You don't have to live your life the way other people expect you to.
If that statement sparks your interest, this manifesto by Chris Guillebeau will set you on fire.
No matter what you have been told, no matter what happened to you, and no matter what mistakes you've made, you can completely change the way you live every day of your life. You can focus the majority of your time on the things you enjoy, and you can also make an incredible difference in the lives of other people while you are at it.This is the most exciting piece of writing to come across my virtual desk in a long time. There are many good sites out there talking about realizing your dreams, but what inspires me about Chris's approach is that it's not enough just to get what we really want for ourselves: at the same time we need to offer our unique gifts to the world in a way that benefits other people. He distills this idea down to what he calls "the two most important questions in the universe":
In fact they are counting on you to do exactly that.
1 - What do you really want to get out of life?
2 - What can you offer the world that no one else can?
Your own goals are crucially important, and you should NEVER listen to anyone who tells you to stop caring about them. (I'll show you later on what to do about critics and anyone else who says that you can't do something.)Chris goes on to discuss how the conformists of the world have convinced most of us that we can only do one of these things at a time - what's good for ourselves or what's good for other people. He addresses this argument near the end of Part 2 of the manifesto by referring back to the two most important questions.
But by themselves money, fame, power and even the pursuit of your own goals will only take you so far. To go further, you'll have to heed the words of the great Martin Luther King, Jr.:
"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of humanity."
Answering the first question is usually easier, because when we finally get serious about it, most of us can quickly figure out what we really want to get out of life. Some people might know instinctively, while others might need a few hours or even a few weeks to mull it over.~~~~
But finding the answer to the second question typically takes much longer. It can be a long journey riddled with initial failures and false starts. But people are counting on you to continue, and in fact, it is the most important work each of us can do.
A bit about Chris Guillebeau (you can read his whole story HERE):
Chris is 30 years old and has never had a "real job". He and his wife recently returned from Africa where they spent four years as volunteers working to improve access to health care and clean water in the world's poorest places. Earlier this year, while getting ready to finish his Master's degree, he was asked by friends what he was going to do next. In his words:
I didn't know how to answer. I went through the list of "normal" responses to that question: maybe I'll start a new business, enter a PhD program, go back to Africa, etc.
But after thinking about it for a long time, I started telling people, "I'm going to start my own social movement."
His social movement became known as The Art of Non-Conformity, and yes, he does plan to take over the world. He will also be traveling to every country in the world over the next five years (83 so far). If you'd like to join in, follow along, contribute your ideas or sign up for a newsletter, Chris's excellent website is HERE.
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Watch this space for discussion of Part Three of the manifesto - here's a teaser:
Remember that it's far easier to stand back and criticize someone else than it is to put your own beliefs forward.
~~~~how much does it cost? - I'll buy it
the time is all we've lost - I'll try it
he can't even run his own life
I'll be damned if he'll run mine
- Paul Westerberg
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