Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 7

The Cost of Unnecessary Worrying

I hope youre holding up okay in the new world order. Instead of talking to you about social distancing (Im guessing youve heard about that already), today Ill just give you a personal observation: Since Ive started trying to worry only about things I can influence or change, Ive been a lot less anxious.

This isnt to say that there arent worrisome circumstances out there. It just means that, aside from what youve already heard about, there isnt a lot you can do to change them.

Its easy to...

Opportunity Waits in the Time of Uncertainty

Wow, what happened to the world in the past week?

Im writing to you from my sanitized desk in an underground bunker well, its not quite like that. But what a difference a few days makes.

All of a sudden, millions of people have found themselves working remotely or not working at all, unexpectedly arranging childcare because the schools have closed, and running over neighbors in the toilet paper aisle at Costco.

Well, guess what: Im not going to say life goes on (even though it will) and I...

Habits of Highly Effective Real People

“Everybody talks about wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself. And that’s a lot. Because if you can fix yourself, it has a ripple effect.” ―Rob Reiner

Humans are not machines, and we don’t all want the same things. But we do want to do something purposeful, to use the time we have to the best of our ability—and we also long to discover our authentic selves.

If our lives consist of a series of choices, how do highly effective real people...

The Money Tree Book Tour: First Batch of Cities (Update: Postponed)

Update: Im postponing the spring tour because of the end of the world. You can still sign up for your city, and as soon as were able to reschedule, Ill let you know.

Hey, friends!

Next month, Im heading back out on the road! Im very excited to meet with readers in up to 40 cities.

We have the first batch of them ready now, and you can sign up at MoneyTreeBook.com.

Heres where Ill be heading to first: SEATTLE: April 4 at 9:30am (...

The Money Tree Book Tour: First Batch of Cities (Starts April 7th)

Hey, friends!

Next month, I’m heading back out on the road! I’m very excited to meet with readers in up to 40 cities. We have the first batch of them ready now, and you can sign up at MoneyTreeBook.com.

Here’s where I’ll be heading to first: SEATTLE: April 4 at 9:30am (registration + details) LOS ANGELES: April 7 at 7:00pm (registration + details) CHICAGO: April 9 at 6:30pm (...

Coming April 7, 2020 – THE MONEY TREE: Finding the Fortune in Your Own Backyard

Greetings, friends and readers!

Big news today: I wrote a new book! It’s called THE MONEY TREE, and it comes out April 7th.

Start Your Resolutions on January 6th

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A post shared by Chris Guillebeau (@193countries) on Dec 17, 2019 at 11:32am PST

Resolutions can be powerful, and they don’t have to begin on any given day.

If you want to form a new habit, just start doing it. The important thing is sticking with it, not when you start.

Just imagine: if you began an important new habit on January 6, and then managed to stick with it the rest of the year—wouldn’t that be much better than...

Start Your Resolutions on January 5th

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chris Guillebeau (@193countries) on Dec 17, 2019 at 11:32am PST

Resolutions can be powerful, and they don’t have to begin on any given day.

If you want to form a new habit, just start doing it. The important thing is sticking with it, not when you start.

Just imagine: if you began an important new habit on January 3, and then managed to stick with it the rest of the year—wouldn’t that be much better than...

New Year, Same You

What if, instead of “New Year, New You,” you decided you were satisfied with the course you had already set?

What if you’re already happy with who you are?

This doesn’t have to mean you have to stop improving. Change and growth are healthy. It just means: if you were already doing the right things in the “old” year—wouldn’t you want to keep doing them?

For me, challenge is one of my values. I want to set big goals and attempt hard things. But it’s not a new value; it’s one I’ve had for a...

All The Things You Didn’t Do

Once upon a time, you had the chance to be brave. Your name was selected, your number was called. You were the chosen one, at least for this particular moment on planet Earth. All eyes were on you, and the stakes were high.

It was a big moment. So what happened?

Not to put too fine of a point on it, but what happened was … you caved. At the critical moment, you turned your back on the task at hand.

You thought about taking a risk, but it seemed … too risky. You told yourself you’d do it...