Live Limitless

Adventure, Business, Travel

Personal Development

32 Tips I’ve Almost Learned from 32 Years

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Alas, I am 32, and like most birthdays, I feel the same. However, I have noticed myself feeling more anxious over the last couple of years. It took me some time to figure it out but eventually I realized what the problem is. As a pretty ambitious person, I felt perfect in my early 20’s. After all, failures and set-backs didn’t mean much. I had loads of time left. Now they do mean something, at least to me. One failure feels like 100.

So, in learning to deal with that and to celebrate 32 years of learning about life, I thought I’d write out a list of 32 things I’ve “almost learned” over the last 32 years. I say “almost learned” because I certainly haven’t mastered all of them. I have simply learned them and will continuously try to implement and improve on them throughout life. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

I hope this list inspires you in some way. Feel free to share more tips that you’ve learned in the comment section below!

32 Tips from 32 Years

In no particular order… [Read more…] about 32 Tips I’ve Almost Learned from 32 Years

Exploring Dhamma | My 10-Day Vipassana Experience

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(This 3000-word article is a brief summary of my 10-day Vipassanā experience. An experience like this is hard to put into words but I hope it gives you an idea what it’s about and inspires you to consider trying it yourself)

Ever since I heard about Vipassanā meditation from Tim Ferriss (I think he mentioned it in his book or on his blog) I knew I had to try it out. Ten days of silence seemed like such a massive personal challenge, not to mention the fact that I’d also be giving up writing, reading, and all electronics. Plus, I’d be meditating for more than 10-hours per day!

Extreme? yup. Count me in.

Unfortunately, there weren’t any Vipassanā centres close to me and even though I had spent 6-8 months each year traveling through many countries that had them, the last thing I wanted to with limited time in an exotic country was spend 10 days in confinement.

Luckily, a centre opened up just a 3-hour’s drive from my home city of Calgary, Alberta. This helped me finally take the plunge. On June 30th, 2016, I drove to Youngstown, Alberta and started my path to enlightenment.

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Speaking in Front of 100+ People

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Two weeks ago, I got a message from my friend Steve asking if I wanted to give a talk at an event called Pechakucha. He sent me some links about the event and told me that the theme was about less. He knew I travelled for less and therefore would be a good candidate to speak. I always wanted to give a talk in front of a crowd so I said yes.

Later I found out that I would be in front of over 400 people. My biggest talk prior to this was in front of maybe 35 people. Needless to say, I was both excited and nervous. Perfect.

Speaking in front of a crowd pechakucha

Pechakecha events consist of a slideshow presentation with 20 slides x 20 seconds of talking per slide. They happen around the world. I decided to not just talk about travel. I wanted to have an overall inspiring message for living a limitless life so I dug deep and picked some incredible accomplishments I’ve had that were inspired by less.

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My 2015 Annual Review and Roadmap for 2016

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I’m not usually one for making new year resolutions. I find it silly to wait until the end of the year to promise positive change when it can be started at any moment. However, after reading about Chris Guillebeau and his annual review, I began to look at it differently.

An annual review is not the same as new year resolutions. For me, it’s a chance to reflect over the last year and be grateful for all the beautiful things that happened. It’s a chance to remember all the amazing experiences but also a chance to reflect on what didn’t go as planned. After the reflection, you can do a brief plan for the year ahead. I like to leave a lot of room for spontaneity so my plans only serve as a direction for the upcoming months.

Regardless of whether you like to plan ahead or not, it’s always a good idea to reflect on the past year. I’m often surprised at how much I actually accomplished and the pros usually outweigh the cons, which is always nice to see.

So here it is…

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I Went to Africa and Didn’t Get Ebola (or How to Not be a Media-Infused Sheep)

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Midnight. I had finally sat down in my business class seat on an Ethiopian Airlines flight headed to Japan. It was my last few minutes in Africa before arriving in a another completely different world. I had just spent more than two months backpacking with my wife through Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia. As usual, we packed as many adventures as we could into those 60+ days. We had lions circle our vehicle, witnessed wild elephants bathing in mud, experienced the great wildebeest migration, hiked into the rainforest to find a family of mountain gorillas, watched chimpanzees ponder life, rafted class-5 rapids on the Nile, and stood in front of a lava lake as it shot hot magma into the air at Erta Ale Volcano in Northern Ethiopia.

I got a lot of things while I was in Africa. I got to see exotic animals. I got to see lava-spewing volcanoes. I got to see unique cultures and tribes. I also got souvenirs such as wood-carved masks, handmade bowls, coffee pots, and fresh coffee beans.

But I didn’t get ebola.

It is surprising how many people warned me about going to “Africa” as if Africa is one small country. It’s actually a massive continent that could easily fit the United States, China, India, and many other countries inside of it.

Ebola is a horrible disease that is basically confined to a very small corner on the west side of Africa. The three main countries affected are Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. If you look on a map, this is a small sliver of Africa. Imagine ebola breaking out on a small island off of Florida and everyone telling you to stay out of the United States. Same thing.

Some people told me I was crazy to go there. Some people said they wouldn’t step foot on the continent. Some people begged us to stay. I really couldn’t believe it, especially when it came from other travellers who should know better.

But this is what the media does. It turns what could be self-thinking-people into media-infused-sheep, blindly following anything they hear.

We met a number of small safari companies in Tanzania suffering from this mis-informed culture. It’s a real shame considering tanzania is more than 3000 miles from the affected area. London is actually closer and there have been more reports of ebola in the U.S.A than in all three countries I visited.

But this article isn’t really about Africa or ebola. If you want to go to Africa, go. Now is a good time because there are less tourists. This is about thinking for yourself and not blindly following the herd.

If the media can trick MILLIONS of people into not visiting Africa, what else can they do? It’s not just the media either. It might be friends, family, or your Facebook feed. Same same but different.

What are others making you believe that isn’t true? What’s holding you back that shouldn’t be?

There’s no scientific antidote that I know of for fixing this problem but here are some steps to help.

1. Realize that Not Everything you Hear is True

Shocking, I know. You would think that the media would actually educate the public but they don’t. Some people have an agenda and the media’s agenda is to sell commercials. They need a captive audience and fear sells better. They want you glued to the TV to watch the ads. That’s it. Your friends probably watched this same news source and now regurgitate untrue information. Then there’s Facebook.

2. Turn Statements into Questions!

James Altucher has a great piece of advice that fits well with this topic. When you’re about to make a statement (internally or externally), add a question mark at the end of it. Instead of thinking “Africa is dangerous because of ebola”, you should think “Africa is dangerous because of ebola?”. See! Changes everything. Now it’s a question and not a statement. Suddenly, you’re provoked to think and do some research.

3. Reach out

One of the best things about the Internet is the ability to find information but you need to find a quality source. If the subject is tourism in Africa, why not find real travel publications/forums/blogs and ask people. Better yet, ask people who have been to Africa or who are there right now. Try to think of the one person you know who wouldn’t blindly accept media information. Google can work as well but you must be careful of the sources.

This is true for everything. Not just a trip to Africa.

I’ve seen this happen for so many things that I can’t help but wonder about the spoiled opportunities. There were some people in the past who asked me how I travel so much. There is a lot that goes into it but I mentioned that I use points to pay for most of my flights. They scoffed at the idea and mentioned some of the supposed negative aspects of frequent flyer miles like credit cards and blackout dates. Meanwhile, I am traveling around the world in business class for next to nothing and they are sitting at home. Why not listen to someone who is doing it?

But whatever you do, don’t go to Africa! They have lions!

 

Say YES More! (And How I Went to Japan for Free)

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One of the top questions I get asked when telling people about my story is how I became so adventurous. For those that don’t know, I didn’t grow up an adventurous person. I don’t remember ever dreaming of traveling the world until my early twenties and even then it wasn’t a top priority. But from my late teens and into my early twenties, I did crave change. I wanted to try more things and explore life’s possibilities. In essence, I wanted to live limitless.

So I did. I started trying new things. I said YES more often. If something piqued my interest, I said YES! When I noticed a poster at school advertising salsa dance lessons I said YES! When I noticed an ad for Olympic speed skating try-outs, I said YES! If someone mentioned something exciting, I said YES!

And ultimately, saying YES is what has changed my life.

Whether I said YES to my ideas or thoughts or to a friend’s proposal, everything changed. Suddenly I was trying new things and meeting new people. Suddenly I was becoming more confident and becoming more willing to say YES. Suddenly, nothing seemed impossible. As long as I said YES, I could try anything. Who knows what might happen or who I might meet. Life became one huge possibility.

Life became so exciting and fresh!

I looked around at others still living a life of NO. A life of stifled creativity. A life of fear. They followed the traditional path that was laid out for them by family, teachers, government or media without ever thinking of other possibilities. They stuck to the same old patterns passed down to them and didn’t question anything. It all seemed so boring to me. It’s not like our life is a practice round for the next one. This is it. Make it happen. Live life to the fullest.

Say YES!

How Saying YES lead to a FREE trip to Japan

Back in 2009, I was lying in my bed reading articles on the Four Hour Work Week Blog when a new post by Tim Ferriss really got me excited. He was releasing his updated version of the Four Hour Work Week book. I already owned the original version but loved it so much that I knew I needed the new one. Tim’s plan for reaching the New York Times Bestseller list involved asking readers to buy hundreds of copies, which came with unique gifts. As I scanned through the options, one really stood out. If I bought 100 copies of the Four Hour Work Week ($1500 USD) I would get a ticket to have dinner with Tim and attend a private party on a warship in San Francisco. The possibilities began swarming around my head. This was my idol in the business world. Even though I had $1500, I didn’t really want to be stuck with 100 copies of the same book. With the option being available to only 20 people, I questioned it for only one hour before reaching a decision.

I said yes. I clicked on the buy now button and a few weeks later had 10 huge Amazon boxes show up at my door. It looked so strange that I had to take a picture. A few months later, I was in San Francisco partying with Tim Ferriss and 20 others who bought all the books as well as Noah Kagen, Kevin Rose and Paula Abdul.

Four Hour Work Week

Tim Ferriss San Francisco

After the party, I had to try selling the books. I began searching Meetup groups trying to find business-minded people who might be interested and ended up stumbling upon a group called Junior Chamber International (JCI). I sent them an email and they invited me to come make a proposal at the their next meeting. When I showed up, I gave them a quick speech about the books and then sold a few copies. Then one of the guys made me an offer. He told me that a student membership was $50 per year (I was a student at the time) and that he would buy four copies if I joined the group. Since everyone was young and inspired, I said YES.

Next thing you know, I’m taking free public speaking courses, attending meetings and eventually taking a free trip to Japan. I didn’t realize  how big JCI was on the international level but when the world congress was announced in Osaka, Japan, I knew I had to go. Since JCI Calgary is a non-profit organization who does work in the community in exchange for funding, my trip was fully paid for. 10,000 people from all over the world attended this event.

One YES turned into:

  • Meeting my idol Tim Ferriss
  • Partying on a warship in San Francisco with mega-entrepreneurs
  • Joining JCI and improving my public speaking skills
  • A free two-week trip to Japan

Since saying YES, my life has changed dramatically and for the better. So many things have happened and I’ve experienced more than most people do in a lifetime. It doesn’t stop with the Japan trip either.

Since saying YES!, I have:

I could go on but I’d rather just give you some advice – SAY YES!

The next time you have an idea for an adventure or a business – SAY YES!

The next time you see an advertisement for something that interests you, whether it be salsa dancing or public speaking lessons – SAY YES!

The next time you feel like it’s time to do something new, SAY YES!

The next time you feel like you should ask someone out, SAY YES!

The next time you feel like losing fat and building muscle, SAY YES!

Say YES to Life. As cheesy as that sounds, it’s very powerful. Say YES and watch the opportunities unfold before you.

or Say NO and continue living exactly as you have without ever opening yourself up to a new world of possibilities.

Everything is a choice and the choice is yours.

I hope you make the right one.

***

I’d like to hear from you. Has saying YES changed your life? Is there something you’re going to say YES to after reading this post. Share in the comments below!

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