Unpopular Ideas for Living a
Making unpopular decisions & raising hell in the name of finding greater happiness.
Thoughts on living abroad, being unmarried, running a creative business, choosing no children, and making the kinds of decisions that feel effervescent.
With Penguin Random House author & champion of unconventional living since 2009, Ash Ambirge. She'll send one email a week—it's free!
“Ash Ambirge is a whole mood, and trust me: you want to be in it.“
Life is about more than dragging the trash cans to the end of the driveway
forever.
GO AHEAD—MAKE THE UNPOPULAR DECISION. STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF. AND BE EXCITED BY YOUR LIFE AGAIN.
The Blog
The Cost of Not Traveling: Featuring Mexico City, Eyeball Tacos, and “Travel Karens”
The other day, someone said to me, “To be frank, I can’t believe you’ve never been to Mexico City” to which I naturally replied, ”To be frank, I hope you have nightmares about teeny tiny Chihuahua dicks.” Of course, I only replied that in my mind. But anytime anyone starts a sentence with “to be frank,” you know whatever they say next is going to make you hate them. “To
The Whole Wide World Isn’t Big Enough for You, Darling
Have you ever felt like the whole wide world would never be big enough for you? You’re so hungry for it, you eat up every square inch you can find: streets, monuments, wine bars, neighborhoods. The way the dandelion grows differently, over here. The way the people take just a little bit longer to greet you when you walk into a restaurant. You feel like you’re staring at an alternate
Dreaming of Becoming a Digital Nomad? Here’s a $25,000 Reason Why You Should Take the Leap
So……………………..taxes kick your ass this year? *lights cigar* *plunks boot heel up on old steamer trunk* If you’re in business for yourself, you were prooooobably scrambling around for an extra ten, fifteen, twenty grand or so of loose change, come the beginning of April. Real neat surprise, particularly for new creators who didn’t exactly plan for taxes. 🤣 (You’re like, shoot Ash, I can hardly plan my grocery lists.) ALAS, I
Searching for Meaning & Purpose in Your Life? The Answer Might Be Hiding in Plain Sight
We hear it all the time: FIND MEANING IN YOUR LIFE, SHITHEAD. (I'm a huge fan of elegance.) It's become the advice du jour. The magical solution to our woes. The on-call prescription for disappointment with life. In a sense, the search for meaning has become a religion of its own. We worship its ideals and bow at its implications. We're kept awake at night, hoping to form a relationship with
How to Prove Yourself to Non-Believers (& Other Dollar Store Peanut Trolls)
Can we talk about friends for a minute? <Cue group groan.> Why is that? When did friendship become A VERY HARD THING? I’m not talking about your ride-or-dies—you know who they are—I’m talking about the very real problem of: (a) Being an adult;(b) And making friends;(c) Who kind of suck;(d) And aren’t supportive. How did we get stuck with these hambonis? Case in point: a woman emailed me the other
Your Happiness 401(k): Are You Budgeting Enough Joy in Your Life?
In my twenties I hated routine—but that’s because I confused it for stagnancy. Anything that whiffed of repetition was automatically on my shit list: schedules, affirmations, habits, recurring obligations, things that put a vise on my freedom. I never wanted to live feeling beholden to a calendar, letting it rule my days more than I did. To me, routines were for the weak: people who weren’t disciplined enough to get
“I Want More Adventure & Whimsy In My Life”—And the Worst Advice I Ever Read On Getting It
There’s terrible advice, and then there’s the type of advice that makes you want to fake your death and ride bareback on a donkey through Cleveland. Until today, I thought that the Cosmo advice to “apply a little Ben Gay to his privates for an unexpected treat” was that kind of advice. (Do not try that at home, or in any grocery store parking lots, ever.) Turns out, though, there
It’s Okay to Be Done With Good Things
Well, that’s certainly a crowbar to the face, isn’t it? It’s okay to be done with good things. I’ve been obsessed with this idea lately: that maybe good situations can keep you just as trapped as bad situations, sometimes. (If you’ve ever had an entire plate of cheese fries in front of you, you get where I’m going.) How many things are you holding onto just because it would be
The Courage to Ask: “What Do I Really Want?”
Oh, look! I made it to 2022 without committing suicide. That is a pretty terrible thing to say, but if you know me, then you also know I am a pretty terrible person—at least, when it comes to: (a) Dealing with most people; (b) Pot roasts; and (c) Matching my underwear to my bra. (Though bonus points for really wanting to be that person. Do you know how many times
Listen: Do What You Crave Without the Guilt. Travel to Italy. Enroll in That Workshop. Make Your Art Every Afternoon. And Hurl Yourself Into the Unknown—For This Is The Best ROI That Money Can Buy.
My almost-mother-in-law gets really fucking nervous when I travel—especially when I bomb off to South America for a month by myself to drink ALL THE WINE and celebrate ALL THE BOOK DEALS. But she doesn't get worried in the typical way a mother might; not the way my own mother would have been worried, which would have sounded something like: “Oh Jesus Mary and Joseph, Ashley, you think they won't
Bake a Cake and Shut Your Mouth: Or, How to Be Unhappy, Unfulfilled, and a Martyr to Your Own Life
I am a fickle bitch, and it's one of my greatest qualities. In fact, I wish the word “fickle” were more attractive—it sounds too much like “pickle,” and one time in college I read a book called “Tickle His Pickle,” so I think it's clear that (a) I am a true academic, and (b) Using the word “fickle” makes my mind wander. But if the word weren't so ugly, I'd
Why Circles Are Better Than Lines
A discussion on how erasing the lines that divide us can be beneficial in more ways than we imagine–complete with 18 examples to get you started.
U.S. Concept of Time & Why It's Preventing You From Finding Your Passions
Here in the U.S., we're all about go-go-go. It's a fast-paced lifestyle, and if you don't keep ahead you'll soon be left behind. It's a race to the finish. It's the survival of the fittest. It is time-is-money, and the early bird gets the worm. Time, in essence, is a something we regard as a finite resource that we feel we can capture, control and manipulate. Just look at all
Dream Zappers Part II: Why They Zap, Squash & Belittle Your Aspirations
A continuation of the Dream Zapper post, discussing why Dream Zappers zap in the first place. Get your GRR face on.
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.
How Societal Ideals Conflict With Societal Goals
When your guilty conscience is your enemy, Ayn Rand & the tension between the moral values and the capitalistic values that define us.
All Wants Are Not Created Equal
A breakdown of the motivations for the things that we do, and which category we should be focusing most on in order to start living more inspired lives.
Your Language Is Holding You Hostage (And Why I'll Be Flying Obama's Private Jet As A Result)
A critical look at how the language you have available to you inevitably affects how you perceive the world. It's deep–hold on to your hats.
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.)
Unpopular Ways to Live a Happier Life.
THOUGHTS ON LIVING ABROAD, BEINGÂ UNMARRIED, RUNNING A CREATIVE BUSINESS, CHOOSING NO CHILDREN, AND MAKING THE KINDS OF DECISIONS THAT FEELÂ EFFERVESCENT.
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