I can vividly recall the first time I wrote a resume.

I typed away on our clunky, oversized HP desktop, silently muttering words that shouldn’t appear in any resume each time autoformat would sneakily attempt to take over my painstakingly-created bulleted list of achievements.

To this day, autoformat and I remain sworn enemies–and with reason, might I add, since I always felt that autoformat was more or less the electronic version of those pushy people who insist on offering unwelcome, unsolicited advice. I never cared much for those jerks, either.

I sat there staring at the blinking cursor, trying to summon my mightiest qualities and craft them into professional-speak jargon that would be meaningful to potential employers:

• Have tons of shit to say & secretly think I’m smarter than you because
  that’s what every 20 year old thinks —–> skilled & knowledgeable

• Will work my ass off if you just give me this one chance, because I have no idea
  how I’ll pay off my credit cards if you don’t —–> committed & dedicated to the profession

• Promise not to steal your money, your job, your husband or those stupid little
  chalk-like pastel-colored mint candies everyone puts in a bowl on their desk —–> trustworthy

• Will hear what you’re saying to me while simultaneously texting my friend
  about happy hour, updating my Facebook status, checking my work voicemail
  and sipping on my Dunkin Donuts coffee —-> talented multi tasker

• Guaranteed to complete a task in half the time because I’ll likely go against
  company protocol and work smarter, not harder, without you knowing —-> takes direction well

• Will refrain from using phrases like “yo,” “I’m down,” “ain’t no thang,” & “whazzzup!” —–> excellent communication skills

• Will happily accept drinks from the cute guy in the cube across from mine
  & will not be mean to the girl who made me feel like an idiot for not knowing how
  to use the copier —–> works well in a team environment

And voila–just like that, I had myself a professional resume, full of BS buzzwords that have become the standard.  Do a Google search for resumes, and see how many of these you see come up over and over and over again.  It’s almost comical, because it’s no secret that not every candidate holds all of those qualities, nor does every job require all of those qualities, but such buzzwords have become as expected as the resume format itself.

Interestingly enough, many of these buzzword qualities point to the ability to essentially be a cog in a wheel.  Takes direction well.  Works well in team environment.  Multi-tasker.  Committed. Essentially this means you’re efficient, you’ll do as you’re told, you won’t cause too many problems, and you’ll do it for a really long time.

And in the past, this was precisely the type of worker that was needed:  One who kept his head down, took orders from above and performed the necessary functions in order to keep the company running smoothly.

So over time, this is the type of worker that has become valued–whether or not, in present-day, it makes sense to value these qualities.

No Matter How Impressive Your Resume, There’s One Thing That We’re Missing

Yet, the one quality that has become so incredibly necessary, as we move into a technological age, is the one that is most overlooked by traditional companies.

Creativity.

Sure, many times it’s like a bonus quality we might add onto our resume–creative thinker–and hope it scores us extra points, but it’s never the skill that’s highlighted, nor praised.  (With the exception of creative fields, of course, but that’s an exception.)

The reason for this is that creativity, by and large, isn’t always tangible and, furthermore, it’s a skill that’s highly subjective in nature.  Therefore, it’s hard to measure.  And if it’s hard to measure, it’s hard to see.  And if it’s hard to see, then there isn’t too much value attached to it.

Yet, as we keep moving forward, we’re bound to start seeing creativity take the lead as one of the most important skill sets out there.

Why?

Because creativity fuels ideas.   And in an internet-age, ideas are what’s fueling the world.

Your Boss Isn’t As Powerful As He Seems–Anymore, That Is

In the past, there was a much greater distance between those with power and those without.

Those with power were the guys at the top, and those without power were the guys working for the guys at the top.  In order to have any upward mobility, the guys without power would have to get permission from the guys with power.  Power, in this sense, was a commodity that was given in tiny fractional increments, in order to keep the guys without power feeling like they were getting somewhere, essentially keeping them happy and PRODUCTIVE.

In the past, ideas were not for the guys without power to worry about.  The guys with power were the ones that came up with ideas.  Once an idea was born, the guys without power implemented the ideas.  They did what they were told.  The end.

However, with the advancement of technology, this is all starting to change.  And it’s changing drastically.

Technology has afforded us many luxuries, but perhaps one of the greatest is a more equal distribution of power–without having to get anyone’s permission.

Now, with the use of the internet, we can create our own power.  We can be our own boss.  We can BE THE GUY AT THE TOP.  We can LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD.

We Can, But Will We?

But there’s one very important condition involved in creating our own power:  We have to be creative. The very thing that was de-emphasized in the past, is the now the very thing that will be running the future.

In order to take advantage of the opportunities that the internet allows, creativity is necessary to spark ideas.  Essentially, the internet has given us a platform to be our own boss, and create a business out of whatever it is that our hearts desire–as long as we’re creative enough to imagine how we can find the intersection between our passions and what it is that others need. It’s a basic matter of supply and demand, tweaked to reflect modern day capabilities.

We no longer have to wait for anyone to give us a promotion in order to start doing the things that we want; the only person we have to get permission from is ourselves–often the hardest part.  It’s not a matter of whether we can or not; it’s a matter of whether or not we have the guts.

That’s where the rubber meets the road.

Do you have the guts?

Every time I feel myself falter with a wave of self-doubt, I get angry about it, and then I force myself to do what it is I’m hesitating to do.  Do I want to let something as ridiculous as a little self-doubt ruin what could be something incredible?

In 50 years, I want to look back and say that I had the guts.

The Domino Effect of Ideas

Creativity is the most important skill to be harnessing, because creativity breeds ideas.  And ideas–whether they seem frivolous, distant or impossible to you now–are the currency of the future. Ideas propel us forward.  But best of all, an idea won’t simply lead you to one place–ideas have a domino effect, in that one idea will lead you to an abundance of doors that would not have been open to you prior.  Acting on ideas automatically produces exponential growth.

For example, this website.  I started The Middle Finger Project in November of 2009, with the intention of simply communicating my thoughts to the world.  It was a simple idea, and one that I had conviction in, but not a huge set of expectations.  Now, I’ve created an entire career out of it–something I never anticipating happening.

Another example is the coast-to-coast tour I’m about to embark on on the 4th of July.  The idea started as a joke in a comments section between Colin Wright, Andi Norris & I.  It was a wild idea, but now, a few months later, we’ve got sponsors and we’re headed across the USA to bring our message to a broader audience.

Imagine what opportunities might come as a result?   Opportunities that would have never revealed themselves to us, had we decided to stay behind a computer screen.

Ideas are the most powerful thing in the world.  If we can learn to trust in our ideas, and trust in ourselves, the world is truly up for our taking.

50 years from now, don’t you want to look back and say you had the guts?

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I’ll admit it–I’m a tad embarrassed.

I can’t decide if I’m embarrassed in light of the nonchalant display of nudity that is currently lounging alongside of me–quite proudly, and with reason, if I do say so myself–on this clothing optional beach, or if I’m embarrassed for another reason–perhaps at my own relative prudishness, something that seems to stand in stark contrast with my normally quite liberal, open-minded ideals.

Either way, it’s causing me a bit of uninvited self-doubt.

My inability to look at the naked man alongside of me without feeling the heat instantly rush to my face serves as the unexpected reminder that, just maybe, there’s a part of me that’s still subconsciously tethered to the rigid, puritanical ideals that have shaped the belief system of our nation–one of the belief systems that I’ve been so meticulously attempting to unpack, examine and, in most cases, reject in favor of a less inhibited way of life.

But here it is now, staring me in the face, daring me to put my money where my mouth is.

Yet here I sit, in my white two piece and floppy straw hat, strewn comfortably across a lounge chair in the shade, as those that surround me unabashedly prance about in a friendly game of nude volleyball.

On this court, sports bras are obsolete, and–by gosh–shorts?  Don’t be silly!  Stuffy and antiquated, I tell you!

I have never felt so overdressed in a bikini.  A string bikini, at that.

And so I wonder:  What is it that prevents me from untying my top and revealing–ahem–nature’s work?

Where’s This Nude Beach, Anyway?

I should mention, of course, that I’m in Negril, Jamaica.  As I write this, there are yellow-colored, cartoonish-looking crabs gliding sideways across the sand in front of me, as the transparent Caribbean water teases them with the possibility of whisking them away at a moment’s notice.  The water is approximately 82 degrees fahrenheit, the sun is beaming across it, and there’s a gentle breeze tickling my face and, of course, there’s the well-endowed man to my right who’s tickling my reality.

The infamous bruised leg.  Only me, I swear. 

Since arriving two days ago, I’ve gone sailing with a decidedly charming Jamaican; attempted water skiing, managing to severely bruise the entirety of my left inner thigh; finished Liz Gilbert’s Committed while floating aimlessly on a raft in the bay; had to forcefully reject a Jamaican teenager’s advances–the DJ of a nightclub–who insisted he loved me within, say, 3 minutes and 26 seconds of meeting me; and bore witness to what was quite possibly the most captivating dance performance I have ever seen–an African dance, performed by a group of incredibly well-built, cut and extremely fit Jamaicans.  Let’s just say I couldn’t keep my jaw closed, with the types of moves these guys were pulling off.

And, of course, as it’s the theme of this post, let’s not forget the nude beach, mon.  As a matter of fact, as I write this exact sentence, there’s a couple in the buff passing right in front of me, sprinkled with an assortment of tattoos.  (Sorry, no flash photography allowed!)

It Always Comes Back To…

This brings me back to the topic at hand: The limits of my very own unconventional thought patterns being tested by such a simple, almost superficial exercise that I can’t seem to pass.

And what it comes down to is the same thing that it always comes down to:  Deeply ingrained cultural beliefs that shape our entire perception of the world.  Culture is so incredibly powerful in that we aren’t as independent in our thoughts as we like to believe; rather, our thoughts are filtered through our given cultural lens, and modified as such.  It’s unavoidable–everything you do, read, see or hear shapes your brain, and as such, if everything you do, read, see or hear occurs within a fixed cultural context, then it follows that you brain is, in essence, largely a product of your culture.

To give a basic example, check out this picture.



Look at the guy in the foreground.  How does he appear to feel?  Happy?  Sad?  Mad?

Most of you reading might say that he looks mad.   I would agree.

And that would perfectly align with the findings of the study, which were that Westerners, whose thought is heavily influenced by individualist culture, tend to isolate the man in the foreground, assess his facial characteristics, and then assign an emotion.

However, interestingly enough, when the same study was replicated with non-Westerners, or members of collectivist cultures that emphasize the importance of social relationships over the individual, non-Westerners routinely looked at the people in the background to get clues about the man in the foreground’s emotion, proclaiming him happy. (They know this by performing a series of eye scans on the subjects as they analyzed the image.)

How Puritan Culture Influences Our Modern Day Thought

So, back to the Puritans.  As we all know, they formed the backbone of our culture, and as such, the backbone of many of our perceptions.

Since their influence seems to have had a fairly large impact on us personally, then it seems logical to mention their beliefs, as a sort of indirect internal investigation of sorts.

In brief, to reduce the corruption of the hierarchy that they experienced with the Church of England, they wanted to “purify” things and follow the scriptures to a T.  They had a very strong belief in the supernatural.  Their lives were bound by and run by religion.

To a point, anyway.

Eventually, even the Puritans own strict religious demands became too much for them to sustain.  The experience of American living had taken the edge off of the zeal of the second generation, and efforts became more focused on the building of a society.  Yet, the demands of standardized thinking in line with rigid Puritan intolerance wasn’t all that compatible for a growing society, and so began the initial decline of original Puritan ideals.  Business became more important, and soon we see the rise of–ta da!–the ever-famous Protestant work ethic that we hear often referred to today.

Through the Protestant work ethic, the Puritans were able to experience economic success–one of their largest lasting contributions that is easily identifiable in modern day America, with the heavy emphasis on the value of economic prosperity and social status.  In addition, it could be argued that America’s relentless aura of superiority had its roots in the Puritan movement as well.

On a more positive note, the Puritans also believed in self-determination, and that each person has the ability to do good.  Albeit not the only source, this is reflected in the individualist culture we have today.

And while religion may have taken a backseat to business that isn’t to say that the influence of Puritan religious beliefs aren’t present today.  Many of the high moralistic demands and standardized values that we have today echo those of the 1600′s.

These guys meant business; for example, education for the masses was not to educate, per say, but rather so the people could read the bible for themselves. In terms of their views, sexual morality ranked at the top, recreation received disapproval, and Saturday night celebrations were outlawed. Damn.  So much for spin the bottle.

It makes sense, as these Puritans weren’t just Puritans; they were the radical Puritans who had risked everything in the name of their beliefs, and came to America–likely another reason for our independent spirits.  (Though, I do find it a bit of a paradox that they were the original rebels, yet upon having arrived, outlawed all forms of rebellion.)

In Hellfire Nation, James Monroe suggests that the Puritanical desire to create a just society–and its moral fervor in bringing about that just society–which sometimes created paranoia and intolerance for other views, are at the root of America’s political landscape. Interesting.

The Naked Truth.  Ha.

And so here I sit, still bikini clad, and now with a sense of guilt for being bikini clad.  Somehow, I feel as if I’m the one getting the odd stares.  I am tempted to make a sign out of a piece of cardboard and prop it up next to myself that reads: Blame it on the Puritans. However, as much as I’d love someone to blame for my reservations, the truth is that my perceptions aside, I’m still in charge of my actions.

And I think that’s the important lesson here, when we bring it back to the greater theme of unconventional thinking.

Many of us allow our perceptions dictate our paths in life.  In this case, the perception is that nudity is something to be embarrassed about, and so my actions reflect that perception.  However, on a larger scale the most obvious example of this is our perception that success means lots of money; so without further contemplation, our actions reflect that perception and we seek lots of money.  Or our perception of what constitutes a respectable job; based on such perceptions, we form our lives accordingly.

But, just because we perceive something to be, doesn’t always mean that it is, or that something we don’t perceive, isn’t. As such, sometimes it’s better to question those perceptions and, at times, operate outside of them.  Our perceptions should not define our lives; our actions should.  And in taking a bold step of action, our perceptions are continuously molded in accordance with our experience, and hence, more accurate.

And isn’t that where they should be coming from?  Not simply inherited from a set of past ideals, but actively created as we live, move, and navigate the world that surrounds us?

So while culture does play a large role in giving us our initial perceptions about things, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we must bow to them. This is where the rubber meets the road; there are those who will continue to do things the way they always have, limited by their own beliefs, and there are those who, instead, will embrace difference, allowing their beliefs to be continually reworked and remolded, essentially providing them with a very powerful freedom that few experience.

That is the freedom called living.

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Sometimes, you just know.

Just like I knew, the very first time I heard the most beautiful Spanish being spoken by a blonde-haired, USA born girl who had studied abroad in Mexico, that I, too, would someday have foreign adventures fueled by a lustful curiosity, a carefree spirit, and heaps of naivety that would eventually turn into some of the most powerful wisdom I’ve acquired.

It wasn’t something I ever questioned; it was simply something that I knew, with every fiber of my being, that I was going to do.

At that point, I didn’t have the money to do it.  I didn’t have a passport.  I had never been on a plane.  And at age 19, there still remained many, many life lessons that I had yet to learn, such as knowing when someone was trying to take advantage of me, or, more importantly, when to pass on the tequila.

But logistics didn’t matter, and my lack of knowledge only further proved how desperately I needed the experience.

That’s called conviction.

Passion Isn’t Enough

We’ve heard it over and over that we need to have passion in order to start living with intention; that meaningful lives can be created through following one’s passion.

Yet, while true to some extent, it’s also a myth, because passion alone is simply not enough.

Rather, there needs to be a delicate balance of passion, but conviction as well.  Being passionate about something is great, but it’s rendered meaningless unless we have the courage–the conviction–to actually do something with it.

When Passion + Conviction Combine . . .

Sarah Vandiver, founder of Sis Hope, a sparkling gem of an organization that serves to empower women in developing countries, is a fine example of the beauty that can come at the intersection of passion and conviction.  She is someone who just knew.  (P.S.  That’s not an affiliate link.  Sarah is just bad to the bone and needed to be talked up.  Someone should probably send her mounds of presents for being so damn driven.)

Sarah wrote a humbling email to me last week, thanking me for my work here at TMF, and telling me a bit of her background.  Like so many of us, a few years ago she had her life all planned out.  She was headed straight to law school on a scholarship, and had the world at her fingertips.  Or, so it seemed on the outside.

But on the inside, something else was happening.  There was an inner turmoil, as she described it, and without being able to explain to family members and friends exactly why, something about law school just didn’t feel right.

So what did she do?

She threw caution (and those heavy law books) to the wind, ditched her plan, and instead, decided to do something she had only dreamed about since she was a little girl, growing up in a small, rural town.

Sarah went to Africa.  Uganda, to be specific.

In her words:

“One week before classes began I knew something more was out there.  I had never really stopped to analyze why exactly I was going to law school, I was just going through the motions.  I started asking myself questions like, ‘Why exactly do I want to go to law school? If I could do anything with my life, what would it be? What motivates and inspires me? If I die tomorrow, what will I regret that I ‘didn’t get to do’?‘

My answers to these questions made me realize that I did not belong in law school.  So I ran. I ran to find to follow my heart, I ran to find myself, and I ran to escape ‘the shoulds’.  Long story short, I ended up in Uganda and the rest is history. It was a life changing trip.”

While in Uganda, Sarah felt a deep connection with the women there, as if they were family, despite their differences.  She was in awe of their strength and resilience, but also shocked at some of the unnecessary hardships these women faced on a daily basis, such as not having the proper tools to manage a menstrual cycle.  To improvise, they’d use tree bark.  (I’ll say it one more time for emphasis:  Tree bark. As in, the substance once used to make canoes.  Probably not the most absorbent material, if I had to guess.  Indeed, the things we taken for granted.)  Yet, beyond being incredibly uncomfortable, the bigger problem that Sarah identified was the impact such a small detail had on young girls’ educations.

More often than not, young women would miss significant amounts of school each month, simply because they didn’t have the resources to prevent embarrassing leaks and stains and all of the other complications that come with being a woman on her period.

And just like that, her future revealed itself to her.  She knew she had to do something to help.  Enter: Sis Hope.

In her words:

“I started a social business, Sis Hope, that sells Fair Trade purses, totes, and eco friendly bags. For every bag purchased, we give a menstrual kit to a girl in need in Uganda. One to One. My dream is to keep girls in school everyday, even during their period.

While Sis Hope is new, I’m working everyday to grow and develop it. I have big dreams, and while I’m following the unconventional path compared to everyone I know, I’ve really never been happier.”

Voilà.  Passion + Conviction to do something with it.

I was incredibly inspired by Sarah’s story, and thought you might be, too.  Click here to check out Sis Hope–the bags are very, very cool.

Don’t Be a Sissy (Yes, That WAS the Most Appropriate Heading)

I cannot stress the incredible power of creating a life out of your interests, and the things that truly awaken you inside.  While it may not always be easy, it isn’t impossible. Do not let logistics set up a roadblock; decide what it is that you’re aching to do–whether it’s travel, make art for a living, start a non-profit benefiting Ugandan women, or whatever it may be, and make a commitment to yourself to pursue it.  Then, slowly but surely, begin to figure out how to make it happen.  You won’t regret it–just ask Sarah.

By the way . . .

On a related note, Chris Guillebeau’s Empire Building Kit was launched again today, and is now available for purchase again.

If you already know what lights you up inside, but don’t know how to proceed, don’t let that prevent you from taking action; start figuring out how to start making money from your passion (the hardest part), which is what the Empire Building Kit is for.  I encourage you to go check it out here.

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This Isn’t Actually a Love Story

But in a strange sort of way, love has been one of my greatest teachers of life.

It has taught me patience.

It has taught me compromise.

It has taught me dedication.

It has taught me intimacy.

Not to mention the importance of a snappy comeback.

But perhaps most of all, love has taught me something that no other teacher could quite as eloquently:

Love has taught me impermanence.

We go through life entering and exiting relationships, both romantic and platonic.  Our ability to do this relatively frequently has never ceased to amaze me–to have been, at one point, so painstakingly close to someone, only to turn around and hardly know that person at all.  I’ve always found that to be a strange (read: agonizing) phenomenon that I attempt to avoid at all costs–ask any of my poor, tortured exes, upon whom I notoriously force post-relationship friendship that usually involves heavy Facebook stalking and the occasional sarcasm-laden, inside-joke-filled phone call to inquire about the other’s well-being.

Yet, as to be expected, there are simply some who cannot go down that path.  No matter how hard I try to hold on, for the sake of honoring a bond that was once shared; for the sake of valuing authentic human connection, sometimes it isn’t enough.  For them, once the romantic element has been removed, all that remains is a hollow abyss, laced with shadows of something that once was–not something that is.

And perhaps they’re all the wiser for it.  Perhaps I’m the idealistic fool for ever having imagined that where love once was, it will always remain.

Because it doesn’t.

As much as we don’t like to imagine it this way, what with our promises of forever and our hopeful vows of devotion, sometimes, the truth is that love–whether we like it or not–is impermanent.

Just like most things in life are impermanent.  And that’s truthfully the point of this post.

The Value of Impermanence

Contrary to how it seems, the truth is that impermanence is actually one of life’s strongest selling points.  It’s unique value proposition, if you will.

No matter how hard we try to resist change, change is unavoidable.  With a few major exceptions, such as death or that red wine stain on your carpet, nothing–nothing–is permanent.

And it’s absolutely fantastic.

At first glance, coming to terms with impermanence seems like a depressing idea.  However, if we can learn to not only accept, but embrace this idea, our lives can only be improved.  By remembering that nothing is permanent, we’ll be less hesitant to take risks, for one, which is one of the biggest benefits.  For example, I receive numerous emails from hard-working professionals on a regular basis who have either gotten laid-off or are desperately needing a change, but are just lacking the confidence to veer in a new direction.  They worry it won’t work out, and they’ll have thrown away their career.  They worry they won’t like it as much as they thought they would.  They worry that they’ll be putting everything in jeopardy.  They worry that they’re being irrational and senseless.  Essentially, they worry they’ll fail.

And it rips me to shreds every single time, because I just want to reach out and give them a comforting pat on the back, and then push them as hard as I can and with all my might. Sometimes, all we need is a little nudge.

Because truth be told, if it doesn’t work out, so what?  You can always, always go back to doing whatever it was you were doing before, because no change is permanent. But if it does work out, you’ll only be all the more happy you decided to take the leap.

Life Isn’t As Serious As We Make It Out To Be

When making decisions, we have this disabling tendency to imagine everything in terms of forever and ever.  We think that if we don’t pick the right career, the right path, the right husband, the right job, the right time to have kids, the right amount to save, that the world will come crashing down around us.  All of this pressure that we’ve built up for ourselves, doesn’t exist naturally.  We are the ones creating it, and we are the ones perpetuating it

We take our decisions very seriously, and their outcomes even more so.  “But what if I do this, and then it doesn’t work out?”  Contrary to popular belief, the world actually does not end.  It keeps going, and we keep going.  Life isn’t as big of a deal as we make it out to be.

Change is inevitable.  Nothing is permanent.  Why not use that to our advantage and start taking more positive risks?

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See that baby face up there?  That’s my friend Karol–pronounced like Carl–who is a writer, traveler, & all around adventure-seeking bad ass over at Ridiculously Extraordinary.  Right now he’s living in Poland, but before that he was downing noodles in Thailand, dodging kangaroos in Australia, and doing the zen thing in India, to name a few.  Today is a big day for him–it’s the launch of his latest book, How to Live Anywhere, where he details exactly the various methods he uses to earn money online in order to fund his travels and, essentially, gain the freedom that we all crave.

In order to help him spread the word, I begged and I pleaded and did everything short of propose marriage if he would be so kind as to grace us with a guest post.  Fortunately, Karol was more than happy to, and even more fortunately, I didn’t actually have to propose marriage because, after all, what if he had said yes?  Though, I suppose on the bright side, since money bags over here is doing so well with his online projects, he could have taken us on a wicked honeymoon–with a butler, even, I bet.

My two favorite quotes from his book:

1.  “The balance between recklessness and frightened paralysis too often strays

to the side of paralysis. Do your homework, but don’t let fear

keep you from realizing your dream.”

2.   “You need to start thinking about what you’re going to do

before you get the money or else your life will only revolve

around the money.”

Score.

So, if you’re in the market for a layout of action steps that you can take in order to start making money online & be able to go on wild and crazy adventures around the world, I’d strongly encourage you to check out his book here:

And now without further ado, I bring you the one and only, Karol Gadja.  I can’t pronounce his last name, either, so don’t worry.

How to Start a Revolution (Or 3 Ways to Change the World)

I read Ash’s work because she’s starting a revolution and it’s fun to watch.  Maybe you’d like to start a revolution and change the world as well.  I hope so.  We need more revolutionaries.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty revolutionary world-changing bad-assery we’ve got to figure out how to change the world.

To change the world, you first have to define your world.  Once you’ve defined your world, you rule your world and anything goes.

I have regular conversations with people who have seemingly big dreams and big goals. World changing goals like ending poverty and AIDS.

Here’s the problem:  Those goals are admirable, but unapproachable.  They’re so far out of grasp that they’re almost not real.  Like a beauty pageant contestant who says she wants to end world hunger.  Be honest with yourself.  Choose big goals that you can take action towards accomplishing right now.

Make your world smaller and then you can instigate real change.

For example, instead of eliminating world poverty, how about helping just one family in need?

Back when I lived in Orlando, FL I belonged to an entrepreneurial organization for a short while. Every holiday season they would somehow, some way, find a family that was struggling and proceed to rock there world. How? Food, gifts for the kids, cash, clothes. Each member of the club would bring something to the table. When all 50 of us came together with something small we managed to change the world.

Yes, it was a small world, but it was a powerful change none-the-less.

I’m not saying you should do exactly that, but once you’ve defined your world you give yourself an immense amount of power to

revolutionize.

Now, 3 ways to start a revolution and change the world (your world):

1) Start A Blog: Write The Revolution

Simple. Get a Web host that has 1-click install of WordPress (most Web hosts do nowadays) and write your revolution. If you’ve already got revolutionary ideas to write about, great! If you think you’re just normal and can’t change the world, you’re wrong.

Seriously, you are unique. There is something fantastic inside you that the world needs to know about. Tell us. Share. Revolutionize!

Like I mentioned earlier we need more awesome people to spread their awesome ideas.  The Middle Finger Project is about rebelling against mediocrity. Go! Kick ass! Inspire others to kick ass!

2) Engage In Long Term Travel: Encounter The Revolution

This isn’t about getting holier-than-thou or pretentious.  It’s like this: Travel teaches you to respect people. Travel forces you to make bold actions.  Travel allows you to face your fears and come out on top.  OK, sometimes you’ll fall flat on your ass, but you’ll learn how to deal with that as well.

And I don’t mean travel as in going to Paris for a week or taking a 3 day holiday to the beach.  That’s fun too!  But I mean traveling by getting down and dirty.  Extending yourself.  Getting out of your comfort zone.  Leave for a month, 2 months, 6 months, 3 years!

I get e-mails every day from people who wish they could live in a new countries and experience new cultures.

My response is always:  You can!

Not only do we need more bad asses spreading their ideas via written form, but we also need you spreading your ideas live, face-to-face with people in every city and country on this big blue ball.

(Editor’s Note: Have a big announcement coming to the site in the next couple of weeks related to this topic.  For those of you who have been aching to find your appetite for life once again, & are interested in exploring travel as a medium for doing so, you might just have your chance.)

3) Start A Business: Enable The Revolution

It’s more difficult to start a revolution while you’re living life at a day job. It’s not necessarily easy to get rid of a day job and

change the world, but since when was being a revolutionary supposed to be easy?

What I can tell you is that freeing up your heart, mind, and time from a day job is worth it.  I’ve worked for myself for 10 years, and every day that I wake up I’m more inspired to initiate change in my world than the day before.  The passion grows consistently.  In another 10 years I might just explode. (Thankfully, science is on my side, and that is unlikely.)

Starting a business that allows you the freedom to do what you want enables you the freedom to change the world.