As part of the inspiring force to help you ‘take the leap of faith’, we will be conducting mini interviews featuring global entrepreneurs who have become “Business Backpackers”. Because we are all busy traveling, working, and having loads of fun, it is a short list of questions that will hopefully give you a quick glimpse of others “Living the Life”.

Our fifth  mini-view comes from Andy Hayes, expert traveler, writer, and author of the blog sites AndyHayes.com, Travel Online Partners and Sharing Travel Experiences.   His site very informative for writers and anyone who has a blog.  Andy is a great example of someone living an unconventional life with a business that will travel.

What is your passion and how are you sharing it with the world?

My main passion is travel.  I find exploring foreign cultures and having unique travel experiences is what really gets me out of bed in the morning.  From sunrise at Stonehenge to sunset on the Hong Kong skyline, I’ve seen and done so many amazing things and I hope to be able to inspire and help others get off their armchairs and have their own unique experiences.  I have been doing this with my ever-expanding blog, Sharing Travel Experiences, where I am sharing an open conversation about great travel experiences, photos, and recommendations.  It has become pretty popular and I am loving it.

A side project has developed from this – I know and have met in the course of my travels many small businesses working in the travel industry – many of them just one or a handful of people – who have seen the popularity of my blog and others and want to know how to duplicate this success in their own business.  So, I am launching a separate community for those small businesses who want to learn, share information, and benefit from this ever-expanding world of the Internet.

Although I travel a lot (but not as much as some of my fellow travelers), I am based in cozy Edinburgh, Scotland.  It’s somewhat more cosmopolitan than some imagine, going well beyond the stereotypes of castles, ghosts, and men in skirts!  I love it so much I ended up writing a book about it – the Historic Walking Guide Edinburgh.  Before I lived here I was in sunny Amsterdam where I lived for many years.  Amsterdam is another place that defies its reputation; the sex, drugs, and rock and roll are confined to only small areas of the city, whereas you’ll find bohemian cafes, restaurants, and great atmosphere in the rest of town.  Walking along those gorgeous canals and hanging out in quirky cafes, I learned a lot about myself and about my passions in the world.  It was where I truly found the path that I find myself on today.

Breaking down those misconceptions that my ideas and my plans would never work was very challenging.  I had a huge mental block that said “things are the way they are and it will never change” but after getting some help and perspective, I realized that the only thing standing between me and my dreams was: me.  After that, it all came together very quickly – in some cases a little too quickly.  While I still have a very long path ahead on my journey and some days are better than others, I certainly feel like getting the ball rolling is one realllllly big push that you really have to prepare your energy for.  It is easy to be scared about what will happen next – because if you push, something will happen – but overcoming the fear and starting that inertia was difficult for me.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.  I wouldn’t be where I was today without a great support network so find people who will be supportive and who have knowledge that can help.  You might need a coach to help you get your feet off the ground, or a marketing or business coach to work out the finer points of your business model – Alex Fayle was instrumental in helping me with getting things going.  But really, you don’t know what you’re missing.  Come on in – the water’s warm…

Links:

My Book About Edinburgh – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0955928133?ie=UTF8&tag=sharinexperi-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0955928133

and newest additions…

http://www.travelonlinepartners.com – a new resource for small businesses in travel and tourism to get the help they need with online technology
http://www.sharingtravelexperiences.com – a relaunch of  his previous travel site.  Same great recommendations and experiences but now with hand-picked travel specials and a exclusive travel concierge

Alex Fayle’s website is http://www.somedaysyndrome.com

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Stress can be real or imagined.  Whether or not the stress is real, the body will begin to react to the stress as if it is real.

Newsflash:  Most of our stress is imagined.

If you need proof of this, look out your window on a ‘good day’ and my guess is it looks pretty much the same as it does on a ‘bad day’. The only thing that has changed is our perception, and our attitude. The rest of the world goes on much the same from day to day.  What I care about is You, and I’d like to help you by sharing some tactics I’ve learned about getting back to positive and dramatically increasing your productivity. That is where you are going to make your difference and help the world. Check it out: Ten Ways to Actively Reduce Your Stress:

1. Learn How to Breathe

When I was diving in Ko Ha, my instructor Rob was briefing me before we went diving.  I explained to him that I had problems with buoyancy and needed more weights than normal.  He smiled and said, “No you don’t, you just need to learn how to breathe!” Rob went on to tell me this:

“When people are underwater, they are not relaxed.  They are trying to go down, but they are breathing rapidly, which fills your lungs up with air and makes you more buoyant.  When you are heading in a direction you don’t want to go (i.e. up), you begin to panic even more.  This cycle keeps you going where you don’t want to go.  What you need to do is learn how to relax your breath and direct where you are going with your breath.  For example, if you are trying to go lower, take long slow breaths, or breathe out more than in.  Or, to go up, instead of kicking, just focus on your breath.”

When we got to the ocean floor, I did an exercise where I laid on the bottom and practiced my breathing.  I took a deep breath, and rose up.  I let it out and sank.  I took long inhales and let out the air quickly and was able to move up easily without any kicking!  I continued to direct my entire dive and buoyancy with my air intake and outtake, and the experience was amazing! I could literally change where I wanted to go just by changing my breathing! You can do this with your emotions, too.  When you are stressed out, your breathing gets all out of whack. Your short huffy breaths are not getting oxygen to your system and then you cannot think. Until you stop, breathe, and take long deep breaths, you can not direct your situation to something better.  Plus, as a bonus, it is really hard to think about being angry and your breathing at the same time.  Let your breath direct your position in life!

2. Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Body

My friend Lisa is great.  She and I frequently talk about our latest epiphanies and one day she told me this:

“We are totally disconnected from our bodies.  Most days, we are just a bunch of heads floating around thinking about what we need to do next!  We have Got To get back into our bodies and get connected!”

Here is the thing:  if you are a thinker, you probably over-think everything.  I’m super guilty of this.  I have a strategic plan in my head before I even get out of bed in the morning.  I frequently have to stop myself from being too heady and actually get moving. Moving your body pumps the blood and circulates the oxygen where the best ideas come from!  So don’t hesitate, motivate!

3. Check Your Vitals

How many of us get started on a project and forget about our very basic vitals like eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, and sleeping.  Working on overdrive without any fuel is a bad combination.  If you are task oriented and have problems walking away and taking care of yourself, try this:  set a buzzer.  Turn on a timer in another room, or set a notification on your computer to stop and take time to replenish your vitals.  Your work will improve dramatically and you can fuel your projects further.

4. Change Your Environment

Stressed?  Go outside.  Take a walk and find some greenery.  Play with animals, watch them, hug a tree, watch bugs, watch people, realize there is more that exists than just you. Sometimes we get stressed out because we think we are the only ones playing this big silly game and that we have to figure it out all by ourselves.  Getting out of your environment will help you shift your thoughts and change your perspective!!

5. Unplug

Sometimes I want to bitch-slap my computer. I get everything all set up, and it locks up.  I have all the right windows open, and it shuts down.  I think my laptop is plugged in and it runs out of battery.  When this kind of stuff happens, it is time to:

JUST WALK AWAY FROM THE TECHNOLOGY

It will get better later, and you need a break.  Walk away, stretch your cramped body, take a break, and come back refreshed.

6. Plan Breaks in Your Schedule

Speaking of breaks, you should have them planned into your schedule.  I do an exercise with my clients where I help them to build a schedule for their Ideal Lifestyle.  It’s funny, because most of my clients forget to put in the basics, like taking breaks, eating, and creating recovery time. We are far more productive if we don’t work ourselves to death. Sound silly?  Do you take breaks?  Do you try to push through when things go wrong, or can you go chill in the hammock and come back stronger?  Get your nearest Kit Kat and gimme a break.

7. Control Your Control Issues

Here’s a great one for us overachiever, super results driven, perfectionist control issued business owners… Who’s got control? If you find yourself in a situation that feels out of control, is your first instinct to fix it?  A better question would be, do I even have the ability or control to fix this? Oftentimes, I get caught up in trying to fix things that I don’t even have control over. The Thais have a great solution for this, they just simply say Mai Pen Rai, or it’s Finished.  No explanation, and just walk away.  If you don’t have control over someone or something (*and really, who does?*) you may be better off just walking away.

8. Stop Spinning & Get Centered

I do this often.  I will stop what I’m doing in the midst of a project and go lie down. I’m not napping, I am taking a moment to settle my thoughts and get centered. Often I amass ridiculous amounts of information at a time.  In order for me to reorganize this information and actually DO something with it, I have to get centered.  I’ve found the most effective way to do this is to go lay down and focus on my breath while letting the information settle. Invariably, it the information stops spinning and settles into a logical place.  Then I can go back to a project and work efficiently.  Do you have something you can do when you start spinning?

9. Recondition Your Mind

Think you can get to happy without actually trying for it?  Guess again.  Us happy people are working harder to stay positive. It doesn’t take much effort or creativity to be a Negative Nancy.  But it takes some Massive Skillz to be a Positive Patty! I hit lows, and way lows, but I’m getting better at knowing what gets me back up and moving.  Part of knowing how to bounce back is having some tricks up your sleeve. Here are a few of mine:  dance music, positive books, reading other motivational blogs, writing, talking to friends or going out, movies, and mantras.

10. Make Mantras

For those of you that haven’t found the switch in your brain to turn off the noise, I recommend reconditioning with mantras.  They really work, and I’ve spent a lot of time making flash cards and pulling some of my favorite sayings and quotes into this list I’m going to share with you.  I don’t have the credits of where these came from, some from me, authors I like, and just general concepts I’m trying to believe in… but I encourage you to Take Action Now, and if nothing else, make some Magic Mantra cards that you can pick up when you are feeling down. My Magic Mantras:

• I am ready to live with an open heart.
• I am open and ready to relinquish expectations, timelines, and control.
• I call in the miracle of money!
• I feel safe.
• I am open and ready to embody wealth and abundant living!
• Thank you for your help, guidance, and encouragement to easily complete my goals.
• You will never be ready; But you can get ready.
• Thank you for providing all of the resources I need to do your work.
• The Universe is Perfect!
• I am calm and relaxed.
• I am open and ready to practice forgiveness.
• I am open and ready to do your work and be a Universal messenger.
• I have everything already.
• I practice unconditional love.
• There is a difference between knowing and doing.
• This is the Perfect Process.
• Don’t push the river.
• Remember, you are a golden child of an eternal Universe.  You are blessed completely!

Got any more ideas?  Share them below!!  I’m always interested in learning more from you all!

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“Giving up our attempts to control things forces us to face the reality that life is really nothing but uncertainty.”

–Swami Chetanananda

We are in a fascinating time of great change.  Sometimes, it feels like everything around us is changing—and all at once!  It is easy to become overwhelmed and distracted and feel confused about where to focus your attention.  What do we do?  Where do we turn?  Who are we in the midst of all of this uncertainty?

What is Uncertainty

About ten months ago, I decided to start off on a journey of running my business from different places around the world.  My first destination was Thailand.  I had all kinds of ideas about what I would be doing, how long I would stay, and how I would spend my time.  Boy was I wrong!  Everything changed the second I got here.  I had to suddenly deal with the fact that I no longer had ANYTHING in my life that was certain.  Everything from where I was living, eating, working, who my friends are, what language I’m speaking, how much money I had—everything became fluctuating variables.

At first, I started to panic.  What was happening?  Was I doing something WRONG?  Why does everything seem so out of control?

Then, suddenly, a voice of reason from my head, “If you had all this figured out, You Would Be TOTALLY Bored.”

I laughed aloud.  That was absolutely right.  It was then that I realized that we are not here to have everything all figured out.  Uncertainty is something we are going to have to deal with OUR ENTIRE LIVES, and we better just accept it, relax into the idea of constant change, and move on.

Is Anything Really Certain?

“…relax gradually and wholeheartedly into the ordinary and obvious truth of change.  [When we do this] we begin to understand that we’re not the only one who can’t keep it all together.  We no longer believe that there are people who have managed to avoid uncertainty.”

–Pema Chodron

Do you know anyone that can avoid uncertainty?

When it comes down it, nothing in our lives is certain.  This is frightening, and we do all kinds of things to try to avoid this reality.  But what if we just accepted it?  What if we embraced that the only thing we can really change in our lives is our perception of events, our emotional response, and our attitude to change?

Since we know that we are destined to live a life of uncertainty, we might as well get comfortable making decisions in uncertain times.  Change can be scary, but take a look through these tips and see if you can get a better handle on making decisions…

Five Tips Making Better Decisions

1. Stop thinking that the idea is to Figure Everything Out. Your job isn’t to figure everything out, it is just to be happy and sort out answers to what’s right in front of you.

2. Focus on What is In Front of You RIGHT NOW. Most of the time, we are fighting  a battle, trying to control the future.  You cannot safeguard yourself from future woes.  The best thing you can do is participate to make the best Now that you can, and move forward.

3. Learn how to Relax in the Midst of Change.  One thing I like to do is imagine the eye of a hurricane.  Even in the worst kind of chaos, there is a still point.  Find it and get centered.

4. Focus on your Values. If you need to make a decision, best to consult how it fits in with your values.  How would you feel if you made this choice?  How would you feel if you made that one?  Spend some time determining why, and usually a clear answer will appear.
Remember…

5. You Can Always Change your Mind.  Everything is temporary, and we have the greatest gift to try something, and if it doesn’t work, we simply change our mind.  Don’t be afraid to take action, see what happens, and if you don’t like the results… just change your mind!

Potential, Possibility, and Freedom

In conclusion, we are in times of great change.  You are likely to not have all of the answers, or even most of them.  The best we can ultimately do is accept our situation, realize we don’t have control over all of the outcomes, focus on what is in front of us, relax into accepting that change is inevitable and move forward.  By relying on our core values, we can do our best and see what happens.  And in the end, we can always change our mind if we don’t like the outcome!!  When we can make friends with uncertainty, we can find a new sense of authenticity and ultimately find freedom in the midst of change.

“…the experience of uncertainty contains the potential for living authentically and truly.  It holds the spectrum of infinite potential, possibility, and freedom.”

–Swami Chetanananda

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Some Man Somewhere is going to Rescue Me

There.  I said it.

Sigh.

There is a Big Reason why I am posting this.  It is not a female rant about men, nor is it only geared towards women readers.  I want to spend a bit of time in this post talking about our upbringing and how it shapes us.  But mostly, I want to talk about stepping up and taking Personal Responsibility.

Putting Relationships First

We tend to get distracted by what is going on around us.  Specifically, we get distracted in our lives by Personal Relationships.  In my life, my family values personal relationships more than anything.  Especially on my mother’s side of the family.  The amount of family activities and involvement was overwhelming to me growing up and I remember feeling at an early age that there was always an event to rush off to.  As I got older, I began to opt out of many of these events, eventually moving out of the state and became less active in the family activities side of my personal relationships.

When I talk to my family and friends, the first information they want to know is about my love life.  Who am I dating, how is it going?  Is there potential there?  I know women tend to spend a considerable amount of time talking to eachother about the relationships in their lives.  I wonder if it is genetic—like somehow we’ve personally taken on the responsibility of ALL THE RELATIONSHIPS IN THE WORLD.

It wasn’t until recently that I had the epiphany of discovering how much time is wasted trying to figure out other people.

Truth be told, my main function, my Whole Life has been mostly on this Disney directed idea that I was going to find myself a man, and then life would get better.

Playing Around with our Careers

When our main focus is dependent on our relationship, we are really just playing around with our careers. We know we need to have a focus, and do something meaningful, but when Mr. Wonderful comes along, we are all too eager to jump ship and follow his success.  I have done this before.  I was once engaged, and left my high-paying job in California to move to Colorado.  I ended up breaking off the engagement and realized what a terrible mistake I made.  I was also was in a long-term relationship where he made the major income.  We moved for his career, not mine.  This is neither right nor wrong, and in each case, what I want to point out is this:

1. I put my responsibility in someone else’s hands.
2. They didn’t want to take responsibility of me.
3. I didn’t like how it felt to have someone else feel like they needed to take care of me.

What Disney forgets to cover in its Relationship 101 course is that there are feelings and emotions that go along with being carried off on the white horse into the sunset.

We know from statistics that most relationships end over issues related to money.  Is this any surprise?

What We See and What We’re Taught

We, as women have been taught to get educated, be more masculine, and go into a career world, be aggressive, and fight for a dream that we mostly don’t want.  I’m sorry, but the idea of working my ass off forty or more hours a week, and cooking, taking care of my house, myself, and someone else is Not Exactly My Idea of Fun! So, somewhat secretly (until now) I’ve been holding onto the dream that I could step gracefully into a relationship or job or situation where I wouldn’t have to deal with this kind of pressure.

I grew up in a very affluent town.  Many of the moms had the choice of working.  When I moved to California, I worked for CEO’s who had stay at home wives, nannies, housekeepers, and the kind of homes that people were always showing up to.  The gardener, landscaper, architect, carpet cleaner…you name it, they had it.  I had kept myself in my comfort zone by always ending up in situations where the male was the main provider, and I just needed to show up.  I helped organize these people and their lives.  I handled everything from the kids to the property management, travel planning, you name they needed it—I did it.  But the reality was: I was a paid additional stay at home mom.  I was an extra.  I was still in the world of making a man responsible of me.

Reality Sucks

That reality didn’t really sit too well with me.  I was somehow dependent on a situation instead of myself. I was continually putting myself in a situation where a man was providing for my wellbeing, instead of myself. I was still following the Disney Guidelines and waiting for another Disney Rescue.  By living in Disneyland, I could forego most of my personal responsibility. I could continue to put my financial responsibility in someone else’s hands.  I could continually focus primarily on my relationship with men.  I could keep getting educated, without ever stepping out with what I knew.  I could be dependent on seeking approval from everyone.

So here is the deal.  I realized it’s time to suck it up and face reality.  The real deal is that we need to take ownership of ourselves, and take it up a notch when it comes to personal responsibility.  The rest of what we do is just a cop out, an excuse, a fantasy, or even worse…a distraction.  So, embrace the fact that Reality Bites, and let’s get moving on up!

• Taking Financial Responsibility: I always say this, and I’ll say it again (because it’s true!)  You have two choices with money:  You can Earn More, and You can Spend Less. You want more money right now?  There are your options.  If you choose to do both, you will have much more money!  Sound simple?  It’s a simple concept, but it takes real action.  We have to change our behaviors in order to make this really work.  Want to stop shopping?  Stop going to the mall.  Want to earn more money?  Kick it up a notch.  Nobody’s stopping you (except, well…maybe YOU!)
• Putting Relationships on the Backburner: Guilty as charged.  This one is my biggie.  I need to shelf the relationships and focus on my career.  By putting myself first, I can get focused and stop Disneylanding around.  If I choose to let go of the man fantasy, I can focus on something far better:  creating a life and income that supports itself, anywhere in the world. Kick that, Cosmo!
• Educating as an Expert: Way too often, we are looking for the answers outside of ourselves.  We think we need one more degree, one more book, and one more piece of information before we can be…well…whole.  WRONG!  Here is the biggest bit of info I can give you:  You already have the answers.  Step it up in your life and in your field and take the main-stage. You are ready, so get up there and start educating others.  Be the expert.
• Get Money, Not Approval: I’ve spent too many years of my life trying to get approval.  I wanted to be liked, wanted to fit in, wanted to be polite, wanted to be quiet.  The reality is, I am who I am—and you can like me or not.  If you are skilled and talented (which I’m sure you are) you should commit to getting paid for what you know.  Stop worrying what people are going to think of you and get paid.  You will care less about the haters if you have the life of your dreams. It’s the prime time of your life…get out there and go get ‘em!

Comments?  Thoughts?  What Fairytales are you holding on to?

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Before I began my latest adventure of moving my business online and heading off to Thailand, I had many worries.  Worries tend to begin as What If’s and are typically future based.

Here were some of my BIG WHAT IF’s:

1. What if I get hurt?
2. What if I run out of money?
3. What if I can’t find a place to live?
4. What if my clients quit and I have no income?

I think most people have these concerns on an ongoing basis.  I think most people worry about the future, and worry about money.  We all seemingly have more than enough TODAY; but what if something happens, and it all goes away tomorrow?

My main purpose for writing this post today is because I think I have gotten to the point where I have had ALL of my worries happen. I’m going to tell a quick tale about each and the lessons that came from them.  My hope is that this post prompts you to look at your biggest worries, and face them head on. If we can learn how to do this on a regular basis, we become less afraid of life.  We can move confidently into the future with less stress and more freedom.

Worry #1:  What if I Get Hurt?

I love motorcycles.  When I was 19, I decided to buy a motorcycle and took a course on how to avoid accidents and handle emergencies.  It was fantastic.  We drove little Suzuki 300 cc motorcycles and whizzed around a parking lot jumping over logs and doing emergency stops.  I loved it!  When I got my bike, it was the real deal.  I loved going for rides, clearing my head, and taking to the long curvy country roads in Indiana.

One time, on my way back home from the lake, my friend and I had a giant Yukon pull out ten feet in front of us.  The girl that was driving obviously didn’t see us but when she did she stopped abruptly and blocked both lanes of traffic.  I had no way of going around her and ten feet of room to stop.  Luckily, because of my class, I knew how to do an emergency stop.  I locked up the breaks, came to a somewhat controlled slide and laid the motorcycle down on its side with very little damage to myself or my passenger.  My heart was pumping.  I somehow picked up my bike (weighing several hundred pounds) and walked it to the side of the road before going over and yelling at the driver.  Then I started to cry.

I’ve been very weary of bikes since then.  I got rid of my bike.  I rarely go on other people’s, not so much because I don’t trust the driver, but the other drivers on the road that just aren’t paying attention.   So, it is safe to say that being in a motorbike accident is one of my biggest fears in the world.

In April, I went flying off the back of my friend’s motorbike. We were rounding a sharp corner and hit sand.  The bike kept going, but we didn’t.  I flew, superman style across the rough rocky and sandy pavement wearing only a very small sundress.  I remember thinking to myself as I was sliding, “Man, this is really going to hurt!”

Immediately, I jumped up, got out of the road and assessed my damage.  I was bleeding everywhere. Most of my skin had black on it and I could see chunks of pavement under my skin.  I was very upset with my friend, mostly because I knew he took the turn too fast.  I had told him another time to slow down and felt like it was really inconsiderate to put me at risk like that.  But somehow I was able to contain myself and keep quiet until I could speak calmly.

Eventually, I broke the silence with, “What did you learn from this?”

“Well, many things.  But mostly, to slow down.  I try to do everything too fast.”

I responded, “Good.  Well, I’m willing to take these scars for your lesson.”

Then I started to cry.

The thing is, I was mostly upset because it had been such a big fear for so long, and now it was happening.  I had wanted to do my best to isolate myself from ever having to go through that kind of pain ever again.  The memory of the last accident was so powerful that I never wanted to have to deal with it, ever… but here is something strange:  I was hurt far worse this time than the previous accident.  The strange thing was, it wasn’t actually That Bad. Yes, it took weeks to heal up and I have scars on my knees, elbows and hand that will be there for life, but it wasn’t That Bad.  It wasn’t as bad as I had imagined it to be for All These Years.  I had built up the fear and the worry to be So Incredibly Huge and the reality was nothing in comparison.

Worry #2:  What if I Run Out of Money?

Ok, so this has happened, too. An emergency border run comes up, a client payment comes through late, an unexpected whatever comes up, and there I’ve been…worrying about money.  What is so strange about money is how much time we spend worrying about it. I think we spend more time worrying about money than anything else.  But in my experience, I have found that something always happens, and everything works out fine.

I was down to No Money. I was sitting in my bungalow, feeling sorry for myself and budgeting my next few meals before my client payments were going to come through.  I remembered that I had carried another wallet when I was living in Bangkok and decided to rummage through my backpack to see if that wallet had any extra change in it.  When I opened it up, there was $5,000 baht just sitting there staring back at me!! This is the equivalent of about $150 US dollars!!  In just one instant, my mood changed, my worry went away, and I knew somebody, somewhere was looking out for me.

Worry #3:  What if I Can’t Find a Place to Live?

I think if we are honest here, when you travel, living situations just sort of happen.  People pop up, a tour bus drops you off somewhere, you meet a new friend, and the next thing you know…your world has changed.  You are living somewhere else.  Just like that.  It’s not like at home, when you have to pack boxes, hire a moving company, and get a U-haul for all your crap.  I’ve changed my plans on a dime, just because something seemed more fun.

I came up to Bangkok for a two week vacation, and have now been here almost two months.  Why?  I started having fun. I have friends here and I’ve bounced around having a great time and now a group of us are looking for a place to live together.  When you are open to new living experiences, and having fun, great things happen.  Right now, I am sitting in an internet café with all my stuff, waiting out the rain.  My friend has gone back to the US and I’m cat sitting for them in the most amazing apartment I have ever seen.

When I was living in Australia, I met a fun group of kids I palled up with and lived with them for awhile.  I was just out of school, doing my teaching practicum and started crashing on their couch.  I became known as “The Poor American that sleeps on our brown couch.”  It was hysterical.  I’ve slept on boats, crashed on couches or floors, camped out, and one time my friend and I got lost, we lit a garbage bin on fire and slept on a pile of mulch. The reality of this is that it is all very funny and each time, I have been more than fine, I’ve been living an incredible life full of fun and adventures.  When it comes down to it, does it really even matter where you sleep?

Worry #4:  What if My Clients Quit, and I Have No Income?

As a business owner, one major fear is having your clients quit.  We ‘future worry’ about ending up in a cardboard box somewhere and not being able to eat.  I know this is silly, but I do this all the time!  I wonder what might happen if everything goes away and I am left with no income.  So here is the thing:  I have lost clients with the economy.  I have had people I love go away because their personal financial situations.  But, when I’ve had this happen, other opportunities have come up!

One of my goals has always been to teach college students.  I applied for teaching opportunities at home, only to find out that they had more than enough professors.  However, a few weeks ago I was expressing my desire to teach and two days later, I was offered a position to teach at a local management university!  I am having so much fun and learning how to teach internationally.  It only takes a few hours out of my week and I have more than enough time to run my business and have a full social life.

If you are reading this, my guess is that you are entrepreneurial and clever. When I ran out of money in Australia, I got creative.  I washed cars at a car lot.  I worked at a historical garden.  I even painted somebody’s boat at a boat yard.  It hasn’t come to that on this trip, but looking back, I had a lot of ingenuity at twenty-two.  I’m sure if it came down to it, I would have more now, because I have more talents and skills than ever before…And So Do You!  So don’t think of all of the What If’s that are holding you back, you are too smart to starve to death.  And, gosh darn it, people like you!

The Moral of My Story:

The moral of my story is this:  at this point, I have had ALL OF MY WORST FEARS AND WORRIES COME TRUE.  But, here is the thing:  I’m just fine.  I’m more than just fine, I’m great.  I’m having the time of my life!!  My world of possibilities has expanded because I no longer fear my worst concerns.  I now know, without a doubt that even the worst possible thing is really not that bad at all.  So get out there and stop worrying about what might happen.  You’ll be amazed by what does!!

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It’s funny, but I never thought about it as not fitting in, simply as following my dream. I knew that I wanted more from my life than staying in a job I wasn’t enjoying simply to earn money. Luckily, my husband also shares that vision, so it was simply a matter of planning our escape.

Oh, that’s a tough question. I’ve learned so much from everywhere I’ve been. But if I had to pick one, it would be Nimes, France, where I spent almost a full year at the age of 21. It was the farthest from home I’d been and I didn’t know anyone – a great way to find out what you’re made of. It wasn’t always easy, but I learned a lot, both about the value of stepping out of your comfort zone once in a while and the danger of stereotyping (I was on the receiving end, but it made me determined to avoid doing the same to others).

A lot of people are only too ready to say how crazy it is to leave friends and family behind and move halfway around the world. Ignore them. Make sure your business is portable and then choose the life you want – you only get one shot, so you might as well enjoy it. It’s always better to try something than to wonder what would have happened if you did.

http://www.slideshare.net/sharonhh/sharon-hurley-hall-intro

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In the past, I’ve struggled with other people’s opinions (mostly because I’m always breaking the rules). I’ve also lived a very unconventional life, challenged by the concepts of fitting in with society, doing the work that I love, and feeling like I was contributing or changing the world in some way.  I want to let you all know that for the first time EVER, I feel like all of that has changed.

From getting feedback from you all, I realized there are many others out there, feeling alone and confused wondering why they don’t fit into conventional society. We wonder why the nine to five  feels like prison and why we can’t just make it happen and Keep up with the Jonses like everybody else.  I think the best gift in creating this blog has been hearing your comments.  I love connecting with you all and learning the trials and tribulations you are working through while you try to build a lifestyle and business that works for you.

I feel so fortunate to have a sense of understanding from you and realize something very important:  I’m not the only one.

My hope is by reading this site and hearing other people’s stories, you will realize that you are not the only one. Just because you roll a little bit differently from the rest doesn’t mean there is anything wrong.  In fact, what I’ve learned is this ability to be different and do something about it is one of the most empowering things in the world!

Doing Something MORE

With the economy changing, business is  happening a bit differently than before.  After I got over my initial self serving pity party, I realized that this is actually just an opportunity in disguise.  The truth is, people need support in their life and business NOW more than ever!!  The only problem has been that even though people want help, they simply can’t afford it.

I have had some time to think outside of the box and look at some more ways of reaching out and giving back more.  Here is the thing:  I LOVE what I do, and I want to do more of it. I am most happy when I am connecting with likeminded individuals and inspiring them to take action on their goals in life and business. I want to reach out more, and be available in more ways to you all.  I want to be like one of those great restaurants that is PACKED full of happy customers because the service is great, the food is fantastic, and the price is right.  So after a lot of soul searching, here is what I’ve come up with to be more available to YOU:

1. As many of you know, I respond to ALL blog comments.  I want to encourage you to comment or send me a direct email.  I’m always excited to hear from readers, what you are up to, and how I can help.  I WANT to be involved :0)
2. I’m writing guest blog posts on other sites like Digital Nomads to help spread the word of working remotely.
   
3. I am starting a new newsletter!!  Sign up for my Newsletter.  You will get specific success tips related to building the lifestyle of your dreams, business tips, and resources for going global.
4. In the Newsletter, I am going to offer free downloads and previews to upcoming product releases, as well as FREE COACHING CALLS. I’m going to offer free group coaching calls with all of my new Product Releases.  I realize that most people get stuck in life because they need more information.  In addition, they need someone to Guide Them Through the information!!  I was trying to figure out how to help everyone more, and I figured out I could reduce the overall cost by offering affordable Products with FREE Coaching Calls.  I’ll be releasing Monthly topics such as Lifestyle Design, Building a Budget, Overcoming Self-Limiting Behaviors, Finding Your Personal Mission, Going Global… and more.
5. I’m creating an affiliate program that rocks.  You can help the world and make money.  Get on the newsletter list to hear more.

I’m going to release my New Book, Return on Life—with a Free Six Week Coaching Class on October 1st.

As an incentive to put your name in a box and get more cool stuff, I will send you my Free eBook Spiritually Rich, right now :0).

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“Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted…  Would you capture it, or just let it slip?

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment.  You Own It.  You better never let it go! You only get one shot do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity only comes once in a lifetime…”

-EMINEM, Lose Yourself

We’ve got one shot.  We have one life to live, and we may as well make it exceptional.  Each of us has an opportunity to make an impact, making the world a better place by helping others.  This is the more challenging path to take in life and it requires unconventional thinking, unflagging commitment, relentless self-analysis, and indestructible inspiration.  The purpose of this article is to assist you in strengthening these areas and encourage you to live an exceptional life.

Storm the Norm

Becoming an individual requires you to break the rules and go against the norm.  Yet, we have all been conditioned by our upbringing and society to act accordingly and fit in.  In my journey of becoming who I really am authentically, I have learned that I need to go beyond just questioning the norm, but to take it by storm.  Key steps to storming the norm:

• Question Authority
• Think For Yourself
• Seek Opportunities
• Take Daily Action Towards Your Dream

By spending time questioning authority, you allow for new ideas to come in.  Think for yourself and tap into your true desires to decide what you really want for your life.  Seek out opportunities and information from like minded individuals.  And make sure to take daily action towards your dream.  No one is going to do this for you.  You must step it up and put yourself on the path of living your individual dream, now.

Commit to Your Destination & Burn Your Boats!

While you may not know all of the details of how you will accomplish your dream, you can take steps to identify it and move towards it now.  There is no better example of commitment than the example of burning your boats.

You may be familiar with the story of Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez and his famous journey to Mexico.  His destination was determined, and upon arrival, Cortez advised his crew to, “Burn the Boats!”

I can only imagine the scene of six hundred plus watching their only way home go up in flames.  But what mission could be clearer?  They had to win; they no longer had any other option.  Cortez was a genius, he gave them no excuses, no outs, no other alternative.  His crew was forced to commit.  And they won.

What if you dedicated yourself so completely to your goal that you were willing to never go back.  You were ready to move forward despite any obstacle, large or small.  What if you were so committed to your goal that you were willing to Burn the Boats?

Mission Possible

In order to be successful at any endeavor, you must first believe that your mission is possible.  Realize this up front:  you will have to face many obstacles and bumps along the way.  Part of understanding that your mission is possible is harnessing the ability to move through obstacles fearlessly!  This is a strengthening exercise of character and self-analysis.

Each fire you have to walk through will shape you and form you into the person you are to become.  These experiences will allow you to reflect upon your life and continually make adjustments.  Ask yourself the following questions to get clear on where you are and what you want:

• What do I want to achieve?
• What is my biggest challenge right now?
• What lesson do I need to learn to move past these challenges?
• How can I change my mind, attitude, or behaviors to achieve my goal?
• Who can help me achieve this goal?
• What are my next steps?

Part of moving forward fearlessly is having a plan. Spend time reflecting on your situation and write down a plan of action.  I write focused goals each week and spend the bulk of my time on accomplishing specific tasks that move my personal life or my business further ahead.  Lastly, you must find ways of staying inspired so you can stay productive and continue to build a lifestyle of meaning.

Build a Lifestyle of Meaning

There is nothing more inspirational than living a life of meaning and helping others.  Keep in mind that you are building a lifestyle, and anything that is built takes time.  To stay inspired and avoid burnout, implement the following steps:

1. Take time to celebrate your achievements.
2. Realize that by focusing on your goals and achieving them you are acting as an inspiration for everyone in your life.
3. Share your experience to light the path for those that may wish to follow you.
4. Surround yourself with an inspirational community, in person and online.
5. Lighten up, have fun and enjoy the process.

In closing, you are here to live your mission, inspire others, have fun, and become stronger in the process.  If you are doing what you love, it will show.  Take time to celebrate your accomplishments.  Understand that you are embarking on this wild ride to show others that it is possible to live their dreams.  You can help to keep up your level of inspiration by sharing information with your friends, family, and community.  Network with others that have similar values, goals, and missions.  This will help you to stay inspired while you learn to have fun in the process.  My challenge to you is to seek the lifestyle of your dreams, and live a life of true meaning.  Your hard work will make you and everyone around you stronger, so remember:

“That that won’t kill me, can only make me stronger.  Work it. Make it. Do it. Makes us… harder, better, faster, stronger.”

-Kanye West / Daft Punk, Stronger

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Our third  mini-view comes from lifestyle designer Greg Rollett, who is running several cool projects at a time: Rock Star Lifestyle Design, Rock For Hunger , and Gen-Y Rock Stars.  Greg lives in Orlando, Florida and helps to inspire a variety of people to find a mission they are passionate about and share it with others.  He challenges you to “begin doing something that you not only love, but that makes a difference in the world.”

How did you know you didn’t fit in to conventional society?

I actually started my first business my senior year of high school and they let me out of school 2 hours early to do it. That first business, a record label, was really the first step towards doing something different. After high school I wanted to go to a music engineering trade school, but didn’t have the money. After 2 semesters of watching my friends in school I decided to give it a kick.

From there I got into Internet Marketing, SEO and all that good stuff that none of my friends or family understood a word of. I knew from there that I had found something fun and exciting that I could immerse myself in. Now a few years later I found my way into the Internet Business to let me work on Social Change stuff. I guess its a fun time to be someone like this!

What do you currently do & please describe a brief roadmap of the haphazard leaps of faith that got you here today…

I currently have way too much on my plate, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. My main sources of income come from social media consulting and 2 membership websites, one for young professionals and one for indie musicians. These sites allow me to do some of the things that I enjoy most in life which is teaching and helping others live the rock star lifestyle! It has also allowed me to be a part of an amazing group called Rock For Hunger, where I work the Homeless Lifestyle Design Program to help local homeless find a mindset and get back on their feet.

My roadmap keeps getting new stops, detours and fun rest stops along the way. Being married with a mortgage meant that I had to keep my day job until a replacement income came in. That part was tough to juggle, between long nights, no personal/family time and really just a burnout, I needed to start working smarter. I started turning down consulting gigs that were no longer fun and disassociated myself with some people that didn’t share my same vision.

Business plans were changed, business models were changed and ultimately I needed to create something that could run while I was out saving the world! I still don’t have everything figured out and I still have many business goals and ideas to continue my own rock star path.

Your most life changing travel place & why?

I am definitely not as cool as you and Cody and some of the LIP’s that I read about everyday. I mostly stay here in Orlando, helping my local community grow. When I do get out I love adventure sports and am planning a trip to Costa Rica for a week of volunteering and a week of surf camp.

The biggest life changing travel I have done would have to be my honeymoon trip to St. Lucia. Being on an island, seeing the cultures and having a chance to do things with no technology was just mind blowing. I honestly couldn’t see myself not checking my iPhone every 10 minutes, but the feeling of not having to rely on these devices and actually have personal conversations is a heartwarming feeling.

Encouraging words you would pass on to readers: If you could have had someone there when you took the leap of faith, what would you have needed to hear the most?

Through reading sites, books and talking to people over the last year or 2, I really changed my outlook and my life. When I was playing in a band I was always waiting for the weekend, for the next show. When I had a 9-5 it was the same way. That is not really living life. I work really hard, sometimes 60-70 hours a week, but they are for things that I care about, that I am using to make a difference and wouldn’t trade for the world.

Some other advice is that the lifestyle change wasn’t just mental. For me it took changing eating habits, getting back into fitness and working on my business that really aligned everything in the right direction. Most things can be taken in steps, as long as there is action and a desire to see the results of those actions.

Contact Greg!

Rock Star Lifestyle Design – http://www.rockstarlifestyledesign.com
Gen-Y Rock Stars – http://www.genyrockstars.com
Rock For Hunger – http://www.rockforhunger.org

& Keep on Rockin’ Your Lifestyle!!

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• About Us

Why do people move?

What makes them uproot and leave everything they’ve known for a great unknown beyond the horizon?

Why climb this Mount Everest of formalities that makes you feel like a beggar?

Why enter this jungle of foreignness where everything is new, strange and difficult?

The answer is the same the world over: people move in the hope of finding a better life.

-Yann Martel, Life of Pi

How far would you go to find a better life?

To what extent would you allow yourself to reinvent your life and rediscover who you are and what you really want?

Taking a journey of self-discovery is the most rewarding thing you can do with your life.  You will learn more about your thought patterns and limiting behaviors, realize who you are apart from other people’s expectations, and learn to let go of everything that is important to you. Many people fear being alone.  But you can only truly discover who you are by taking yourself out of your normal environment and face your fears, head on.

I once read: do what you fear the most.  I questioned this philosophy and realized it made perfect sense; when you recognize you’re afraid of something, you have an opportunity to confront that fear and move past it.  By addressing your fear, you clear old behaviors and renew yourself.  More becomes possible when you remove the fear.

The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart.

I believe we are put on this earth to live our mission and overcome our fears.  Sometimes this comes to us in stages, but often times it comes to us through crisis.  We become broken down by circumstance—which forces us to reevaluate our life.  When we face these questions, we demand answers.  But oftentimes, we are forced to move through challenging situations and find the answers by facing our fears.

What We Fear Most

With each article I have read on fear, I have noticed a consistent theme: Fear is a perception that exists only in your imagination. If we imagine something to be scary, then we believe it is scary.  The mind has no way of distinguishing between fanciful thoughts and reality.  It is based on conditioning and experience.  Therefore, the best way to conquer your fears is to adjust your mindset and face the fear head on.

1. Fear of Losing Everything

Every single thing I value in life has been destroyed.  And I am allowed no explanation?  I am to suffer hell without any account from heaven?  In that case, what is the purpose of reason…?  Is it no more than to shine at practicalities—the getting of food, clothing and shelter?  Why can’t reason give greater answers?  Why can we throw a question further than we can pull in an answer?

Are you afraid of losing everything?  Many of us stress ourselves out because we feel like we might lose it all. This fear creates constant uneasiness about our ability to maintain our basic needs.  Fear creates a fictitious solitary stance in the world; we believe we are in this on our own, and must always fend for ourselves.  Even in the crisis of ‘losing everything’, the reality is that other people would come to our aid.  We have friends, family, and loved ones that would step up and see us through a rough period.  So stop worrying!  Even if you did lose everything, you wouldn’t lose your support system and networks.

2. Fear of Being Alone

I must say a word about fear.  It is life’s only true opponent.  Only fear can defeat life.  It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know.  It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy.  It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unerring ease.  It begins in your mind, always.

In the book, Life of Pi, the main character, Pi, is traveling with his family via a large cargo ship from India to Canada.   His family runs a zoo and is transferring many of the animals to a zoo in Canada.  During the trip, the ship begins to sink and many of the animals are released into the ocean.  Pi manages to take refuge on a rescue boat with several of the animals.  Within a few moments, he watched the boat sink with his family on board and was trapped in a boat with a zebra, hyena, orangutan, and a Bengal Tiger.  Imagine the fear and utter confusion you would feel in this situation!

In our lives, we are never really alone.  There are internet connections, family and friends, social networks and people we can rely upon to get back on our feet.  While our situation might be scary or unfavorable, there are ALWAYS other people around to support us and get us through our fears.  Most of the time when a situation presents itself where we feel alone, it is only an opportunity to recognize a fear, and move forward in our lives by confronting what scares us.  This process feels lonely because facing fear is something we must do alone.

As the story progresses, the hyena eats the zebra and the orangutan and is eventually taken by the tiger.  The boy is left on the boat for a total of 227 days with the tiger.  He learns eventually that he can no longer ignore the situation.  He must confront it and tame the tiger.

3. Fear of Being Hurt or Dying

I had to tame him.  It was at that moment that I realized this necessity.  It was not a question of him or me, but of him and me.

In my opinion, we have to accept that fear- just like the tiger- is not going to go away.  It is no longer about overcoming your fears, but realizing that they will never go away, and taming them. I do not know a single individual that has completely overcome fear.  At best, we can recognize it, determine where it is holding us back, and move forward despite the fear we have.

None of us want to be hurt, or die.  But, in the course of our lifetime, is it possible to avoid either of these? Unless you have some superhuman quality I don’t, we’re all going to end up scuffed up from time to time and heading to whatever lies beyond this lifetime.  Consider it an adventure, and get on with it.

4. Fear of Failure

How does fear of failure get in your way?  Are there areas in your life that you stopped short because you were worried that you were not up to the task?

One major realization I had that helped me move past the fear of failure was this:  If I am living my life on purpose, and I am being assisted by the Universe…I can’t really ever fail.  Because, in effect, I am representing the Universe.

This takes away my personal responsibility a little bit and helps me to relax and move forward despite my fear.  I just pretend I am an agent of the Universe, and stop taking it so personally.

But, what do we do when fear and failure get the best of us?  …When we are at our lowest lows, it is best to keep in mind this is just a test…

This is Just a Test

When we face adversity, we want to give up.  We want to hide in bed.  We want to do nothing.  It doesn’t feel safe.  We feel alone.  We are struggling in an unpredictable situation with our teeth clenched and our fists raised.

But this is the test. The test is to see how we react in the face of fear.  Are we going to tame it, or hide from it.  Are we going to step up and work hard, or are we going to feel defeated?  The test is to step up in the face of fear and to know down to our bones that we will survive.  We will survive, no matter what it takes, and we will learn to look for the miracles and come to expect them, even in our most dire state.  This, my friends, is how we tame our fears.

I was giving up.  I would have given up—if a voice hadn’t made itself heard in my heart.  The voice said, “I will not die.  I refuse it.  I will make it through this nightmare.  I will beat the odds, as great as they are.  I have survived so far, miraculously.  Now I will turn miracle into routine.  The amazing will be seen every day.  I will put in all the hard work necessary.  Yes, so long as God is with me, I will not die.  Amen.”

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