All Entries in the "Lifestyle Design" Category
24 HOURS ONLY – Pimp Your Website for Less Than You Spent On Your Mom On Her Birthday
Okay.
This is huge.
Bigger than an elephant on steroids.
Bigger than MC hammer pants.
And quite possibly, even bigger than that Inception movie that everyone’s talking about. Yeah, that’s right. I said it.
MAKE US YOUR BITCHES FOR THE DAY
Most of you know by now that I’m touring across the United States with Colin Wright & Andi Norris, stopping [...]
The Real Value of Travel (Come Sneak Away to the Beaches of Costa Rica, If You Dare)
A Sexy Story With a Lesson
We sit in near silence, the only interruptions being an occasional mojito-induced outburst of nervous laughter, the sound of my silver chandelier earrings gently clinkering together, and the relentless tropical rains that steadily pelt the top of the canvas roof of the 4×4 automobile we are in.
It’s shamelessly cliche, where [...]
Are You Your Own Dream Zapper?
Why Not Take The Leap?
I’ve been meeting a lot of truly smart, savvy, remarkable people lately. So many are saying to hell with the safety net, and are leaping toward their passions, and haven’t looked back since.
On the same token, however, so many of those smart, savvy, remarkable people are not.
Frankly, this makes [...]
When Being in Control is a Disservice
I’ve got little patience for excuses.
I proactively call myself out whenever I catch myself making excuses in order to either procrastinate or invent reasons why I shouldn’t put myself out there.
Why?
Because sometimes, putting yourself out there is nail-bitingly, blood-curdingly, will-drive-you-to-drink, flat-out terrifying at times. It’s far easier to continue doing what we’ve always done, [...]
Do You Have The Guts?
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 [...]
Why Rule Breakers Run the World
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 [...]
How to Start a Revolution (Or 3 Ways to Change the World)
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 [...]
Still Waiting for that Promotion? Learn How to Put Your Career & Life Back Into Your Own Hands, Once & For All
In this post, I talk a lot about my own personal journey, and how I’ve gotten to where I am today. If you just want to skip to the end where there are resources that will show you how YOU can get rebel against mediocrity and take your life & career into your own hands–sans [...]
Shattering the Current Model of Reality (And a Big Announcement!)
Most of you reading this website are here because you want more. Tried and true may be comfortable, but boring. The traditional life path may be safe, but uninspiring. The status quo is average, but nothing extraordinary.
You know there’s something missing, but you can’t pinpoint what, exactly, it is.
We’ve essentially been told for years that [...]
White Men Can’t Jump, But They’ve Got Other Tricks Up Their Sleeves: The (Unearned) Privilege of Being White
Here’s a little something to ponder:
Band Aids.
What comes to mind? Perhaps a small, rectangular piece of flexible plastic with adhesive that sticks to your skin and pulls at your little hairs when you finally tear it off, bringing back unpleasant memories of your last Brazilian wax.
No? I should leave the Brazilian wax out [...]
The Flip Side of Unconventional
It’s not easy being freesy: Unconventional doesn’t get the credit it deserves.
Live Alive, Not Just a Life: Guidelines for Rebelling Against “Reality”
A collection of truths life truths & the premise for this entire website.
Perhaps The Preamble Should Read: We, The Robots. (Prove That You Aren’t, And Win $100)
The negative effects of socialization. AND…An introduction to the HULA HOOP CONTEST 2010! (Get out your video camera and get ready to free yourself of unnecessary inhibitions!)
Education & Wage Slavery: Hand In Hand?
A no-nonsense look at the education system’s hidden agenda–why we’re being taught what to think, instead of how to think, and how this affects not only us, but the bigger picture at hand. Put on your thinking caps for this one. (P.S. Please don’t egg my house if this makes you angry.)
Tired of Having A Neverending To-Do List? Use It To Your Advantage
At what point did productivity become worth dying for? At what point did we stop feeling, and just start doing? At what point did our lives turn into a never-ending assembly line, where the work is never done and we are never done? And at what point did we become okay with it?
Is Lifestyle Design A Manifestation of Perfectionism In Disguise? A Self-Reflection
Is the battle for self-improvement an elusive one?
One Big, Fat Mistake To Avoid On Your Path To Awesomeness
The distinction between desires versus dreams, and why it’s important to remember which is which.
33 MORE Tell-Tale Signs You’re a Closet Lifestyle Designer – PART II
Part II of the sarcastic, silly list series that might indicate whether you’re an unconventional thinker. Can you relate?
If You’re Wrinkly, It Better Have Been Worth It: A Stern Talking To My 90 Year Old Self
A letter to my future self where I ask some big, life-changing questions–are the things I ultimately expect out of life in line with my actions today?
The One Thing That Can (And Will) Mess Up Your Life…If You Let It
There’s no such thing as luck, and if you’re banking your life on getting lucky, you might as well plan for the worst. In terms of lifestyle design, the word “design” implies “deliberate intention.” So if you want control over yours, it’s time to get up, get out there, and BE DELIBERATE AND INTENTIONAL.
Don’t Make Me Say Staycation
You don’t have to travel to have the life of your dreams; lifestyle design places an arbitrary emphasis on travel, but it’s not the be all end all solution. A smart, sassy, hard-hitting guest post by Andrew MacPherson, author of Rules Optional & Sail to Trail.
The Smart Ass Guide to Dealing With Dream Zappers (Guest Post @ Free Pursuits)
Do people tell you that you should be more realistic? That you’ll need to join the real world someday? That your ideas will never work out because of x, y and z? Check out the uber popular guest post I wrote for Free Pursuits.
Dealt a bad hand in life? Learn How to Snub Your Circumstances & End Up With a Royal Flush
“I got dealt a crappy hand of cards” is not a valid excuse for your circumstances; you’re in control of you. Bluff your way right into a royal flush.
Why I’d Rather Be a Mexican Immigrant Than a Corporate CEO
Defending Mexican immigrants, and how they’re just like us lifestyle designers. Viva Mexico!
VIDEO-Introducing TMFproject’s OPERATION: GET EXCITED
I lauch Operation: Get Excited with the goal of showing people that they can lead excitement-filled, passionate lives starting TODAY. Regular video series depicting me trying new activities designed to push my comfort level. This episode? Salsa dancing. Ole!
Become a Corporate Drone in 30 Days or Less: Step-By-Step Instructions on How to Stop Thinking for Yourself, Kiss Ass Like a Pro & Wear Black Like a Champ
A hardcore tongue-in-cheek look at what your life will look like upon entering the corporate world. Reader beware: This one’s harsh.
Tales of a Terrified Lifestyle Designer
On restlessness, and its source–an intense fear of mediocrity.
Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Death – Fate Versus Choices
A major diss to the concepts of “fate” and “destiny,” and a discussion on the power of individual choice. “You are not a marionette. You are a human being with opinions and emotions and likes and dislikes, and you’re also a human being who is entitled to what it is they want out of life. All you’ve got to do is choose it.”
33 Tell-Tale Signs You’re a Closet Lifestyle Designer
A fun, sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek list of indications you might be an unconventional thinker. My favorite is still number one!
Why Lifestyle Design Is Like Working at McDonald’s – And Why It’s a Good Thing
The distinction between “be” and “do,” and how too often, we make the mistake of confusing the two. You are not your job. (And how lifestyle design can help out in this department.)
Meaningless Sex & Lifestyle Design: Sorry, Cutie, Last Night Didn’t Really Matter
Everything in life is arbitrary–for example, the “fact” that you “should” be working between the hours of 9-5. Discussion on how even our language and emotions are arbitrary until we attach meaning to them, and how we can leverage this concept to gain greater control over our lives, eliminate fear, and release our inner bad ass.
Lifestyle Design: The New Arch Enemy of Dry Cleaners Everywhere (And Possibly Your Mom, Too)
A look at how social conditioning makes us do things we don’t even want to do, and we don’t even realize it–and how being creative and doing things a bit unconventionally can pay off exponentially.
