Author: Chris Guillebeau
_Chris Guillebeau_
Reading time: 22 minutes
Synopsis
Life is too short to let others decide your path. These blinks strongly argue for what traveler and free spirit Chris Guillebeau calls “non-conformity” or The Art of Non-Conformity. Find out why you also have the right to live an unusual life. Learn why you can do amazing things. Understand what you truly want from life. Learn how to follow your dreams and wishes.
What you will learn: Find your purpose and finally live it.
“This can’t be all there is.” Do you know these words? Have you ever thought this to yourself? Does your life path sometimes feel planned by others? Does it feel fixed? A 40-hour work week? An apartment you own? 35 years of loan payments? Then retirement and goodbye? If so, you’ve probably followed the crowd in our society. You’ve been well-behaved and done what society expects. Because that’s what people do.
But you don’t have to do things this way. You live only once. You have the power to choose your own path. You can be your own boss. You can do everything you truly dream of. These blinks will show you how to rely on yourself. Only on yourself. They give you clear and practical tips. Learn how to stop following the crowd. Learn how to do your own thing.
In these blinks, you will also learn:
- Why a typical job does not offer the most security.
- Why you need to question authority on your path to freedom.
- How to build your own group of supporters.
Blink 1 – To escape an unfulfilling, average life, you must first know what you truly want from life.
Do you know what you want from your life? If not, that’s normal. Most people don’t know what they want from life. They live each day without a clear goal or meaning.
But this is a real shame. You only have one life! You have one chance to make it amazing. If you don’t know what you want, you lose the chance to do great things. You cannot achieve big goals. It means you will do the same things as everyone else.
How do you know if you are living an average life? An average person in the West sits at a desk about ten hours a day. They work to get the best loan for a house. Then they pay it off for 30 years. They avoid challenges and risks. They only travel to places where they know the language and culture. They avoid anything unknown or uncomfortable. They secretly dream of starting their own business. But in the end, they always choose safety. They always choose the safe option.
Does this sound familiar? How can you change this? Know what you truly want from life. Take this dream seriously. Take Bernard Lopez as an example. He worked for years in a typical US office. One day, he realized he wanted to cycle across the country. He took his wish seriously. He quit his comfortable job. He did this despite all the worries and doubts from other people.
His courage brought him an unforgettable experience. It was something he could not replace. He felt unbeatable. This feeling opened the way to a new life for him. It led to a new, satisfying career. And he could travel every summer.
The clearest sign that you are meant for bigger things is this question: “Is this really all there is?” If this thought keeps coming back to you, quietly but strongly, you should be brave. Think about what you truly want from life.
Blink 2 – Fear is part of change. But overcoming it makes you strong and capable.
Does giving up your safety for an unknown future scare you a lot? Of course! How could it be otherwise? We all feel nervous when we take the first unsure steps into something new. We all know that inner voice. It wants to stop us with its doubts: “You can never do that” or “You will never achieve anything.”
The first step to change is to face these fears. For example, Sloane Berrent was 25 years old. She left her management job in a company in Pittsburgh. She chose to work as a volunteer for Kiva. Kiva is a non-profit group that helps entrepreneurs in developing countries get small loans. Her work took her to the Philippines. There, for the first time, she felt happy doing something truly meaningful.
To get there, she had to face her fears. Only then could she turn them into positive energy. She says fear makes our senses sharper. She used her fears to improve her instincts.
Then, get ready in your mind to beat your fears. Ask yourself honestly: “What is the worst thing that can happen?” This thought exercise helps you see things clearly. It almost always feels very freeing. The worst-case situations are often not as bad as you imagine them to be.
Motivate yourself by rewarding your courage. Give yourself small rewards for each step you reach in fighting your fears. This motivates you. It makes the journey a bit more appealing. After each success, stop and look back. Think: That was you before. This is where you are now. Enjoy the feeling of satisfaction. Enjoy the feeling of being capable and secure. This grows in you with every obstacle you overcome.
Blink 3 – Your greatest security is not a steady job. It is your own skills.
Most people surprisingly believe their personal and money security is strongest when they work for others. A monthly paycheck seems like the best guarantee. It promises job security, regular income, and a good life.
But isn’t it completely strange to give control of your career to strangers? Wouldn’t it be safer and make more sense to trust your own skills? Don’t you know best what you can do? Don’t you know what is good for you? Aren’t you the person who cares most about your own growth?
Working for yourself is the best example. It shows how your own skills can create a secure job. A former news presenter from Denver was fired. She decided to do what she loved most. She spent 9 US dollars to set up a website. She offered office yoga classes online. Six months later, she earned 2,000 US dollars a month. She got more money and security. And she felt skilled and happy doing it.
Also, more control over your life does not always mean you have to quit your job. Take Allan Bacon as an example. He was happy with his salary and benefits from his job. But he did not like his work environment. He decided to take charge of his own well-being. He made his workdays better with a series of “life experiments.” Some were small, some were big. From then on, he spent his lunch breaks in museums and art galleries. He also chose to take a lower position. He hoped this would give him more freedom for his career growth.
His personal experiment gave him more responsibility. In the end, it even led to a higher salary. It made him feel more in control of his work. And he felt more secure in his job. He did this without leaving the job he liked and valued.
You are your own best guarantee for job security! Don’t depend on outside things. Make your own rules. You know best what makes you happy!
Blink 4 – Challenge those who stand in your way to fulfillment.
To follow your own path, you also need to know when to question authority. Governments, organizations, committees… they all suggest they are always right, fair, and just. But power can corrupt. It turns powerful people into gatekeepers who limit your chances.
The English term gatekeeper means someone who controls access or keeps a certain order. They make you feel like you are free to make your own choices and rules. But they don’t tell you what access and chances are truly denied to you. Take Tim DeChristopher from Utah as an example. He wanted to do something about unfair land distribution in his area. As an environmental activist, he always hated that only big oil and gas companies like Shell and ExxonMobil got chances to buy large land plots.
The state agency responsible for land distribution, the Bureau of Land Management, officially said the process was fair. They said “anyone” could apply for land. Tim realized that “anyone” only had a chance if they could pay at least 1.7 million US dollars. This meant that the supposedly open group of applicants became just the rich energy companies. It excluded others, including people like Tim, who cared about the environment.
So, an important lesson for an independent person is this: Not all authorities are fair, just, or democratic. If you don’t want to be controlled, then challenge them! For example, Tim realized that limiting land sales to oil and gas giants was not only unfair but also illegal. The next step is not to follow the unfair rules of these authorities. For example, look for other solutions and paths that suit you better.
Tim simply signed up as a bidder for the land auction. He was the only private person among managers from the energy giants. He showed up at the auction without warning. He outbid all other buyers. As a student, he clearly did not have 1.7 million US dollars. His unusual activism caused the land sale to be canceled. Since then, 22,000 hectares of land have been protected from private sale by federal order.
Blink 5 – Build a strong group of followers. Find out how to serve their needs.
What do non-profit groups, musicians, and small businesses have in common? They all need a small army of loyal followers to succeed. The same is true for you.
Once you know what you want to achieve in your life, you need a loyal group of people to support you. If you want to earn a living as an artist, you need fans and sponsors. You need patrons and supporters who will pay for your work. If you want to start your own business, you need loyal customers. They will guarantee your steady income.
To get loyal followers, you must know what you can offer people. They will only follow you if your work makes their lives easier or better in some way.
Chris Guillebeau decided to write about his dream of visiting every country on Earth on a website. A friend asked him: “What will someone like me get from reading your blog?” This made Chris think about how others could benefit from his experiences. He added thoughts on important topics to his travel stories. These included how to reach big goals and how to live a free life. His valuable tips were the extra benefit. They attracted people he didn’t even know.
Since then, Chris’s main goal has been to show people paths to freedom. He writes about people worldwide. They can travel like him or do other fulfilling things with their lives. This was so appealing to many people that he soon could make a living from it.
In general, you are on the right track if your work inspires and makes others happy. For example, Leo Babauta built a loyal following of 100,000 subscribers in his first year with his blog Zen Habits. There, he writes full-time about the beauty of a simple and focused life. His humble and encouraging writing always allows for doubts and setbacks. It clearly meets a need that many people have.
Blink 6 – Align your money with what is truly important to you.
Money and happiness go hand in hand for a while. But not forever. Studies have repeatedly shown that our happiness grows with our income only up to a certain point. For example, above a yearly salary of 40,000 US dollars, more happiness is clearly not directly linked to more money.
So, more money alone does not automatically make you happier. It’s about spending money on what truly makes you happy. For this, you must know what you want. For example, Guillebeau decided to match his spending with his values. He set clear priorities: Travel became more important than stuff he didn’t really need.
Understand what you truly want. Then start managing your money in that way. For example, Guillebeau spends about 20% of his yearly income on travel. On the other hand, he sold his car. He spends little more than 100 US dollars a year on new clothes. He also cares a lot about not having to pay off debts.
A clear mind leads to clear finances. If you don’t know what you truly want to save for, you will be like most people who are deep in debt. For example, Adam and Courtney had stable jobs and regular incomes. The young couple from Indianapolis had no clear financial plan. They lived and spent money without thinking, just like most people. Eventually, they had 50,000 US dollars in student loans. They also had two car loans, private loans from their parents, and several overdrawn credit card accounts. This was all negative.
Only when their daughter Millie was born did they realize what was truly important. They started to manage their money more carefully. They paid off their debts. Instead of buying meaningless and common “stuff,” they invested in special and valuable life experiences.
So, know what you truly want. With the right priorities, you will make space for everything you have always wanted to have or do.
Blink 7 – Decluttering makes space for everything you have always wanted to do.
It might sound too good to be true. But it’s very likely that you can achieve everything you truly want in your life. The key is to make these goals the main focus of your life. And then get rid of everything else around them.
How do you do this? For one week, watch what tasks and duties take up your time each day. Honestly ask yourself which ones you truly need. Let go of the rest. To reset your personal time management, it helps to put a mental filter on everything you do during the week. For each activity, ask: “Why should I do this?” and “What happens if I don’t do it?” You will notice that some duties are much easier to let go of than others.
Seth Godin is a good example of very clear priorities. He writes the world’s most successful business blog. People often ask Godin how he finds time to answer every email, given all his activities. His answer is simple and powerful: He doesn’t watch TV. He avoids meetings. This gives him four to five extra hours. Every day.
Once you have cleared your weekly calendar, there is finally space for what you have always wanted to do. Take those empty days. Fill them completely with what makes you happiest. For example, the Japanese best-selling author Haruki Murakami built his life completely around one activity. This activity truly drove him: improving his writing.
In his autobiography What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (2008), he writes about the sometimes difficult choices he made. These choices were necessary for him to become a long-distance runner and best-selling author. He made everything secondary to his writing. He chose his connection with a large group of dedicated readers. He chose this over relationships with specific people who could have been his friends or family.
Setting priorities this way might seem extreme. But the truth is: The more clearly and honestly you focus on what you truly want and love, the more fulfilled and successful you will become.
Blink 8 – Focus on your legacy. It enriches the world and lives on after you.
With all this productive prioritizing and drastic decluttering, remember one thing: A life that is only about you will not make you happy in the end. So, once you know what you want from life, and how to focus your money and time on it, it’s time for the next step. This is about how you can make the world a little better for everyone else.
This contribution to a better world is your legacy. No matter where you come from or where you are now, your legacy is what would not have been possible without you. There are several ways to find out which of your actions will live on after you. Simply ask yourself this question for everything you start: “How can this help other people?”
Take the surgeon Dr. Gary Parker as an example. For over 30 years, he has volunteered in Africa. He operates on patients who do not have enough health insurance. He found his purpose during a volunteer mission in Sierra Leone. Since then, he enjoys using his talent daily for something meaningful and fulfilling.
Once you know which actions will last beyond your lifetime, make sure you spend most of your time on them. There are different ways to do this. For example, Guillebeau can say how much time he wants to spend on his main work each day. If you mainly write, like him, set a general minimum goal. For example, “1,000 words” per day. This helps you keep going. As a programmer, it could be 50 lines of code. As an artist, it could be a set of sketches or designs.
Or you can do what Jim Collins does. He is the successful author of Good to Great (2003) and other business books. Collins carries a stopwatch with three different timers. Every day, he tries to spend 50% of his time on research and writing. He spends 30% on teaching. And 20% on all other daily activities. He has become addicted to using his time as effectively as possible. He works on his legacy daily.
You too should build something that will last beyond you. Start today. Do what you truly want to do. You only live once, so make it count. Are you ready?
Blink 9 – Summary
The main message of this book is:
Don’t be happy with an unfulfilling, average life. Find out what you truly want in life. Be brave enough to live your dream. Trust your own skills. Set clear priorities. Organize everything, from your money to your time, to do what you truly want. Create real value for others. Build a small group of loyal followers and supporters. What will live on after you is your personal legacy.
Here are practical things you can do:
Design your perfect day.
Not everyone immediately knows their true purpose. Find out what you want to do. Simply take some time to imagine a perfect day. What would a day look like where you only do what truly makes you happy? At the same time, make a list of things you want to achieve in your life. This helps you connect your ideal perfect day (e.g., spending as much time as possible writing) with your bigger life goals (e.g., publishing a novel in the next two years).
Create an Anti-To-Do List.
We also don’t always know what useless things we can easily remove from our daily lives. But there is a very simple and effective exercise for this. Create a “negative to-do list” with three to five things you regularly do. These things do not make you happy or help others. You will find that you can easily remove them from your life without big problems. And it gets even better: You will immediately have more time for projects that truly move you forward.
Have these blinks moved you?
Do you feel more called to do great things? Or do you feel more sure that you need to take control of your life for good? Whatever it is, let us know. We are also working on our legacy here. We are happy when our blinks touch you and your life. Just send us an email to [email protected]. Use the title of this book as the subject. Tell us what you think.
For Further Reading
Originals by Adam Grant
Originals shows how the world benefits from big and small ideas. It shows that these ideas can come from anyone. Creativity and new ideas are not just for geniuses. These blinks explore ways to reach our full creative potential. This is done through different methods, strategies, and changes in mindset. They also show how we can convince others of our ideas.
Source: https://www.blinkist.com/https://www.blinkist.com/de/books/die-kunst-anders-zu-leben-de