• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Live Limitless

Adventure, Business, Travel

  • About Matt
  • Start Here
  • Travel Hacking
  • Blog
  • The List
  • Contact

Personal Development

Stop Making Excuses in the New Year

by Matt 2 Comments

If there’s one thing that really gets to me, it’s hearing people make excuses for everything in their life. They complain about this and that and how other people are simply lucky. Sometimes I give them possible solutions and they brush them of with yet another excuse. It’s exhausting.

I’ve fallen into this category more than a couple of times in my own life and I can certainly tell you that it gets you nowhere. If anything, it just makes things worse.

If you’re unhappy with your situation but keep doing the same thing, you’re going to be exactly where you are one year from now and ten years from now and twenty years from now. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.

Don’t be insane!

You can’t complain that you don’t have enough money to travel the world or that you don’t have any time to learn new things or that you don’t have enough income and then turn around and watch the next episode of American Idol. You can’t sleep in late every day, stare at your Facebook feed for hours and sit on the couch if you expect to make changes in your life.

It doesn’t work like that.

We all have enough time to learn something new and try new things. If your time isn’t prioritized however, it will go to waste.

I have friends who make more than $100K per year but have no savings…

I know some people who say year after year that they want to travel or pay off debt but literally don’t make one step in either direction…

Some complain about not being able to find a job yet they’ve only applied for five or six…

Others want to start a side project or learn a new skill or start a business but spend all their free time partying or watching movies…

Every one of them has an excuse.

I don’t have the time. No one will hire me. I can’t do that. I don’t have enough money, etc, etc, etc.

It actually irritates me to see people throw away possibilities in life. I find it quite sad because it’s all bullshit.

Everything is a choice.

Stop Making Excuses in the New Year

If you don’t have enough money, chances are that you’re not spending it right. You need to re-prioritize where the money is going and make a change. Your accommodation, eating habits, drinking habits and shopping habits are all choices you make. No one is forcing you to do anything.

If no one is hiring you, you’re doing something wrong. Maybe your resume sucks. Maybe it has spelling mistakes. Maybe you’re not applying for enough positions or maybe you’re applying for the wrong jobs. How about moving to a new city? Maybe you need to start for free or do something creative to get attention.

If you want to travel but never do, you haven’t made it a priority. It’s extremely rare for someone in a developed country to not be able to afford traveling somewhere exotic for a long period of time. What’s common however is that people either tell themselves lies such as traveling is too expensive or they are simply spending their money on other things instead. Others expect too much and have conned themselves into thinking they need 5-star hotels to change their life abroad. Ugh.

The point is. You have chosen where you are. Yes, we all have different circumstances and some of us have it a little harder but for the most part, you are where you are because you’ve put yourself there. Unless you’re living in North Korea where you’re literally imprisoned, you are free to make a different choice. It might takes months or years but if you want it bad enough, YOU CAN make it happen.

Unfortunately (or fortunately in my opinion), it requires effort. Government programs don’t pay citizens to travel and do what they want. You can’t lose weight by eating junk food. Great jobs are not bought at a vending machine and are rarely found in a job database.

Make a choice and stop making excuses. If you’re too lazy to make a change, you should still stop making excuses and just accept where you are and where you’re going. Contentment is the key to happiness after all.

If you do want to make a change and are ready for some small sacrifices, get started right away. Though you should never wait for the New Year, it’s here anyways! All you need is you and the desire to be somewhere different in life.

How to Stop Making Excuses in Life

Want to travel?

Make it a priority. Stop doing other things that cost you a lot of money. Stop buying new clothes. Stop buying alcohol at bars. Stop eating out at restaurants. Move to a cheaper apartment or a cheaper house. Figure out why you actually want to travel and know that you don’t have to be rich to travel the world. Create a plan and get started. You can also sign up for a free copy of the Limitless Travel eBook or Canadian Free Flyers travel hacking program.

Want to lose weight?

Stop eating junk food. Eat less carbs. Stop drinking soda. Stop drinking alcohol. Commit to a 12-week program and get a gym membership. Work out every morning. Start sweating. Eat clean and drink lots of water. Take a before picture and cry yourself with happiness when you take your after-picture 12-weeks later. It really is this simple. The hardest part is perseverance.

Want to learn something new?

Maybe you want to learn how to create a business on the side or learn how to salsa dance or learn how to code computer programs. Did you know most of these things can be learned online for little or no money? Stop watching TV, take shorter showers and stop using social media so you can spend that time studying what you wish to learn. Make it a commitment. Do it everyday. Get out of the house and meet new people who want to learn with you. Try meetup.com. That’s just one option.

You may know right away that this is you. Maybe you know others who should read this. Awesome! Share this with them. It’s free. Some of you will probably shake your heads in agreement and some of you will shake your heads in disagreement and start surfing the Facebook newsfeed for pictures of celebrities and their pets.

What I hope is that at least ONE PERSON will read this and be inspired to change themselves and move in the direction they wish to go in. You don’t need to know the destination – you just need to begin moving forward. The path will change as you move forward but at least you won’t be lost in the forest of life.

What do you want to change? Where do you want to go?

Share below and I’ll get back to each and every one of you.

***

For those wondering my plans for change in 2015, a lot of it is extensions of what I’ve already been doing. I plan on visiting about 10 countries. I plan on doing another fitness program when I’m back in Canada for the summer. I plan on being more happy, grateful and content. Most of all, I plan to focus more on business, even though it’s going to be VERY HARD with all the adventures planned.

I plan to LIVE LIMITLESS in 2015 because I’ve learned that 2016 is not guaranteed.

Annual Life Review and 2015 Plans

by Matt Leave a Comment

Annual reviews are not normal for me. Unlike those who methodically go over each year of their life and meticulously plan for the future, I like to kind of go with the flow and say yes a lot. For some this can be disastrous but for me, I enjoy it. For the most part, my energy and enthusiasm for life and travel and creating things keeps me growing. At the same time, I can see how going over the past year can be a grounding experience and one that can either make you grateful for everything you did or give you a kick in the ass to really change things for the year ahead. As far as planning, I can also see the benefits of at-least creating a rough roadmap for the following year as a way of guiding your thoughts and activity and gaining some focus.

For me, my passion is actually what gets in the way of business. If it wasn’t for traveling 6-8 months each year, I would probably be raking in the money. I’d have much more time to focus on more income streams and much more time to focus on marketing. But hey, we only live once and I know that atleast the way I travel (off the beaton path, months at a time, etc) will slow down once I have a family.

Anyways, as I sit here in Mexico City with just over a week left before flying to Costa Rica, I think it’s a good time to reflect on the past 12 months and make a rough plan for 2015. By writing this publicly, I hope to hold myself much more accountable and I also hope to inspire those who read it to possibly do their own plan, change things up or rejoice in how amazing your life really is.

Let’s begin. [Read more…] about Annual Life Review and 2015 Plans

What I Learned from Door-to-Door Sales

by Matt 26 Comments

(Note: This challenge was one of 100 items on “the list”, which is now complete! I have a new, much more challenging and next to impossible list of goals to complete over the next 10 years. Check it out by clicking here.)

This past summer, I took a job as a door-to-door sales rep. After getting back from South America, I went straight to work on Canadian Free Flyers and my blogs but really wanted to get out of the house and learn something new. It had been a while since I truly challenged myself and it was time to get out of my comfort zone.

One thing I’ve been wanting to get more comfortable with is sales. As an entrepreneur, it’s a pretty important skill to have. Actually, sales is a decent skill for anyone.

Most people at this stage would buy some sales books or sign up for a course. I decided to do something different. I went out and got a job in sales. Not just any sales but the most uncomfortable sales I could think of – door-to-door. I figured that by getting a job in sales, I’d learn more than I ever could from a book or a course and I’d get paid for it. win/win!

To find a job, I started some simple research on Kijiji (similar to Craigslist in the U.S.) and some other job boards and eventually emailed a lawn care company. This company had a really good track record in the city so I knew I wouldn’t be selling garbage.

After an interview, I had the job. The first two days were simple as I was just following other sales reps around, learning from them and getting paid a flat training rate. On the third day, I was on my own and made zero sales. My spirit was crushed. I knew this was going to be one of my biggest challenges ever but making no money for a whole evening and being rejected 50+ times was really painful.

Knocking on doors to sell something out of the blue was (and still is) a big challenge for me. I would sometimes sit in my car, thinking over and over about my finger ringing the doorbell and trying to sell a stranger on our service. My chest would get tight and I’d continuously try to talk myself into it. I knew I just had to get over the first 100+ doors but part of me really wanted to just stay in my car and listen to music.

On day four (my second day alone), I bought a large Red Bull and forced myself to get out there and enthusiastically knock on more doors. I knew I didn’t have the ability to be as aggressive as some of the other reps but I did have the advantage of being kindly assertive, having a friendly look and a very tenacious spirit. I ended up selling six lawn care packages that day and being top salesman. It was a $400 day. My courage was renewed and I was ready for the following months.

As the months passed, I continued to have a few zero-sale days but I also had plenty of days when I was on fire. I did much better than I thought I would and made much more money than I imagined. When I started, I was simply hoping I could make it long enough to learn some things.

But then I started making sales and it felt good. After two months, I still occasionally felt the tight chest before knocking on the first door for the evening. After all, it isn’t something I particularly enjoy. I’m not really an extravert. At the same time, I’m super proud of myself for getting into a completely foreign and challenging situation. Not only did I break through the barrier of knocking on random doors but I actually crushed it and made a lot of money.

Leaving on a jet plane
Took this picture while knocking. Follow me on Instagram @MatthewGBailey

I don’t know how much of a “sales” guy I really am but I certainly learned some things over the summer months.

What I Learned from Door-to-Door Sales

Tenacity Pays Off

One of the last guys I sold to before the season ended complimented me on my tenacity. He was one of few people who didn’t buy directly at the door but wanted me to call him back. After a second and third phone call and a second visit to his house, he made the purchase. He was really impressed. Even with little sales skills, if you keep your head up and continue to knock on door after door, you will make sales. Most people stop knocking after too many no’s or they take too many breaks. If you knock on 50-100 doors you will make a sale. Don’t give up. Be tenacious. Keep going. you will make sales.

No’s Will Become a Yes

Rejection is a hard thing to deal with but it’s a natural part of life and business. If you can’t handle rejection, you are going to get crushed very quickly. This is another benefit of door-to-door sales. The rejection is often and you need to learn how to overcome it. Some nights were really difficult on the phsyci but I always tried to tell myself the age-old advice that every single NO is just one step closer to a YES. This is 100% true. You can’t let a NO get you down. It’s just part of life. If you never ask, you will never get a yes. If you do ask, you will get a NO – but eventually, you will also get a YES.

Appearance Matters 

When you’re selling someone face-to-face, appearance matters. If you look like a grungy kid or an untrustworthy person, people won’t buy from you. If they feel uncomfortable or see you as an amateur, it’s over. I have the benefit of looking like a good guy. People have even told me that at the door. They’ve told me that I look honest. Although I am an honest person, having that look helped me out. I always dressed nice and simple with khaki shorts, a company t-shirt and styled hair. I kept good posture at the door and acted confident. Never underestimate a good appearance.

Attitude Sells

If you try selling with a shitty attitude, you may as well go home. People sense this at the door. During the final few weeks, some of the younger sales reps stopped selling. They would literally make no sales for a whole week, which meant no paycheque. They would come in with a bad attitude and basically say that they weren’t going to make sales that day. Some of them would bring their personal lives to the job with them. If you start with a bad attitude or a bad mood, you’re finished. It radiates from you. People don’t want to buy from someone in a bad mood. You’re bad mood makes them feel bad. They get in a bad mood. Then they say NO. Even if you’re having a shitty day, you need to think happy thoughts and tell yourself to make sales. You need to be confident and positive. Otherwise, take the day off.

Keep Talking

Sometimes after I’d make the sales pitch, the customer would stand there thinking. The worst thing you can do is just let everything stay silent. Usually, they are thinking of an objection to make and silence is kind of awkward. It’s good to let them talk when they want to but when it goes silent, make conversation. Remind them of the benefits. Tell them a good story of someone else who bought the product. Repeat the sales pitch or repeat the closing line. If they seem unsure, keep talking. You need to sell them on your service and remind them why they need it. All of my top sales days were when I had the “talking spirit.” I kept making conversation and kept selling the product.

Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

After a week or two, I started pre-flling out sales sheets before the shift. I always had a minimum goal of two sales so I would fill out the date, my name and the city on two sales sheets, triggering a positive effect in my mind that  I was going to make two sales. This is when things took off for me. I don’t know how this stuff works but I almost never made less than two sales once I started doing this. Whatever little thing you need to do to give yourself a positive mindset, do it.

Kindness Pays Off

I’m certainly not an aggressive sales person but I do persist and I am very kind and polite with people. I didn’t think I was going to make it with this attitude but it turns out, people like it. I’m sure an aggressive nature can work as well but when I showed up at someones door with a smile and a friendly attitude, they dropped their barriers. Some of them told me that normally they would NEVER buy something at the door but because I was very kind and polite, they gave me the chance. I guess nice guys don’t finish last.

Don’t Take it Personally

This is one of the biggest challenges in sales – especially door-to-door. I got rejected right to my face hundreds of times each week. Some people were nice and some were rude. Rejection after rejection. It can really kill your spirit. Sometimes I would take it personally and get pissed off. Then I would get in a negative mood. Then I would make no sales. It became a vicious cycle. Other sales reps did the same thing. Some of them would get mad and get more aggressive, leading to aggressive customers and a really bad night. It can be tough but you need to realize that it’s just business. They aren’t rejecting you, they are rejecting the service. Sometimes they are simply having a bad day. Maybe they are having troubles at home or had five other sales reps from different companies knock on their door that same day. Sometimes they really don’t want the service and sometimes they just want to be left alone. Either way, they don’t know you. They don’t know who you are or what your values are. They aren’t rejecting you. They are just rejecting the sale. If you make it personal, you’re going to get down on yourself and the day is over. It’s not personal, it’s just business.

**

Do you have any experience in sales? What have you done to challenge yourself lately? Share below.

PS: I’m writing a book called Limitless Travel. It will teach you everything you need to know about booking the cheapest flights, finding the cheapest accommodation, finding unique accommodation, finding out the best things to do as well as the best travel gear, apps and websites. Sign up here to be the first to know when it’s released and to get it for free!

**

Photo of doorbell by Darwin Bell.

30 Tips from 30 Years of Life

by Matt 5 Comments

I turned 30 on July 31, 2014. Just one day ago.

Wow.

That’s really all I can say. I feel like I’m getting really old even though I’m living quite an amazing life. Much more amazing than my teenage years and most of my twenties.

As someone who has grown tremendously over the last ten years, travelled all over the world, met amazing people from all walks of life, started a blog that has introduced me to hundreds of entrepreneurs and adventures, married a sweetheart, and has started successful online business ventures…I thought it would be cool to think deep and share some advice that I wish I had when I was 20.  Actually, I wish I had someone tell me these when I was younger than that, though who’s to say I would have listened. Of course, the advice isn’t just for twenty-somethings. It can be for anyone of any age. All of us have different backgrounds and lessons we’ve learned over the years. In fact, each of us can learn something from each other and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below on a tip/lesson you’d like to share.

Before you go on, I should warn you that this post is more tun 4000 words. Oh c’mon, it’s not THAT long.

These are my 30 tips on life from 30 years of life. 

[Read more…] about 30 Tips from 30 Years of Life

My Annual Review and Vision for 2014

by Matt 1 Comment

I am writing this post on the last day of 2013. Wow. It’s truly hard to believe that tomorrow is the first day of 2014. In some countries, it’s already 2014. When you read this, it will be 2014.

I started writing this post in my journal, which has been with me through 13 countries. My journal has been to more countries than most people. As cool as that sounds though, it’s not the number of countries that’s important. What’s important is experiencing a country and a culture that is completely different from your own. Someone who leaves Canada to live in Indonesia or China or Nicaragua for 1 year will be transformed on a deeper level than someone who visits a new country every two weeks.

Okay, back to the post. The annual review. This is the first true annual review I’ve ever done. I’ve written versions of them before but it wasn’t what a true annual review should be. Personally, an annual review should be a deep and honest look at the last year. A compilation of what went wrong and what went right. A deep reflection into why things went right and why they went wrong. Something that allows you to learn from the mistakes made and then banish them into history. Finally, it should look ahead into the future, not necessarily with goals but with an overall vision of what you would like to see in yourself over the year ahead. It could be a vision of what you hope to achieve in business or more importantly, what you wish to see in yourself. It should be taken very seriously and not just a “dream” that gets tossed in the garbage a week later. Every day is a miracle after all. [Read more…] about My Annual Review and Vision for 2014

Jumping Out of a Plane Without a Parachute

by Matt 2 Comments

Made you look.

What did you think you were going to read? A new form of skydiving? suicide?

You know what I actually think made you click on this post?

Crazy ass risk. A leap. A bold thing to do with ones life.

Let’s face it. Most of us don’t take enough risks. We play it safe. We conform.

Why?

Now, of course, jumping out of a plane without a parachute is stupid. It’s not really a risk in my eyes – it’s just plain suicide and makes no sense at all.

But why don’t we take more liveable risks? Risks that make us live limitless.

Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

Jon Krakauer from Into the Wild.

We only have one life. We don’t get stronger as we age. We’re strong now.

In today’s world with endless opportunities and connections to the entire world, why conform and sit steady as we watch others live remarkable lives… [Read more…] about Jumping Out of a Plane Without a Parachute

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 7
  • Go to Next Page »

Footer

About

  • About Matt
  • Contact

Travel Tips

  • Start Here
  • Limitless Travel
  • Travel Hacking

Inspiration

  • Limitless List
  • The Podcast

Courses

  • Your Complete Guide to Canada
  • Canadian Travel Hacking
  • Limitless Travel
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025