Karol

How To Declare A New Holiday: September 23 Is International Minimalist Day

Today is International Minimalist Day. How will you celebrate? …

Today, September 23, is the First Annual International Minimalist Day.

Yes, that’s all it takes. (Although at the bottom of this article I will share with you how to make your holiday “official.”)

Today is a day to reflect on life and get back to basics. To embrace social and personal change and live a little more simply. Maybe you won’t become a minimalist for life, but today you can experience the joy of a minimalist lifestyle.

You can participate in the First Annual International Minimalist Day by posting to your blog today to announce to the world how you celebrate minimalism.

Alternately, post tomorrow or in the coming week and tell us exactly how you celebrated International Minimalist Day. It’s all good.

To make it easy, just link back to this article to give your readers the gift of minimalism. Feel free to use the 125×125 International Minimalist Day button created by Ashley from AdoptedKorean.com on your blog if you’d like.

If you don’t have a blog, leave a comment on this article letting me know what you did or will do for International Minimalist Day. :)

If you need some help …

47 Ways You Can Celebrate International Minimalist Day

Choose just one. A minimalist lifestyle is about simplicity and should be stress-less.

Get rid of something that you think has sentimental value, but is really dragging you down. It could be something from an ex, or it could be something from a time in your life that wasn’t very positive. We all keep these things far longer than we should. Today is your day to get rid of it and never look back.
Cook a simple meal. 4 ingredients or less. Idea: cook rice/beans and then add in fresh avocado and tomato. I probably eat this 5 times/week and, depending on the beans and rice used, it can take as little as 20 minutes to prepare in just 1 pot. Minimal cleanup and tasty minimal meal! Bonus: beans + rice = complete protein. (all essential amino acids)
Cancel all your plans and spend the night in quietly reflecting.
Call up an old friend just to say “hi.”
Go for a walk with no destination and no time limit.
Throw away/donate/sell everything in 1 drawer or 1 room. I recommend 1 room, but sometimes you gotta start smaller. ;)
Donate your favorite shirt to charity or to someone on the street. Among other things, minimalism is about detachment, and donating something you love to someone who might not have much is a wonderful way to practice that.
Send someone a 5 sentence e-mail letting them know you appreciate them or their work.
Turn off your computer. Turn off your cell phone. Throw your TV out the window. And just be.
Fine, don’t throw your TV out the window, list it on Craigslist.
Write down something you love about yourself.
Write down something you love about someone else. Optional, but extraordinary: let them know.
Cancel a credit card.
Don’t spend any money today. On anything.
Do nothing.
Listen to the first album (vinyl/cassette/CD) you ever bought. (You can see mine on the About Me page.)
Then trash or donate it.
You know those 7 pairs of shoes in your closet? Get rid of all but 3. Casual, athletic, dress.
Go car free or car lite.
Smile until your face muscles begin to twitch.
Clean out your refrigerator. You’ve probably got a lot of stuff in there that’s either old or, in the case of condiments, maybe you don’t like, but you’re keeping around just because.
Disassociate with a toxic “friend.”
Ride your bike to work. Bonus: jump a curb or two so you feel the joy of your youth again.
Try something outside of your comfort zone. Ideas: say hello to 10 random strangers, give free hugs, or sing at karaoke.
You know that girl/guy you’re interested in? Give them a simple, clear message: “I think you’re special and I’d like to get to know you better. Let’s go out.”
Relax.
When you drink your coffee or tea today sip it slowly. Imagine the wondrous process of bean or leaf –> cup.
Digitize a photo album and recycle your physical version.
Breathe.
Go to the library and read your favorite children’s book. I’m having trouble choosing mine right now, but I think I would go with Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. Danny and the Dinosaur was also a masterpiece when I was 5.
Say “yes” more. Especially when your gut reaction is to say no. You’ll open up a world of opportunities.
Say “no” more. Sometimes we give too much of ourselves. It’s OK to be selfish with your time if you’d like.
Focus.
Stop using shampoo. It’s not necessary and is probably damaging your head.
Help someone. Either officially by volunteering or “unofficially” by simply helping someone. :)
Eat vegan today. It’s good for your health, it’s good for the planet, it’s good for animals, and it’s good for the soul.
Spend the day alone. (Re)discover your friendship with yourself.
You know how when you’re driving and you get stuck in traffic and you get upset? Smile instead. Turn up the radio and sing. Everything will be okay.
You know that kitchen appliance you bought and thought you’d use all the time? Waffle maker, tortilla maker, blender, etc. Give it away. (Replace kitchen appliance with: instrument, book, gadget, anything.)
Cancel your gym membership and get back to basics. Bicycling, running, swimming, body-weight exercises.
Slow down.
Plan a carry-on only vacation. If I can live for over a year with 3 T-shirts, you can live for a week with the same. :)
Hand wash your clothes.
Do something important.
You know all that stress in your life? Release it.
Paint, draw, express yourself in a way you’re not used to expressing yourself.
Live.

How will I celebrate International Minimalist Day? By spreading the word about minimalism, of course. :)

How To Make A Holiday “Official”

As promised, how do you make your holiday “official”? There’s a book called Chase’s Calendar of Events published by McGraw-Hill that is distributed to libraries and schools. Contact them to get your holiday listed and you’re golden. :)

We Need Your Help

Minimalism is still a small, but growing, movement. We need your help to expose the masses to the joy of minimalism.

You can help by writing about this movement on your blog and clicking on the Tweet and Facebook Like buttons below…

How To Cure Cravings By Using Radical Indulgence

The Art of Mindful Radical Indulgence …

Radical indulgence: the act of overdoing your whims and desires.

I’m often asked a variation the following question: “Do you ever crave meat or any other foods that you don’t eat?”

My answer is no. I have not craved meat even once since I stopped eating it. I believe it’s because of a complete mindset shift when I made the decision. It was a slow process, but when it happened I was all-in.

That said, I do crave other unhealthy foods. Sometimes I crave pizza. Sometimes I crave potato chips. Sometimes I crave Dr Pepper.

Like most cravings, these usually go away fairly quickly and I’ll just eat a banana or whatever else is handy.

But sometimes I’ll have a persistent craving.

And when that happens, although it’s not often, I practice what I call radical indulgence.

Warning! Radical indulgence is … well … radical.

I stopped drinking soda when I was 20 years old. That’s not to say that I never drink soda, but it’s very rare.

And yet, sometimes I get an irresistible craving for Dr Pepper (or its cheap Wal-Mart counterpart with the much more fun name of Dr Thunder). My friend Kenny can attest to this. Once or twice over the 5 years I have known him I have gone on a Dr Pepper/Dr Thunder binge.

When I have an irresistible craving, instead of feeling stressed and letting the craving fester, I go all out. (Photo is proof.) I indulge the craving to the far extreme. Breakfast/lunch/dinner.

So why do I do this?

Have you ever heard a story about a teenager going out to drink, coming home drunk, and their Parents either forcing them to drink until puking or forcing them to stay awake until absolute exhaustion? It’s similar to that, although it’s more effective since you have complete control. (Nothing will work long term if you’re forced into it.)

When I go through a soda binge I get so sick of the drink that it’s a very long time before I care to drink it again. Although I’ve drank soda since that last binge in the photo, it’s very rare.

Usually the indulgence is not so radical and I’ve done this on a smaller scale as well. A few weeks ago a friend of mine was talking about eating potato chips with everything. Potato chips with bananas, potato chips with breakfast, potato chips with tea, and so on. I thought it was hilarious. And then I found myself craving potato chips. The craving didn’t go away, so I went out, bought a back of potato chips, and ate the whole damn thing.

If you’re the type of person who can’t indulge in cravings because they will turn into full-blown addictions then this technique obviously isn’t for you. What I mean is, indulging your heroin habit by overdosing isn’t a good idea. :)

But it’s perfectly OK to indulge in most persistent cravings for short periods of time. Some people who do diets (I don’t believe in dieting) advocate cheat days where you can eat whatever you want. Radical indulgence is similar except it might last just an hour (a bag of potato chips) or a whole week (17 bottles of soda) and it is practiced with much less regularity. There is no “radical indulgence” day every week. That would be far too often.

Once you begin eating healthier foods and leading a generally healthier lifestyle most of your bad cravings will go away.

When your cravings just won’t go away, practice radical indulgence and let me know how it goes.

Sweet Showcase Saturday #023 (Highlight A Freedom Fighter Edition)

In which I discuss new Freedom Fighter developments!

Earlier this week, one of your fellow Freedom Fighters, Marilia from TrippingMom.com, emailed me with a fantastic suggestion.

Your link this Saturday to a new blog that’s made by a Freedom Fighter gave me an idea.

Maybe you could make a list of the Freedom Fighter’s blogs and send it to the mailing list.

I love that idea! So this week (Thursday or Friday), if you’re a Freedom Fighter who has gone through the whole course (it’s over 20 lessons now), you will get an e-mail asking you a series of questions about your blog/Web site.

If you don’t have one yet, just save the e-mail for future reference.

Over time, I will highlight different Freedom Fighter blogs via the Freedom Fighters e-mail membership or right here in a Freedom Fighter section on Sweet Shit Saturdays.

The only way to get in on this is to be a Freedom Fighter and then respond to the e-mail. Please don’t e-mail me asking to get in on this any other way than by responding to that e-mail.

If you haven’t become a Freedom Fighter yet click here now, there is no time like the present.

Wow … all of that was so staid and technical. :)

Thanks again for the idea Marilia!

Now before I turn into Ben Stein let’s get to some sweet links!

How Much Money Do You Need To Start A Life Of Travel? by Derek Earl Baron

This basically obliterates any excuse you have not to travel if what you want to do with your life is travel.

In30Days.net by Rich Staats

I like Rich. I don’t know Rich. But I like Rich. He took the JetBlue All You Can Fly promo and turned it into something sweet. So he gets a sweet link. (If JetBlue does this again while I’m in the US I have an idea I’ve been wanting to do for a couple years. I guess there’s no sense in writing about it until then. :) )

9 Nomadic Principles For Everyday Life by Raam Dev

Well, I just love this and I’m not going to sully it with my own description.

How To Re-Ignite Your Blogging Fire When You’re Feeling Burnt Out by Glen Allsopp

There were lots of articles on burnout in the past week. I’m not sure why, but I guess September is National Burnout Month. Not the kind of burnout that skips school and smokes weed. The kind of burnout I talked about on Monday. :) This article is on Problogger, but it’s by Glen from ViperChill.com.

The Truth About Creative Burnout: 30 Experts Speak Out by Ali Hale

Remember when I wrote that there were a lot of articles on burnout lately? Oh, you don’t remember? Well, I just wrote it 30 seconds ago so either you have a very short term memory or you’re not even reading. I can’t help you with either one. Sorry. These comments have nothing to do with this article, do they?

Escape Your Blog To Grow It by Chris Garrett

This is a great article by Chris, but make sure to read the first comment by Jade Craven as well. Both of them are very smart. :)

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Thanks again to Marilia from TrippingMom.com for the awesome Freedom Fighter suggestion. Do you have sweet suggestions? Want to do an interview? Want to tell me your deepest, darkest secrets? Let me know. I’m told my e-mail address is too hard to find (weird, because I get lots of e-mails) so here’s a nifty contact form. ;) (Also, just kidding about the deepest, darkest secrets thing.)

Have a great weekend!

The Art of Selling Out (or Why Seeking Validation Is Stupid But Making Money Is Not)

Part 3 of a 3-part series on creating. Today we’ll talk about validation, selling out, making money, and other sexy things …

Note: This is part 3 of a 3-part series about creating. I’m using the topic of writing/blogging since that’s what I know, but the lessons can be extrapolated to any form of art. Part 1 covered How To Never Run Out Of Ideas, Part 2 covered How To Extinguish the Fiery Flames of Burnout, and Part 3 is on Validation (today!).

As a blogger (or artist of any sort) you may not get much validation … especially when you’re starting. The little validation you do get will be from people you know … family, friends, maybe co-workers. This kind of validation is empty because you’re not sure if it’s real. (Let’s be honest, it’s probably not.)

The validation most of us want is from random strangers. People we don’t know and who don’t know us. It makes us feel “famous” in a way.

“Somebody from Siberia said they liked my article! I have arrived!”

The Honest Truth About Validation

If you need validation then you’re not creating art.

That’s not to say that what you’re doing isn’t valuable. But the thing about art is this: your art should be valuable to you, first and foremost. Everything else is a bonus.

If your art isn’t valuable to you then you’re not an artist, you’re a factory. And probably unhappy.

What if nobody sees or appreciates what you do? Is it a waste of time putting your heart into something that gets no outside validation? No. Maybe you’re too progressive. Maybe people don’t understand you. Maybe you’re not good enough right now. It happens. If you’re doing it for yourself, none of that matters. You’ll press on.

Ask Steven Pressfield how long it took before he could make a living from his writing. Actually, you don’t need to ask him, just read his blog.

Why did he continue on for 17 years before getting his first paycheck from his writing? Because he’s an artist.

An artist may want the world to see his art, but he does it because he needs to do it and not to seek validation.

When I started writing this blog I didn’t get much traffic, many comments, or many e-mails. I didn’t do a whole lot to change that either. I just wrote. Every day. And then posted articles on my scheduled post days.

It took 3 months to break 100 RSS subscribers. And that’s only because I did a guest post on ZenHabits.net, which brought a flood of traffic and ~1,000 subscribers all at once.

I was going to write anyway, whether I had 0 readers or 5,000+ readers (you rock!).

I committed myself to this blog. I never had plans to turn it into a business.

Amazingly, these days the income from this blog fully supports my lifestyle and then some. Wow, for something I started without any particularly concrete plans (and definitely no plans to make money) I almost don’t know what to think. I feel like thank you isn’t enough, but thank you.

Is Making Money From Your Art Selling Out?

No. Under one condition: if you support things you don’t believe in to make money then you’ve sold out.

For example, I would never accept money from the dairy or beef industries. They could say “Hey Karol, $1 million to advertise on your blog” and I would say “Hey, eat shit.” ;) (I guess they do eat shit if they eat their own products.)

If, on the other hand, a company that made vegan goods contacted me and wanted me to write about their products I may accept and write about them. I wouldn’t accept cash (that’s not my game), but I have no problem reviewing a product that you and I may find useful (especially if it’s travel related!). If that were to ever happen I would be up-front about it with you, of course. And obviously this isn’t a review site, I’m simply making a point.

So, again, is making money selling out? No. Anybody who thinks you shouldn’t make money with your art if you want to is an idiot. If artists don’t get paid we don’t have art.

Well, let me rephrase that slightly: there will always be art and artists. But I want my favorite artists to be exposed to more people and to create more art.

How and Why I Support My Favorite Artists

I want all my favorite artists to be millionaires (or, you know, whatever they want) so they can keep producing their art.

This is why I supported one of my favorite musicians, Jenny Owen Youngs, when she did her KickStarter. Not only does the $38,543 she raised help with her new record, but since she’s not on a label anymore she’ll have 100% creative control. Awesome! (I even drove from Austin, TX to Fort Worth, TX and bought 2 tickets (myself and a friend) to see her last year. That is supporting her art! hehe)

This is also why you see me promote other blogger’s blog posts every Saturday and, every once in a while, their premium products as an affiliate. Yes, it may produce income for me, but that’s secondary. Yes, it was awesome being Corbett’s #1 affiliate for the Affiliate Marketing For Beginners launch last month. And yes, that is validation. But even if none of that was the case, I want to support people who do good work.

The more people who are able to do good work, the better the world becomes.

Artists need this kind of support. Yes, they need you to spread the word and give non-monetary support. But you know what many of them need more than anything? Cash, so they can continue producing art.

Don’t let anybody make you feel bad if you want to make a living from your art.

I Don’t Understand, You Say Artists Don’t Need Validation and You Say They’re Not Sellouts If They Make Money. But If They’re Making Money, That IS Validation. What’s Going On Karol?!

Good question, Karol. (Yes, I did just refer to myself referring to myself. Or something.)

The difference is actually very simple: A true artist will continue with their art whether they receive validation or not.

Whether I make money from my writing or not, I will continue writing.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope that you’ll continue doing it whether you receive validation or not as well. We need more artists. We need more ass-kickers.

I can’t guarantee you will make a living with your art, but I can guarantee we need you anyway.

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If you enjoyed this series, would you mind doing me a big favor and supporting my art? Just click the Facebook Like button or Twitter Retweet button below:

How To Extinguish The Fiery Flames Of Burnout (plus 7 Guaranteed Burnout Busters)

Part 2 in a 3-part series about creating. Today we cover how to deal with burnout …

Note: This is part 2 of a 3-part series about creating. I’ll use the topic of writing since that’s what I know, but the lessons can be extrapolated to any form of art. Part 1 covered How To Never Run Out Of Ideas, Part 2 is about Burnout (today), and Part 3 is on Validation (Thursday).

Burnout can happen for a lot of reasons.

Overwork.
Being too difficult on yourself day in and day out.
Allowing outside forces get the best of you.
Getting bored.

From personal experience and from the experiences of people I know, the most intense burnouts happen with overwork and getting bored.

The others are usually more temporary.

How To Overcome Overwork (Time Off Is Not The Answer To Burnout)

We’re creatures of habit, so taking a vacation or extended time off probably won’t work for you. You’ll tell yourself “I’ll take just 1 day” or “1 week” and it almost always doesn’t work like that. 1 day becomes 2 becomes 3 becomes 4 …

If you have a boss then you don’t have the choice for it to work like that.

But as an artist, you are your own boss when you’re creating your art. Sometimes artists aren’t the best bosses. :)

The first question to ask yourself is: “Is this what I really want to be doing?”

Maybe you’re forcing yourself into your art and it’s really not for you. Maybe you went to a fine arts school, maybe you dreamed of being a painter since a young age, or maybe you’ve been hard at work on a novel for years.

It’s OK to quit. It’s OK to change gears. You won’t be alone if you decide on that course of action. Nobody worthy of your time will judge you.

Setting Limits To Set Yourself Free

On the other hand, if your art is your life and you don’t want to quit, the easiest way to overcome overwork is to define limits. I’m not a big fan of limits in the long term, but for short term it’s perfect. The article you’re reading right now is part 2 of a 3 part series. That’s a limit that I’m perfectly happy with.

How To Set Your Limits

If your desired course of action to deal with burn out is to take a vacation or just a day off do this instead: set a limit to only work for 30 minutes. You can still take a day off (except for the 30 minutes) and you can still take the vacation (except for the 30 minutes every day).

I’ll tell you what will happen right now before you even attempt this: your 30 minutes will be a struggle for the first few days. Let yourself struggle. Enjoy the struggle. After some time (maybe 1 day, maybe more) your 30 minute limit will naturally become unlimited.

When Is It A Good Idea To Take Time Off?

Is there ever a good time to take time off? Yes, when you’re not burnt out. When you’re not burnt out you’ll actually want to get back to work so it won’t be a struggle. 1 day probably won’t become 2 become 3 become 4 … although you know yourself better than I do so don’t take this advice if you know it won’t work for you.

Is A Digital Sabbatical The Answer?

Digital sabbaticals are all the rage these days. They only work for people who aren’t burnt out. Tread lightly with a digital sabbatical (meaning, you cut yourself off from all technology for X length of time) if you’re burnt out. It will do more harm than good.

This is what will happen: “Wow, that felt great, I don’t feel like getting back to work now.”

This is what’s supposed to happen: “Wow, that felt great, I’m fired up for work now!”

How To Overcome Boredom

The technique to overcome boredom is the same as overcoming overwork, with a slight difference: if you’re bored with your art you need a change of scenery, a change of pace.

For example, say you’re bored with the novel you’re writing.

During your 30 minute limit, don’t work on the novel directly. Work on writing something you’re not used to writing. Non-fiction, a poem, an essay. All forms of derivative art will help your chosen art.

7 Simple Ways To Stop Burnout When It Starts Creeping Up On You

In addition to the ideas above, here are 7 ways I guarantee will help you overcome burnout and achieve clarity. My favorite is #1, but they’re in no particular order.

1) Exercise

My preference is riding my bike alone for an hour or two. When you’re exercising hard you can’t focus on much else except what’s happening in that moment.

If you hate exercise, get fit in just 1 minute.

2) Take a walk

Almost like exercise, but it lets your mind wander anywhere and everywhere due to the slow pace. It’s a different process than focusing on the moment and it might work better for you.

3) Relax

How To Relax. Sometimes we just need a few minutes to ourselves. Or, if you’re like me, you need a lot of minutes to yourself every day. :)

4) Do something scary

Karaoke is my recommended “scary” course of action for most people simply because most people absolutely refuse to do it. Guess what? Nobody cares that you can’t sing. Have fun, smile, and sing out of key. Karaoke is an exhilarating experience the first time, and it has never failed in getting my endorphins (natural pain and stress fighters!) pumping every single time I’ve done it.

5) Cook

But don’t cook your favorite meal or a recipe you know. Make it something that opens your taste buds to new flavors and forces you to stretch your skills and concentrate on the task at hand.

Alternate: take the mishmash of vegetables and whatever else you have around and create your own recipe. Who knows how it’ll turn out, but that’s half the fun.

6) Skype with someone who’s doing great things

Every single time I talk to someone on Skype who I haven’t spoken with before I get incredibly inspired. I don’t do these chats too often, but I absolutely love it when I do.

My preference is to connect with someone I’m already well-acquainted with, but have never spoken to.

7) Interact with a new social circle

It’s simple. Go to CouchSurfing.org’s Group for your city and see if anything’s going on. For most cities there will be! Go out and meet some new people. Meetup.com and Facebook Events are also good for this, but CouchSurfing is more international and exceptionally welcoming.

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On Thursday we’ll cover Validation.

How do you feel good about your art if nobody sees it?

How do you share your art with the world? *Should you* share your art with the world? Is selling your art “selling out”?

Subscribe to my RSS feed by clicking here to make sure you don’t miss that update.

Sweet Surrender Saturday #022 (Live For Today Edition)

A few thoughts on Living For Today + $ opportunity for a vegan + sweet links!

(I knew Sweet Surrender was a song, but I had to look up who it was by. Obviously not a Sarah McLachlin fan. Live For Today is also a musical reference. Oh goodness, just looked that up as well. Not a 3 Doors Down reference. Not ever a 3 Doors Down reference. I’m referring to a lesser-known, no-longer-together, political punk band known as boysetsfire.)

I really enjoyed the discussion (both in comments and via e-mail) on Tuesday’s Stop Trying To Find Yourself article and it’s good to see you surrendering to today.

Not in a “on your knees, hands behind your head!” type of way. In a “you know what? Right now is awesome!” type of way.

Or maybe even in a “you know what? Right now could be better so I’m going to do something to make it better” type of way.

Or even in a “you know what? I haven’t showered in 3 days and maybe if I don’t have working water and a working toilet in this apartment today I’ll go out anyway since all the clubs are smoky and that shit smells worse than me” type of way.

But if you’re living that last one you’re probably me. And if you’re me then who am I? Am I you? Or maybe you live in this building? In which case, why haven’t you said hi? I’m the tall dude in apt 6. Is it because I haven’t showered? Oh, OK, I understand.

Somebody grab hold of this steering wheel because I’m riding off road …

A lot of my articles here are directed at one person. Not always the same person. Not even always a real person. It could be a person from a comment, a tweet, an e-mail, a dream, or an in-person meeting. I hope the person that article was written for has read it. (Is it you?)

Seek Danger is another great example of something that was written directly to one specific (and real) person.

Surrender yourself to these sweet links …

Free Paid To Exist Videos by Jonathan Mead

I’ve been reading Jonathan’s blog for almost 2 years now. He always has a unique perspective on things and it’s fun to stretch my mind thinking about life from a different angle.

He’s launching a program called Paid To Exist right now with a handful of videos that are worth the watch. It’s much better than TV and just as free. :)

How To Make Money With Your Blog (With Case Studies As Proof) by Yaro Starak

I like case studies for the simple fact that even if you don’t utilize what you learn directly, it’s beneficial to see how other people are doing things. There is almost never one single way to accomplish a task.

Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau

Congrats to Chris for releasing his first book with a bang! I’m not able to buy the Kindle version, so I’ll have to wait to read the preview copy I got when I get to Michigan. I think my Mom is currently reading it and getting ready for World Domination.

Note: although I got a free copy I’ll also be buying a copy (probably for Kindle) and giving away my print version either here or on Twitter. Not sure yet.

Note Part Two: I’ll be at Chris’s Unconventional Book Tour on Sept 30 in Ann Arbor, MI. Let me know if you’ll make it and we’ll after-party at Pinball Pete’s. ;) I may also make it to the Houston or Dallas events as I’ll be in Austin at the time. That’ll only happen if I hitch a ride with somebody from Austin though. :)

Nate Walks America by Nate Damm

Nate’s a smart guy and he has inspired at least a few of my ideas via his blog http://www.thewaythatyouwander.com. I can tell you about one right here: Travel Roulette.

Nate’s walking coast to coast in 2011. He expects it to take 8-9 months. That’s a lot of walking!

The Cracky Farm by Kellie Kowalski

While I have no idea what the name of this blog means (OK, it’s on the about page, now I know, haha), I like the design and the fact that Kellie looks like she put a lot of thought into the site. I don’t know Kellie, and I don’t know if she’ll keep blogging (just started, 2 posts) … proof that, sometimes, if you link to somebody without expecting anything (thanks for the link Kellie!) maybe they’ll give you a little publicity. :) (What I’m saying is, don’t ask/beg for links, they happen naturally.)

Bolivia. by Havi Brooks

Like Havi, I don’t want to move to Bolivia. When I was younger I thought I did, but only because it seemed like that’s what you do when you get older. You move to Bolivia. It’s not that I’m against Bolivia. I’m sure it’s a fine place. Maybe that will change some day? I don’t know. I’ve visited the outskirts of Bolivia a couple of times (physically and mentally) and it just never felt right. If you’re completely confused, read the article. And get ready to get your mind twisted by more metaphors than you’ve read all year. ;)

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Vegan Chef Needed ($$$)

I’m looking for a vegan amateur chef who wants to make some money. By amateur I mean you like to cook things on your own and you like how they taste. :) I don’t care if you’ve never had a job in a kitchen before. Interested? Send me a 5 sentence e-mail + recipe (which can be any length) + photo of finished dish: KarolGajda at gmail.

Have a great weekend!

How To Never Run Out Of Ideas – My 100% No-Fail System

Part 1 in a 3-part series on creating. This is why I never run out of ideas …

Note: This is part 1 of a 3-part series about creating. I’ll use the topic of writing since that’s what I know, but the lessons can be extrapolated to any form of art. We’ll cover Ideas (today), Burnout (next Monday), and Validation (next Thursday).

Idea generation is a topic that comes up pretty regularly amongst bloggers and would-be bloggers.

“Do you ever run out of things to write about?”

My Writing Process

I write most of my posts a little bit in advance because I write them whenever I feel inspired to write them. Then I schedule them with the WordPress scheduler. As I’ve mentioned before, the majority of my writing isn’t for this blog, so sometimes my scheduled post days come upon me out of nowhere.

“Whoa, it’s 4am Eastern and post time is at 7:11am … how did that happen?”

(I’ve still never written about why I set most of my posts to run at 7:11. It’s not superstition, and the truth is I don’t think it’s even worth writing about.)

I’ve consciously created my life to be as stress-less and enjoyable as possible, but it seems this would be a stressful situation to put myself in. It’s not.

The Definition of Definition

On the one hand, I don’t have a well defined niche like Corbett (help small businesses get more traffic), Baker (sell your crap, do what you love), Everett (minimalism), Pat (passive income) or Leo (simplicity).

On the other hand, I get to write about whatever I want. That’s why I never have a problem writing an article here at Ridiculously Extraordinary, even if I have to write it at the last minute.

(Actually, some of my most trafficked/commented/facebook shared/stumbled/tweeted articles were all last minute articles.)

Evergreen Niches

Some of you have read my Evergreen Niches Report dissecting the best niches to go after if you’re starting a small business. I recommend you only choose one, but my blog and premium products cover all of the niches. (OK, there’s only 1 premium product right now, but as you can see in the sidebar, 2 in the pipeline.)

From a marketing standpoint this is dumb and I don’t recommend it. It’s difficult to brand this blog and Baker has even asked me a million times to define what this site is about.

My tag line sucks: Freedom, Health, Travel, Life. What does that mean? How much more vague can I possibly be?

For a guy who has studied marketing for so many years I should know better.

And yet, even with all of that working against me, it’s working.

I fully admit I stole this from Tim Ferriss. Before starting this blog I thought to myself, “I don’t care if he’s a NYT best selling author, if he can write about whatever he wants and be successful, so can I.”

How To Define Your Niche (And Should You Even Bother?)

There are a couple of easy ways to define your niche:

1) Define it yourself.

Matt did it fantastically with No Meat Athlete. There is absolutely no questioning what the site is about. Matt’s a veg athlete and he writes for others who either are veg or considering it.

Kenny has done it with Me vs MJ – My Journey To Jordan Camp. It’s targeted to basketball fans, but with a personal story and helpful articles which non-basketball fans can connect with as well.

2) Ask your readers (once you have a decent amount) to define it for you via a reader survey.

Why Define?

When a new visitor hits your site and doesn’t know what it’s about they probably won’t stick around unless you’re incredibly compelling.

Here’s the fun part about defining your niche: you can actually still write about almost whatever you want, no matter what niche you’re in!

For example, Baker’s blog is ManVsDebt.com, but does he stick to the same boring personal finance topics as other personal finance bloggers? Not a chance.

And to go back to the MeVsMJ.com example: does Kenny only write about basketball? Not exactly, but everything he writes about has the common thread of basketball worked into it.

It might take a little bit more work, but you can tweak almost any topic you’d like to write about into your defined niche.

Defining Your Niche Actually Makes It Easier To Generate Ideas

Defining your niche also instantly gives visitors something to connect with.

When all your synapses are firing on a common goal, the ideas just don’t stop.

What you may find is ideas may come at inopportune times, but instead of getting pissed, embrace it. Some days I write 3 articles for this blog and then go another week without writing another one. Some weeks I write 10 articles and then never post any of them. :)

If I’m inspired to create, I create, no matter what else is going on.

I discussed that concept in The Absolute Idiot’s Guide To Inspiration.

Define your niche and don’t stifle inspiration and I guarantee you won’t have trouble generating ideas.

How You Helped Clarify My Niche

I asked in a survey a few months ago what you thought this site was about and the answers were incredibly varied.

From a marketing standpoint that’s not good.

But most of the answers had one element that told me I’m on the right track: “inspiring.”

Ridiculously Extraordinary is about minimalism. Because that is what I am at the core.

It’s about entrepreneurship. Because I’ve been entrepreneurial my whole life

It’s about doing what you want, and doing what you love. Because that’s what I do.

It’s about kicking ass and thinking for yourself. Because I follow exactly that.

It’s about questioning everything and everyone. Because I’ve learned the hard way that that is the only way to make it.

But it all boils down to this: Ridiculously Extraordinary is about inspiration. You inspire me and my goal is to inspire you. Inspiration is my niche.

And because of that simple fact, I have a fire lit under my ass when it comes time to write here. I hope whatever you decide to do that you’ll have this same fire lit under your ass as well.

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On Monday we’ll cover How To Extinguish Burnout (plus 7 Guaranteed Burnout Busters).

It will focus on these common questions (and more):

“Do you ever feel like not writing?”

“Do you ever just want to quit?”

Subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking here so you don’t miss that update.

You’re Not Lost So Stop Trying To Find Yourself

Read this if you’ve been trying to find yourself …

“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” – Bil Keane

The topic of “finding yourself” comes up regularly on blogs and in person conversations. We all seem to be a bunch of confused people who aren’t sure what’s happening or why.

Good. :)

We should embrace the fact that we don’t know exactly what’s happening from moment to moment.

Who knows where this relationship will lead?

Who knows if this is opportunity or a dead end?

Who knows how the recipe you’re trying for dinner will turn out?

Not knowing is where the fun lies.

I used to be extremely uptight. I needed to know everything about everything about everything and if something was just a little bit off I would become stressed to no end.

Embrace Uncertainty and Live Certainly

If you’re trying to find yourself it means you’re either living in the past or the future (or both!).

Do you know what happens when we live thinking about and planning for every contingency?

When something unexpected happens (and it will) we’re actually less prepared to deal with it. Instead of being in the moment and dealing with what’s happening right now, we live in the future and the past.

“Oh no! Why did this have to happen to me?”

“Oh no! What will I do about this tomorrow?”

How about this instead: “Let’s figure out how to deal with this situation.”

Robots, Machines, and Feelings

Somebody recently mentioned to me that you can’t help how you feel, not quite going so far as to calling me a robot.

“You can’t turn off your feelings.”

She’s right. You can’t. Humans think and feel.

What you can do is live with the moments as they happen as opposed to wondering about the past and stressing about the future.

You can learn how to deal with anything in a positive, beneficial way.

Note: Although my body is a machine (yours is too if you want it to be), I’m not a robot. My heart and mind are real just like the next guy or gal. ;)

Don’t Watch The Past In The Present

Say you’re into basketball and your favorite team is in the NBA Finals. Is it worth watching the games after the series is over? No. Unless you’re a super-fan, it’s all about watching the moments unfold in front of your very eyes.

Why should life be any different?

It shouldn’t.

Don’t Watch The Future Before It Happens

You buy a lottery ticket and have already spent the money you haven’t (err, won’t) won. You plan a trip and imagine exactly how it’s going to turn out.

This sets us up for incredible disappointment. Instead of buying a lottery ticket, buy a sandwich. Instead of imagining a trip down to the last detail, give it space. Imagine a fantastic time with lots of unknown variables.

In the paraphrased words of Denis Leary:

“Live life moment to moment, street to street, beat to beat.”

Special comment love request:

1) How are you?

2) How do you live moment to moment?

(Also, remember: Only first or full names in the name field. No URLs/branding.)

Sweet Sassafras Saturday #021 (Cold As Life Edition)

Wherein I discuss the the meaning of life. But just kidding. Lots of sweet links!

When I was growing up on the mean streets of Michigan (meaning: the safe, clean streets of MI) there was a local band called Cold As Life and, although I never listened to them, I thought it was fitting. Michigan is a miserably cold place for half of the year.

BTW, the Wikipedia entry for the band states “Their shows were frequently violent, involving vicious fights that often included stabbings and beatings with various weapons.” Welcome to Detroit! Note: I get a little bit of hate every time I talk shit about Detroit or Michigan. The truth is it’s a beautiful place, but just not for me. 90% of my family/friends live there and I spent 22 years there. That’s at least 21 years 364 days too long. ;)

Poland has been getting down to mid-40s (6-8C) at night lately. Good thing I have these long underwear! (That link is to my light packing list. It will be revamped in Q1 2011 when I set off for Brazil (or Colombia or Panama?). Especially because my shirts/socks/shoes are now utterly ruined.)

I have a song stuck in my head. Guess what it is (no hints!) and you win my eternal love. (That’s not a hint.)

Liiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnkkkkkkkkkkkssssssssssss…

Time Sensitive –> Confused! In Need of Help? You’re Not Alone! (Free Stuff Inside) by Henri Junttila

Henri rules and is giving away some 30 minute consulting packages to help you get unstuck and rocking. The deadline to enter is 6am EST on September 6.

Enough! A Mini Manifesto For Intentional Downward Mobility by Victoria Vargas

This is a great list and it fits perfectly with the theme of The American Dream Is Dead.

Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware

This is exactly what I espouse here on Ridiculously Extraordinary, but straight from the mouths of people getting ready to die. Sample: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

Any time you’re sad, depressed, lonely, or bored, just read this. Also listen to Regina Spektor because she rules. (That’s also not a hint. No hints!)

The American Dream – Get Off Your Butt by Steve Thomas

Passionate video in support of my Manifesto and The Dream. Thanks Steve!

SmallTopia: A Practical Guide To Working For Yourself by Tammy Strobel

I contributed an article about using an e-mail course to automate your business growth to Tammy’s awesome new eBook. Lots of other amazing people contributed as well. And, of course, the core content of the guide, written by Tammy herself, is stellar.

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New comment policy starting today: any comment that includes anything other than a name in the name field will be deleted. That can be a first name or a full name. My name is Karol Gajda, not “Karol Gajda – RidiculouslyExtraordinary.com”. What’s your name? ;)

Did I use Sassafras before already? I need to think of new S words. Maybe next week will be Super-calafragalistic Saturday. And by “maybe” I mean it won’t be…ever. ;) Enjoy your weekend!

Behind The Scenes Of A Stress-Free Product Launch In 5 Powerful Lessons

I’ve done 3 product launches this year. Here is how I made the last 2 incredibly successful and stress free …

If you’re interested in what it takes to launch a product successfully or just want to get behind the scenes of my own product launches then this is for you.

Launching a product is fun, it’s exhilarating, but it can be stressful. Unless you do it my way. ;)

Over the past 10 years I’ve done a lot of product launches. This year I’ve done 3. How To Live Anywhere (twice) and, most recently, my Manifesto: The American Dream Is Dead (Long Live The American Dream!).

You might think, “Wait, your Manifesto is a free download, how is that even a product launch?”

The truth is I spent more time orchestrating or thinking about how to orchestrate the launch of the Manifesto than I did on How To Live Anywhere. From a revenue standpoint there was a 5 figure difference (i.e. the free Manifesto made $0, obviously), which brings me to launch lessons #1 and #2.

Launch Lesson #1: Know exactly what you want out of your launch.

For the How To Live Anywhere launch I wanted to get closer to helping 100 people achieve Freedom, generate revenue for my business, and increase my blog’s audience. All of those goals were reached quite successfully. Over 1,000 new Freedom Fighters in the first week of launch!

For The American Dream Is Dead Manifesto I wanted to create something that would inspire lots of people and increase my reach on the Internet. Obviously it’s a little too soon to tell exactly how far and wide it will reach and measuring impact (besides number of downloads) is tough, but the message is evergreen. An evergreen message means the Manifesto should spread for years to come. If you enjoyed it please share it on Facebook, Twitter, and via e-mail. :)

Launch Lesson #2: It’s not how much work you put in that determines how much you make.

To launch How To Live Anywhere the second time I used one strategy: affiliates. And even more than that: people I already had relationships with. That’s a pretty easy launch strategy and I spent less time on that launch than on the Manifesto launch.

It goes something like this: “Hey [Name], I’m launching [Product] soon. Here are the details. Interested?”

When you’re dealing with people you know there’s not much more to it than that.

It’s only when you’re branching out to do joint ventures with people you don’t have a relationship with that it takes lots of effort.

I made a conscious decision to make the How To Live Anywhere launch stress-free. I actually didn’t even work for the 3 days leading up to launch day. :)

On the flip side:

I mulled over multiple strategies for launching my Manifesto. Obviously I couldn’t use affiliates since it’s a free download. Yes, I could have an affiliate program that pays 25 cents (or whatever amount) for each download someone sends, but that’s not something I was interested in.

I brainstormed various ideas with my Mastermind group.

What I ultimately decided on was to get a lot of people I respect to contribute to the launch day article. The benefits of that would be 3-fold:

1) Launch day wouldn’t be just about me and my product. Contributors would get exposure to new audiences as well.

2) Readers would have lots of different perspectives to read from lots of amazing people.

3) Contributors would be more invested in my free launch. Maybe they’d spread the word, maybe they wouldn’t, but at least it would be on their radar.

I also wanted to include 1-3 contributors inside the Manifesto. I chose 3 very well known people, all of whom had built multi-million dollar businesses. Two of them I had never connected with in the past, and I didn’t get positive responses.

Derek Sivers, on the other hand, not only responded, but his response fit perfectly in with what I was writing. I couldn’t have scripted it better if I tried and he didn’t even have a preview of the Manifesto to read. It just fit. I don’t believe in magic, but sometimes things just fall into place. :)

Lesson #3: Send short pitch e-mails.

I set aside about 2 hours one day and contacted over 50 people asking for a contribution to the Manifesto launch using the 5 sentence e-mail rule. People who already know me probably expected this, but I was putting the 5 sentence rule to the real test by using it with lots of people who I had never corresponded with before.

Based on the fact that the launch article contains 24 responses (+1 inside the Manifesto), you know I had about a 50% acceptance rate. I only had 1 outright no.

8 of the people who contributed I had never corresponded with before. Lots of people who I had corresponded with before never replied to my e-mail. :)

To be fair, I had to pull a trump card when I asked Chris Brogan for a contribution. I’m a member of Third Tribe and he’s one of the co-founders. Which brings me to lesson #4.

Lesson #4: Be courteous, but use whatever resources you have available to get what you want.

I’m not a member of many “clubs” other than Third Tribe. And while I didn’t really use that to my advantage for the launch like I should have, I did use it to get through to Chris Brogan. Being that he’s an in-demand speaker, best selling author, and prolific blogger … and being that I’d never corresponded with him before … I did what I had to do. (If you’ve read the Manifesto, that might sound familiar.)

You probably have some trump cards in place somehow, somewhere. They might not be readily obvious, but they’re there. Use them.

Lesson #5: Don’t take a “no” personally.

You’re going to meet with some resistance on your launch no matter who you are. Maybe even from friends and acquaintances. It’s not personal. Sometimes promoting something or contributing to something just doesn’t fit with a person’s schedule.

There are a lot of people who I hoped would contribute to the Manifesto launch, but they didn’t. There are a lot of people who I hoped would promote How To Live Anywhere, but didn’t. That’s OK. Dealing with this rejection helps if you don’t seek validation from others, but from yourself. (Easier said than done, I know.)

I know people are busy, and I don’t hold it against anybody just because they don’t want to promote something of mine. No worries, you know? :)

Bonus Lesson: Don’t put in work where you don’t have to.

What I mean by that is busy work. Scrambling to send lots of e-mails to people to get them to promote your stuff isn’t usually worth the effort. It’s definitely not worth the effort if you don’t already have some kind of previous relationship. That said, once your product is live, do send an e-mail to whoever was a part of it.

Your Turn

Have you ever launched a product? What did you learn?

Have you not yet launched a product? What other information would help you?

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