Live Limitless

Adventure, Business, Travel

A World of Inspiration

The Most Important Word in the World

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Hello!

Hello, Bonjour, Hola, G’Day, Hallo, kia Ora, Privet, Moin Moin, Shalom, Aloha…

A simple Hello begins the greeting. It starts the connection. It leads to all possibilities.

It’s this word that has created so many adventures for me during my travels. It’s the word that breaks the silence and acknowledges someone else. It forms the possibility for the next word or the next sentence. It begins the path to endless possibilities.

Below is a story of an adventure that started with a simple “hello”.

Top of the hill. Volcano in the distance.

I was in Bali, Indonesia. I had just arrived in a cozy place called Ubud. Ubud is quite popular as it’s known to be an artsy community, somewhat quiet and laid-back, and it also had something I really wanted to see; the monkey forest. After being dropped off by the bus, I immediately walked around the streets looking for a cheap place to lay my head and most importantly, lay my bag. As I walked down the main strip, a young Indonesian guy told me he had a room to show me. I followed him down a tight little alley (not as scary as it sounds) which brought me to a little bed and breakfast. He showed me the room which ended up being quite nice, included breakfast, and was just $9/night. I took it. [Read more…] about The Most Important Word in the World

Inspiring Interview: Mochan of Japan Wish Club (Plus Ebook Update)

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Crazy Mochan preparing our feast in Izu Japan. Delicious!

This is an interview with Mochan of the Wish Club in Japan. I met Mochan in October 2010 while travelling across Japan. I emailed him through couchsurfing.org and ended up staying with him and some other travellers for 2 nights. What made this Couchsurfing experience different from other ones was that Mochan does this full-time and sometimes hosts up to 20 people at a time. Mochan also bought a bus and started the Wish Club to help travellers experience Japan in a unique way while also building a network of amazing people all over the world. When I stayed with Mochan, he also had a guy from Spain, a woman from Vietnam, and a couple of Japanese friends staying with him and all of us quickly became friends and joined Mochan for a couple of days of fun around Japan. He brought us to temples, a sake factory, Mt.Fuji, a traditional tea ceremony, a giant robot, fish markets, picnics by a lake, and we even spent a night at a friend’s cottage in Izu. I couldn’t help but be amazed by the thousands of gifts and postcards that travellers have given Mochan over the years. When I arrived back in Canada, I knew I had to interview Mochan one day and see what this was all about. Here is that interview. [Read more…] about Inspiring Interview: Mochan of Japan Wish Club (Plus Ebook Update)

A Cappuccino, a Painting, and Some Spontaneity

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My first painting

A couple days ago I was sitting in a coffee shop writing out some thoughts and killing time before heading to an acting class I had that night. It was about 4:30 p.m. and the class started at 6. I was at a coffee shop far off the beaten path of where I needed to go which I had found after buying a coupon from Groupon weeks before.

It was the type of cafe I was looking for. A place with a big open space with tables for me to write at. Cool paintings and pictures aligning the walls that are made by local artists in which you can purchase. They have open mic nights, philosophy nights, board game nights, and so forth. They also make the best Cappuccino I have ever had.

As I sat writing up some potential future blog posts, I noticed a sign on one of the doors that read “Learn how to paint on canvas. Third tuesday of every month at 7 p.m.. Just $15”.

It just so happened it was the third tuesday of the month. [Read more…] about A Cappuccino, a Painting, and Some Spontaneity

Who Wants to Jump Off a Bridge This June?

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Nervously Smiling as I await my 130 foot jump off the Auckland bridge.

It’s hard to explain the emotions I was going through as I began my ascent to the top of the Auckland Bridge in Auckland, New Zealand. It was only 3 weeks before this that I jumped out of a plane at 15,000 feet. Why would jumping off a bridge from just 130 feet up scare me?

We’ll, all I can say is that jumping off a bridge was far more terrifying to me than jumping out of a plane. My heart was pounding and my palms were sweaty. As the instructor told me what I needed to do, I felt almost paralyzed. My main hope was to make it back up to the bridge.

As my name was called, I remember that feeling in my chest. Not just butterflies but thousands of angry ones fluttering around in my stomach. I could imagine my body wondering why I would put it through something like this.

I had the bungy strapped to my ankles like ankle cuffs which made it hard to walk out to the ledge. I felt like I was a prisoner being walked out to the plank by pirates waiting to throw me to the bottom of the sea.

There I was, finally reaching the ledge of the platform, standing more than 130 feet above the ocean. The instructor told me to smile for the camera which I tried nervously to do while all my muscles were concentrating on the fall I was about to experience. My knees were trembling out of control and I felt like I wouldn’t have the energy or the ability to jump if I wanted to.

I remember that the instructor told me to jump as soon as they said 3 because:

A. If I hesitated, I may never jump; and

B. They monitor all the sailboats passing underneath and wouldn’t want me jumping into one.

and with that, they began the count. [Read more…] about Who Wants to Jump Off a Bridge This June?

Why you’ve already won the lottery (plus $100 for 10 comments)

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If you’re reading this post, you’ve already won the lottery.

It’s called the lottery of life.

If you have been born into a country like Canada, the United States, or any other developed country, you’ve won the birth lottery. You’ve won the lottery of being able to grow up in a country of freedom, education, and considerable wealth.

It’s sad that the birth lottery exists. Not everyone is so lucky.

If you lost the lottery, you won’t get the fortune of freedom and education. You won’t have the same opportunity to read or write and you won’t have access to clean water. You’ll probably be guaranteed a life of poverty because you don’t have the basic needs available to you or the education needed. You definitely won’t be able to participate in world discussions since you won’t have a computer or an Internet connection. You’ll be lucky to have a roof over your head and enough food to stay alive.

However, if you win the lottery, you will have the opportunity to read and write. You will have access to clean water and the opportunity of wealth. You will be able to learn about the planet and participate in discussions made possible because of a wide array of products such as computers, the Internet, iPads, iPhones, and many other electronic gadgets. You will have access to health care, healthy food, and sanitary waste disposal. You will also have access to all the basic needs as well as the opportunity to travel and think about deeper things in life.

It’s amazing what the simple chance of birth can do to how your life turns out. I think about how amazing the difference can be when born into one family compared to another.

For example, [Read more…] about Why you’ve already won the lottery (plus $100 for 10 comments)

Turning Life Upside Down

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Mexico City

Have you ever considered turning your life upside down?

Maybe making an erratic change like moving to an entirely new city and leaving everything you knew behind even if just for a little while?

My girlfriend is in the process of turning her life upside down right now.

It takes a lot of guts to make immense changes to your lifestyle and the one word that came to mind when I think of her latest decision to move to Canada is:

Courageous. [Read more…] about Turning Life Upside Down