Yosemite Valley Biking Circa 2006

When you get on a bicycle you aren’t thinking about too much. You jump on, pedal, and move in the direction you want to go.

You are rolling on 2 slim wheels, only the width of a couple of human fingers. Constantly adjusting your weight in small and precise ways to stay perfectly balanced. Avoiding obstacles, making split second decisions and maneuvering with ease.

All while barely registering a conscience thought.

Are you scared when you jump on a bicycle? Afraid you won’t be able to make all of the instantaneous calculations and in the moment decisions it takes to stay on two wheels? Worried that all of the sudden you’ll forget how to do it and fall over?

No.

Why?

You have faith in yourself.
No doubts.
No fears.

You know you can do it.

Whatever it is you want to do in life, just ride the bicycle.

But she said it to me last month as I was entering the train station and about to leave the country for 3 months. Did I mention I’m 37 years old and this happened in New Jersey?

The funny thing is, I think she was only half kidding. Either way, the 2 women purchasing train tickets at the kiosk before me had a good laugh…in my face. They noticed my proud smile and knew all was ok.

I immediately addressed them confessing my age, which did 2 things: it resulted in sound barrier breaking, knee slapping laughter and it broke my Mom’s rule 5 seconds after she departed.

I talk to strangers. A lot. (sorry ma)

Sometimes it’s at my job where I “cold call” people I’ve never met, which for some reason still intimidates me. If I stare at their Linked In profile picture long enough and pretend I know them it feels a little better. Sometimes the people are even nicer than their picture makes them seem, and sometimes not.

Now I live in a city where I really only know one person. Time to up my stranger talking to another level (sorry again ma).

Norwegians are a bit more reserved. People on the street don’t carry on personal conversations with others they’ve only just met. So I am told and have now witnessed. They are super friendly and unbelievable charming. You just need to break through that first wall.

I on the other hand when I ask a cashier, bartender or passerby their life story back in the states, more often than not Americans will tell it to me!

I am crazy interested in hearing personal stories and as an American have no problem asking about their recently deceased cousin while I am paying for my snickers bar.

Sometimes I think I was born to bullshit. By bullshitting I mean just having conversations about anything and everything with everyone. Meaningful. Philosophical. Deep. The news. Weather. What you had for dinner. The grandfather paradox. It’s all good baby…let’s just talk.

I seriously fucking love bullshitting.

I’ll bullshit with the gas station attendant, the car rental guy, the woman buying bread next to me, the taxi cab driver, my 4 year old niece, basically if you have a heart beat and you cross my path I am warning you that I may commence bullshitting. What can I say? I’m curious.

However, my first weeks in Oslo, I was a bit reserved. My self perceived reverence for the Norwegian culture bordered on shyness. As a person I am naturally respectful, but not usually very shy.

It’s normal for me to cruise around town and bullshit with everybody on a very personal level, but it’s not really normal for the inhabitants of my new city. I guess they’ll have to get used to it.

When you bring your culture into somebody else’s house it is hard to say what will happen in any given situation.

I will always be respectful and adapt to some things. But I’ll also be me.

Something I reminded myself today is that I believe in experimenting with life, trying new things and putting myself out there. It’s safe to stay quiet but when I speak up and open up that is my natural state.

I’m excited when I don’t know what is going to happen next.

Citizens of Oslo be warned! I may talk to you and ask you all sorts of questions that make you squirm.

I may inquire about your state of being and actually care even though I don’t know you.

I may ask about your family, genuinely curious, but I don’t know you.

I may ask about your favorite restaurant and what you like to cook for dinner but I don’t know you.

I’ve had many real, meaningful conversations with strangers. Strangers can open up new worlds and even blow your mind wide open. Look what happened to Joel when he chatted with this unassuming stranger in a Portland coffeeshop a couple of weeks ago (worth a read).

The girl I am living with now was a stranger once, albeit a very cute one.

We are all sharing this space now.

The more people we meet, the less strange strangers seem.

Real connections, whether a 2 minute chat or a lifetime friendship make the world a better place to be.

And that’s no bullshit.

When you leave your house today, be sure to talk to strangers! (damn, I’m really sorry mom!)

This blog has taken a back seat, as the last few weeks have been hectic to say the least. There was an apartment in Boulder, Colorado to take care of, things to be purchased/purged, and packing to be done. Typical tasks that come along with an extended journey away from home.

I moved to Oslo, Norway this week, and will be spending 3 months in this Scandinavian land. Wow!

Why you ask? For a quick explanation I’ll steal a line from Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, “Sorry guys, I gotta see about a girl.”

Yes, I came halfway across the world to spend time with somebody and go on some dates. I wasn’t about to let one little ocean get in the way of love.

It’s also about having an adventure, and discovering something I need to know for myself.

Is this a major decision? Maybe, considering it changes many things about my daily life. But it was a very easy decision to make. Actually, it was less a decision than something I felt like I had to do.

I can’t remember where I heard this, but there is a basic formula that states: when the pain and anguish of NOT doing something is greater than the pain of doing it, you know what must be done.

I want to live a life with no regrets (cliché but true).

Sometimes it’s hard to make leaps like this, but intuitively I know that not coming to Norway would have been something I would have regretted forever. I just couldn’t live with that, it would be the ultimate personal freedom sucker.

Taking a chance to experience something is better than wondering what may have been. At the very least, it will give me a great story to tell.

Good stories don’t come from sitting around wondering about stuff.

Do you have anything happening right now in your life that you feel like you simply have to do?

Wait…what was that thought that just popped into your head?

Are you doing it now or in the near future?

If not, it’s important to take some time for you and figure out the obstacles that may be preventing that action. Then do some strategic planning to make it happen.

Get a list together find a way to overcome those obstacles and do that thing you need to do.

I had a mental list when the process of moving to Norway started. Even the most complicated things are just problems to be analyzed, thought out and solved. Nothing more. Mine went something like this:

-Logistics. What would I do with my apartment? My car? My bills? Etc..

Solution: Rent my apartment out. Store my stuff. Pre-pay as many bills as possible and automate the rest. Have my close friends in Colorado help me out (Thank you Andrew, Mike, Seth, and everybody else I can count on). Get a new credit card with no foreign transaction fees. Tie up other financial loose ends.

-Work/Income. How will I execute my job and/or earn a living?

Solution: Have a heart to heart with my friend/mentor/boss who generously agreed to allow me to work from such a remote location. Adjust my working hours to compensate for the time change. Collect income via paypal.

-Staying connected. How will I do my job effectively and stay in touch with friends?

Solution: Technology rules! After unlocking my iphone, buying a local sim card, purchasing an online skype number plus some call forwarding tactics anybody can get a hold of me. Email always works great from anywhere. This is an incredible time to be alive. We can be virtually anywhere in the world and get business done thanks to the net.

-Fears. Will I adjust to life in another country? Can I leave friends and family behind? I love Boulder but will I love Oslo? Will I make new friends? The fear list can go on forever if I allow it.

Solution: Don’t allow irrational fears to prevent anything I want/need to do. Lean on past successes. Truly know that things will work out, they always do. Be confident. Create happiness and positive energy wherever I physically am. Have fun and enjoy it!

Don’t worry about the unknown. Ratherm embrace and revel in the excitement.

Living in Norway
Leaving your home country is one of the ultimate changes you can make. Everything is different, the language, culture, food and countless other things.

For example, have you ever dispensed your ham like toothpaste?

I’ve also never seen a port-o-potty that looks like the home of Bilbo Baggins. Peeing in a hobbit-like dwelling feels better than accomplishing the same feat in a hot plastic box.

I’m also around the corner from the botanical gardens where I went for a run yesterday. Looks like they are channeling their inner Monet.

I’ve added a new section to the blog titled “Living in Norway.” Here you will find musings about life in Norway plus whatever other tidbits I discover and share along the way.

Some highlights from my two days on the ground
-spending time with the girl I came here to see
-eating delicous Norwegian salmon made by said Norwegian girl
-rainy days…it’s always sunny in Colorado
-living in a city, i’ve never done it before
-practicing a new language

I’ll be taking a 2-week road trip through Norway starting on Sunday with a train ride from Oslo to Bergen. We’ll be doing some camping, hiking in the fjords, and getting into heaps of trouble I’m sure.

I look forward to sharing some stories when I return towards the end of July. Please stop by the blog and say hello every once in awhile.

And if you find yourself in Oslo please get it touch!

Ha en flott dag,

Jason

Stars...that which we aim for

“Entrepreneurs are not necessarily risk takers; it’s just that they define risk and security differently from the way other people do.”
-Chris Guillebeau

Chris’ new book, “The $100 Startup”, profiles a diverse set of entrepreneurs making it on their own in a variety of ways. People who are making a fantastic living from knitting, design, publishing, coffee and a myriad of other pursuits.

His main theory is that you can make a living at the convergence point where your passion meets what others care about.

Just because I’m passionate about Volleyball, for example, doesn’t mean people will pay me to play it all the time…for starters I’m not that good! But if there is something within the Volleyball world that others care about and are willing to pay for, and I can give it to them, that convergence point could mean a business opportunity.  Chris’ example in the book was pizza and he explained it in a similar way, credit to Chris for that.

A couple of weeks ago I was hiking up a nearby mountain and met a recent MBA grad. He was a nice guy, well traveled, and generally upbeat. When we got to the top he started a discussion with a couple hanging out on the summit. They got to talking about business and I heard him argue that you are “born an entrepreneur” and it’s not something “everybody can do.”

I just think that is total BS.

Everybody is an “entrepreneur” (what a lame and elitist sounding word). In fact, on some level it’s probably a good idea to start fancying yourself an entrepreneur, if you don’t already, because of the reality of the new economy. I’m not sure if most people have woken up to the fact that this is a new economy.

The way businesses are built and run is vastly different from the old model. Anything that can be outsourced or subcontracted most likely will be. Individuals have to wear many hats, and possess a variety of skills to stay working. Showing up to the same job for 30 years then retiring with a fat pension is a tall tale from some ancient world. Of course it still happens, but it’s becoming as rare as a pink flamingo in New York City.

The jobs that all the politicians keep promising are never coming back. No governmental organization is going to take care of us. We have to take care of ourselves, and each other.

In this new economy, everybody needs to be an entrepreneur.

I never really considered myself one, because it seems like you have to be Richard Branson or some high-flying risk taking executive of a multi-billion dollar conglomeration to be called that exclusive word. That is the stereotypical image.

Yet I am an independent contractor and have been for the majority of my adult life. I have my hands in another business and am building something else in my spare time. Just plugging away most days with new projects and keeping my eyes open for opportunities. I don’t feel like an entrepreneur but I guess I am?

The more I branch out, try different things and tap into different networks the more opportunities present themselves. There never seems to be a shortage. I guess that’s why I never focus too much on one thing, that and the ADD from all of the Nintendo playing as a child. Did anybody else ever get dizzy blowing on the cartridge? Remember how only you could perfectly place it into you gaming console to get it to work…ahh memories.

How do you define risk?
How do you define security?

If there is something you want to change, and you broadened your definition of these 2 words, would that change how you operate your life?

If you have a full time job, what would you do if it went away tomorrow?

Assume that it will- then begin strategizing, planning and taking small action steps.

That’s what you do because you’re an entrepreneur. If you don’t already think of yourself as one, I recommend starting now.

To feel more personal freedom, start thinking of yourself as an entrepreneur.

Why not dream like we did when we were young? Know at our core being that all things are achievable…pay attention, then watch the possibilities open up.

“Enjoy your life, you only get one.” -Richard Branson

The Fellas Just Kickin' It

Why do we try to explain all of our decisions?

Some things have no verbally explainable reasons, no rational logic, yet we attempt to apply some kind of practical facts to back them up .

Decisions are often just based on a feeling. Trying to put this into a language others can understand can be waste of time and near impossible. Can you accurately express every feeling? Even an overall feeling about something?

Sometimes, the right combination of words just doesn’t exist.

This is not an argument against discussing ones feelings. Expressing emotions is an important and necessary part of life. I’ve been called ‘a girl’ by a few of my friends but it doesn’t bother me, hey I’m an emotional dude. Just can’t help it. Having spent most of my childhood under one roof with my mother and sister, I will continue to blame their girlish ways for this.

When it comes to decisions feelings can be hard to put into words.

The best decisions are made based on feelings, not rational explanations.

When I quit my job some people asked why. Hell, I asked myself why about a million times. Why give up a stable and fun job with a rock steady company? I even wrote about some of the reasons you may want to considering giving up a job.

Yes, I was a little bored. My desire for change and newness was evident within. I also felt my earning potential was limited, plus my passion was waning.

All of these were contributing factors, however the one thing that superseded everything was this:

It just felt like it was time to move on.

When it simply feels like it’s time to do something, do you need to know anything else? Is a laundry list of seemingly rational reasons necessary?

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a soceity that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” -Einstein (Thanks to my friend Seth for giving me this quote)

Telling people it feels like the right thing to do did not appease everybody who asked me why I quit my job. Human beings demand an explanation damnit! And it had better be rational.

When I spent a decade roaming the world without a home, I got asked on more than one occasinon when I would settle down and get a ‘real job’.

I just didn’t feel like it! What I felt like doing was traveling non-stop and seeing the world.

Feeling like it’s time to do something, although it can’t be explained sufficiently with words, is the most rational thing you can do.

Words be damned.

This may not sit well with many people you know. Particularly if the move you are making seems to defy all logic.

My iner most feelings and intuition are sometimes the hardest thing to pay attention to. They chide me into doing things that will ruffle feathers, be highly inconvenient, scary or even hurtful. It’s at this time my rational mind interjects, acting like it has my back, and begins to offer up a host of perfectly logical reasons to help me understand my feelings.  Whatever part of my brain that offers up rationalizations is never at a loss for words.

In reality those feelings don’t need to be understood practically speaking, they usually just need to be acted on.

I try to shut myself up when I begin talking myself out of something too aggressively. I am taking a lesson from REO Speedewagon when they stated in their most famous of monster rock ballads : “I can’t fight this feeling any longer”

Why fight it?

Eliminating bullshit rationalizations when I know what I need to do is part of my personal freedom foundation.

How do you feel about rationalizing decisions?

I try my best to live in the present at all times. Keep my mind on what is happening right now. But thinking about the future and the past is part of human nature.

The future is uncertain. This is always true. A daily routine can change forever in a single moment.

Even the past continuously changes. The past isn’t what happened, it’s how you remember it. How it makes you feel. What it means to you can be reinterpreted over time.

How do you feel about the future?

Is it scary?
Exciting?
Maybe even weird?

Like the past, my feelings surrounding the future always change.

When it comes to mental projections into the future, what if you assume that the best is yet to come?

During sad times this can be hard to wrap your head around. Yet you can choose to think this, even if you don’t always believe it. Even if it seems impossible, it can still be true. Remember, the world was flat once.

Tomorrow will always be different than today. Make tomorrow as great as you can with what you have to give. After tomorrow try it the next tomorrow. Stack tomorrow’s on top of each other and that becomes a lifetime.

Don’t wait, because one day there won’t be a tomorrow.

Today, I choose to believe the best is yet to come.

This makes the fear of uncertainty shrink into nothingness. I can enjoy the present and simultaneously be excited about the future.

When the best is yet to come, I can go into each new day thinking it will be great.

Life is a beautiful, unpredictable adventure. Let’e celebrate the craziness. The weirdness. The strangeness of it all.

One day, when the tomorrows stop, I want to have no regrets.

For me to gain personal freedom from worrying about the future means believing the best is yet to come.  It also means the best is already here.

Do you feel me on that?

What gets you up in the morning?
What do you think about that keeps you up at night?
What does success look like to you, and how do you get there?

As a small business owner, that’s a serial Jack of All Trades who also values personal adventure, one of the biggest challenges for me is how to answer each of those questions while keeping things interesting and keeping the bills paid.

The answer to each of those questions to me is:

Variety, Variety and Variety.

Most of my time is spent as a Commercial and Event Photographer. I am also a videographer and corporate video producer, a whisky educator and ambassador, an app developer, a travel blogger, a podcast producer, a pilot, a bingo lover, and an avid sunset watcher.

Monotony is the bane of my existence.

Think about the last time you hurt your foot. Whether it was jogging, rock climbing, going down some steps… You may have thought about seeing a Podiatrist but an Ear, Nose and Throat guy didn’t even cross your radar.

Each of them is an expert in their field – a specialist. There is value in that, but in trying to create your own personal freedom – in trying to grow your personal brand – there’s more value in being really good at a few different things.

The first piece of advice you probably received from a stock broker or financial advisor – “Keep a diversified portfolio.” By keeping all of your stones in one basket, there’s danger of the basket breaking.

Think about the great loss in 401(k) funds in the last few years, but also think about how much you could have made if it were all in gold? (FYI, money invested in gold in early January, 2000 would have seen a 600% return today – nearly 700% if you had sold in late August, 2011). Hindsight is 20/20.

No one knows better than the aging public who couldn’t retire when they planned that having a diversified financial portfolio is very important.

Keeping a diverse professional portfolio is just as important…and a hedge.

Check out The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch

In short, 80% of your income comes from 20% of your efforts. Likewise, 80% of your headaches come from 20% of your problems.

If you spend the right 20% of time on 5 different projects, you’ve just quadrupled your income.

And even if you let something bog you down in the process, at least it keeps things interesting.

Another benefit to keeping different balls in the air:  On any given day you’re able to process and plan based on a different topic.  It’s not just good internal mental yoga but it also makes sure your external ventures have a more global perspective.

For example, if all you know is the route from home, to the office, to home, to the grocery store, to home, to the movie theater, to home – not only might you be missing the best little sandwich shop thats just a block off your normal route but you might also miss a shortcut that makes the drive home just a little quicker.

In business, if all you know is your little corner of your little industry, not only might you be missing something that is more fun, more fulfilling and more interesting to you personally, but you may also be missing something that makes it faster and easier to reach your financial goals.

Don’t be afraid to blaze your own trail. Don’t be afraid to keep your options open. Don’t be afraid of a diversified professional portfolio.

Don’t be afraid to have fun, and to be successful.

About the Author

Ari Shapiro is a commercial photographer specializing in advertising, editorial and event photography and video. He’s spent over 15 years in the event industry working along side many of the top companies on the Fortune 500 list, photographing, managing and producing events of 50,000+ people. His studios are in Seattle, WA and he supports his clients around the globe. His portfolio is available online at DauberArt.com and he can be reached via email at Info@DauberArt.com. Ari is also a passionate educator, a habitual traveler, a blogger, a bingo lover, a pilot and an avid sunset watcher.

Doing something means adding an unknown variable into the mix. Things can turn out differently than imagined and that can be scary. Venturing into unknown territory can create work, challenges, and headaches.

The greatest stories in life begin with a risk.

I love people who grab onto this fleeting thing we call life without letting fear prevent action. Those who make the effort to go further than even they thought possible.

I’m not talking about world figures, enlightened yogis, or renowned inventors. Everyday ordinary people who push themselves impress and excite me.

Chris P
My friend Chris is a great example. At the risk of sounding cliché he definitely has the music inside of him. He writes fantastic songs, and goes out in public to perform them.

As a beginner musician playing gigs is super stressful. Chris is a nervous wreck before even the smallest crowds, yet he keeps going. Pushing beyond his comfort zone to share his art takes a ton of effort. Hours of practice, time set aside to write songs, preparing for a live show, and other sacrifices.

It’s easy to avoid self-torture. Chris could just stay home with his family and skip all of the anxiety that comes from performing your own songs in front of a crowd of strangers.

Yet, he makes the effort, because by not doing it he is not living life fully. He pushes.

Jelly
My friends at Jelly Go Nuts travel the world, hanging on by a financial thread to pursue their passions.

Some people have mentioned that they wish they could do what Jason and Kelly are doing, but could they really handle not having a home, living on the road, and constantly figuring out work on the fly?  It’s not a risk most people are willing to take.

Jason and Kelly (collectively known as Jelly) hustle for work. They love cooking and make fresh delicious meals on tiny budget. They turned their back on “regular” jobs to make their own way.

The Jelly duo sacrifice a lot to live a travel-based life on their terms. No matter what happens, they will always have exciting stories to tell. Any hardships help them appreciate the good times.

This Blogger
I worked as an event tour manager and traveled for over a decade. I wasn’t building a traditional career and climbing the corporate ladder. There were no insurance benefits, I didn’t own a car, and my only home was hotels.

Living a non-traditional life was a risk for me because the path was undefined. It was tough at times but I didn’t want to do anything else but travel. Combining work with traveling seemed like the best thing to do.

This passion forward risk taking has allowed me to live a life I have personally found exciting and satisfying. It works for me. Jumping around to different jobs and trying new things keeps me on my edge. I enjoy some minor routines but for the most part the more random things are the better.

When I slip into auto-piloting my life I know it’s time to take another risk, try something new or just get my ass off the couch and do something…anything!

Risk takes effort.

Will it be worth the effort?

Inherently that is the risk.

It feels so damn good to take risks.

Questions I ask myself

What risks have you been burying beneath the surface?

What have you been avoiding?

What perceived potential outcomes are preventing action?

—————————————————————————————————————–

Whatever the risk, if the outcome is good then it is worth the effort.

But if it’s bad, I still learn something.

Key learning’s then get applied at a later time to transcend another challenge.  And life continues on.

Without effort there is no risk.
Without risk there is no forward motion or action.
Without action there is stagnation.

I want to enjoy where I am and at the same time take actions to determine where I am going….and never knowing where I’ll end up is part of the equation.

With risk in my life I move forward, so I put in the effort it takes.

I like it that way.

my favorite hollywood hero

When I was growing up I read a poplar series of books called “Choose Your Own Adventure.” Unlike almost every other book in existence, they were read in a non-linear fashion. These books were like gold to me.

The books were comprised of adventurous stories with a multitude of outcomes. After a few pages of plot sucked you into the adventure you would arrive at a situation where a choice needed to be made. There would be 2 or 3 options to advance the story. At that point you would choose a path and go to the page you were instructed to go. Skipping around and weaving your own tale.

As the story progressed you would continue to make choices until eventually there was an end to the tale.

Sometimes your adventure would end in death, injury or loss. Other times the result was glory, fame or riches.

By making a choice you could influence where the story would go. As a reader I was an active participant. It was exciting. And you never knew how it would end.

Whenever I get into some new phase of life, I feel like I’m choosing my own adventure. The path is only clear once that portion of the story ends.

The important thing for me is being an active participant. Making choices. Taking risks. Doing things.

Without this I can’t have my own little adventure. My life becomes linear and stagnant. I prefer to skip around and wonder what will happen next.

Choosing my own adventure gives me personal freedom.

Quitting a job you hate is choosing your own adventure.
Turning off the TV and interacting with the world is choosing your own adventure.
Trying new things is choosing your own adventure.

The list is endless.

Sometimes I go too long without making a tough choice or choosing anything. Upon reflection I know that it’s probably time to turn the page and kick start another chapter.

Are you choosing your own adventure?

I am writing this post form South Orange, NJ just south of New York City.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been in New York but the city is a rush. From the second you step off the train and into Manhattan life is happening at a frenetic pace, everywhere you go.

Traveling gives me a rush. Being in new places heightens the senses. At home, avoiding routine and keeping things random simulates that traveling sensation for me. Adventures can abound any day, even in your hometown.

Plenty of other activities give me a rush but traveling probably takes top prize. Backpacking, hiking, skiing, volleyball, surfing,…these things get me fired up.

What gives you a rush?

Want to try some new things out?

Maybe get even more extreme?

I interviewed Geoff Brunner a couple months ago. Geoff is going to be in a bike race across the USA. You read that correctly, this isn’t just a cross-country bike trip, a feat in and of itself. This is a race! 12 days to ride from coast to coast.

Did I mention he is also raising money for The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. How cool is that?

My interview with Geoff along with a profile of this race is on Nerve Rush this week.

If you want to kick your adrenaline into a higher gear with some seriously intense activities and need some ideas, Nerve Rush is a fantastic resource of “Gut Wrenching Adventures”….check it out.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve felt a rush, then get your ass back out there!

Live the dream and mean it. We only get one go around on this big blue sphere.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be breaking down more traveling tips, some networking advice to help your business/work and of course more personal freedom ramblings.

Go past your edge.

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