”

Here’s the thing: I realize that there are plenty of people out there who are not able to travel or make the same choices I can.  Having lived in the poorest countries in the world for four years, I know many of them personally.  Most of the people I interact with now, however, as well as most of the readers of this book, don’t fit into that category.  The people I talk with now who tell me they “wish” they could do something but feel unable have usually made a number of choices that prevent them from doing what they wish.  They have chosen to prioritize other things above their stated desire.

Some of them, I’ve noticed, can even seem a bit resentful of those who step out in a different direction.  When I offered to help a friend plan an upcoming trip to Europe, she eagerly accepted.  But then she said, “You know, not all of us can just take off and fly around the world like you do.”  I laughed it off and helped her anyway, but her offhand remark stayed with me after our conversation had ended.  As I thought about it later, I realized that the statement reflected a common form of jealousy.  This friend made more than $80,000 a year and certainly could have afforded to travel anywhere she wanted, but it wasn’t her priority.

As you begin making more and more of your own choices, you’ll encounter feedback like this fairly often.  Many people are uncomfortable with change and different ideas, and they’ll work hard at rationalizing their own choices when they come across someone who has made different ones.  I’m not saying it’s a bad thing for someone to prioritize a life around working at the office and buying things for their home.  I’m just suggesting that they openly acknowledge that as the priority.

I’ve heard the same comments.  “How can you afford to travel so much?” and ”I wish I could travel like you do.”  Each time Erin and I would announce plans for our next trip, we’d hear all the same questions again and again.  Like Chris, at the time of the conversation, we’d laugh them off but also like Chris, the words stuck with us and after a while, even though we wanted to share our excitement, we felt as though we were being criticized for our decision to travel and stopped telling people about our upcoming plans.

When people first asked us how we could afford to travel, I tried explaining to them that our priority is travel, everything else is secondary.  Eventually it dawned on me that these people don’t want to know how I can afford to travel.  They don’t care about frugality or avoiding debt and, as Chris points out, they’re just jealous.

Our decision to live life on our own terms is something that many people cannot understand.  Shouldn’t we be getting married, having children and buying a house?  That isn’t the path that either of us is interested in taking at this point in our lives.  We want to see the world and experience all that it has to offer.  “Nine to five ’til ya die” isn’t the motto I wish to live my life by.

I’ve said in the past that we should pursue our goals ruthlessly and without apologies but that seems hypocritical while I sit in silence, afraid to share my excitement with the world about my upcoming adventures.  I will not apologize any longer for living my life by my rules.

The other day when I was talking about doing handstands, I eluded to upcoming travels but left you wondering where they might be.  The fact of the matter is, at that time, we weren’t comfortable sharing our plans.  The comments, the questions…they get old after a while.  Today, after reading the above passage from Chris’ book, I really don’t care anymore what anyone thinks about my life and my choices.  Erin and I are doing what makes us happy.

And we’re going to Europe in January!

We’ll arrive in Paris on New Year’s Eve to watch the fireworks in front of the Eiffel Tower and from there we don’t have any plans for two weeks.  We’re in the process of negotiating an “itinerary” but haven’t made any commitments.  The only reservations we’ve made are in Paris for the holiday weekend.  After that, we’re going wherever the wind may take us and I’ll be doing handstands all over Europe!

Next time someone asks me how I can afford to travel, maybe I’ll ask them a question of my own: “How can you not afford it?”

Filed under Attitude, Freedom, Life, Prioritizing

Kim Kardashian’s Ass

October 2, 2010 1 Comment

This article isn’t about Kim Kardashian’s ass.  Her and her ass are just my reference point to our dysfunction as a society.  It seems that our attention is perpetually focused on trivial, unimportant things…shit, for a lack of a better word.  Leonardo DiCaprio, Lady Gaga, Oprah, Ricky Martin’s sexuality, Paris Hilton’s sex tape, Pamela Anderson’s sex tape, Kim Kardashian’s sex tape, Kendra’s sex tape, Keeley Hazel’s sex tape, Lindsey Lohan’s drug problem and Tiger Woods’ whore problem…a bunch of shit that no one really ought to care about.  Oh, I almost forgot Heidi Montag’s boob job…the controversy that created!

We’re so obsessed with Hollywood and celebrities that we ignore the world around us.  Reality TV has become a substitution for actual reality.  Our conversations revolve around who was voted off the island last night, not the atrocities taking place this very moment in Darfur.  The scandals on American Idol are of more concern to us than the dolphins being slaughtered in Taiji, Japan.  And did you hear that the Jonas brothers aren’t wearing their purity rings anymore!?  OMG!

The problem isn’t so much that we care about celebrities, it’s that we don’t care about the other things that actually matter.  Why?  Why don’t we give a shit?  As much as I hate to admit it, I get it.  I understand why we ignore the problems of the world and fill our thoughts with superficial garbage.

It’s easier. 

Looking at pictures of celebrities in bikinis is much more enjoyable than looking at pictures of babies starving to death or whales being brutalized.  Watching Josh Hartnett make love to a beautiful girl in the movies allows us to escape into a fantasy world but the bad things don’t get better by ignoring them.  The children are still starving.  By the time you finish reading this sentence, another child has died.  Climate change will happen whether you believe it or not.  Governments will continue to oppress their people.  Today wars are fought for oil and tomorrow, water.

But what difference can you make anyways?   You’re but one person in a sea of billions.  Your voice is no louder than the next person’s.  You and I may never change the world alone but if we stand together with hundreds, thousands or even millions of others just like us, we do have the power to be the catalysts of change.  Together, no longer are our voices small and meek but instead become a thunderous roar, one united voice, loud enough to move mountains.

“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” ~Gandhi

It’s time to forget about Kim Kardashian’s ass and unite to fight for what we believe in and stand up against the injustices all around the world.  As for Paris Hilton’s sex tape…it wasn’t even that good.

Filed under Attitude, Prioritizing, Random Thoughts, Rants

Our Fear of Change

September 4, 2010 Leave a Comment

Do you sometimes find yourself wondering how you ever ended up here?  Could you have done better?  Might things have been different, if only…the thoughts begin swirling around in your mind and soon you are second guessing the way your life has turned out. 

We all face moments of doubt; moments when we feel as though we’ve diverged from our path.  One morning we might wake up only to realize that we are in the midst of a journey we never should have been on in the first place.  In our moments of doubt we feel vulnerable; uncertain and insecure about where we are, wondering where it all might have went wrong…and it paralyzes us.

We’re afraid to change.  Not because we don’t want to change but because change is uncomfortable.  Finding the courage to make a major life-altering change is like trying to find the cojones to ask out the prettiest girl in school.  As much as you want to go on a date with her, it’s practically impossible to work up the nerve to introduce yourself (while not making a complete ass of yourself in the process).  The same is true for changing your life.  It is hard, it will be scary and you may even question your sanity at times.

Day after day we go through the motions of life.  We know something in our life isn’t right and despite our recognition that something is amiss, we shield ourselves from the truth. We try hiding behind the little lies we all tell ourselves; that things will get better, that he will change, that I’ll be promoted if only I work more hours…

We tell ourselves these things because we’re afraid to say “Screw it!”

We’re scared to quit, to cut our losses and move on to something else.  Afterall, we’ve invested so much time, money and effort into it that moving on would mean all our energy has been for naught.  So a relationship that has long ago soured lingers only because of the fond memories you once shared.  A bad investment stays in your portfolio because you can’t bear to take a loss, all the while its value continues to plummet.  And that degree in computer science that promised riches…well, rich you may be but happy you are not.

We must overcome the fears that strangle our dreams.  It’s time to be honest with yourself, say “Screw it!” and move forward.  Things change, people change, values change, beliefs change.  Life is dynamic.  Embrace change with an open heart.  The time, energy and money are all gone.  You will never be able to get them back.  So ask yourself, is it really worth it to invest more into this or are you just beating a dead horse?

We’ve all heard the stories of people who find themselves on the verge of death only to come back a changed person.  They quit their jobs, divorce their husband and chase after their passions.  These people aren’t crazy.  They get it!  They understand that this life is all they are ever promised and even a moment of dissatisfaction is a moment too many.  Don’t go another day questioning your life.  Change it!  You might not be so lucky as to have a second chance to get things right.

Find your happiness.

Filed under Attitude, Inspiration, Prioritizing

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