You have a very exciting story about turning a seemingly unfortunate event into something positive.  Please share with the readers what got you started on your adventures traveling around the world.

I became a travel writer by accident, literally.  A car ran an intersection and piled into my bike, breaking my kneecap. I got $20,000 from insurance, looked around, and thought, what the hell am I doing with my life?   So I quit my job, packed things in storage, and bought a round-the-world ticket to visit every country I’d ever dreamed of seeing.

I started a blog called Modern Gonzo, in tribute to one of my favorite writers Hunter S Thompson, and set off to see, and share, the world.   This led to a column for the local newspaper, and 12 months and 24 countries later, I returned home to find I’d somehow become a popular travel writer.   Assignments and other newspapers followed – the Chicago Tribune, South China Morning Post, Sydney Morning Herald.  All the while, I’m jet-setting around the world, but sleeping on couches because hardly anyone makes a living solely as a travel writer.

I thought this would be a neat idea for a TV show, and brought in fellow travel writer Julia Dimon.   Stars aligned, Word Travels (wordtravels.tv) got picked up by a production company, then a network in Canada, then National Geographic worldwide.  Five years since that accident, I’ve been to nearly 50 countries (about 90 in total from previous travels), am seen on four continents on TV, and write for millions of readers.   It has been, I admit it, quite the trip.

How were you able to go from blogging to becoming a travel journalist?

Can you share some tips with other bloggers on how to get their writing published?

People ask me all the time – how do I become a travel writer?  It’s really quite simple.   Travel.  And then, write. You’d be amazed at how many people don’t travel and want to be a travel writer, or don’t write and want to be a travel writer.   If you keep a journal, diary or blog, you’re a travel writer, pure and simple.  Getting published and making a living – well, that’s another story.

Word Travels has taken me to some of the most incredible landscapes (Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Ethiopia) to do some of the most incredible things (heli-yoga, cat-boarding, the world’s highest bungy jump!), but it’s been hard work, and at the end of the day, we all wanted to make an intelligent, inspiring travel series that would stand out amongst the glut of yuck on TV, and we worked damn hard to make it so.   We wanted to be fair to each country, its people and culture, and time would always be a challenge.  I’d love to return to every place I’ve been with more time and more money, but than again, I could say the same for life in general.  There’s no wrong or right way to travel. Just the opportunities we get to see the world, and what we make of them.

Thanks, Robin, for a fantastic interview!!

Connect with Robin

www.moderngonzo.com – Robin’s pioneering travel blog, with stories, video, photos and tips from over 50 countries.

www.wordtravels.tv – the OLN/CityTV/Nat Geo Adventure series that follows the lives of two working travel writers.

www.youtube.com/moderngonzo – hilarious self-edited clips from Robin’s adventures

www.twitter.com/robinesrock – Follow Robin’s adventures on Twitter

There was a small man living inside the mountain.  He called out to us from the cave and motioned for us to come inside.  I was hesitant at first, having no experience with cave dwellers, the scene was a bit foreboding and comedic at the same time.  This man was dressed only in a sarong, tied tightly around him, and there was smoke coming from the fire inside his cave.  He smiled a toothless grin and happily waved us inside.

The smirk of travel surprise was glued to my face in a kind of “Oh, shit… what is going to happen to me now” sort of way.  I’m walking into the cave, thoroughly amused.  This is the whole reason why I travel.  Our new friend speaks only Thai, and a couple words of English, but manages to pantomime quite well.  He motions for us to sit.  We are trying to explain that we are out of gas, and he just stands, nodding enthusiastically and points to a small table-like area to sit down.  We do as we are told.

I watch as the small old man makes his way over to a kettle, fills it with water, and puts it directly onto the fire.  He smiles and nods.  I secretly love him, and I have no idea who he is. He must be somewhere between 80 and a 200 years old.  He is not even five feet tall, bent over and ambling around the cave barefoot, doing his very best to ensure our comfort.

He sits with us and gives us coffee.  He rolls cigarettes in dried palm leaves and we sit smiling, drinking coffee, and smoking cigarettes.  I am giddy.  Eventually, he sticks out his hand and introduces himself as “Doctor”, which I find funny considering he is nearly naked, mostly toothless, and smoking cigarettes…. but I fully believe him. We tell him our names and sit smiling some more.  I ask him, “You live here?” and point around.  He nods enthusiastically and tells us his wife lives in another town.  Most of the communication is a lot of pointing and waving of the arms.  I’m wishing I had my camera and trying to absorb every detail of the situation because it seems so paranormal.

Next, the doctor, or medicine man, breaks out a bunch of astrological charts and begins to read my palm.  He reads my friend’s, as well, and declares that we are both “Dee Mak Mak”, which in English means “Very, very good”.  I’m happy to hear this because I don’t know what I would do if he said mine was bad.  He goes through the charts and asks us our birthday.  We are a bit confused as to if he wants the date, or the year, but quickly, he is at work , using a giant magnifying glass to see (he doesn’t have glasses).  He moves around ancient looking papers with strange markings and weird pictures.  He cross-references his books, he is deep in thought and research.  I am so wishing I spoke fluent Thai so I could figure out what he knows, because I’m figuring if anyone knows anything, it’s going to be him. We start drinking beer.  After the research is done, he concludes that we are both good, and good things will happen.  Again, I’m relieved.  He is trying to tell me more and motioning dramatically but speaking only in Thai.  The meaning is lost in translation, but I’m OK with not knowing.

I flip through a book of his that has the Chinese characters in it and pictures of animals.  We spend the next while pointing at photos of animals, saying them in Thai and English and imitating the noises and movements they make .  “Chicken, GAI, LUCKLUCKLUCK” and then we act like the animal and fall over laughing like we are five.  It is fantastic.

It is starting to get dark and the cave is getting darker.  We motion towards the motorbike and show him that we are out of gas.  He scurries around his cave gathering supplies in a caveman fashion and then pulls his motorbike up to ours.  He siphons ALL of HIS GAS BY HIS MOUTH into our gas tank.  Somehow, even with a mouthful of diesel, this man is still willing and able to smile at me.  I have tears creeping into my eyes.  I don’t even have a friend or family member I know that would be willing to do such a caring act.  I give him a piece of candy to take away the taste.  He is so excited that he does a little hop.

So now, we are set, have our fortunes read, animals memorized, and gas in the tank.  We try to give him money which he absolutely refuses.  We try to give him beer.  He refuses this too.  He is shaking his hands, and waving them around.

“Mai Chai, Mai Chai.  Choke Dee.  Choke Dee.”

Which I understand.  He is telling us No, No, it is good luck.  Good luck.  I remember that here, in Thailand, the Buddhist teachings are such that if you come across someone in need, you help them for nothing in return.  To be of service when someone is in need is good luck, because it means that when you need help, it will be there for you, too. We hugged him and went on our way, speechless from the whole experience.  I have yet to experience any act of giving that was so completely kind and generous from someone that expected absolutely nothing in return.  Here is a man that has nothing, and is giving us everything he has, happily.  I was completely blown away.

The strange part about this story is that I pass this cave on a regular basis.  I have never seen this man since the experience. The cave that had all of his belongings, the fire, and the tables is empty.  It is completely vacant, and devoid of any traces of him with the exception of some black on the ceiling, marking the memory of fire.  I have no idea where my small toothless medicine man has gone, but I will forever remember the experience of giving unconditionally.

My point of sharing this story with you is to get you to think about how you give.  I have never experienced giving like I have here.

Can you give without expecting something in return?

Are you able to give unconditionally?

Have you experienced unconditional giving?

Where can you give more in your life?

As part of the inspiring force to help you ‘take the leap of faith’, we will be conducting mini interviews featuring global entrepreneurs who have become “Business Backpackers”. Because we are all busy traveling, working, and having loads of fun, it is a short list of questions that will hopefully give you a quick glimpse of others “Living the Life”.

Our fifth  mini-view comes from Andy Hayes, expert traveler, writer, and author of the blog sites AndyHayes.com, Travel Online Partners and Sharing Travel Experiences.   His site very informative for writers and anyone who has a blog.  Andy is a great example of someone living an unconventional life with a business that will travel.

What is your passion and how are you sharing it with the world?

My main passion is travel.  I find exploring foreign cultures and having unique travel experiences is what really gets me out of bed in the morning.  From sunrise at Stonehenge to sunset on the Hong Kong skyline, I’ve seen and done so many amazing things and I hope to be able to inspire and help others get off their armchairs and have their own unique experiences.  I have been doing this with my ever-expanding blog, Sharing Travel Experiences, where I am sharing an open conversation about great travel experiences, photos, and recommendations.  It has become pretty popular and I am loving it.

A side project has developed from this – I know and have met in the course of my travels many small businesses working in the travel industry – many of them just one or a handful of people – who have seen the popularity of my blog and others and want to know how to duplicate this success in their own business.  So, I am launching a separate community for those small businesses who want to learn, share information, and benefit from this ever-expanding world of the Internet.

Although I travel a lot (but not as much as some of my fellow travelers), I am based in cozy Edinburgh, Scotland.  It’s somewhat more cosmopolitan than some imagine, going well beyond the stereotypes of castles, ghosts, and men in skirts!  I love it so much I ended up writing a book about it – the Historic Walking Guide Edinburgh.  Before I lived here I was in sunny Amsterdam where I lived for many years.  Amsterdam is another place that defies its reputation; the sex, drugs, and rock and roll are confined to only small areas of the city, whereas you’ll find bohemian cafes, restaurants, and great atmosphere in the rest of town.  Walking along those gorgeous canals and hanging out in quirky cafes, I learned a lot about myself and about my passions in the world.  It was where I truly found the path that I find myself on today.

Breaking down those misconceptions that my ideas and my plans would never work was very challenging.  I had a huge mental block that said “things are the way they are and it will never change” but after getting some help and perspective, I realized that the only thing standing between me and my dreams was: me.  After that, it all came together very quickly – in some cases a little too quickly.  While I still have a very long path ahead on my journey and some days are better than others, I certainly feel like getting the ball rolling is one realllllly big push that you really have to prepare your energy for.  It is easy to be scared about what will happen next – because if you push, something will happen – but overcoming the fear and starting that inertia was difficult for me.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.  I wouldn’t be where I was today without a great support network so find people who will be supportive and who have knowledge that can help.  You might need a coach to help you get your feet off the ground, or a marketing or business coach to work out the finer points of your business model – Alex Fayle was instrumental in helping me with getting things going.  But really, you don’t know what you’re missing.  Come on in – the water’s warm…

Links:

My Book About Edinburgh – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0955928133?ie=UTF8&tag=sharinexperi-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0955928133

and newest additions…

http://www.travelonlinepartners.com – a new resource for small businesses in travel and tourism to get the help they need with online technology
http://www.sharingtravelexperiences.com – a relaunch of  his previous travel site.  Same great recommendations and experiences but now with hand-picked travel specials and a exclusive travel concierge

Alex Fayle’s website is http://www.somedaysyndrome.com

It’s funny, but I never thought about it as not fitting in, simply as following my dream. I knew that I wanted more from my life than staying in a job I wasn’t enjoying simply to earn money. Luckily, my husband also shares that vision, so it was simply a matter of planning our escape.

Oh, that’s a tough question. I’ve learned so much from everywhere I’ve been. But if I had to pick one, it would be Nimes, France, where I spent almost a full year at the age of 21. It was the farthest from home I’d been and I didn’t know anyone – a great way to find out what you’re made of. It wasn’t always easy, but I learned a lot, both about the value of stepping out of your comfort zone once in a while and the danger of stereotyping (I was on the receiving end, but it made me determined to avoid doing the same to others).

A lot of people are only too ready to say how crazy it is to leave friends and family behind and move halfway around the world. Ignore them. Make sure your business is portable and then choose the life you want – you only get one shot, so you might as well enjoy it. It’s always better to try something than to wonder what would have happened if you did.

http://www.slideshare.net/sharonhh/sharon-hurley-hall-intro

Every so often I come across something brilliant that needs to be shared. Download this, read and learn, print it and wear it, but whatever you do, don’t pass it over…don’t tell yourself, “Oh, I’ll download it later,” because you won’t; just DO IT NOW and thank me later!

Chris Guillebeau’s 279 Days to Overnight Success:
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/overnight-success

There are three reasons why I find this information so incredibly important:

1. I have been trying to sort out how to organize my schedule (i.e. life) around the new role of being a successful writer and social media expert. This information clearly spells out many of the “How To’s” and should help you get there faster.
2. Chris is a trusted source; I know from meeting him and spending time writing back and forth online that he is true to his word. He is NOT an egomaniac, only wanting an audience to self promote and sell, sell, sell—as many people in my field are (and I not so secretly loathe).
3. The steps are doable. Many times when I read a How To Download, I am overwhelmed and conclude that there is no way to pull it off. With this info, you are sure to get where you need and the reason WHY I’M PASSING IT ON is because I AM DOING IT, Too!

I have done my best to pull featured quotes and info from the download, but you will be best served to go through the original and pull out your own gems. Block quotes are taken directly from his article and the rest of the information I have pulled together to help you determine how to fit it into your schedule and actualize your road to success…

“For me, I relate money to happiness and freedom. Right now I spend
about 10% of my time on activities that are directly related to generating
income. The other 90% of the time I’m writing, connecting with cool
people, traveling the world, and drinking coffee.”

How did Chris get there?  By Taking Daily Action and writing to a Specific Audience.

Step 1: Determine Your Niche Market, Writing Topics, and What They Care About

Niche and Grow Rich—Part of Going Global is determining a Niche, or a specific audience that you can focus your time and attention to. Readers will immediately know if they identify with your information, or they will move on. This is why it is so important to pick who your audience is and make specific and direct posts.
Writing Means Nothing if You Have No Readers—Determine a few themes that your audience will care about and try to keep your posts specific to those topics. For example, in my blog, I focus mainly on Streamlining Your Business, Travel, Living Your Ideal Lifestyle, and Spiritual and Personal Growth. Chris recommends making sure the reader gets what they want by providing solutions.

“I try to think of only a few individual people and pretend I’m writing directly to them.”

What Do Your Readers Care About? Take time to interact with your readers to see if you are answering their basic questions of Why, What, and How. This ensures buy in, understanding, and steps towards a solution.

Step 2: Building Writing and Follow-up Into Your Schedule

I know as a business owner that your first concern is time. I have outlined some of the areas that Chris focuses on and recommend you actually BUILD TIMESLOTS INTO YOUR CALENDAR to make this happen.
When to Write—Chris writes daily. I really admire this philosophy and am going to work it into my schedule. Currently, I have been using the style of “Information Camel” where I think and muse on a topic for, um, ever, then I sit down and write four articles at once. I like the idea of building writing into a daily routine because it means you are taking yourself seriously as a writer.

How Much & How Often—On average, he writes about 1,000 words per day. This takes me about an hour and a half without editing, formatting, or tweaking in Word Press. All told, one blog post (for me) probably runs about 2.5 hours. Add an additional hour if research is involved. Chris posts two or three blogs per week. These also go out to subscribers through email or RSS feeds.
Following Up with Readers—I’m guilty of not doing this and it will change Now  Chris spends about two hours a day building and maintaining relationships online. Part of this is by reading other sites, welcoming new people, connecting and responding to other people. I love this one, and it is true:

He Answers Every Email.

Step 3: Growing Readership Through Social Networking and Marketing

Leveraging Social Networking—Many business owners I talk to are confused by social networking and it’s purpose. Generally speaking (and as a newcomer, myself) I see it as a great way to reach out to your niche audience by giving information, sharing tips, and connecting with people you otherwise would not have met.

” I do this mostly through Twitter, LinkedIn, site comments, 100+ emails a day, and occasional phone calls and in-person meetings
Writing my affiliates to discuss their marketing efforts
Building relationships with journalists — perhaps through Peter Shankman’s
Help a Reporter Out service or people I already know”

Chris’ Five Marketing Actions—

Almost every day, I try to take five actions that will help promote myself, promote a product, or otherwise bring in new readers.
…a selection of actions could include:

1. Publishing a “Daily Ass-Kicking,” passing on good information

2. Connecting with people through Twitter

3. Sending out review copies of my products and manifestos

4. Reaching out to other experts, colleagues, and readers

5. Scheduling and outlining a product launch

Step 4: Products and Final Thoughts

There is a good deal of information in the article about product creation, management, and (my favorite) promoting and releasing FREE INFORMATION. Chris suggests eJunkie, PayPall and using a “No Sell Philosophy.”  I love this approach… honest and not pushy, at all…

…actually I have nothing to sell to you. Sorry. I do have a few products on my site, and you can take a look if something suits you. I also have an anti-marketing policy, which means that you should keep your money unless you have a compelling reason to buy something from me.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations—As a business owner, consultant, and “Entrepreneur- Turns- Blog-o-preneur”, I have a few recommendations that will help you work these seemingly daunting ‘to-do’s’ into your schedule. If you were following the math of about how much time it takes to go this route, I added up approximately 22 hours/ week. This is only the writing, posting, follow-up, and some social networking. I would add more time if you are just starting to grow your readership, create products and learn new technology. With that, I’d like to answer your Inevitable Question:

“HOW AM I GOING TO FIT THIS INTO MY SCHEDULE?!?!?”

• Put new time blocks into your schedule for: writing, editing/posting, social networking, follow-up and outreach. I like to lump my tasks together so I can be efficient and stay in the same mode. For example, I write several articles at a time, post and schedule them all at once, and spend separate blocks of time on networking sites.
• Set a goal for How Much and How Often you want to write. Currently, mine is once per week until my readership grows.
• Set a Goal to Increase Your Readership through Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites. I get a lot of comments by posting my blog links to Facebook. You can integrate and update all of these tools at once by using www.Ping.fm.
• Reach out to your contacts to Find Opportunities to Write and Publish your articles. You can write on other blog sites, contact journalists, and write to reporters. Helpful links can be found on the download.
• If your goal is go create a product (Book, eBook, or Workbook) I recommend spending time BEFORE you start to write and come up with a detailed outline for your writing topics. I advise my clients to have 10-12 topics and then bullet point 3 or 4 subtopics below. Each of the subtopics can become a blog post and it will help you immensely to have this organized for compiling, tagging, and finalizing your product. I am in the final stages of my products and know it would have taken a very long time to generate my work another way. BTW: stay tuned for my eBook releases:

Return on Life: Reclaim Your Business and Your Life
Spiritually Rich: Building a Business to Help Others

…and my Book and Workbook are coming soon, too!!

Be in touch if you need help with any of this and definitely check out and subscribe to Chris’ site. For now, I’ll end wit a quote I pulled from his article:

“Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken.” –Oscar Wilde

Got Questions or Comments? Don’t be shy, post ‘em below!!

As I approached the rock that loomed above me I smiled to myself, “It’s good to be back.” Railey Beach is a world class climbing destination in Thailand and can easily be recognized by the immense limestone outcroppings that dot along the coastline in perfect turquoise water. This distant paradise is one of my favorite places in the world and as I gear up with a group of fellow climbers I am thankful to have the opportunity to be here again.

Climbing is a sport that I have been involved with for a long time. I tried climbing for the first time in college and have climbed on and off for the past seven years. One would think that after seven years I would have some sense of mastery with the sport; but instead, I am continually humbled by the fact that anytime I have some sense of confidence in my ability, I am flung to the ground. Climbing kicks my butt. I think it is for this reason that I am strangely compelled to continue on in my journey in attempt to face my fears, learn new skills, and ascend to new heights.

However, this is never my approach. Because I am an overachiever, I struggle with the learning process that is natural and try to skip past all of the essential stages of being a novice. I want to immediately be great at climbing. This is why, in my enthusiasm, I sauntered up to the Ao Nang Climbing company and explained that I wanted to book a trip with them. I was introduced to Gob, who would be the guide, and explained to him that I had been climbing for about seven years and have even taught climbing before. I told him I’m living here because I want to get back into the sport and I haven’t been in quite some time, but maybe after I got back on track I could help them lead other climbers if they needed someone extra.

Out at the rock, I was suited up with shoes, a harness, and tied in easily into the familiar figure eight knot of the rope. Looking up, it was a difficult climb. I was wondering if maybe Gob had overestimated my ability because I would really liked to have started on something a bit simpler. “Belay on, Climbing” we exchanged and up I went. About half way up I realized that this was not the appropriate climb for me to start on. While I have spent some time on real rock, the bulk of my experience has been in climbing gyms. There is quite a big difference between climbing inside where the holds stick out from a flat surface with neatly marked colored tape and outside where the holds could be anywhere, your grip is not guaranteed and you cannot see your feet. I reached for chalk.

Taking a breath, I regained my senses and pressed on. Finally, I reached the top and was on my way back down. I realized my guide kept yelling something at me and from the height and with the impeding language difference, it was difficult to understand. “CLIP the ROPE,” he was yelling. Oh, great, I cannot just drift merrily down the climb, I now have to clip all of the quickdraws that I followed getting up here. These are carabineers that hook into the bolts in the rock and guide the rope as the climber ascends. However, I have never actually had to re-hook myself upon descent and wasn’t sure I was up to the challenge. I was traversing unsteadily sideways reaching out for the carabineer when I lost my footing entirely and went swinging off of the rock. Caught by my belayer and looking down I impatiently yelled down, “I can’t do it!”

Unsatisfied with my response, I received several more calls to “CLIP the ROPE!” After four more attempts, he finally let me descend and I clipped the remaining two on the way down. I untied, shook out my hands and walked off of the rock.
For my second climb, I got on the one they had set up for first time climbers. Gob states, “You not do this one, its too easy for you.” I am not sure he quite understands that I can’t do the next one up and really could use a confidence booster at this point. I smile and say back, “Other one too hard, need to do this one.”

“Ok,” he replies and I tie in. Thank God I could get on and have a successful time of it. I felt a bit ill from the first experience and needed to regain some sense of my ability, and it worked. I was able to get on the harder climb next.
With some struggling and effort I made my way up my third climb. Learning the type of rock and textures is always an interesting part of climbing on different rock. Because you can climb a variety of rock (granite, volcanic, limestone, sandstone) it is important to learn the different features, textures, and footing that is required in each case. The same rock can have a variance and on this climb it went quickly from big pocket holds to sharp cutting pebbly holds. Making it past the crux, or the hardest part, I was able to ascend to the top. I reached and half jumped with the last bit of effort I had to touch the ring at the top and looked down signaling that I wanted to be lowered.

Gob shouts back, “Touch the RING!”

Oh my God, didn’t he see me? “I DID TOUCH THE RING,” I yelled.

It was like something from Lord of the Rings, ‘Touch the Ring’,’ Don’t Touch The Ring’ – but he wasn’t understanding me ad I was getting very tired of hovering in the air uncomfortably dangling from 50 feet up and Froto was nowhere to be seen. Finally, he allowed me to come down and as I’m on the ground untying my rope, I’m catching disapproving looks. I try to state my case. “I touched at the top, did you not see me?”

Unimpressed, and shaking his head no, he answers, “you not beginner, you can touch ring.”

Oh my God. I then go on to try to explain to him that I’ve actually been injured and am coming back from not climbing, and yes, I did touch the ring. I opt to go to another climb and get belayed from someone a little less relentless. As I watch the other climbers go up and down the routes I’m struck by a feeling I’ve had often when I have climbed. I don’t know if it is just the nature of the sport or the people that are attracted to it, but there is always this unnatural urge to push oneself faster and harder than humanly possible. I really have had to work on this nature of the sport because it is so insatiable– just one more hold, one more throw, one more… and then the next thing you know, you have just one more injury. It is really easy to overextend yourself and have pulled tendons, cracked ribs, and broken limbs. I glance over at Gob, and probably picking up on my insecurities, he says, “Sorry, I didn’t see you touch the ring.”

I nod, “Mai pen rai,” it doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter. But somehow it does. I go into my next climb a bit thrown and can’t get up an easy crack problem and decide to come down.

Later, in my room, I sat trying to decipher this feeling that I was carrying around. I’ve had it before and thankfully I have the time here in Thailand to look at my feelings and actions. I have a mix of feelings spinning around ranging from the fact that it is hard for me to just be a participant on trips (I used to lead them) and that I didn’t feel acknowledged by my efforts. Everyone else was getting handshakes, high-fives, and approving words after each climb. I felt like I had let someone down. And somehow, that said, I felt like I had let myself down. But there was no reason to feel that way! I had a wonderful day climbing in my favorite place in the whole world, and then, suddenly it struck me.

I had set the whole thing up. I had started with an inflated ability to assume that I would be good at something I had never tried. Yes, I had been climbing, but not in a long time, and not on this particular rock. I assumed the role of trying to be a super-hero rather than a novice or amateur thereby creating unrealistic expectations from my guide, and for myself. Because I wanted to be good at it, I pumped myself up by sharing my enthusiasm (or goals) with others. This backfired and made me feel performance anxiety and left me wondering, “What if I can’t do this?” In my first attempt, I went Too Big and Too Fast, trying to skip steps and force myself to push through a learning curve. Exhausted, I realized on my second climb I needed to wind back because I was overwhelmed. I was left feeling worried and doubtful. Regaining confidence for my third climb, I was able to go Too Big and Too Fast again, having similar results. By the last climb my head was so distraught with emotions and feeling misunderstood and unsupported, I had completely lost all focus and could not even finish an easy climb. Of course, no one wanted to help me because I had come across as someone who already had it worked out, or could handle it. This was the defeat.

The defeat in the process, or cycle, that I have put myself in has not just happened in climbing. My initial excitement for wanting to become involved and lead, judging myself against super-hero standards, setting unrealistic expectations and subsequently going into periods of fatigue or burnout have all been a part of my overachiever cycle. While my intent is good, the result is that I work twice as hard and feel emotionally spent when I could have saved myself some time and effort.

Saving Yourself From Yourself

While I could have just chalked up this whole experience as something of a fluke, Gob played a perfect role in the perfect lesson I needed to learn. Sometimes we need to recognize our own behaviors so we can get out of our own way. Being a novice, taking things slow, and getting help from others are all very difficult for the single-minded, focused, independent business owners. In my experience (being one, and working with) I have found that most business owners are overachievers. While this drive and super-hero mentality has propelled us into being business owners, we also need to realize when we are setting ourselves up for emotional and productivity roller-coasters.

Here are some tips that I put together after my humbling experience of learning from the rock:

1. Triple the amount of time you think it will take you to do something. This includes learning a new task, a new skill, training someone, implementing a new project, et cetera.
2. Let yourself be a novice. Approach new activities from that angle and allow yourself to be vulnerable and in need of help.
3. Talking yourself into doing something by sharing your goals or knowledge can be interpreted by others that you are the expert. People are less likely to help you if they think you know more about something than them. Instead, allow yourself to experience the learning curve with others.
4. Setting yourself up with unrealistic expectations brings out the judge in others and in yourself. Try setting smaller goals instead and approaching others to help you along the way. Achieving smaller goals will further your success and improve your confidence.
5. Learn that by slowing down, you are actually speeding up your progress. I took the climbs in this order: 2, 1, 4, 3. Had I just gone through 1, 2, 3, 4 I would have finished, felt better, and probably attempted a fifth climb. I also would have had an entirely different experience emotionally which is what is really important in retaining our focus and energy.
6. Know when to follow. Being Gung-Ho is commendable, as is wanting to be a leader. But, the truth is we don’t need to push our way to the front of the pack. By learning to follow, we learn how to lead. Let yourself be last, be a learner, and be slow.
7. Trying to push through life simply doesn’t feel very good. It is like driving as fast as you can to hurry up and get home to relax. By the time you get home, you are a stress case and you feel awful- it simply doesn’t work. When you find yourself trying too hard, or fighting the forces of nature (or gravity) remember one thing: it’s ok to let go and come down. You’ve already touched the ring.

It is said in Thailand that “Climbing gives you Power” my hope is that this article will have the same affect on you.

“I see a common gene among immigrants and entrepreneurs who strike out from the pack to pursue their dreams. I admire people who are willing to bet everything on a belief. Some of these risk takers, whether immigrants or entrepreneurs, have a profound impact on what happens in the world. They place bets on the future, often against fantastic odds. I see heroism in that.”

-Randy Komisar, The Monk and the Riddle

There comes a time in everyone’s life that one begins to contemplate, “Is this working for me?” When you realize that the answer is consistently ‘No,’ you have a choice to make. You can continue to live the same life knowing that what you are doing is no longer satisfying your needs, or you can evolve. Change is the only constant, and having lived a life of rapid and constant change, it is the only place I bet my chips.

This past year has been one of serious contemplation and new revelations. I had many personal changes in my life that forced me to consider what I was doing, and more importantly, for whom. When it came down to it, I realized that the position where I was in my life made complete sense as a lineal point on a graph. X happened which led to Y and so on, leaving me at the end of a successive group of points. What I struggled with, however, was were the points plotted in the direction toward where I really want to be in my LIFE and was I really content with my current reality?

There is a theory that I learned in my business studies called “ground zero analysis” and it goes something like this: if you were to know everything you know now and wipe everything clean—what would you do? What would you keep doing, what would you scrap, and what’s next? This is the place I found myself in my personal life, as well as my business life—and it was time to look at reevaluating what I wanted and how to best move forward.

In short, I recently was in a long-term relationship, owned a home, and had a ten-year plan in my head my business, Growing Places Consulting. After my relationship ended, I moved into a temporary rental situation with two wonderful friends in Lincoln, California. I immediately regained my sense of self by doing what I love best: travel. But every time I came back, the looming question was there on the landing strip: Why do I live in Lincoln, California? My work is focused on helping others design the lifestyle of their dreams and ultimately live and work on their own terms anywhere in the world—was I doing this for myself?

On Halloween, I found myself in one of my favorite coffee shops in the Mission district of San Francisco, Ralphz Coffee. I was waiting for my friends to get into town to coordinate the evening of dressing up and going to parties. To kill the time, I was finishing the book Eat, Pray, Love for the second time. If you haven’t read it, you should, but it explains the true life tale of Elizabeth Gilbert and her journey around the world to self discovery. I turned past the epilogue to a blank page at the end of the book and wrote at the top: ‘What if I just left in December?‘ The question half shocked me but I proceeded to make a short list of items that would need to be taken care of if I were to head out on a journey of my own. Surprisingly, the list was not that long at all. I called a friend to proclaim that it was finally time for me to get the Fuck Out Of Dodge.

Historically, I have never fit into society’s mold—or working the typical 9-to-5. Starting a business was more of a means of survival than anything else and I was realizing that I had followed my plan and worked it enough to take my own advice and start living my ideal lifestyle. If I had the freedom to work from anywhere in the world, why on God’s earth would I choose a small retirement community tucked in the suburbs of Sacramento? I knew it in my heart that it was time to break free of the pack and live the life I’d always imagined.

I instantly experienced the duality of bliss and terror. I knew if I were to pull it off that I was going to need to dramatically change my lifestyle. I was going to need to do my “ground zero analysis” and only keep what was working—and look at putting a plan in place for the rest. Breaking out of the pack comes with a laundry list of conflicting emotions and I was repeatedly forced to ask myself a myriad of questions related to my own sanity. Namely, when everyone else is playing the game and doing just fine, why can’t I just fit in and do the same?

“I didn’t seem to fit anybody’s profile. It was troublesome to me that I couldn’t find a match; I had expected to settle into a career like everyone else.”

-Randy Komisar, The Monk and the Riddle

So why couldn’t I just fit in and settle like everyone else? When it comes down to it the truth is: I’m not like everyone else. I am a rule breaker and a system buster. I assimilate mass amounts of information only to find the most direct route and get back to living. I based my business on this model of passive income and lifestyle exit strategy and now I was at the point of facing my own circumstance and making a radical decision.

At the same time, an idea had been brewing in my head. I was starting to attract more appropriate clients in my business. I was identifying common threads and toying with this idea of a niche market: business owners that love adventure and travel. These people are already motivated to make change, take risks, and bust their butts for freedom’s sake. I had pitched a couple of questions to people I know that meet the profile and the market for BusinessBackpacker.com was beginning to take shape. I am a huge advocate for people following their personal dream and funding start-ups or branches of their original business that are more reflective of who they are and taking those ideas to a global market. The more I talked about the idea, the more it seemed to become a reality.

Then came the stark realization that if I wasn’t living the lifestyle of a vagabond entrepreneur, who would listen to me? I needed to come up with two things: the technology to make it all happen from abroad, and a destination. Looking back just a few weeks ago—I didn’t have any of these answers. But everything instantly materialized and the right people came into my life at the right time. One such person I met at a blog party—Cody McKibben. After discussing a bunch of similarities in our approach and audience, we decided to team up and bring the world BusinessBackpacker.com. He specializes in the technology needed to ‘go global’ and I brought the business consulting side to the table…and so the joint venture adventure began.

One short month after asking myself ‘What if I just left in December?’ I’m sitting here in a studio apartment in Bangkok, Thailand, writing this. I left the States on December 30th and arrived just in time to celebrate the New Year with a BANG! The purpose of writing this post is to inspire you to go for your goals—no matter how outrageous they seem—and to trust your gut. The right people, resources, and finances will figure themselves out if you just take the first steps. It takes courage to break out of the pack and downsize your life to a backpack. But it all comes down to one simple question: How far are you willing to go to get your life back??

One of my favorite experiences, artistically speaking, was the tour of the Vatican. It was the most phenomenal layout—beginning with the early art that started with paintings on stone plates. The early art seemed very one-dimensional and expressionless. It began to evolve with color, aesthetics and complexity. Shadows were used and artists played with light. The later pieces began to show more emotion and expression… and all the while, I couldn’t help but notice that they were all seeking some form of salvation. Many of the depictions are of man attempting to raise himself up from whatever form of hell they are attempting to escape. Prior to viewing the art firsthand, I diminished the whole era to pictures of heaven and hell. But when you can view the artwork up close, and see the expression on their faces, it is easier to understand that they are just facing their own personal demons. Much like ourselves, they are simply trying their best to rise above their current situation into something more pure and meaningful.

Many of the representations seem to serve as a reminder that it is not all about the physical. Every subject is pointing up as if to tell us we can have salvation, reminding us that this form, this world is very esoteric. And in the end, we can obtain our personal freedom.

During the tour, our guide, chimed in with, “The internal creates the external and the mind must first believe in order to achieve.”

We must overcome our natural instinct to act as savage beasts, radical emotionalists and elevate our thinking in order to achieve what is possible. The paintings remind us to hold onto faith and believe that we can accomplish great things. The art and architecture serve as a fantastic reminder that individuals can achieve the seemingly impossible and rise above whatever form of self-doubt to create the stunning and beautiful.

All of the ‘greats’ whether Jesus or Michelangelo, Raphael, or Goethe were able to do just that.

My other favorite experience was visiting the Academia gallery. As you walk in to view Michelangelo’s revered sculpture of David, you pass by several blocks of stone. Seemingly unimpressive (especially compared to the size of David) many people walk right past. Actually, I did just that! On my way out, however, I did stop to look and I was so glad I did.

There were several six foot blocks of marble spaced out on either side of the entryway. Each piece had a man in the rock and they were emerging from the rock itself—as if they were pushing themselves out of this limited lump and coming into true form. The piece is called “Prisoners” and Michelangelo was said to have taught his students not to go into a project with an idea in mind, but rather, to see what comes out of the rock. This series was meant to be instructional to remind them that there is something different and unique inside each one just waiting to come out.

We are all trying to push ourselves out of the rock—out of limited thought patterns or societal conditioning. In some way or another, we have all been held proverbial ‘Prisoners.’ Like the sequential sculptures of the Rock becoming a Man, we must first rediscover what is inside and what wants to emerge. The answer to the question, “Who’s In There?” can be found by looking inside ourselves and aligning with our true nature. When we trust that the real person or true self inside us IS THERE, and foster that relationship, we are in the process of becoming a true work of art and living free from all that binds us.

“Not even the greatest sculptor can make something that isn’t already in the marble.”

—Michelangelo Buonarroti 1495-1564