Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 46

What to Do When You Have No Idea What to Do

Great new book out! Tess Vigeland’s Leap is a brave new book about leaving a job you love (or one you don’t really love) to find something better.
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What’s it like to quit your job with no backup plan—and not just any job, but a nationally-known, prestigious position as the host for NPR’s Marketplace show?

That’s what Tess Vigeland did recently, and two years ago she spoke at WDS 2013 to give us the first version of the story.

“What everybody wanted to know was… what are you going to do n...

“My Car Is My Home, the Planet Is My Backyard”: On the Road with Bruno Caumette

This is a traveler case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )

For almost two decades, Bruno Caumette has made his home in a Toyota Land Cruiser. He’s been around the world once and is currently working on his second voyage. His stories are touching—and his photos are incredible.

Introduce yourself!

I was born in France, but by now I’ve spent as much time outside of my birth country than in it. In 1998, after working for fifteen years, I bought myself an old Toyota Land Cruiser, converted...

How to Change When Change Is Hard: Lessons from a Timid Mouse

I was coming back from a run up and down Mount Tabor in Southeast Portland. I know the route well. It’s about a 5-6 mile loop from my house, depending on which path I take. More often than not, when I’m home for a while I run it at least once a week.

As I neared my neighborhood toward the end of the run, I noticed a cat in a driveway. Being a cat person, I often say hi to felines when I see them out and about on my run. Cats being cats, sometimes they follow me for blocks, intent on being m...

100 Days Without Fear: A Daily Video Experiment

A few months ago, Michelle Poler moved from Venezuela to New York to pursue a Master’s Degree. While she was there, she started a project called 100 Days Without Fear to systematically combat the things that she was afraid of.

This fun project recently wrapped up with daily videos of her teaching a Zumba class, crowd surfing, posing nude for a drawing class, interviewing strangers, and attempting dozens of other interesting tasks.

Check out a few of them below or directly on the project page...

The Emotional Balance Sheet

Link: Emotional Balance Sheet

I often enjoy the personal finance columns by Carl Richards. In a recent one, he explains how to create an “emotional balance sheet” to quantify (or at least tally) your non-financial assets.

Carl tells the story of how he and his wife Cori made the choice for her to become a full-time mom, despite the fact that the family would lose more than $1 million in earnings over the next twenty years.

He’s quick to point out that the moral of the story isn’t “all mothe...

Happiness Is a Superpower

I heard something in a dialogue recently. One character was complaining about being unhappy, and the other character replied, “You have a misguided notion of what makes you happy.”

The sentence made me stop and think. Most of us, at different times, have a misguided notion of what we think will make us happy. We go around trying out different prescriptions and remedies.

Maybe the new thing will work … or maybe I should go back to the old one? Maybe there’s still something else out there, j...

Travel Hacker and Ethical Fashionista: On the Road with Lauren K. Lancy

This is a travel hacking case study. ( Read others or nominate yourself . )

Not only is Lauren Lancy a travel hacker, usingmiles & points to see the world and return home to New York, butshe’s also merged travel and fashion with her new project, The Kindcraft.

Introduce yourself!

I’m a fashion designer and trend forecaster from Brooklyn. At the end of 2012, I traded New York City’s concrete jungle for the jungles of Southeast Asia. Now, instead of designing for fast fashion brands, I advocate fo...

My Favorite Hotel Card Now Has a 30,000 Point Bonus—And You Can Earn Two of Them

Link: New 30,000 Point Signup Bonus (Personal Card)
Link: New 30,000 Point Signup Bonus (Business Card)

Starwood property: Aloft Tampa Lobby, Tampa, Florida, USA

I’ve been using the Starwood Preferred Guest card from American Express for more than eight years. For the first couple of years, in fact, it was the only mileage-earning card I had. Back then, there was no sign-up bonus. It was simply a great card for overall use, especially due to its ability to earn a 20% bonus on all earned point...

Pioneer Nation 2015: Registration Now Open!

Link: Three Days to Improve Your Small Business

Last year, we invited 250 independent entrepreneurs (of all kinds) to join us for three days in Portland, Oregon. The first version of Pioneer Nation, the new event, was incredible. The speakers, workshop leaders, and attendees themselves made it a truly unforgettable event.

Take a look for yourself in this short video:

We’re returning with the next edition of Pioneer Nation in October, just two months from now—and if you’d like to achieve s...

After the Wave

Thanks to everyone who sent notes or sentiments or just thought about Ken and our family after reading yesterday’s post. I appreciate it all.

I’d also like to encourage you to not borrow trouble. This isn’t your burden, or at least it isn’t for most of you. I wanted to share what had happened for anyone who cared, but you don’t need to feel bad or think that there’s something you need to do.

In the best of cases, a story of loss can inspire you to live more intentionally and to not take you...