Author: Karol

Why Do We Strive For Things We Don’t Truly Want?

Striving for something you don’t want is as useful as burning money…

I recorded the following video last month in LA at TreePeople and somehow never posted it!

It’s about striving for meaningless goals.

Specifically, I tell the story about a man I met in the movie industry who is 69 years old, and still waiting for the “big score” so he can do what he really wants in life. He was good at his job (he owned the company), but he didn’t enjoy the work.

That could have been me one day as I was on that same track.

How about you?

Watch the video here:

Now, ask yourself, is it all worth it? Are you Enjoying The Process?

How To Change The World

Here’s a hint: Community.

Story time…

Last Wednesday after I finished editing Best Of 2009 article I scheduled it to post on Friday, Jan 1, 2010.

I wanted to get back into my “regular” schedule of Friday Updates and I thought a recap of 2009 would make a good post to kick off 2010.

Then I got to thinking:

“What can I do that I would consider Ridiculously Extraordinary instead of just Ordinary?”

I had a lot of fun working on the Best Of post, but I’ll be the first to admit it’s not “special.”

So then I thought…

“What can I do to help kickstart 2010 for you?”

“Even more than that, what can I do instead of a ‘How To Keep Resolutions’ type of post?”

I didn’t have the answer yet. What I did first was reschedule the Best Of post to Thursday, Dec 31.

That gave me the mental shift…

“Oh shit! OK, now I really do need to come up with something good for Jan 1. I can’t wait until my regular posting day of Tuesday…that’s January 5! Too long to wait.”

Yes, that is exactly how my brain worked. I asked it to repeat to me what I thought last week. Huh? Moving along… ;) (Seriously, do not reread that sentence, it’s confusing even me.)

Then, I did what I always do: I started free writing. Because, if I can be honest, I had no idea what I was going to post on Jan 1 yet.

I just knew it would come out, somehow, some way.

And then!

I checked my Google Reader.

I’m not sure why. Usually if I’m in the middle of a fit of writing I don’t stop to do something else.

The first article in my reader was called “What If You Never Graduate?” by Scott H Young. (You can see I commented on Scott’s article at 10:31PM Dec 30 by clicking here.)

And that cemented it. I basically stole his concept, changed the questions, and wrote the article “What If You’re Running Out Of Time?“.

In the comments section of that article Mike Long provided you with a detailed process that can change your life if you follow it.

I want to thank Mike for posting that.

That is what the Ridiculously Extraordinary Community is about. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t even have a lot of the answers. But all of us together? We can make anything happen.

What I’ve learned:

– Pushing ourselves to achieve perfection produces extraordinary results even though perfection is unattainable.

– Sometimes interruption can be inspiration. Sometimes.

– The Community is where real change takes place.

The Community is why I started this site. With your help, I’m building a Ridiculously Extraordinary Community, one step at a time.

Together, we will not only change our own worlds, we will change the whole world.

Thank you for that.

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Speaking of Community: I’m in Washington DC as of this afternoon until Friday afternoon. Lunch on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday? Let me know… (352) 577-0173 (leave a message if no answer) or KarolGajda AT Gmail.com or @KarolGajda.

Tick Tock Tick Tock (or What If You’re Running Out Of Time?)

You have the power to make real change in your life starting right now…

It’s January 1, 2010. Congrats, you made it. ;)

Let’s get it started right. What follows is better than any “resolution.”

Time (no pun intended) for a thought experiment. To make it successful whip out a pen/paper or fire up a text editor. There will be a reward if you take action. :)

In 12 months you won’t be able to work more than 1 hour per day on income producing tasks. You will have come down with an illness that renders you incapable of even attempting to work more than 1 hour per day.

Starting today, what do you do to plan for that?

How do you start reorganizing your life?

What action steps do you have to take today in anticipation of the future?

Even if you’ve never run a business of any sort before, act as if. What kind of business do you think you could start? What steps do you need to take to make it work?

12 months is a long time to get yourself set up.

Invest 15 minutes (preferably more) thinking about this.

.

.

.

Now, same questions, but you only have 6 months. In 6 months you will not have the ability to work more than 1 hour per day.

What do you do?

Now, 3 months. What changes? You’ve actually got real time constraints now. It’s difficult to think 6 or 12 months out because it’s such a long time from now, but 3 months?

3 months out is April 1. That’s really soon!

With 12 months to make it work you could still probably watch TV and play video games every day. But 3 months? I’m not so sure.

With 3 months you will probably have to cut out all extraneous activities from your life while you set yourself up for your new 1 hour/day handicap.

The Reward

Post your answers, and they should be somewhat detailed, in the comments.

I’ll e-mail you with my own answers which, as with a lot of my work,will be free from copyright.

I won’t post my answers here, but you’ll be free to post them on your own blog or wherever you please.

Update (2:25PM EST Jan 1, 2010):

1) Esoteric answers don’t count. Be specific.

2) I’ll only send the e-mail with my answers for comments made until Jan 7, 2010. You have 7 days to think hard and submit your answers.

Thanks for participating!

Last Name “Of” First Name “Best” – 2009 Edition

Not a normal “best of” post. But not an abnormal one either…

Before I begin: thank you. Thank you for reading what I write. Thank you for sharing articles with your friends. Thank you for commenting. Thanking you for e-mailing me.

There are a lot of blogs out there and the fact that you take the time to make mine one of your worthwhile reads means a lot to me. I hold myself to a high standard and I don’t take it lightly that you and I have connected.

Here’s the deal with blogs: the archives are where you can find some of the greatest hits. More than likely, you’ve just arrived at this blog within the past 2 months.

Due to the nature of blogging, with a constant stream of new content coming in, those older articles don’t always get the attention they deserve.

If you’re anything like me, when you discover a new blog that you connect with, you go back and read through every article on the site.

Quite a few of you have e-mailed me about doing just that on this blog and that thrills me to no end! :)

But, being that we’re all busy people, it’s not always possible to wade through the archives. So I’ve done it for you in a slightly atypical fashion.

What I mean by that is there is a lot of commentary and a bit of info about the future (such as a possible product launch) below. Specific traffic stats, most popular and least popular articles, and other fun stuff like that is also included.

This is, by far, the longest article I have posted. Over 2,600 words. I obviously decided not to edit for brevity as I usually do.

Oh, if you have your own blog and have done a Best Of post please comment with a link to it.

(Note: all links open in a new window/tab.)

Top Post Of The Year

That award goes to…you ready?

How To Wash Your Clothes While Traveling aka 15 Minutes – Clean Clothes – Anywhere In The World

That’s in terms of visitors: 9,371. And there’s a very good reason that particular article had more visitors than any other.

It’s linked to on my ZenHabits article: The Beginner’s Guide To Minimalist Travel

In terms of activity though, the top post goes to:

Travel Light, Travel Anywhere: The Ultimate Light Packing List

It has almost 100 comments (granted, about half are mine) and, with 6,972, just a couple thousand visitors shy of the How To Wash Your Clothes article.

I fully expected my light packing list to be my most popular article. I’m a big fan of reading packing lists and I know other travelers love reading packing lists too. Light packers are a passionate bunch. :)

This Article Can Change Your Life

The first article on Ridiculously Extraordinary that got any traction (i.e. links, comments, and e-mails) was:

How To Stop Having Problems or “The Eighty-Fourth Problem”

It’s one of my favorite articles and also in the top 5 (in terms of visitors) on this site.

Most Likely To Help With Your New Year’s Resolution

If that Resolution has anything to do with weight loss or exercise that is. :)

Get Fit In 1 Minute or “Am I Gonna Die From Heat Exhaustion?”

After I wrote this article I felt like “Wow, this is gonna be huge.”

I was dead wrong. It’s one of the least popular articles I’ve written. 503 visitors, 7 comments, and 0 links. wonk wonk

That’s OK though. Maybe this mention will give it new life. ;)

While we’re on the subject of unpopular articles. How is just 194 visitors (the least of any article on this site) and 0 comments?

I had an idea about doing Field Reports while traveling, but after Australia Field Report: Sandboarding The Stockton Sand Dunes bombed I decided against it.

Eventually I did something similar with my Friday Updates, which have been a little bit more successful, although I’ve only written a few thus far. :)

Most Search Engine Traffic

Based on comments and e-mails I’ve received on this article, it seems like I could also call this one Most Helpful.

How I Cured My Dandruff and Itchy Scalp

I think the reason it has helped so many people is because, as far as action steps, it’s the easiest to accomplish. There are no costs or barriers to entry.

My Favorite Article

Similar to the Get Fit In 1 Minute article, after I wrote this one, I thought it was going to be huge. It’s still my favorite article, if only because it helped me personally clear things up in my own head.

“Go into my head and come back out and tell me I’m wrong.” – Mitch Hedberg

Whoa, tangent!

Part of the reason it’s not popular may be because I posted it, oh, 3 days ago. :)

That article is, of course, How To Achieve Perfection.

I Almost Didn’t Post This One

Being that my goal here is radical honesty, and as much as possible, transparency, I’m glad I posted this:

How A 19 Year Old Made $5,000 In 30 days While Simultaneously Breaking Every Copyright Law In The Books, Getting Kicked Off Of eBay, and Going To College Full Time

Being young and dumb is no excuse, but it’s my excuse.

I left that article off with a cliffhanger:

I did procure another eBay account so I could continue selling strictly legal items, but I was out of the copyright violations business for good. That is, until 4 years later when I became a search engine spammer…

Nobody has asked about that and I haven’t posted it, but the story starts off with a death threat.

Sometimes my life has been like what you’d read about in a novel or watch in a movie. Usually it’s not, but sometimes …

I’ll Post This One Soon

In keeping with the novel/movie theme: I caught on fire once.

If you’ve never felt the pain of melting flesh you’re in good company. Just not my company. :)

The reason I haven’t posted it is because there aren’t really any lessons to be learned and it’s a fairly long story.

But sometimes a blog can be pure entertainment. So I’m posting it on January 20, 2010 which will be the 2 year anniversary of my first real brush with death.

But I digress, this is about the archives, not the soon-to-be archives. :)

How To Get Started With The Freedom Mindset

Get rid of stuff. Plain and simple.

Give it away. Sell it.

7 Tips: How To Declutter Your Life Using Craiglist

While we’re too attached to material possessions we can never be free.

But I’m no monk. I do own “things.”

Ridiculously Extraordinary Freedom means I can lose everything and still come out on top. I mean that. I can lose every. Single. Material. Possession. Including money.

None of it matters.

The only possession that matters is what is in our heads.

I’ve invested countless hours and tens of thousands of dollars (not University, that was free) into acquiring knowledge and that’s more important than anything else.

You will never regret getting rid of stuff and investing that extra time and money into knowledge acquisition. I promise.

This Article Needs A New Headline

How I Cured Years Of Excruciating Stomach Pains Without Doctors Or Medicines

This article should be more successful. But I think since the title talks only about stomach pain it keeps people from reading it. The article will actually teach you how to figure out how to deal with almost anything that ails you.

If I had to change the title today I might call it “How To Use The Elimination Diet To Cure Virtually Any Health Problem” or something along those lines.

The Rest of the Bunch

If you haven’t read through my archives, following are links to every article on this site with commentary, and in order of popularity (in terms of visitors).

About Karol Gajda and RidiculouslyExtraordinary.com – This is actually the 3rd most popular page on this site. At first that surprised me, but after analyzing my own blog surfing habits, it makes complete sense.

On Achieving Goals (or “Just Fucking Write”) – I’m a little bit surprised that an article with the word “Fucking” in the headline is the 4th most popular on this site, but you can’t fight with facts.

The Iron Mind – If somebody were to ask me “What is your life’s philosophy?” I’d point them to this article. I see The Iron Mind shine through in a lot of my writing. It has enveloped every fiber of my being.

How I Cured My Seasonal Allergies Forever – After the How To Stop Dandruff article I linked to earlier I think this one, based on e-mails/comments, has been most helpful. Much like the dandruff article, I believe it’s because the action steps are easy. And the barrier to entry is ~$15.

The Persistent Shower Companion (or Early Mornings At The Munich Airport) – Your guess is as good as mine as to why this is one of the most popular articles on this site.

Refine Your Signal (or Fuck The Fluff) – 2 of my top 10 articles have the word “Fuck” in the title. I’m not stupid though, it’s not a formula that will consistently work. The reason it does work is for the very fact that it’s inconsistent.

How To Travel Anywhere In The World, Live With Locals, and Enjoy Outstanding Experiences By CouchSurfing! – My first Black Book. I spent more time on this than anything else on this site. In terms of traffic, links, and other quantitative measures it wasn’t worth it. In terms of exposing CouchSurfing to just one more passionate person (which I know I accomplished!) it was a tremendous success. I owe a lot to CouchSurfing and will never stop extolling the benefits of being a CSer.

Accountability Statement #1 – The effects of this article is probably why you’re reading this site right now. Thank you for reading. :)

How To Be Socially Unacceptable (or Why I Quit Drinking) – Still going strong. I hope this article will help people for years to come.

Mind Control For Fun and Profit! (or How To Brainwash Yourself) – The day I posted this article I purchased MindControlMethod.org. I’m considering making it my first “big” product. I don’t know that I will, because I haven’t asked you yet to find out what you really want. But you can see where my head is at. I believe a fully fleshed out Mind Control Method course will help a lot of people get into a Ridiculously Extraordinary Freedom state of mind.

Needs vs. Wants or My Mom Thinks I’m Crazy or How To Be Congruent – I don’t have much commentary about this, but I think, if you haven’t read it yet, you should. :) I’m proud of this article. Biggest takeaway: Wants are dictated by outside influences. Needs are dictated by biology.

F!&k “Doing It While You Can” (or How To Make Things Happen) – It’s OK to be a follower (sometimes).

Steal This Blog! – Not an actual article, but an important part of this site. Feel free to steal whatever you want from it. :)

Permission To Do Nothing – Sometimes the best course of action is no action.

Enjoy The Process – Is it all worth it? Are you on the right path in your life? Here’s how to know if you are.

Why I Quit Traveling – I had a feeling this one would get a bunch of comments after I posted it. And it did. Sometimes my gut is correct. :)

How To Procrastinate Like A Bad Ass (or How To Overcome Writer’s Block) – I’ve used this writer’s block cure at least once since I posted this. It works so well.

Announcing Ridiculously Extraordinary Black Book #001! – OK, I shouldn’t even post this here because it’s really just a post linking to Black Book #001. But it’s here and it’s more popular than a lot of other articles! WTF! :)

Why We Do What We Do (or How To Be Present) – A recent article that had good comments, even if the visitor count may not be high. I’m proud of this one. The original version of this article was written in June ’09 prior to the launch of this site. By the time I posted this version it was a completely new article and about 1,000 words shorter. Tangent: I spent the 30 days before launching RidiculouslyExtraordinary.com writing over 30,000 words of content. About half of that content has seen the light of day. I don’t know how much of the rest will ever make it.

Powder Is For Babies (or How I Keep My Only Pair Of Shoes From Smelling Like Boiled Rat Piss On Extended Trips) – I use Gold Bond instead of Baby Powder now. Maybe I should update this article?

Zero The Hero or How To Pay 0% Credit Card Transaction Fees When Traveling Outside The US – Must read if you live in the US and are planning on spending time anywhere else. It includes info on banks in addition to credit cards.

An Unlikely First Post: Notes From How To Build A High-TrafficBlog Without Killing Yourself – Useful notes from Tim Ferriss’s presentation.

I Love My Mom So There Is No Cursing In This Article (or Why Cursing Is Good) – Lively comments, even if the visitor count isn’t exceptionally high. Censorship gets people talking. :)

I Spent A Night In Jail + L.A. meetup soon! – A Friday Update with video from the Jailhouse hostel in Christchurch, NZ.

90 Second Smoothie To Kickstart Your Day – Mmmmm…the tastiest article I’ve written. :)

What It’s Like To Tour With A Rock Band – The Swellers Record Release Edition – If you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s like to spend 24 hours/day for 3 weeks in a van with 4 other guys this one’s for you.

How To Pay $82/month For Health Insurance (For The Self-Employed or Uninsured) – I thought this one would get a lot more traffic. I guess people don’t want to pay a penny for health insurance. That’s cool and maybe it’ll happen some day soon. Moving on…

How To Quickly and Easily Clean A Blender – I had one of those “aha” moments when I figured this out.

Friday Update: Thank You Edition #1 + RE Black Book #001 – Yes, thank you!

9 Essential Books For Bloggers and Freedom Seekers (or How To Save $50,000 On An MBA) – Considering this was posted on Christmas Eve I think it has been fairly successful in terms of traffic.

Jumping Into Canyons + Go Go Goa, India – A Friday Update with some awesome videos. :)

How To Drive 1,802 Kilometers With A Cat In Tow (or How To Pull Kitty From A Thorn Bush) – I still have daymares (nightmare while awake) about this. I can deal with Jessie dying in the natural course of life (which I hope won’t be for a while!). But losing her like this would have devastated me. None of these comments make sense unless you read the story.

The Do Shit You Love Show Bonus Footage – Good times with Baker from ManVsDebt.com.

I Make You Wanna Jump, Jump + Being Vulgar – Oh wow, do not watch this karaoke video. :)

How To Get Lost In Notoriously Dangerous South Central LA (or How To Get A Free Ride From The Police) – Good times in Watts almost 10 years ago.

End of the Road + Extreme Ziplining – A Friday Update with video from the free public zip line in Auckland, NZ!

The End

There we go. Every article from 2009.

Tonight I’m going to party it up (sans alcohol) at my friend’s 3rd annual NYE party. Lots of my favorite people will be there along with a few guitars. That means there may very well be video of me singing Creedence Clearwater Revival songs in the near future. ha!

In that regard…

When it’s time to party we will party hard. – Andrew W.K.

But more importantly…

We do what we like, and we like what we do. – Andrew W.K.

How To Achieve Perfection

I’ve been struggling with this for far too long…

I have to tell you something.

In the 6 months I’ve had this blog I haven’t written a full article about a topic that I’m incredibly passionate about: veganism (specifically, compassion for living creatures).

It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s that I just can’t seem to get my thoughts out into a flowing string of coherent sentences.

I have thousands of words written on the topic. (I’m afraid to even look at the total word count right now because I know I’ll have to edit profusely.)

The problem with these thousands of words is they are rambling, disorganized, cluttered, and don’t make my point as strongly as it needs to be made.

I’m not into preaching. I won’t tell you how to live your life. You and me? We can make our own way.

That said, for you to understand the Ridiculously Extraordinary Way, you have to understand every aspect of the man behind it.

Everything I write is a filter.

If you like what I have to say you will stick around.

If you don’t, you’ll filter yourself out and stop reading what I write.

I’m fine with both outcomes.

I’m not here to change your mind. I’m here to help you synthesize what you already believe. If what you believe aligns with what I write then we’re a match. If it doesn’t align we part ways amicably.

Maybe I’m struggling with perfection? Logic and experience tell me perfection is unattainable. My heart tells me I need to attain perfection.

I’ve received quite a few e-mails (and comments) regarding veganism. There is nothing I’d like more than to point everybody to an article on this site that explains the whys, the hows, and all the other ancillary information on the topic.

But it hasn’t worked out.

I’m great at pushing myself to keep writing even when my writing isn’t coming easily. I’m not good at forcing myself to keep writing an article that just doesn’t want to come out.

Maybe the article is in chrysalis, still not quite ready to fly like a butterfly.

I don’t know.

I’m a firm believer that anything you want in life you can have. But perfection? Perfection is not meant to be acquired.

So then, How Do We Achieve Perfection?

We don’t.

We achieve a high level of imperfection.

And you know what?

That’s perfect.

9 Essential Books For Bloggers and Freedom Seekers (or How To Save $50,000 On An MBA)

If you don’t read these 9 books you probably don’t really want Ridiculously Extraordinary Freedom…

It feels kind of odd doing a list post. It’s not usually my bag, but it’s refreshing. A few days ago, as I unpacked a box of books I mailed to my Parents, I came across my marketing library. I ran to my computer and immediately pumped out this article. It’s that important.

Learning about marketing is essential no matter what you want to do in life. Whether marketing yourself to prospective employers, marketing a product to the public, or marketing your blog online, you can learn a lot from old school marketers like the ones in this list.

Marketing isn’t about being sleezy. It’s about understand people. It’s about understanding yourself. It’s about doing a great job at giving people what they want. Which, in turn, will get you what you want.

As always, all of the links are Amazon affiliate links. Click on them or don’t. No worries.

1) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
 by Robert B. Cialdini, Phd

I’ve read this book and listened to the audio so many times I can’t even count. (OK, that’s a lie, I’m sure I can count to 1 million!) If you haven’t read it yet go buy it, borrow it, or steal it now.

2) Breakthrough Advertising
 by Eugene M. Schwartz

First published in 1966 and if you ask anybody who knows anything about copy writing they’ve read this book.

Fortunately, it’s $95, so that keeps it out of too many hands. :)

Yes, these books are listed in order of how I think you should read them. Get The Psychology of Persuasion first, then get Breakthrough Advertising.

When your world view has been sufficiently rocked move on to…

3) My Life in Advertising and Scientific Advertising
 by Claude C. Hopkins

This one’s from the 1920s.

The quote on the cover is from David Ogilvy (I didn’t include his book in this list, but it’s also a must-read): “Nobody should be allowed to have anything to do with advertising until he has read this book (Scientific Advertising) seven times. It changed the course of my life.”

Enough said.

4) Method Marketing
 by Denny Hatch

This book dissects how 8 successful multi-million dollar businesses were built. Companies you’ve heard of and companies you haven’t.

Getting into an abundance mindset is critical if you want to have Ridiculously Extraordinary Freedom. Not much else puts you in that frame of mind like reading how other people built successful companies.

5) The Boron Letters
by Gary Halbert

I paid $100 for my copy. (It’s the big book with no cover in the picture above.) You can have it free at the late Gary Halbert’s Web site: http://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com/newsletter-archives.htm

The actual letters are linked in the middle of the page there. Scroll down or do a search. 25 chapters of gold. Enjoy. (Then read every other letter at Gary Halbert’s Web site.)

6) Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition
 by Jay Abraham

I love this book and I will review it in only 2 words: “host beneficiary.” Learn about it. Use it.

Host beneficiary helped me pocket 5 figure days a couple of times. I’m using it on a top secret Freedom project at this very moment. I’ll probably write about that project some time in the future.

7) The Robert Collier Letter Book
 by…uhh…Robert Collier! :)

Written in 1937, another old time classic. ~500 pages. Read every word.

8) The Ultimate Sales Letter
 by Dan S. Kennedy

I hate to list this book here. Why? About 5 years ago Dan ran a seminar that was promoted as an “absolutely no pitch all content” event. That meant the speakers would be providing massive value and not just standing up and selling us their garbage.

The cost was over $2,000. Add in a flight to Cleveland, a hotel for a few nights, and food and the total was over $3,000.

And guess what? It was a non-stop pitch fest with almost no content. There were a lot of big name marketers there (I won’t name names) who all agree with this statement, but not one of them would state it in public for fear of retribution. Me? I’m proud to commit commercial suicide.

So it’s bittersweet that I’m listing The Ultimate Sales Letter here. It’s an absolutely phenomenal book about copy writing and you should read it. But don’t pay the $3,000 idiot tax that I paid. ;)

9) Tested Advertising Methods
 by John Caples

Proven headlines. Proven ads. Proven techniques. Tested Advertising Methods.

There you have it. Want to save $50,000 on an MBA? Read those books and go fail in a business or two. ;)

If you follow my Twitter you may have already read this but:

“Success can be built upon repeated failures when failures aren’t taken personally.” – Brendan Moynihan in What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars
(read that one too)

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Did you participate in Ridiculously Extraordinary Challenge #1: Quit Drinking Alcohol For 30 Days? If you made it until today, congrats! You can drink again if you so desire. If you didn’t make it, are you going to start over? As we just learned, don’t take failures personally. I know you can do it.

The Do Shit You Love Show Bonus Footage

Check out Baker from ManVsDebt.com interviewing me for his Do Shit You Love Show…

One of my last days in Auckland, NZ I hung out with Baker from ManVsDebt.com to record Episode 1 of his new Do Shit You Love Show.

Before you watch the bonus footage below check out the full show here (link opens in a new tab/window):

The Do Shit You Love Show Episode 1

We discuss traveling, following your passions, and doing what you love, among other things.

Make sure to watch until the end to hear the question I ask you. Then answer it in the ManVsDebt comments. :)

When you’re done, come back here and watch the bonus footage of me asking Baker a few questions:

It was getting dark in Auckland and by the end of my video you can barely even see us. I did boost the brightness in Windows Movie Maker even though that makes the video very grainy. What can you do, it is bonus footage. ;)

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Last Friday I mentioned that my posting schedule this week will be changed up a bit. There will be no article tomorrow, and I’m posting this Thursday instead of Friday.

There will be no Friday Update and the article I post won’t be about the Holidays. It’s actually an article I shouldn’t post at a time when a lot less people will read it. If you know me by now, you know I don’t do what’s expected. ;)

I Make You Wanna Jump, Jump + Being Vulgar

How To Write While Traveling + Kris Kross Jump Karaoke + Podcasting. All inside! Check it out…

I always see a huge drop in RSS subscribers after I post a Friday update. But I’m cool with that. I don’t mind weeding out people who don’t really care about all that RidiculouslyExtraordinary.com encompasses.

If you stick around after the Friday update today or in the future, thank you. Seriously. Thank you.

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On Monday I guest posted over at WriteToDone.com with:

How To Find Time To Write While Traveling

If you’ve ever tried to work on the road this article should help you. And if you have your own tips please share them!

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As promised in the Why We Do What We Do article, video of me bombing on Jump by Kris Kross:

Unfortunately I don’t have the whole song because my camera person was…well, she was drunk. But as you can tell from that 2 minute clip I didn’t fare too well.

The problem was there were no monitors so you couldn’t hear the music and yourself. If you’ve ever been on stage (either performing music OR karaoke) you know how important that is.

Enough excuses out of me. ;)

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While in LA I was a guest on the ALL CAPS PODCAST with my friends Tanner and Chris.

Check out Episode 31 of ALL CAPS by clicking here.

Just a warning: we swear a lot and reach varying states of vulgarity throughout. So Mom and Dad? Don’t listen. :) (I taught my Dad how to subscribe to RSS via e-mail!)

And because most people don’t know where the name ALL CAPS came from let me explain. Myself and a group of friends from high school type in ALL CAPS to each other. Sometimes we type in ALL CAPS to people who have no idea what’s going on. Hilarity ensues?

So if I’m ever talking to you on AIM and start typing in ALL CAPS, don’t worry, I’m not yelling. I probably just forgot to turn the CAPS lock off. :)

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I’m changing up the posting schedule a bit next week. You’ll see why on Monday. ;)

Why I Quit Traveling

After an exhausting time in New Zealand I decided to quit traveling…

That’s an odd statement from a blog about, among other things, travel.

But I alluded to this in the past.

Traveling the way I’ve been traveling is tiring. Being on the constant move is tiring.

Just when I get to know (and maybe love) a city, I move on.

It takes about a week before I get comfortable with a new place. If I leave before that week is up there’s an underlying sense of stress.

In New Zealand, because I decided to do a bus tour, I saw 16 cities in 30 days. That is just too much. I went to more cities in NZ in 30 days than I did in the 70 days I was in Australia.

Guess where I had a more enjoyable time?

New Zealand was amazing, but incredibly stressful.

I hate stress.

I’ll go out on a limb and assume you hate stress too.

Today I’m flying to Detroit after 5 days in LA. I’ll be in the Detroit area (where I grew up) until I leave for India on Jan 28.

Although I can’t stand cold weather, I’m looking forward to having a home base for more than a few days.

What I Did Wrong In Australia/New Zealand

Squeezing 2 vast countries like Australia and New Zealand into 100 days is not possible.

When I booked my flights to Australia/New Zealand (all the way back in March) I planned on coming back to the US and laying down roots again.

A couple of months after I booked said flights I decided to sell all my stuff, live out of a backpack, and see more of the world.

Because I bought a return instead of one way ticket I was already pretty well handcuffed to the 100 day Oz/NZ trip. Yes, I could have paid flight change fees and extended the trip so I could stay in my favorite places longer, but there’s a reason I didn’t do that.

I already made December plans with my family and friends in Michigan. When I say I’m going to do something, barring unforeseen circumstances, I do it. With my upcoming plans I won’t see any of them for a long time so it all worked out perfectly and I’m looking forward to spending time with them.

How To Quit Traveling and Still See The World

When I say I’m quitting traveling, I specifically mean I’m not going to be on the move constantly anymore.

I booked a one way award flight from Detroit to Mumbai. I will probably stay in Mumbai for just a few days before heading to Goa and staying there for a month or two.

My new rule is, unless I don’t like a place, I’m staying there for at least a month.

This will give me time to acclimate to each place I visit. I’ll also be able to rent an apartment or a single guest house room.

I still fully plan on making 2-3 day side trips, but having a home base to go back to will be wonderful.

The beauty of travel…scratch that…the beauty of anything in life is that you can do it however it works for you.

For some people, not knowing where they’ll be from one second to the next is exactly what they need.

Personally, I like knowing at least a few hours (OK, days!) in advance where I’ll lay my head. :)

What is your style of travel?

End of the Road + Extreme Ziplining

Friday Update: Living Dec 10 twice.

It’s Friday, time for an update? OK…

My 100 day overseas adventures in Australia and New Zealand have come to an end. I am officially on US soil and breathing the fumes of 400 million cars in LA.

I lived Thursday, Dec 10, twice. It was … interesting. :)

I spent the New Zealand part of Dec 10 (left NZ at 7:30pm) having fun on a zipline at Western Park in Auckland:

Yes, I know it’s not “extreme.” Hence calling it Extreme Ziplining. ;)

I spent the United States part of Dec 10 (landed in LA at 10:15am) driving around a bit, hanging in Santa Monica, then driving 90 minutes (i.e. 10 miles) to the Jimmy Kimmel Live show.

If you watch the closing you can see me making stupid faces into the camera. :) (I haven’t seen the episode, but I was behind Jimmy as he was talking. Yes, I was one of THOSE guys.)

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My cell # here in LA is (310) 465-6340. If you want to hang out in the rain give me a call/text. :) Saturday I’ll be out with some Tweeple. (ha, can’t believe I just used that)  Sunday, if the weather perks up, I’m planning on going hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains. Monday night (~7:45pm) I’ll be at Real Food Daily Santa Monica with some CouchSurfers.

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This Tuesday’s article in the queue is about why I quit traveling. I don’t know what kind of reaction it’ll get, but it might be interesting. :)