Category: Sweet Shit Saturday

Sweet Simplicity Saturday #025 (Luxury of Less Edition)

A special edition of epic-ly minimalist proportions. Or something like that …

Two nights ago I had the honor of introducing Chris Guillebeau at his Ann Arbor book tour stop. It was a good time even though I actually didn’t say the main thing I wanted to say and I really could have done a better intro all around. It has been a while since my old Toastmasters days, but I really want to thank Chris for the opportunity to work my public speaking muscle. I used to be (and still sometimes am) incredibly shy, but I like getting up in front of people and I’d like to do it far more regularly.

Today we’re doing something different with Sweet Shit Saturday. Instead of new articles from around the Web, I’m linking to 1 article from each contributor of the upcoming Minimalist Book Sale.

What is the Minimalist Book Sale, you ask? Well, for my Luxury of Less launch I did say I’m doing something big, right?

The Minimalist Book Sale will be a 3 day event starting at 10am Eastern this Monday, October 4. 13 contributors (including myself) have come together to offer their eBooks in one amazing package for one very low price. It’s literally over $200 in value (not an inflated number) for $27.

Bonus! I’m sending my first 24 hours of profits to Third World entrepreneurs via Kiva.org. My goal is to send $2,000 and I believe we can do it!

An extra twist: after these 3 days The Luxury of Less will be off the market. It will be available only in Kindle and Print form (in time for the Holidays), and this is your only chance to get the special edition PDF download version.

Complete details on Monday.

Now? Sweet links!!!

The Lost Art of Solitude by Leo Babauta

This is one of my favorite ZenHabits articles and it’s something I strongly believe in.

How You’re Hindering Your Potential (With Your Stuff) by Everett Bogue

A very important article that maybe didn’t get enough traction back when it was written.

22 Ways To Practice The Art of Relaxation by Tammy Strobel

#1 is by far my favorite. Although instead of frequent, I’m a fan of once/day.

The 10 Most Important Things To Simplify In Your Life by Joshua Becker

#4 all the way. :) I have a lot of practice with this one.

3 Steps Toward True and Permanent Happiness by Sam Spurlin

You’ll see #3 repeated often by a lot of people. It’s because it’s very important. Experiences, not stuff.

Killing The “What If I Need It Someday?” Excuse by Brett Oblack

This is important and it’s a question I’ve been asked at least a dozen times. Thanks for killing this excuse Brett. :)

5 Minimalist Actions In 5 Minutes by David Damron

You can start small if you’d like. You will see the benefits with small, consistent actions.

You Will Never Have Enough, But You Have Everything You Need by Charley Forness

Charley is a very smart guy as proof by this article. I wish I wrote this one.

Simple Carpet Cleaning by Annie Brewer

Because simplicity and minimalism include more than just our stuff. :)

Small Steps vs Big Muddles by Meg Wolfe

I like this because even when you’re leading a minimalist life you can run into stumbling blocks.

How To Be Frugal and Feel Amazingly Abundant by Henri Junttila

As with many of my friends I’m completely biased, but out of all the great stuff Henri writes this is one of the best.

42 Ways To Radically Simplify Your Financial Life by Adam Baker

This is one of the most popular articles on ManVsDebt.com, and for good reason. Check it out and simplify your finances.

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That’s a lot of links! I’d like to thank every one of these fantastic souls for contributing to the Minimalist Book Sale. Without them it would be a really minimalist book sale consisting of just my book. :)

See you Monday at 10:00am Eastern for 72 hours of sales fun! Yes, that’s a transparently commercial pitch. You might not be interested and that’s OK. Next Thursday after the sale is over I will do something radical for you that you will definitely love. ;) Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss it.

Sweet Song Saturday #024 (Blast From The Past Edition)

Me + guitar. Also, the first Focus On A Freedom Fighter! …

Thank you for making the First Annual International Minimalist Day a good time! Next year we’ll plan a minimalist event. :)

On an unrelated note …

I’ve had a bunch of questions about guitar and music and whatnot. No, I don’t play in a band anymore. “Oh, really, you used to? What did it sound like?” I’ll get to that. ;) No, I don’t want to be a rockstar. Yes, I love going on tour (have done two 3-week tours of the US). If you’re in the Detroit area come hang out with me and my rockstar friends on October 1 at the Magic Stick.

Guitar and music is a personal experience. Although it’s fun to get a bunch of acoustic guitars together and jam with friends I get a big high from sitting alone and getting lost in the strings.

With that said, today I will share a very old song with you. Very old as in recorded in 2001. This is the last time I was in a band. You won’t like the music. That’s OK. No, that’s not me fishing for compliments. Most people don’t like music with loud guitars, double bass, and screaming. I do. ;)

Break Away

(If you’re reading via RSS or e-mail you might need to click here to see the song player.)

I’m the 2nd guitar that comes in on the intro. Not sure what channel that’s in because I’m listening on my laptop and left/right channels are hard to distinguish.

Now with your ears properly tuned, onto the sweet links!

Sell Your Crap by Adam Baker

Baker finally released the ultimate course to getting rid of the excess crap in your life and making some cash while doing so. You know I fully advocate this. :) Also, I can’t possibly be unbiased since Baker is a friend. But it’s a fantastic course and he worked his ass off on it so you should check it out if it’s up your alley.

The Evolution of a Spiritual Poker Player and Entrepreneur by Henri Junttila

I’ve been doing a lot of chatting with Henri lately and he impresses me to no end. His writing has been extra on fire lately and there are some big things brewing in the coming year.

Free work vs internships by Seth Godin

This is from last year and it’s as important as ever. Seth writes a lot so no worries if you missed this article the first time around. :)

A Minimalist’s Guide To eBay by Adam Baker

Yes, I’m linking to Baker twice. I said I can’t possibly be unbiased, right? This is Baker’s guest post on ZenHabits and it’ll get you started on eBay if you’re looking to get rid of your crap.

Focus On A Freedom Fighter #001: Matt Madeiro

As I mentioned last week, and thanks to Marilia’s idea, I’m going to regularly highlight Freedom Fighters on this blog and in the Freedom Fighters course.

Today, meet Matt Madeiro from ThreeNewLeaves.com.

Matt’s submission really resonated with me, so out of all the submissions I received for this inaugural Focus On A Freedom Fighter section, he gets to be #001. :)

Here’s what Matt had to say …

Karol: Why did you join Freedom Fighters?

Matt: I joined because I was inspired as all hell by the bold things you’ve done and thought I might just be one of the 100 lives you’re looking to change. :) That last part might not happen, but I’m bound and determined to use you as example and inspiration as I eschew cubicle hell for a true, genuine life. And what better way to pick up a few tricks than to join the Freedom Fighters?

K: How has Freedom Fighters helped you?

M: I’ve learned so much! How to market and sell a digital product, for one, but a number of tricks too for pushing my blog to the next level. I’m wholly impressed that you offer the secret to your success for free.

K: What are your goals with your website?

My goals are like any other blogger’s, I guess. I want to build my blog up to the level where it can support me doing the three things I love: traveling, writing, and combining those first two in a way that encourages other people to do the same too. :)

K: Is there anything in particular you’d like to tell the world?

M: Hello, world. :) I’m looking to help and connect with people as best I can, so please don’t hesitate to stop by my site and say hello. Maybe you’ll find something you like! And, on a more inspirational note — you have big dreams. I have big dreams. I’m seeing so much pressure from so many parts of society to temper my ambition and live a simple, normal life, but I absolutely refuse. Something tells me that you do too — so why don’t we take a stand together?

K: Kick ass, thanks Matt! Don’t forget to head on over to ThreeNewLeaves.com and support a Freedom Fighter!

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That’s it for this week! The October 4th launch of the Luxury of Less is coming soon and we’re doing it big. I will give you a hint: You know how there are a lot of great ebooks about minimalism out right now? Well, what if they were all available in one single package for 3 days at a very low price? ;)

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!

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!

Sweet Sassafras Saturday #021 (Cold As Life Edition)

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

Michigan Central Station

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!

Sweet Shit Saturday #020 (Dream The Dream Edition)

My first free Manifesto is coming! Plus sweet links …

My first free manifesto, The American Dream Is Dead (Long Live The American Dream!), is coming Monday! I’m excited and I’ve gotten some great feedback on the content already. AND the launch day article includes contributions from 20+ rock stars.

If you don’t already subscribe to my RSS feed, do that right here so you don’t miss this update.

Shortest update in Saturday history so far. Sweeeeeeeet linkage …

Game Winners and Why You Should Always Want To Take The Shot by Kenny Eller

“You can’t be great without some sort of risk.” Kenny is a good friend of mine. Also, he’s very smart.

Living Self Employed: The Manual They Forgot To Give You by Glen Allsopp

Read it. :) Also, you must read the first few comments when you’re done with the article. ;)

7 Things That Suck About Being Vegetarian by Matt Frazier

I pretty much don’t agree with any of these. :) If you’ve read my Stress Free Vegan Travel article and other stuff I’ve written you know that. I especially don’t get the loss in joy of cooking. Veganism has made me absolutely love making my own food. In the beginning I would make elaborate meals from recipes (Veganomican is a great cook book), but now my diet is very simple and oh so tasty. I thought about writing a 7 Things That Rule About Being Vegan response article, but this will have to do instead.

If You Could Live Anywhere… by Laura Walker

Laura asks a fun question. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Go there and answer. I’m interested in the responses as well!

So You Want To Become A Happiness Ninja? by Tammy Strobel

Tammy has been all over the place lately. New York Times, Today, MSNBC, Yahoo Finance … this article is a response to a common question from her massive new readership.

Also, Tammy is releasing a book called Smalltopia next week! Freedom Fighters: you’ll have an exclusive interview with Tammy in your inbox on Tuesday!

Also, also: I contributed to Smalltopia with an article called: How To Automate Your Business Growth With A Free E-mail Course. It’s on Page 110. :)

How To Live Anywhere: A Ridiculously Extraordinary Discussion with Cody McKibben

I’ve never mentioned this before, but if I had to think of the 3 people who inspired me to start my blog it would be: 1) Tim Ferriss 2) Chris Guillebeau and 3) Cody McKibben.

I started reading Cody’s blog some time around the end of 2008 or early 2009, about 6 months before I launched this site. I was fascinated by what he was doing and you can even see a tinge of domain name inspiration. Thrilling Heroics. Ridiculously Extraordinary. :)

When I was in Thailand we, unfortunately, were not able to meet up. But 4 months later here’s an interview! :)

So that’s it for this week. I leave Poland in a month and I don’t know what to do with myself. Wroclaw is a fantastic city and I hope the Hilton and all the other modern things being built here don’t ruin it. Why am I still talking …

Sweet Surprise Saturday #019 (Oops, I Wrote A Book Edition)

I wrote a book called Luxury of Less + a manifesto + sweet links inside …

When I wrote that title I kept thinking “Oops, I did it again” by Britney. But that’s neither here nor there. (BTW, don’t ever get me near an acoustic guitar or you *will* hear my atrocious cover of Toxic. Fair warning.)

I love to write. Probably only 5% of it ends up on this blog. And so, somehow I wrote a new book called Luxury of Less – The Five Rings Of Minimalism. I don’t mean to steal from Leo’s The Power of Less title, but it just fell into place. And luxuryofless.com was available. ;)

If you know me, you know where The Five Rings reference comes from. That book (an ancient Samurai text actually called Go Rin No Sho) has greatly influenced me over the past couple of years and this is sort of my homage.

I’m going to release Luxury of Less on October 4 in a way nobody in this industry has ever released a book before. If you have a book that fits into the niche of minimalism and you don’t hear from me soon, please get in touch. This is going to be a very interesting launch that helps get your book in front of lots of new readers. :)

The Dream Is Almost Alive!

What I should be talking about is The American Dream Is Dead (Long Live The American Dream!). It’s a long time coming, but it’s coming (freeeeee!) on Monday, August 30. It’s not just for people who live in the USA … you know I’m not gonna exclude the rest of the world!

I’m also pretty sure nobody has ever launched a free Manifesto quite like the way I’m launching this one. (Ugh, did I really state that TWICE about two different books in the same post? Yes, I did. WTF is wrong with me? Too much cinnamon rooibos I tell ya.) It will be fun. And hopefully big. You’ll see what I mean soon. :)

Surprise! Sweet links …

The Failure Manifesto by Erica Douglass

Wow. This was an incredible read. “Sold my company for $1.1 million, and I don’t even have enough money for a house down payment. I am angry.”

Nice To Meet You: 13 Ways To Make New Friends by Bud Hennekes

As you know, I’m a big advocate of the “hello.” Bud hooks it up with 12 more ideas.

Take This Job and Shove It by Tyler Tervooren

Subtitle: A Riskologist’s Guide To F*** You Funds. Personally, I wouldn’t censor it. ;) This was a great read. Whether you have a job or not I recommend it. If you’ve already gone job-free then some of it might not pertain to you, but that’s cool. $100 free inside for using Tyler’s bank links to start your F*** You Fund!

Blogger Gems Volume 2 from BlogCastFM

Go ahead, it’s free, download it. Thanks for including me Srini and Sid!

Ridiculously Extraordinary Launch Strategies interview with Kelly Kingman

Damn me for linking to shit I’m involved with twice here. Kelly interviewed me about the original launch of How To Live Anywhere as well as some other stuff. It was a fun time. I get pretty scatter-brained during interviews as you’ll hear. ;)

Sweet shit … that’s all for this week. See you on Monday!

Sweet Salamander Saturday #018 (Big Plans Edition)

My future travel plans and sweet sweet salamanders …

I decided to start eating meat, but only salamander. It’s the ultimate super food and they don’t have nervous systems or brains so it’s basically like a plant. You could literally live off of just salamander since it provides every single nutrient your body needs in precisely the right proportions.

Kidding. About all of that. ;) I got sick of using Sweet Shit Saturday so you’ve probably noticed I’ve been replacing Shit with whatever other random “S” word I can think of at the time of writing. :)

Onward with Big Plans! Michigan, Vegas, Austin, Brazil and more!

As you probably already know I’m heading back to the US in October. What you probably didn’t know was that I planned on leaving in early November and heading to Curitiba, Brazil, Bogota, Colombia, or Panama City, Panama.

Curitiba is supposed to be one of the most bike friendly cities in the world and that will help if I’m training. Do you know anyone in Curitiba? Figure I’d start the apartment hunting sooner rather than later. :)

But I’m actually not planning on leaving the US until early January now. Here’s the deal …

I’m heading to Michigan on September 29. This was originally going to be October 1, but my friends are playing at the Magic Stick in Detroit on October 1 and I wanted to hang. So I tried to find a flight on September 30. That didn’t work. September 29 it is!

I decided that after Blog World (Oct 14-16) I’m going to hang out in Austin, TX (still my favorite city in the world) for ~2 months so I can play with my kitty Jessie every day. I saved Jessie when she was a sick, dying stray after Hurricane Charley and I miss her. Then I’ll head back to Michigan for the holidays, including an annual New Year’s Eve party with a bunch of my favorite people. THEN I’ll head to somewhere in Central or South America. Most likely Curitiba, but still undecided. :)

It feels weird to plan so much life so far in advance.

Sweeeeeeeet salamanderssssssssss …

Template : Magazine by Ross Hill

Don’t let the lack of a catchy title fool you, this is a great post. In it Ross explains why he doesn’t have comments on his blog and why his blog theme is so simple. I’ve been considering shutting off comments here (besides just on Saturdays) as a test. I love interacting in the comments (as you know), but I love testing and it would be interesting to see what would happen.

Bonus from Ross Hill’s blog: Traveling lightly across the world with 35 things

FREE eBook: Minimalist Workday – 50 Strategies For Working Less by Everett Bogue

Just go download this free eBook now. Even if you’re like me and you love to write all day long you’ll get some good stuff out of it.

Is there a way to make an arrow point up? ^ <– is that good enough? What I’m trying to say is go, go, go download. If I could hold your hand and click on the link I would, but I can’t! As much as I know you’d love that. ;) haha, OK, too far …

If You Don’t Ask, The Answer Is Always No by Adam Baker

Guess who’s back? It’s not Slim Shady. Baker’s back up in the cut and posting his sick wit. Enough rap mumbo jumbo. What I’m saying is, Baker’s writing rules and it’s good to see him posting again!

Consider This by Danny Brown

Short, powerful article. Just how I like them. :) I need to work on a few of these things, especially the first on the list.

The Art of Enough and Fake Abundance by Jonathan Mead

If you’re an HTLA member you already know how much Jonathan rules because I interviewed him for the course. This article is especially relevant to me currently. And he doesn’t even mention the word scarcity. :)

How Much Are Your Visitors Worth? Google Will Tell You … For Free! by Karol Gajda ;)

This is a post I did for my friend Corbett Barr’s ThinkTraffic.net site. If you have a blog or Web site and you’re currently selling anything or plan to in the future this is a must read article. Or else I wouldn’t have written it (ha!). ;)

Ethical Marketing

Speaking of Corbett, on Tuesday he’s releasing his Ethical Affiliate Marketing For Beginners Course. It’s actually only called Affiliate Marketing For Beginners. I added the “Ethical” because, like myself, Corbett preaches doing good stuff and not selling crap. Yes, there is a ton of money to be made selling shady stuff online. But you know what? There’s also a ton of money to be made selling stuff that people want and will love.

I’ll tell you more about Corbett’s course on Tuesday if you’re a Freedom Fighter. Look out for that e-mail! If you were interested in getting my Zero To First Affiliate Sale Course then especially look out for that e-mail. ;)

If you’re not a Freedom Fighter then what are you waiting for?! Here are 7 Reasons You Should Be A Freedom Fighter. ;)

That’s it for this week. I hope your weekend is kicking ass! See you Monday …

Sweet Sojourn Saturday #017 (Backup Your Life Edition)

My computer crashed! + Lots of sweet sweet new links …

You think I can salvage this?

If you follow me on Twitter you know that Wednesday night my computer died. I couldn’t even boot into Safe Mode. If you know anything about Windows you know that basically means you’re done for. :) Lenovo doesn’t support the X200 in Europe so that was extra special. I decided I was going to buy a cheap netbook, fix the Lenovo when I got back to the US (it’s under warranty), sell them both, and buy a Macbook Pro.

At about 2 am, right before going to bed I decided to try to start the computer up again. Somehow I got into Lenovo Recovery and was able to use the Recovery Partition to install a clean copy of Windows. Amazing. Then on Thursday it died again and I couldn’t get it to work.

So I went to Media Markt (electronics store chain) and bought the cheapest netbook they had. Acer Aspire One for 1249 PLN. They were running a promotion though. For every 100 PLN spent you get a 10 PLN gift card. So I got a 120 PLN gift card. I’m not a fan of working on a netbook. I did that for 4 months in Australia and New Zealand and it’s a bit of a pain. I’ll sell this thing (as mentioned above) when I get back to the States. Woohoo!

Fortunately, I’m one of those smart dudes (haha!) who backs up his computer regularly. My last backup was actually 2 hours before the first crash.

Even though I had my backup I still had that “sinking feeling” in my stomach. I knew all my “important” photos/videos/written words were backed up, but the loss of a computer still brings up those feelings. If you have anything on your computer that you’d be slightly upset with losing, go do a backup now. Either using a paid online service, or an external hard drive. It’ll be money well spent.

Onward with saaaaaawwwwwweeeeeeeeetttttt links …

9 Proven Tips For Creating An Extraordinarily Successful Blog [Lady Gaga Edition] by Karol Gajda

1) Yes, I am linking to myself. ;)

2) This was my first ProBlogger guest post. I sent it to Darren 3 months ago. Here’s the tweet that first pitched the article.

Lesson learned here? If you’ve got a blog and you’re trying to guest post somewhere be patient and persistent.

Managing Time Like Money by Tynan

I really like this post from Tynan. I feel the same way. Especially: “I spend money when there’s a reason to, not when I have it.” Back in the days I used to search for things to spend my money on. Now, if I need something I buy it. For the most part, I never need anything. ;) My largest expense is usually food. I like to support vegan/vegetarian restaurants (especially in traditionally non-veg places like Poland) so I eat at Vega or Green Way here in Wroclaw almost every day. I also buy a lot of fresh fruit from Hala Targowa. (It’s the huge “farmer’s” market where I found my black beans!)

How Much Money Do You Want To Make This Year by Danielle Laporte

In keeping with the money theme (what money theme?) this is a great article about something I agree with wholeheartedly. Especially the part about ramen noodles and yachts. ;)

Quick Ways To Utilize These 4 Non-Google Search Engines by Pat Flynn

A little bit technical, but I love this stuff. I’ve used YouTube for driving traffic for years. Although never for this blog. ;)

44 Things I’m Too Shy To Tell You (A Reintroduction of Sorts) by Lisa Sonora Beam

Lisa rocks. I interviewed her for HTLA and, even though we speak regularly, I didn’t know 98% of this stuff! :)

7 Reasons Why I Do It Every Day by Nicky Hajal

This is a great article if you’re struggling to make stuff happen. Nicky breaks down his process (like just walk to the gym, and when you get there you’ll probably want to work out) for forming habits.

That’s it for this week! Thank you so much for kicking ass.

Oh, wait … from here on out, unless I’m asking a question in the Sweet Shit Saturday, I’m turning comments off.

Peace!

Sweet Salad Saturday #016 (What Are You Reading? Edition)

I’m looking for new blogs and books to read. Plus awesome sweet links inside!

I’ve never received any complaints about this, but you’ve probably noticed that my Sweet Saturday linkage is usually from a core group of about 20 blogs. That’s because I don’t have a huge list of blogs I subscribe to. Everything I link to either comes from my feed reader, twitter, or an e-mail. I don’t go out and purposefully search for links for my Saturday posts. I add them to the list throughout the week whenever I read an article I love.

Which means …

I know I’m missing a lot of great blogs. Today I have a special request of you to rectify that situation (that sounds so formal; like this is an interview; is this an interview?; why am I separating these thoughts with a semi-colon?;). Leave your answers in the comments.

1) What is one of your favorite blogs I should know about? It doesn’t matter if it’s an established blog or a brand new blog with kick ass content. It also does not matter what niche it’s in.

2) What is your one favorite article from that blog? Choose one article only.

3) I’m also looking for new books to read. I’m not a fan of most fiction unless it’s Paulo Coelho, so keep that in mind. If a fiction book doesn’t have me captivated within 30 minutes I refuse to continue. What is one book I absolutely, positively, must read? It helps if it’s available on the Kindle, but that’s not absolutely necessary.

Ever had a sweet salad? Of course you have. Linkssssssssssssssssssssssss …

The Top Idea In Your Mind by Paul Graham

Paul is something of a genius. “I’d say it’s hard to do a really good job on anything you don’t think about in the shower.” I’ve found this to be true. But I also find I do a lot of my thinking while working out (lately, usually a bike ride). Unlike most people, I don’t like to listen to music while working out. Silence + workout = amazing. (OK, that’s a lie, sometimes I listen to Andrew W.K. over and over and over!)

The 8 Core Excuses Standing Between You and Your Dreams by Henri Junttila

I’ve written about these excuses in one form or another on this blog, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a fantastic article. Actually, if your life isn’t quite what you want it to be you should not only read this article, but everything Henri writes.

How To Imagine Your Ideal Reality (Because It Matters) by Everett Bogue

Congrats to Everett for taking the steps to getting his “adult passport.” ;)

Something I would offer as advice to Everett or anybody else wanting to do this is: don’t plan too much. 10 countries in 12 months doesn’t sound like a lot, but it actually is. You may fall in love with a city/country and not want to leave right away … but you will leave because you planned ahead and bought tickets to your next destination. What I’m saying is, I definitely would’ve spent more than one month in New Zealand. :)

The Art of Community Building by Tammy Strobel

One of the bullet points in this article is “Live small and think big.” Why didn’t I think of that? P.S. That would make a fantastic book title Tammy. ;)

Bloggers: Do You Give Your Readers What They Want? by Annabel Candy

This article is proof of 2 things. 1) Flattery will get you linked here. 2) Using something you learned from my blog and writing about it on your blog will get you linked here. ;)

33 Things I’ve Never Told You (or, How to Re-Introduce Yourself and Kick Your Watered-Down Self in the Ass) by Corbett Barr

Corbett rules. I love when people open up and show us more of who they are. I’ve spoken to Corbett a bunch of times and I never even knew how old he was. :) And I fully agree with #28. :)

Before I sign off for this week, remember:

“There is no failure. You will mess up, but that’s OK, because it is impossible to mess up.” – Leo Babauta from The Power of Less

Questions/comments/wanna read Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark to each other? You know what to do …