This week I’d love to find out, what is your definition of freedom?
It might sound cheesy, but I think about the concept of freedom a lot. What is freedom really? Is it living in a free country? Not having debts? Being financially independent? Being location independent? Being happy as often as possible? Doing what you love for a living?
That’s me, riding my dog in the photo over there. I do shit like that sometimes. Maybe you didn’t know that, so let me explain.
For the past 16 months that I’ve been blogging here, I have to tell you I’ve never been fully satisfied with the “voice” I’ve created for myself. By that, I mean the personality I’ve conveyed through my words.
In writing, especially blogging, there’s something known as finding your voice. It’s about how you come across to your readers. You know, serious, funny, witty, stoic, focused, humble, demure, etc. It’s about showing depth of personality.
I’ve been reading a lot on the subject of voice and self expression lately. Also of finding your “right people,” or the people you naturally click with and would be attracted to if you met in person.
Over the past three months, I’ve talked and worked with a lot of smart, talented and motivated entrepreneurs-in-the-making who all get hung up on some variation of the same issue.
The problem is usually described like this: “I can’t decide what my business should be about. Every topic is already covered by someone else. How can I create something real and unique and not derivative?”
This causes some serious stress and anxiety in entrepreneurs. There’s the feeling that your business has to be built on some new monumental breakthrough concept to succeed. It’s a sticking point that some people never get past, which makes sense if you’re truly looking for an original idea.
Welcome to a whole new look for Free Pursuits. I hope you like it. I’m really happy with how it turned out. I liked the old design too, but there are a couple of reasons for the change.
It’s true, this is the third design for Free Pursuits since I started it about 15 months ago. The design that was up until a couple of days ago was less than a year old.
If you’ve thought traveling the world for a few years is only possible for 20-somethings or retirees, this story is for you.
Betsy and Warren Talbot from Married with Luggage are about to embark on a 3-year trip around the world. What makes their story unique is that they aren’t rich, retired, 20-somethings or even minimalists. They’re a married couple who are leaving successful big-company careers to see the world and celebrate their 40th birthdays abroad.
I caught up with Betsy and Warren earlier this year to talk about how they’ve changed their lives and saved enough to take 3 years off. They have managed to plan, prepare and save enough for the trip in just 2 years by focusing on what matters and restructuring their lives to make it possible.
