How do you keep going in the face of adversity? How do you keep going even after failure? How to know if you’re on the right path in life…
“Never try, either do it or don’t waste your time.” – Phil Anselmo
I’ve haven’t talked too much about failure and trying until you succeed before, but it’s an important topic. Look at any successful person and they’ve probably failed more than they’ve succeeded.
One of the keys to that success is consistently going after it again after failing. Successful people have learned to enjoy the process of doing.
If we don’t enjoy the process of doing something the end result won’t make it worth it. And the end result we’re expecting may never actually materialize.
Total Honesty
Before starting your quest for Ridiculously Extraordinary Success you have to be completely honest with yourself. Assuming you will succeed in whatever it is you’re striving towards, is the end result really what you’re looking for?
In Other Words, Is It All Worth It?
Sometimes we get on a path towards something and then realize it’s not really what we want. That may be hours, weeks, months, or even years into the process.
There is no sense in forcing yourself to get what you don’t want. In situations like that, it’s perfectly OK to quit.
A simple example, based on a conversation I had with someone who said they always finish every book they start: if I start reading a book and I’m not enjoying it within ~50 pages I put it down and never pick it back up. There are too many good books to read to waste my time on books I don’t enjoy.
Another example: one of my favorite comedians is Demetri Martin. In one of his comedy bits he tells the story of being in law school and then quitting to become a comic. In doing so, he gave up a future higher than average salary for an almost guaranteed life of relative poverty in an instant.
Now as a successful comic he probably makes more than he’d ever make in law. More importantly, Demetri quit something he didn’t enjoy to do something he did enjoy, no matter the outcome.
He quit something he had been working towards for many years because he realized the end result wasn’t what he wanted.
Don’t think it’s ever too late to quit something that isn’t completely you.
How To Enjoy The Process
Assuming you care about the end result, how exactly do you enjoy the process?
After all, the process may be dull. The process may be frustrating. The process may sometimes even be boring.
If you’re on the right path, you don’t need help enjoying the process.
Because if you’re on the right path, you absolutely love the process, don’t you?
Don’t read this article. The Iron is too powerful for the masses.
The title to this blog post is specifically vague to detract most people from actually reading it. It’s too powerful for the masses. The Iron Mind is for doers and action takers not for hopers and wishers.
In other words, The Iron Mind is for Ridiculously Extraordinary People.
Tangent (those are getting common, huh?): Sitting on this couch, with an oversized mug of green tea at my side and a little bit of Creedence Clearwater Revival blasting through my headphones, I have an ear-to-ear smile on my face while simply thinking about writing The Iron Mind. My hope is that it positively affects you as much as it positively affected me.
Several months ago my friend Nick IMed me with a link to an article. I was busy at the time and told him I’d try to read it later. You know, because sometimes I’m an asshole.
An hour went by, I finished what I’d been doing, and I remembered the article.
I read it and, to put it lightly, freaked out. I IMed Nick with something that boiled down to “holy shit!”
This article turned out to be one of the most life affirming pieces of non-fiction I’d ever read.
I became obsessed with it. I talked about it with anyone who would listen. I Tweeted about it regularly. I couldn’t get enough.
I read it daily, absorbing it to its very core and 6 months later I still can’t get enough.
Has anything ever made you want to scream, smile, cry, fuck, fight, and say thank you all at once?
This article does that to me.
It’s like a hit of heroin coursing through my veins. I get a little, then I want just a little more. But a little more is never enough. I fiend for it like a junkie in line at the methadone clinic. Thankfully, I can’t overdose on this drug. This drug can’t kill me. This drug can only make me stronger and wiser.
This drug is The Iron.
The Iron was written by Henry Rollins, former Black Flag vocalist, current spoken word bad ass, prolific author, actor, radio host, TV host, and documentarian. The article in question is from a 1994 Details magazine but it’s posted all over the Web. You can read it here: http://theiron.tumblr.com
In The Iron, Henry describes himself in his formative years as being a weak kid who was constantly picked on. Then a phys ed teacher took Henry under his wing and told him he was going to get whipped into shape.
Reluctantly, for fear of having to deal with his teacher’s repercussions, Henry purchased a weight set and meticulously followed his teacher’s instructions.
Working out not only sculpted Henry’s physique but sculpted his formerly weak confidence. Specifically, he gained the confidence to be himself, and to form his own thoughts and opinions instead of striving to be like one of the herd.
In the article Henry discusses The Iron in mostly literal terms as far as what working out did for him.
It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn’t want to come off the mat, it’s the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn’t teach you anything. That’s the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble. That which you work against will always work against you. – Henry Rollins
While I take The Iron literally when working out, I also took The Iron metaphorically, as a symbol for the road blocks I run into when striving to reach my goals.
There will always be something trying to hold you back. You can either take care of it or not. You always have a choice. The easy choice is not always the right choice. The difficult choice might be the best choice you ever make.
Lift the fucking weight off the floor or drop it. It’s all there for you to do or not do. – Henry Rollins; page 32, paragraph 2 in “Smile, You’re Traveling”
If you’re having trouble sticking to a healthy diet, use The Iron Mind.
If you respect The Iron, The Iron will teach you what you need to know and inspire you to keep going in the face of adversity.
The more you lift The Iron (literally and figuratively), the easier it will be for you to lift The Iron.
If you tell yourself you’re going to eat healthy and then go out to eat fast food, The Iron wins. But The Iron will be happy to give you a rematch. Lift it or don’t. The choice is always up to you. The Iron doesn’t judge.
The more you drop The Iron, the more difficult The Iron will be to lift. Eat fast food once, okay, everybody slips up. Eat fast food every day and the momentum of eating healthy will be all but gone.
If you’re trying to start a business and keep hitting walls and setbacks, use The Iron Mind.
Did you lose your ass on some PPC ads? What did you learn from it? Pick The Iron back up off the floor and get back at it. Do more reps, place more ads, acquire more knowledge. Or quit.
Have you launched a blog and maybe aren’t getting as many readers as you thought? (*Ahem*) Too bad. Get to work and keep at it. Or quit.
Want to travel but don’t have the money right now? Don’t tell yourself you can’t afford it, ask yourself how you can afford it. Make it happen. Or quit.
The most important thing to remember is The Iron wants you to succeed. The Iron wants to work with you, to help you, to talk you through it. If you fail The Iron, it’s because you let The Iron beat you. If you beat The Iron, it’s because you worked your ass off and proved to The Iron you deserved to win.
To this day Nick and I regularly quote pieces of The Iron to each other. It was so influential Nick named a song on the new Swellers record The Iron:
“We either do this now, or we don’t. We need to do this right now, or we won’t.” – The Iron by The Swellers
We use The Iron as motivation. As inspiration. It’s a way to let ourselves know that whatever success we want is ours for the taking. Nobody will hand us a thing and we don’t expect them to.
We can’t blame anybody for our failures except ourselves.
What’s holding you back?
Where can you use The Iron Mind to make drastic leaps forward in your own life?
Are you going to lift the fucking weight off the floor or drop it? The choice will always be yours.
35 days into my current Australian travels I became utterly exhausted.
A cold, rainy time in Melbourne, 5 days in a cold (down to 6-7C at night) camper van with no heat (awesome trip along The Great Ocean Road though!), and 25 hours in a seat on The Ghan train from Adelaide to Alice Springs had me feeling tired.
Upon arriving in Alice Springs I sat down in the lounge area of my hostel and fired up Google Docs to finish some writing. As I was about to open a file called “The Iron Mind” an article called “Permission to do nothing” caught my eye.
The article had, up to that point, consisted of exactly one sentence:
Permission To Do Nothing
Whenever I have an idea for an article, essay, eBook, Web site…well, anything…I either create a Google Doc, write it in a notebook, or e-mail myself. This was a perfect example of that.
While in Alice Springs I planned on actually doing some tours. You know, doing what other tourists do.
Tangent: There is constant debate amongst people who travel on the tourist vs traveler label, but I’m not stupid enough to consider myself anything other than a tourist whether I fit the stereotype or not.
I will probably never be back to “the red centre” of Australia again, so I should take advantage of the surrounding sights while I’m here, right?
But would it change anything if I see Ayers Rock, a few hundred kilometers away, instead of Meyers Hill, a 10 minute walk from where I’m staying?
Both are beautiful. Both are works of nature. Both are a part of Australia’s history. One would stress the shit out of me right now on a tour. The other, which I could experience by taking a leisurely walk, would make me feel alive.
West MacDonnell Ranges from top of Meyers Hill
My travel goals are different than most. I’m more in line with what Derek Sivers talks about in his recent Freedom article:
Friends back home would say, “So what did you do in Iceland?”
I’d say, “Same thing as you. Same thing I’d be doing anywhere else. Just programming, working, writing, reading, flirting, living.”
I’m not traveling to see every sight or to do everything. I’m traveling as an alternative means of living.
What would I do back “home” on a Tuesday? I definitely wouldn’t go out to “see the sights” unless it was something special. (Friends/family in town, for example.)
I would eat, read, hang out, ride my bike, write, and eat some more. :)
The point is, I decided I’m not going to go on any tours while here in Alice Springs. I’m staying at a very small, relaxed, hostel and enjoying reading in a hammock, going to the store to buy groceries for lunch/dinner, and writing in the hot, hot heat. (mmm, I love heat)
The beauty of life is you get to live it as you please. You may have people tell you you’re “doing it wrong” but they get a big fuck you.
“Everyone gets one life. Yours is almost used up, and instead of treating yourself with respect, you have entrusted your own happiness to the souls of others.” – Marcus Aurelius Meditations 2.6
If you’re ever at a crossroads on a decision remember to do what you want, not what others expect you to do.
And if you still can’t decide…
You don’t need it, but you have my permission to do nothing.
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You may have noticed I posted this on a Thursday even though I already posted on Tuesday. I’m experimenting with a twice/week posting schedule.
I’ve been writing a lot, but my once/week posting schedule means I’m not posting most of it. The problem is editing a post takes me a long time. I’m slow with it. What I’m getting at is there will be a post every Tuesday, and now, for the time being, every Thursday. :) Now, subscribe to the RSS feed, if you haven’t already! ;)
This post has been in the works for a while and I’ve received a few e-mails and in person requests for it so I think it’s time. :)
I actually wrote the original draft after a trip to Germany earlier this year. My gear list has changed a bit since then so here is my updated light packing list. This is all the equipment I have with me on my current 100+ day trip. (Note: I’ve now been traveling like this for well over 500 days.)
Some of my gear I bought specifically for travel and some of it I’ve had for years and it may not really be good for travel. I have trouble throwing perfectly good items away until they’re ruined (like the fairly bulky Nike shorts in the first picture below).
When packing light it’s important to know your destination and your general plans. Obvious, right?
It’s about preparedness. You might visit somewhere warm and then go on a side trip to the mountains (for example) where it’s cold.
So know your destination and your general plans. Will you need really warm clothes? Do you plan on swimming or hiking? Do you plan on traveling from a warm destination to a cold destination without stopping home to change gear? The more climates you’ll be exposed to the more clothes you may need.
The packing list works from about 5° C to 40° C because of layers. That’s cutting it close on the cold side since I’m a naturally cold person. Any colder and I’d definitely need warmer clothes.
But I made a decision to never travel to cold climates so what I have here will suit me for almost any destination I choose. To some people deciding not to travel to cold places means I’m missing out. That’s the beauty of travel and life. To each their own. There are enough warm places to visit on Earth to last multiple lifetimes. Focusing on those places just makes it a little bit easier to choose where to go.
Before I get into it you should know that I’ve included affiliate links to Altrec and Amazon in this post. If you don’t want to support this site don’t click on the links, no worries. :) (That’s not a guilt trip, I’m serious, don’t click the links if you don’t want to.) If you do want to buy something and support the site, click the links. Simple as that…
My Complete List of Clothing
Every last bit of my clothing.
Starting from the top left quadrant and working my way around clockwise:
1) Marmot Ion windbreaker / light rain jacket
In the picture you see it folded into itself. Before packing it I wrap it with 2 rubber bands to make it even more compact.
This jacket is perfect when it’s 14° C – 20° C or when there is a light rain or wind. I use it often as an extra layer under my Outdoor Research jacket.
This jacket isn’t waterproof, but it’s fine in light rain. It’s surprisingly warm and isn’t bulky at all. It also looks great, which is always nice when you’re focused on function, but are rewarded with form as well. I love the pocket on the front left. It’s where I usually keep a camera so it’s always at the ready.
I use this strictly for robbing banks. How do you think I fund my journeys? Purchased at K-Mart 10 years ago for $5 and has been used consistently since then. ;) It always gets a laugh or a scared look.
4) Patagonia Capilene 3 Zip-neck Long Sleeve
Light, warm, and breathable. This is an awesome baselayer when the temp starts dropping.
5) Icebreaker BodyFit 150 T-shirt and Icebreaker BodyFit 250 T-Shirt
I’m not perfect and I didn’t make the connection before buying these that they’re not vegan. My brother actually pointed it out to me. These Icebreaker T-shirts are made of merino wool in New Zealand. Supposedly the company treats their sheep well, but any animal used as a slave isn’t OK in my book. That said, it would be far more disrespectful for me to get rid of these than just wearing them.
(Tangent: My being vegan is about respect at the core. If, for example, I’m at a restaurant and they accidentally put some dairy product on my food I will eat it instead of sending it back to be thrown away. It’s more respectful to eat the food at that point than get rid of it.)
With all that you’d think I’d tell you not to buy these shirts. The truth is, they are well made, they don’t smell (I’ve been known to wear them multiple times between washes), and they dry quickly. They do make me itch though. I’ve read that this wool isn’t supposed to make you itch, but I have sensitive skin and it does itch.
This is the synthetic equivalent to the Icebreaker T-shirts. It feels great (doesn’t itch) and dries quickly, but it attracts odors moreso than the Icebreaker. I bought mine on sale for $25.
Nothing special about these. I’ve had them for 5 years. They are pretty bulky (especially the waistband), but I need something to workout in while I’m on the road.
8) Adidas Originals Superstar II
They’re leather, and I bought them before being vegan. They’ve lasted a long time, look pretty nice, and are very comfortable.
The Vibram FiveFingers have been getting a ton of press lately. Unfortunately, all I’ve heard is positives. There is one glaring negative to these shoes: they stink. The stench that emanates from them still lingers after a wash.
They are great shoes though. I absolutely love how they feel, but because of the stink I mostly use them for working out or hiking.
10) Smartwool Men’s Adrenaline Light Mini Crew Socks
Bought these at the same time as the Icebreaker shirts, so also didn’t make that wool connection. They make my feet sweat, but they don’t smell bad, are easy to wash, and dry quickly. I wouldn’t buy them again, but I’m going to get as much use out of them as I can now that I own them.
Similar to the Smartwool socks, except they’re 60% synthetic and 40% wool. They don’t make my feet sweat so I hope I can find a 100% synthetic pair similar to these when the time comes.
I’ve had these for a few years and used to only use them when playing basketball. They’re really comfortable, easy to wash, and dry quickly. I was going to replace them with 2 pairs of ExOfficio, but I probably won’t do that for another year. At ~$20 per pair they’re not cheap.
14) Columbia Titanium Omni-Dry Silver Ridge II Convertible Pant
It took me months to find convertible pants I was even a little bit happy with.
The shorts don’t look great, but with a 10″ inseam they are decent. Being that I’m 6’5″ I would like them to have a 12-13″ inseam, but I’ll deal with it.
I really like the zippered side pocket. The zipper closes down. Which is unnatural so I feel like a pickpocket would have trouble with them.
The insides of the pockets feel weak so I hope they last.
I couldn’t find these in a darker color (the color Shade was sold outeverywhere, in stores, and online). While we’re on the subject of color: why do no manufacturer’s make black convertible pants? Come on people, step up your games!
I sure bought a lot of wool in one day, didn’t I? These things clock in at $60, but they are warm and work well under my very light convertible pants.
No real complaints. They’re easy to wash, dry quickly, and do the job I bought them for. I’ll find synthetic long underwear when it’s time to replace them.
This towel is outstanding. It packs up small, soaks up water well and dries in a few hours. It also comes with a mesh pouch that you can attach it to the outside of your bag and keep everything in your bag dry. (Assuming you have to use the towel and then pack up and get a move on.)
2) Earplugs
Nothing special, just a bunch of ear plugs, including a pair of EarPlanes in case I have crazy sinuses and need to fly.
3) Pack of facial tissues
4) Light My Fire Spork
This spork is awesome. Includes a “knife” edge too. It’s heat resistant (doesn’t melt in high heat), small, light, and durable. You can pick these up at any outdoors store.
5) Plastic comb
6) Mach 3 Razor + 4 blades
7) Pacific Shaving Oil
This, my friends, is the greatest invention ever made for light packers. I’ve been using it at home for almost a year too. No need for shaving cream as this oil softens the hairs and doesn’t cause razor burn. Seriously. I have the most sensitive skin in the world. Touch my face and my skin gets red and itchy. Shaving has been a nightmare since I was 13. While it’s still a nightmare, at least I don’t get razor burn very often. (Sometimes, when my skin is being especially irritated and I shave it gets even more irritated. I can’t blame the shaving oil for that though.)
Each tiny bottle of this oil is supposed to last for 100 shaves. I’ve found it lasts about 50 for me, and I’m cool with that.
For when you cut yourself shaving. Which I do often because if you touch anything sharp to my aforementioned sensitive skin it breaks open and bleeds like blood is going out of style.
This little tool says it makes razor blades last up to 10 weeks. If you use disposable razor blades it saves you a lot of money. I’ve been using these for almost a year, and while they don’t make my blades last 10 weeks, they do last about 1 month each instead of just 1 week. Well worth the few dollars the tool costs.
This stuff is awesome as it doesn’t make your face all greasy. Unfortunately, it does dry out my already dry skin even more. Sometimes you gotta roll with the punches.
12) Tea tree oil
Oh how I love you dear tea tree oil, let me count the ways. Use this antiseptic oil to clean cuts and for blemishes (i.e. acne). I go through 1 bottle per year.
13) Nail clippers and small scissors
14) Three 3 oz bottles of Dr Bronner’s Baby Mild Organic Fair Trade Liquid Soap
I buy the Baby soap because my skin is more sensitive than a baby’s. 3 oz will last about a month. This soap is highly concentrated and I use it not only to shower, but to brush my teeth and wash my clothes. It’s the ultimate multi-use product. It’s also biodegradable so using it out in the wilderness is less stressful on nature.
I replaced Baby Powder with Gold Bond. I can use it to help with stinky shoes AND for itchy skin. Thanks Gold Bond. I smell like old people and I love it.
16) First Aid Kit
I got this kit free somewhere. The SouthLake Hospital packet above it has some aspirin and bandaids. I don’t plan on cutting myself, but I guess if I do I can do something about it.
17) Pepto Bismol tablets
Just in case.
18) Hand sanitizer
I keep this on me at all times because nothing sucks more than getting sick while you’re traveling. Killing the germs on your hands helps with that so if I can’t wash my hands before eating I use this.
19) Triple antibiotic ointment
Again, in case I cut myself. Honestly I wouldn’t have packed this normally, I just didn’t want to throw it away during my downsizing.
20) Saline nasal spray
I didn’t have room for a Neti pot so this is the next best thing. Actually, it’s not even close to as useful as a Neti pot, but it does help with dry nasal passages when you’re flying.
21) Vitamin E Oil
Holy wow is this the best moisturizer ever discovered by mankind. A little goes a long way. If it was possible to get a Bachelor of Science in Moisturizing I would have it. What I’m saying is, I know my moisturizers. If you have dry skin, use this stuff. It’s oily, but it actually works. Not like all that Jergens, Cetaphil, and other garbage that’s advertised on TV. You can pick this up in the vitamin section of any store that sells vitamins.
22) Dental Floss
23) Another Gold Bond
I love smelling like a medicated old man, ok?!
24) Folding tooth brush
I don’t know where you are on the love/hate scale for WalMart, but this tooth brush is awesome. The bristles are anti-bacterial and it’s a full sized travel tooth brush when you unfold it. And they only cost $1.47 at WalMart.
25) Tom’s of Maine Sensitive Skin Deodorant
Made with soothing camomile. Mmmmmm. This deodorant rules. Each stick lasts about 2 months. I was only going to pack 1, but I didn’t want to throw away the stick that was 2/3 gone so I packed it. Available at most health food stores like Whole Foods. I’ve also found this at a lot of chain grocery stores like Publix.
My Electronic Items
Because I Need To Work On The Road
1) Asus Eee 1000HE
This is a great laptop, but it’s not perfect. 10″ screen. Extraordinary long battery life. Built in 1.3 mega pixel web cam. Almost full sized keyboard. And it’s light, of course.
Dislikes: I wish it was flat. The shape makes it a little cumbersome to pack.
Although I love this laptop I think the ultimate travel/work laptop should have at least a 12″ screen, a full sized keyboard, and still weight 3lbs or less. The Apple Macbook Air would almost work if it didn’t suck. ;) Seriously, just one USB port Apple? WTF are you thinking? Also not worth paying 4 times the cost of the Asus Eee (or any other netbook for that matter), unless you actually need extra processing power (for editing video or photos for instance).
2) Western Digital Passport 250GB hard drive with Kroo case
For backups of my important work documents and pictures/video of my travels.
3) Unlocked Motorola RAZR V3xx
I got this free from AT&T. I don’t buy phones. AT&T was also nice enough to unlock it for me and not charge me an early termination fee for canceling my contract a year early. (Of course, I’ve been with them for 9 years, so I should hope they’d be nice about everything.)
I’m now using Virgin Mobile in Australia and it’s working out well. (Even though Virgin Mobile has spotty coverage.)
4) Flip Ultra Video Camera
I’ve had this for over a year and I love it. Almost every video on my YouTube account (youtube.com/karolgajda) was made with this camera. That includes the concert videos. Normal cameras distort audio in loud situations. Not the Flip Ultra. Here you see it packed in a water proof aLOKSAK. I pack all my clothes and toiletries in aLOKSAKs too. (aLOKSAKs are also my secret to cleaning clothes virtually anywhere. That video is coming soon.)
I bought this literally a week before I left on my trip. I debated long and hard whether I need an extra bag. I got along fine on a 16 day trip earlier this year with just a backpack. I decided that I should have something like this because it makes going out in the city with my laptop and book much easier. No need to lug around my whole pack.
The Pacsafe brand is full of theft deterring features. I could explain them, but it’s easier if you simply visit this link and see what it’s all about for yourself.
Not a fan of this thing for any practical use. It is, however, good for keeping dirty clothes separate from the rest of your stuff. I’ve also used it to carry all my clothes/toiletries from dorm to bathroom while staying in hostels. For $10 you can’t expect anything spectacular.
2) iPod Mini – 4GB
I’m an old school G. I almost cried when the battery on this thing died early this year. (I lie, if it died I’d be quite alright.) I went on eBay and bought a replacement for $7 shipped. Booya! Back in business baby!
3) Organic Vegan Raw Food Bars
These are tasty treats when you’re starving and all you see is meat. That wasn’t supposed to rhyme, but I have been known to be a lyrical gangsta.
4) Rayovac USB battery charger
I don’t really like this charger, but I didn’t want to use disposable batteries for my Flip video camera. I have 2 gripes: 1) It takes 8 hours to charge a battery. 2) It doesn’t tell you when it’s done charging. The light doesn’t change color. Come on Rayovac, that’s amateur shit right there. It was less than $10 at WalMart.
5) Pacsafe 55L
For locking up my bag in hostels, bars, or wherever I might need to lock up my bag. It’s 4 lbs so it adds quite a bit of weight, but I’m happy with it. I don’t use it much, but when I do need it I’m glad I have it.
6) Flip Camera Stand
This works with any camera or video camera. Good when you want to take a steady shot. Honestly, not necessary and won’t gettoo much use. But I will need it for at least 1 video I plan on making (the aforementioned How To Wash Clothes While Traveling vid).
7) Sleep Mask
There is nothing like sleeping in absolute darkness. I guarantee it.
8) Gymboss
Interval timer for my workouts, of course.
9) Books
Brida by Paulo Coelho and Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hays translation).
10) Jump rope
For use with the Gymboss. :) This is a speed rope from Lifeline USA. It can possibly double as a whip if you’re looking to be Crocodile Dundee in the Outback.
11) Braided Stretchy Clothesline by Rick Steves
This triple braided clothesline is pretty sweet. Attaches to almost anything and keeps clothes on the line by pinching them in the braids.
These are fairly low cost earbuds and do a fine job of keeping background noise out.
The Carry On Backpack
My bag at LAX on Sept 01, 2009. (Mental Floss magazine in the pocket.)
Deuter Futura 32
This backpack has a netting/rib mechanism that keeps the bag off your back, lets air flow, and keeps your back from getting soaked in sweat. I love that. But the ribbed frame makes packing the bag a little cumbersome. It’s a tradeoff I’m willing to live with.
At 32 liters, this is a pretty small backpack by most standards. Walking around Sydney I see most backpackers in 55-90L backpacks and they look miserably loaded down. :)
Whew! For whatever reason, writing this post took longer than any other post. All that bolding, describing, and linking I reckon.
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Coming soon: What it’s like to tour the country (the US, that is) with a rock band in honor of my friends The Swellers, whose new record Ups and Downsizing is coming out next Tuesday. :) My how to hand wash your clothes while traveling video is coming soon after.
There is never a perfect time to do anything. Here’s how to make things happen anyway…
Ever since I made the decision to go on an extended trip (EDIT 2 years later: this has now turned into a non-stop travel lifestyle) I’ve been getting lots of feedback. Much of that feedback has been in the form of …
Do it:
– while you’re young.
– while you still can.
– while you don’t have kids.
– while you’re not married.
“You can hold your breath until you turn blue, but they’ll still go on doing it.” – Marcus Aurelius Meditations 8.4
It got to the point where I started believing it and I’d say it myself.
“Yeah, you know, I gotta do it while I can.”
It pissed me off that I let that non-sense poison me.
I say non-sense, because when somebody says “do it while you can” it’s their cop-out. Their excuse for not doing “it.”
If you want to do something, you make it happen. Somehow. Some way. Make. It. Happen.
It probably won’t be easy at first and you may have some setbacks (i.e. learning experiences). But you never know, maybe it’ll be easier than you can imagine. After all, humans are an incredibly resourceful bunch.
“Do it while you can” only exists in the hearts and minds of those who have never accomplished anything they’re proud of.
What’s the perfect time to travel?
What’s the perfect time to get married?
What’s the perfect time to have a kid?
What’s the perfect time to quit your job and start anew?
What’s the perfect time to exercise?
What’s the perfect time to quit smoking?
The only “perfect time” many people have figured out to do anything is when to watch their favorite TV shows and when to go to work.
And that’s only because somebody else makes those decisions.
What’s the perfect time to make thing happen?
Right now.
“Keep in mind how fast things pass by and are gone — those that are now, and those to come. Existence flows past us like a river: the “what” is in constant flux, the “why” has a thousand variations. Nothing is stable, not even what’s right here. The infinity of past and future gapes before us — a chasm whose depths we cannot see. ” – Marcus Aurelius Meditations 5.23
Let’s use exercise as an example.
I know, based on my old ways, that an easy way to get out of working out was telling myself “now is not a good time.”
It’s too late. I’m hungry. It’s too early. I’m tired. I just want to relax. I didn’t get enough sleep. My favorite TV show starts in 10 minutes. I ate too much.
Let’s say you had a really busy day with work and errands and you didn’t get home until 10pm. Since you usually go to bed at 11:30pm you decide it’s too late to work out. You have no valid reason, of course. It’s just “too late” to work out.
How badly do you want it?
If you want to lose weight, get 6-pack abs, run a marathon, whatever it is, you have to make sacrifices. If that means working out at night when you least feel like working out then so be it. Make. It. Happen.
Nobody will do it for you.
You don’t burn calories and lose weight by thinking about burning calories and losing weight. (Let’s not get technical, I know we burn calories by simply living.)
You burn calories by physically stressing your body through exercise.
You don’t quit smoking by thinking about quitting smoking.
You quit by making the decision that the benefits of quitting far outweigh not quitting.
And you make it happen.
If you’re having trouble making something happen a great way to figure it out is to model someone else who has already done what you want to do.
It’s OK to be a follower (sometimes).
Fortunately, we live in a time when people freely share information online about life changes they’ve made. Anything you want to do has been done before in some way, by people no more intelligent or gifted than you.
And they’ve documented how they did it on blogs and Web sites.
Your next step is to follow what they’ve done.
You’ll find the sole difference between somebody who accomplishes a goal and someone who doesn’t is focus. If you’ve got laser targeted focus you will accomplish anything.
I would not have set off on a journey like I have if it wasn’t for all the travel blogs I’ve been reading and people I’ve met through CouchSurfing over the past 2 years. They provided me with not only inspiration, but practical advice for doing what they did.
How can you not get inspired by people like Gary Arndt, who spent more than 2 years traveling the world solo? (If you want to use being married and having a young child as an excuse, check out http://soultravelers3.com.)
Don’t believe anybody who says “you gotta do it while you can.”
You’ve got to do it because you want to, need to, do it. And nothing else matters.
What I’ve learned about getting rid of most of my belongings and paring them down to just one 32 Liter backpack…
Getting rid of the extraneous things in your life is such a good feeling it really is hard to put into words. If you’ve done it, you know how amazing it feels. If you haven’t purged the clutter in your life, give it a try.
Good reasons for getting rid of clutter are vast and varied.
Maybe you’re moving and don’t want to rent a moving van. Maybe you’re like me, going nomadic, and just need to get rid of everything. Maybe you need a little bit of cash. Or maybe you just need to clear a lot of junk out of your life and start with a clean slate. Any reason is a good reason.
The question is, how do you go about getting rid of the clutter while minimizing the time involved and maximizing the cash you’ll receive?
Craigslist is your answer. It’s available worldwide. It’s free. It’s fast.
To make purging your unwanted belongings easier I’ve put together these 7 tips I’ve acquired over the past month of clearing out my house.
I’ve sold almost everything except my car and couch at this point. I’ve sold bedroom furniture, 2 beds, my favorite guitar (Gibson SG), bookshelves, a TV, Nintendo Wii, a Nintendo DS, fake house plants, and the list goes on. All of the stuff I’ve sold has put about $3,000 in my pocket and I’ve never felt more free. I’m paring everything down to one 32 Liter backpack so I still have a bit of a ways to go, but I’m almost there.
With all of that out of the way, let’s get to it:
1) Get An Account.
Go to http://www.craigslist.org and sign up for an account. It’s free, and it makes listing and relisting items for sale quicker. Saving your time is saving your money.
2) The Pictures.
Take pictures of all your things. More pictures is better, but be mindful of the return on investment. If you’re selling a $10 lamp is it worth your time to take multiple pictures? No. If you’re selling a $500 bedroom set, on the other hand, provide as many details as you can. Especially if there are any flaws in the furniture. Be upfront about defects so you don’t waste anybody’s time.
Upload your pictures to Flickr, Photobucket, or your favorite image hosting site. Name your images by product and number them. For example, BedroomSet01.jpg, BedroomSet02.jpg, etc. This way you’ll be more organized, and listing your items on Craigslist it will be quicker and easier.
Note: I use Photobucket and for each picture they give you the HTML code needed to easily insert into your Craiglist ad.
3) How To Write A Craigslist Headline.
Headlines are important, so be clear about what you’re selling.
Bad headline: 5 piece bedroom set.
Good headline: Black 5 Piece Bedroom Set Non-smoking home 70% off list!
It almost seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many people have horrible headlines.
4) Killer Pricing Strategies.
Craigslist buyers are looking for a deal. That’s not to say you have to be unreasonably cheap, but be realistic. If you have a $2000 bedroom set don’t expect to get $1500, or even $1000 for it.
Industry standard, time-tested, pricing strategies work here. For example, $499 or $497 instead of $500. I had a bedroom set listed for $500 and didn’t get any e-mails. I changed the price to $499 and got 2 e-mails within an hour.
Bonus pricing tip: If you have no idea what to price your item you have 2 fast and easy options. First, check eBay’s completed listings for the same item to check the average selling price. Or, if your item is a big piece of furniture or something else that is probably not on eBay, price it at about 33% of retail if it’s still in great condition. The worse the condition the lower you’ll have to go.
5) Best Times To List.
Deleting and immediately relisting your post is not allowed. Craigslist makes you wait an arbitrary number of minutes, hours, or days. I haven’t figured out that algorithm, because I’ve listed an item and been able to relist it within 30 minutes, and with another item I had to wait 2 days.
Best bet listing strategy: List at 6-7 PM on Thursday. This is when people are preparing to do their bargain shopping for the weekend and your item will be listed towards the top of your category’s page.
If your item hasn’t sold by Friday, delete the listing Friday evening then relist it Saturday morning if you can. If you can’t (due to Reposting restrictions), relist the item Sunday morning. If you have a Craigslist account relisting is really quick. Login to your account, find your deleted post, click Repost, and follow the steps.
6) Time Saving Strategies.
You’ll receive a lot of time-wasting “is this item still available?” e-mails. Cut them off at the pass by clearly stating in your listing: “Please do not e-mail to ask if this item is available. If this listing is up the item is available. I will delete the listing as soon as the item has sold.”
To make it easier on yourself you might want to list your phone number in the listing so you don’t have to bother responding to multiple e-mails on the same items. That’s really a personal preference and dependent on how comfortable you are listing your phone number in public.
7) Safety.
Don’t accept any form of payment other than cash. You may get e-mails about using Western Union, bank transfers, or other scam-prone options. Don’t even respond to those e-mails. For small items, meet in a public place like a gas station, preferably during the day. For larger items you will have to obviously give your address, but be sure to take down the person’s full name, e-mail, and phone number. Truthfully, that might not help a lot if something bad were to happen. But at the same time, it is good information to have on hand.
Bonus Tip: Start Early.
Start listing your items 1-2 months BEFORE you really have to sell them if you want to the highest possible price. You can start your prices high and every week drop them a little lower. I sold my beds and bedroom furniture for more than I expected because of this strategy. If you’re in the process of moving, the added benefit of starting early is you won’t be stressed out trying to get rid of your things at the last minute.
Once you’ve de-cluttered your life and put a little bit of cash in your pocket, be mindful about getting back in the habit of filling your life with more unnecessary stuff.
***
Update (August 14): Sold my car on Craigslist! Also had interest from an eBay ad, but ultimately sold to someone who found it on Craigslist.
***
Some additional links about clearing clutter you might want to check out:
At 19 years old I was pulling in over $1,000/week on eBay selling bootleg copies of my one of my favorite TV shows. Stupid? Probably. But I rationalized it like this…
I thought long and hard about writing this article. On the one hand, I essentially admit to violating copyright laws. On the other hand, it happened almost 10 years ago, it was a good life lesson, it’s a pretty fascinating story, and I believe in being completely honest about my past. Currently, I’m probably one of very few people who actually pay for music and movies instead of downloading illegally. I’m not a fan of the iTunes store, but love AmieStreet.com and AmazonMP3. Now, with that all said, the original article specified the exact product I was selling. I decided to edit that out because I live in the land of lawsuits. I know it makes for a more difficult read, but that’s the way it has to be. Even though the product I was selling still isn’t available for legal sale, the copyright owner (I’m a big fan, I follow his blog) gets pissed about the consistent rampant sale of his material (and rightfully so). So with all of that out of the way….
At 19 years old I was pulling in over $1,000/week on eBay selling bootleg copies of my one of my favorite TV shows, [Show In Question].
Being that I was on a full academic scholarship and living with my Parents I didn’t exactly need $1k/week. But when your family moves to the US with 2 suitcases, no grasp of the language, and almost no money, you either hustle (as Gary Vaynerchuk says, “CRUSH IT!”) or stay impoverished.
My Parents hustled (learned English, worked their asses off) and reached a nice middle class standard of living.
As a result, I learned to hustle at a very young age.
In 3rd grade, my elementary school had a Readathon for Multiple Sclerosis. Anybody who raised $500 or more got a Nintendo Game Boy (it was 1989). I was the only kid in the school of 400+ to do so.
In 8th grade, one of my gifted nerd classes had a fundraiser selling chocolate bars to raise money for a trip to Chicago. The rest of the kids went door to door selling bars one at a time. Or had their Parents sell the bars at work. Me? I called local businesses (salons worked best) and sold them by the box. I bought one of my favorite Nirvana bootlegs on that trip. :)
And maybe the ultimate teenage hustle: While most of my peers relied on Parents or student loans to pay for college I “studied” (high school was such a joke I didn’t really have to) hard enough to get the aforementioned scholarship.
So, you see, the hustle is in every fiber of my being.
The seeds to my foray into the underworld of copyright violation were planted in my Senior year at Adlai Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, MI. My friend and classmate Samantha (name has been changed) was a big fan of [Show In Question] and turned me on to its hilarity.
This low budget show consisted of [Proper noun1] and [Proper noun2] and their friends being so off-the-wall-weird most people probably had to be drunk or high to enjoy it. It was one of the few highlights of [Cable TV Station] in the late 90s and I was neither drunk nor high.
By the time college rolled around [Show In Question] was off the air and we couldn’t watch it anymore. I’d check the show’s Web site regularly for video release dates, but it didn’t look promising.
So I did what any smart young lad would do. I searched eBay.
And there it was.
Seasons 1 and 2 of [Show In Question] available for sale. Bootleg VHS, of course. I wasn’t above watching shitty versions of the best show ever made.
The price was unreasonably steep. $70 shipped. For 2 VHS tapes that cost $1 each.
No matter. I immediately clicked Buy It Now, for I had a plan.
“Don’t say you can’t afford something, ask yourself how you can afford it.” – paraphrased Robert Allen quote which I probably use way too often and took a little too far in this situation.
A few days later the videos came, I watched them to verify they were decent quality (while laughing my ass off, of course) and put my plan into play.
I logged into my eBay seller account and put up a Buy It Now ad:
“[Show In Question] Seasons 1 and 2 – Great Quality! Free Shipping!”
Within hours I had $70 (less credit card fees) in my Paypal account.
It was too easy.
I put up another ad.
Again, within hours I got that beautiful “You’ve sold item #123814883” e-mail.
The next morning I rushed out to Best Buy, bought the most expensive VCR they had (~$120), took my Parents’ VCR from the living room and hooked them together.
I’d never copied VHS to VHS before but it was surprisingly easy. For the next few weeks these VCRs were my own personal ATM machine, spitting out $70 3 times/day.
If I timed my school/sleep schedule just right I could get 4 copies of [Show In Question] done in 1 day. At my peak I pulled in almost $2,000 in one week.
It all came to a crashing halt when I got a “Your eBay Account Has Been Canceled Due To Multiple Copyright Violations” e-mail.
eBay had sent me warnings on two separate occasions.
Unfortunately, begging for forgiveness didn’t work. Try as I might they wouldn’t reinstate my account. And if you don’t know anything about eBay, their customer service is customer service-less, so it took days to receive responses to my communications.
I created a new account, but my bank info (used for account verification) was black listed, and the new eBay account was immediately canceled.
I wasn’t sure what to do. I’d already been out of business for over a week and it was getting to me.
I just couldn’t leave well enough alone. There was gold in them thar VCRs and I was gonna mine it! The tools of the trade at this gold mine were wit, piss, and vinegar. Me vs eBay. Let’s do this!
“Hey Mom, I need your bank account information and a credit card!”
Being the trusting Parent she is, she handed it over like it was the most normal thing in the world.
I was a straight A student, disciplined, a hard worker: my Parents didn’t really have a reason not to trust me. (Yes, I realize how stupid it was to get anybody else involved in this. Sorry Mom, I love you!)
And I was back in business.
For 2 days.
I got another copyright violation warning and this time there was no messing around. eBay must have done a manual review because almost immediately after the warning e-mail I got an account cancellation e-mail.
Unfortunately, to this day [Show In Question] isn’t available for sale legally, although bootleg copies and torrent downloads are easily available.
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…
There is a story about a man who went to see the Buddha because he had heard that the Buddha was a great problem solver. Much like you and me, this man had some problems in his life and he hoped the Buddha would solve them…
The following is a Buddhist story that can help with your problems. If you’re not interested in learning from the Buddha, you have 2 choices:
1) Stop reading. No hard feelings.
2) Hear (read?) me out.
(Adapted from Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen.)
There is a story about a man who went to see the Buddha because he had heard that the Buddha was a great problem solver. Much like you and me, this man had some problems in his life and he hoped the Buddha would solve them.
This man was a farmer.
“I like farming, ” he said, “but sometimes it doesn’t rain enough, my crops fail, and my family lives on the constant brink of starvation. On the other hand, sometimes it rains too much, my crops die, and my family lives on the brink of starvation.
The Buddha listened patiently as the man went on.
“I’m married too,” said the man. “She’s a good wife whom I love, but sometimes she nags me too much and I get tired of her. I also have kids. Good kids mostly, but sometimes they don’t show me enough respect. I feel like my family doesn’t respect me or the land, and just sits around being lazy and uncaring, eating my food and spending my money.”
The man went on telling the Buddha his problems. Finally, he stopped on the brink of tears, and waited for the words that would take care of everything.
The Buddha simply said, “I’m sorry, my friend, but I can’t help you.”
“I don’t understand. Why? What do you mean?” said the man.
“Everybody’s got problems,” said the Buddha. “We’ve all got eighty-three problems, in fact. Eighty-three problems, and there’s nothing you or I can do to change that. If you work really hard on one problem another one will pop up in its place. For example, you’re going to die some day. That’s a big problem, and there’s nothing you, or I, or anyone else can do about it.”
The man was at wit’s end. He’d poured his heart and soul out to the Buddha, expecting to find relief in his wisdom.
“I thought you were a great teacher!” he shouted. “I thought you could help me! What good is your teaching if you can’t help me with my problems?!”
The Buddha said, “To make it up to you I will help you with the eighty-fourth problem.”
Curious and frustrated, the man asked, “What’s the eighty-fourth problem?”
Buddha replied, without an ounce of sarcasm or condescension, “You want to not have any problems.”
—–
I read this story every time I have a problem that starts affecting me emotionally.
Without fail, the anxiety and worry about my problem goes away.
Taking Action
The problem, of course, doesn’t go away on its own. Not until I take a very simple, but important step. The problem doesn’t go away until I take action.
What’s the point in taking action on solving a problem if, as the story says, another problem will take its place?
If you frame it so you enjoy being a problem solver, no problem will truly affect you.
Trying Until You Succeed
Problem solving is the essence of life. You’ve been a problem solver since birth. When you were hungry or needed a clean diaper, you’d cry. Problem solved.
As you got older and you were learning to ride a bike, you most likely fell off. What did you do? You solved that problem by getting back on and trying again.
You tried until you succeeded.
In the paraphrased words of Tony Robbins “trying until you succeed is the magic step.”
What would happen right now if you took your biggest problem and “tried until” you solved it?
How would you feel?
At first it might seem overwhelming and difficult, but don’t you agree that just by moving forward with the problem solving process your problem will grow smaller?
If there’s a solution, you’re going to find it because “trying until” means nothing less. There are no failures, only setbacks.
Reframe Your Problem
If you lose your job, for example, that’s a problem. Give yourself a little bit of time to wallow, and then reframe it. You’ve just been given the freedom to find a new job, start a new business, travel the world, or pursue a lifelong passion.
Do you agree gaining your freedom makes you feel a lot better than losing your job?
Simply reframing alone won’t solve the problem, of course. You probably have bills that need paying and food that needs buying. But reframing your job loss is that first action step that will give you the motivation to follow through until you succeed.
Where To Go From Here
The next time you have a problem that affects you in any way take a minute to think about the Buddha’s Eighty-Fourth Problem. (Better yet, bookmark or print this page and reread the story.)
Can you reframe your problem in a positive action-producing manner?
Would you rather be like the farmer and put the blame on somebody else or would you rather take control, take action, and obliterate your problems?
