Why do you read this blog?  Why should anyone read this blog?  That’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately as I continue to decide upon the direction that this site should take.

After spending a few hours combing through old posts, I actually have an answer to that question.

Reading this blog will give you the courage to live the life you really want to be living.

That’s a bold statement.  But I sincerely believe its true.  For some this means location independence, for others its travel, and others still it may be just freeing up more time to do the shit they love.  But I’ve achieved it.  I’m living the life I want.  I can work from  anywhere, travel whenever I want, I can always make the time to do the stuff I love, and am generally speaking, I’m much happier because of it.

Who wouldn’t want that?

The difference between Location 180 and some of the other sites you might read, is that for me, things weren’t always so good.  So many bloggers show you the result of hard work and persistence, but they don’t tell you the whole story of how they got there. I’ve gone through a hell of a transition, and you have to understand where I was at before, to really appreciate where I am now.

To figure this out, I went through the archives to find some quotes that illustrated the full story of my “location 180″

I Started Out Terrified and Totally Clueless…

“So goal #4 is: Live a life interesting enough to write and read about.“Defining Goals of seanogle.com, May 19, 2009.

“The hardest part about a comfortable life is that it is so difficult to break out of. I mean, who doesn’t like being comfortable? There is very little that is unknown, and thus very little fear or risk. And that terrifies me more than anything. I have a great job. For many, it would be the perfect job. It isn’t that I don’t like what I do, rather it is a concern that I will look back on my life in 10 years and regret not taking more risks and having more adventures.” – Accountability and a Comfortable Life - June 22, 2009.

Oh, how times have changed...

“With that I ask you, what is more important: Bankruptcy of the wallet, or Bankruptcy of the Soul?” – How Important is Money? June 25th, 2009.

“Breaking free is hard to do.  I don’t care who you are, but if you want to leave a steady paycheck and a “traditional” life you better be prepared to work your ass off and face a lot of stress or anxiety.  The most difficult part in the process are the months leading up to your “release date” (the term I have coined for when you start living life for yourself).   You not only have the responsibilities of your current employment weighing on your mind, but a myriad of other uncertainties to battle with.  However, once you reach your release date, half of your worries and concerns will be put to bed.  You are no longer burdened with the stress and responsibilities that came with your old life, and you have freed up dozens of hours a week to invest in your personal endeavours.  Your stress shifts from bad to good, because you are now the one in control.  Don’t get me wrong, things will probably get a lot more difficult before they get better, but you no longer have anyone else to worry about but yourself.  I am looking forward to that day.” – The Reality of Breaking Free, July 23rd, 2009.

“So rather than stifle your creative life dreams, embrace them.  Evaluate your current path and if that isn’t taking you in the right direction, change your path accordingly.  Day dreaming is your mind telling you what you really are passionate about seeing and doing in this life.  There is no better time to break out of the ordinary and start doing the things you really meant to do.” The Benefits of Day Dreaming, July 30, 2009.

I Slowly Overcame My Fears Enough to Take a Risk…

“Reading through this post,  I am realizng that it is a little more personal than many of my other posts.  At first I neglected to actually consider posting it due to this fact.  However I quickly realized that I want this to be a community of support and learning, and in order to accurately depict the process I am going through, there has to be a little bit of vulnerability.  There isn’t  a doubt in my mind that I will get to where I am trying to go, but the path to get there isn’t always easy!” What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do, August 6, 2009.

“I am slowly coming the the realization that there is no perfect time, and there never will be.” Finding the ‘Courage to go Through With It, August 27, 2009.

“It wasn’t that bad.  But you know what?  I don’t want to settle for “not that bad”.  I want the best life I can possibly have, and I am now in a position to pursue that.  There is no best time for anything.  In my perfect world, this wasn’t the best time to leave.  Financially, I am not sure I am at a point to do everything I want to do.  But you know what?  If it didn’t happen, I may have been there forever.” My Last Day, October 22, 2010.

“Well I did it.  I joined the legions of car-less Portlandians, who despite their predisposition to motorless travel, still shun umbrellas during the dreariest months of the year.” I Finally Sold My Car, November 30, 2009.

“I’m not sure when the realization actually hit me, but at some point in the last week, I couldn’t help but think to myself “holy crap, I’m actually moving to Thailand”. I don’t know if it was finalizing the visa, or getting my plane ticket purchased, but after over a year of trying to work towards a new lifestyle, it is finally happening.” Holy Crap, I’m Actually Moving to Thailand, December 10, 2009.

“What if I hadn’t left my job?  What if I failed to take risks when opportunities presented themselves?  Then I would be like 95% of the people in the world who don’t go after their dreams.  I couldn’t live with that. Life will present you with opportunities to make a decisions that will define how you live and what you do.  Maybe it will come in the form of a new job opportunity.  Perhaps it is a decision to leave a current job with no plans for the future.  At one point of another, you will have a tough decision to make, and it will probably scare the crap out of you. Embrace it.” Embrace Life’s Defining Moments, January 5th, 2010.

Things Only Got Better From There…

“It’s been about five months since I left my job.  In that time I’ve experienced just about every emotion possible, and over the last few weeks I’ve come to one very important realization. I love my life.” Quit Your Job, Love Your Life, March 16, 2010.

“Anyone that wants to make major change in their life can do it.  They really can. Its all a matter of turning your uncertainty into something positive, and being willing to take action when the right opportunity presents itself.” Another Year Has Come and Gone, May 8, 2010.

“No longer am I searching for what is important and meaningful in my life, as I know what it is.  I know exactly the kind of lifestyle that I want to live, except this time I know how to do it. That is where I think the new found confidence has come from.  By taking the time to really analyze my life, and make the necessary changes to put myself on the right path, I’ve found direction.  As soon as you know where you are going it’s easy to do it with authority because you believe in what you are doing.” The Evolution of Confidence, May 29, 2010.

“Coming to this city [Bangkok] gave me the opportunity to break away from the incredibly comfortable life that I’ve been living for the last 25 years.  I was able to get out of my comfort zone and experience new adventures on a daily basis.  Coming here gave me the time to explore my hobbies and passions, and have helped me to realize which ones I miss the most (I’m really looking forward to playing a round of golf next week), and which ones may not have been that important.” Thankful, July 20, 2010.

–

It’s important to go back and review your successes every once in awhile.  While dwelling on the past can have its disadvantages, paying attention to how far you’ve come can give you the motivation to continue going farther and ensuring that you are doing the things that add the most value to your life.

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Awhile back Chris Guillebeau had a post entitled “Glory Days” which really had a bit of a profound impact on me.  He pointed out that, everywhere you look there are people who still rely on their past accomplishments, rather than working hard to create more.  It’s like the 70 year old man who won a state football championship when he was 17 – and still talks about it on a regular basis.

I don’t want to be that person.

This concept is fresh in my mind after reading Chris’ new book “The Art of Non-Conformity”, where he discusses the topic of the glory days again. (Book comes out September 7th, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.)

I found myself thinking really hard about how the idea of glory days comes into play in my life.  The last time I read his initial post I was in the middle of my Thailand adventures and was like “ah, this doesn’t apply to me! I’m living the dream!” Well, I’m not in Thailand anymore.  I read this latest chapter from a public transit train in Portland.  Hmmm, how things have changed.

So what does this mean?  Will my time in Southeast Asia forever be known as my glory days?

Hell no.

We all go through certain phases in our life.  Some are more dedicated towards work, while others are more aimed at play.  When in work mode you have to realize that you’re doing it towards an end.  For some it’s a comfortable retirement a few decades down the road.  For me, and others like me, its a life of adventure and freedom – not just six months of it.  Lately I’ve spent a fair amount of time in front of my computer (ok, I always do), but its hard not to sometimes feel like the good days are over! I begin to wonder if this is what the rest of my life will be like?  The easy approach would be to say, “yep it is.”

But when was the easy way ever the best way?

If you aren’t consciously making an effort to live the life you want, then you won’t be.  Simple as that.  I knew when  I arrived back in Portland that it was going to be way too easy to fall back into old routines and habits.  Yet, I refuse to let that happen, because that’s exactly what I was trying to avoid when I left in the first place.  I know that the work I’m doing now is inevitably going to give me the flexibility that I crave, and ultimately should make me a lot of money in the process.

Rather than settle for the glory days, or even the glory years, I want a glory life.

I want to look  back and know that I accomplished everything I set out to, I saw everything I wanted to see, and that I didn’t ever, ever, settle for easy. Easy just isn’t worth it when there is such an awesome life out there that is hard.

Ryan and I living the glory life in Thailand earlier this year.

Yesterday I talked to my buddy Ryan for the first time in months when he called me from Cairo.  He’s been traveling for 7 months, money is starting to run a little low, and he wanted to know how he could start working for himself to sustain the lifestyle he wanted.  Now there’s a guy who’s going to have a glory life.  In half a year of travel, he has more good stories than most people will have in their entire life.  That’s the kind of life I want. One worth talking about, writing about, and more importantly, reading about.

So today you should think about your glory days. Have they already passed?  Still to come? Or are you dedicating yourself to live a glory life?  It may be hard work, but its not difficult.

If that football trophy is looking a little dusty by now, it may be time to think about replacing it with something else…

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People ask me all the time about what it is exactly that I do.  Each time I answer that question, I end up giving a different answer depending on what was happening that particular day.

My favorite answer is: “I golf”.

While it’s true that I do try and do that as frequently as possible, the reality is much more complex than that.  Essentially I’ve reached  my goal of having multiple streams of income.  I’ve always liked the idea of that, because it means that I’m not getting bored.  By making money from a variety of things, it ensures that I’m keeping things interesting and not getting bogged down in one repetitive task or job.

Sure I like some income producing activities more than others, but that’ll always be the case.

Entrepreneur, Employee, or both?

Over the months I’ve covered a lot of different topics on this site, however I recognize that I’ve been particularly vague about how I actually support myself.  I throw around the term entrepreneur a lot.  While I definitely fall into that category, there are also some things I do that don’t fall into that category.

I’ve got news for you.  I’ve got a job.  Two – actually.

Some of you may have known this, others may be more surprised.  While a large portion of my income does come from my own personal businesses and endeavors, I also receive a couple paychecks each month.

And you know what? I love it.

Better get started - before you end up working for him...

However, the reason I love it is because they aren’t jobs in the traditional sense.  I don’t have to show up to an office.  I have very few deadlines.  I rarely have to be anywhere at any specific time. In essence, my time is still my own.  I can golf, I can read, I can work out, I can nap.  And more importantly than any of those, I can work on my own projects.

Over the last decade there’s been a fundamental shift in the way many people conduct business.  All of a sudden results and personal accountability are more important than paying someone to sit there and spend half their day pretending to work.

By decentralizing your business and giving your employees the freedom they want, they are going to work much harder to succeed.  After all, once you have that freedom, would you want to give it up? No way, you are going to do whatever it takes to ensure that you can do that for as long as possible.

I think the reason that this works as well as it does for me, is that both the organizations I work for understand that my main motivation for working for them is to build skills, while building my personal businesses.  Don’t get me wrong, I hope to stick around in both my jobs for a long time to come – they are both blowing up, and I’m stoked to be a part of it.  However, a few years from now I’d love for it to be my business that’s blowing up.  I’d love to give someone else the opportunity I’ve got now to work remotely and build something on their own.

Job Security 2.0

A couple weeks ago I wrote a guest post for The Infopreneur called “The New Career Model.” In it, I discuss the concept of job security 2.0 and how a single paycheck from a single company isn’t nearly as secure as it once was.

Essentially what happened for me when I left my job last year, was I freed up a lot more time to network and meet people.  Through that networking I was able to generate new sources of income, as well as devote time to some affiliate marketing and side projects, which now help me support myself.

Networking forms the basis of job security 2.0.  The more people you know, the more opportunities you will have when you find yourself in need of some help.  I’d take that over a corporate paycheck any day.

Get a Job, But Not Just Any Job…

Starting a business is awesome.  You won’t find a bigger supporter of the idea.  However, for a lot of people taking that leap is a really difficult step.  To throw out all form of income and security can be a scary prospect.

Having a job such as the types that I’ve illustrated above can allow you to start taking your time back, building the skills necessary for your business to be successful, and help you ease into a life changing transition.

There are tons of ways out there to find a job that allows you to work remotely.  Whether its Craigslist, Elance, or personal networking, if you want to make money without having to show up to an office or workplace every day you absolutely can.

Getting a more fitting job can end up being one of the best steps you take towards starting a business and ditching the cublicle.

I don’t think being an entrepreneur and being an “employee” don’t have to be mutually exclusive.  What do you think?

Overcoming the Fear of Uncertainty

I’ve been talking about my upcoming guide for months.  Well, it’s finally, almost, pretty much, done.  I’ve been working really hard to get the site up, content finalized and everything in place for a launch soon.  I’m not putting an exact date on it yet, I don’t want to blow by another launch date.  This next one will be for real.

That said, all of the concepts I’ve discussed in this post are addressed in the program, and I’m really excited to start helping people get the most out of their lives.

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If you’d have asked me last year how I felt about the idea of having a routine, you probably would have received a profanity-laced tirade of epic proportions.  Last year my routine was so dull that I get bored just thinking back on it.  I’d wake up, drive to work, sit at my desk for 9 hours, maybe do a happy hour, but then come back and hang out on the couch for the rest of the night.

Rinse and Repeat.

This went on month after month and eventually it takes its toll on you.  One person can only handle so much monotony.  It’s a slippery slope too.   Getting out of habits such as that, are much, much more difficult than falling into them.  I still remember how good it felt to go workout at 8 in the morning on the first day after leaving my job (I don’t think the terror of what I’d done had set in at that point).

What I’m getting to with all of this is that for a long time, I despised the routine.  However, I’m realizing that it wasn’t the idea of the routine that I hated, it was just the specific pattern that I’d found myself in.

Life is a lot better when this is part of my routine

Now that I’m back in Portland, one of the things I’ve realized is that if I’m going to be as productive as I want to be, some kind of routine is going to be necessary.  I’ve got two options:

1. Fall back into a drab, boring cycle of sitting in front of my computer all day, everyday.  This may even be worse, since now I don’t even have anyone to socialize with like I did in an office.
2. Set a routine that allows me to get work done during my most productive hours of the day, while planning other stuff around it.

I’m writing this, because I’ve experienced a little bit of both since I’ve been back.  There have been a couple days where I’ve sat at home in front of my computer for close to 10 hours, and as much as I hate to admit it, probably only worked for a third of the time.  This obviously doesn’t work.  In my efforts to be more productive by spending more time at my computer, I’m actually killing the productivity.  It’s funny how that works.

Then there are the rest of the days.  The ones where I work around 6 hours in the morning and then schedule something in the afternoons or evenings.  Whether it’s a work related meeting, a photography shoot, or just hanging out with friends, doing this doubles the 3 or so hours of productivity I have when I just sit around all day.

When I know I have some place to be, I’m much more diligent about actually getting stuff done, because I know I won’t have the opportunity later on.

When you feel like you can put something off, you will.  Or at least thats been my experience.

So what does this have to do with a routine?  Previously, I used to think of routine as a bad word.  The one I’d fallen into was so far from ideal, that I took any concept of the term and gave it a negative connotation.  When the reality is that a routine can be extremely beneficial as well.  Whether its simply making a pot of coffee each morning, writing down the next days to-do list each night, or scheduling activities every afternoon – these are all part of my new routine.  Just because you have a healthy routine doesn’t mean that everyday is the same.  Now that I realize this, I’m much more apt to stick to what is currently working.

Having now both experienced exact opposite lifestyles in the past year (desk job vs. Bangkok life), its my goal to find the balance between the two now.  I probably won’t be out until sunrise each morning like was sometimes the case in Thailand, but I also can’t allow myself to succumb to a self imposed desk job either.  Finding the balance between the two lives and recognizing that I have the freedom to shape everyday to my liking, can be a challenge – granted one I’m extremely thankful to have.

Take this opportunity to think  about your routine.  Is it helping or hurting your productivity and mindset?  What are the things you do on a regular basis that really help you to succeed and operate at a high level.  Tell us about it in the comments!

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After nearly seven months that went by way quicker than I’d even realized, I find myself back in Portland, Oregon.

In the five days I’ve been here I’ve found that the weather is even more beautiful than I’d hoped, the beer is even better than I remember, and having a flexible lifestyle in the States is going to be even more enjoyable than I’d imagined.

Over the past three days I’ve done something that I haven’t done in, well, I can’t remember how long.  I’ve been completely shut off from the internet and my computer.  I’ve been spending time with friends that I haven’t seen since I returned and going to events that I’ve been looking forward to  for months. Somehow during that time, internet just didn’t quite seem to fit in.

And surprisingly, the world didn’t come to an end…

This weekend has taught me how important it is to take time to really enjoy the things that are worth living for in life.  I’ve been so caught up in work and projects over the past few months, that I think part of me forgot this.  Even when I was doing cool stuff like scuba diving in Ko Tao or motor-biking through Bali, I always felt guilty about it.  There was work that I could have been doing, so I felt like that’s where I needed to be.  But there will always be work that can be done. One of the fundamental components of the location independent lifestyle is learning how to embrace the fact that just because you can work, doesn’t mean you should work.

My new (old) home of Portland

In order to be successful in this lifestyle, I’m finding how necessary it is to “turn off” during tim es when I’ve told myself I would do so.  If I’m going to golf for an afternoon or take a bike ride, I need to enjoy it! The work will always be there when I get back, but nothing is going to be getting done while I’m gone regardless – so stressing about it has no positive effect, and in fact diminishes what could be a stress relieving activity.

I constantly struggle with this.

However this weekend I had no problem turning work off for a few days.  And you know what? It felt good.  If I can continue to embrace this mindset, I know that this is going to be one hell of a summer.  Between all of the stuff that is in store for both my work and my social life, I’m really excited to enjoy a summer in the northwest.

Quick side note: I’m currently on the metro train back to the other side of town, and just passed my old office building.  Man, to think that this time last year I would have been in a suit and tie and sitting in an office building is startling.  It’s completely sunny and 88 degrees out, the most perfect weather I could ask for.  It’s moments like this I know I’ve done something right.

So this will be the end of my transitional posts for awhile.  I know the last few have pretty much only been about my preparing to move back, moving back, and now being back.  That’s cool and all, but I know you are probably ready for something a bit different!  Stay tuned later this week for something a bit more substantial.

In the meantime, go do something fun.  Seriously – you’ll be glad you did.

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I am probably 37,000 feet up by the time you read this, so I will approve any comments and respond as soon as I land!

Over the past 9 or so months I’ve been incredibly selfish.

Now, I’m not saying I’ve done anything wrong, or that looking back I should have done anything differently, but the fact of the matter is that I’ve been focused only for what is best for me, with little regard for those around me.

That said, just about everyone around me has been incredibly supportive of everything I’ve been doing.  Even my family and close friends who have been affected the most by me quitting my job and moving to a foreign country for half a year have had very few bad things to say and have made it clear that they just want me to be happy.

That’s pretty cool.

Throughout this journey I’ve met a ton of people whose loved ones weren’t so ok with their live choices.  Parents disowning children, relationships ending in ruins and best friends that are no longer – I’ve really been surprised at the lack of support some people have exhibited for those going against the grain (or even those just wanting to do a little traveling).

I’m currently sitting at Suvarnabhumi International Airport (and now Incheon International in Seoul as I edit this) reflecting on everything that has occurred this year.  I couldn’t be more excited about going home to Portland, but at the same time it will be impossible to not miss the city and country that has treated me so well.

I’m actually incredibly thankful for Bangkok.

Last year I was clueless as to what I wanted out of life.  I didn’t know where my priorities were, I didn’t know what kind of career I wanted, and I didn’t know where I wanted to be.  I’ve now figured out the answers to all of those concerns (or at least gotten much, much closer), and I know that it wouldn’t have happened without Bangkok.

Coming to this city gave me the opportunity to break away from the incredibly comfortable life that I’ve been living for the last 25 years.  I was able to get out of my comfort zone and experience new adventures on a daily basis.  Coming here gave me the time to explore my hobbies and passions, and have helped me to realize which ones I miss the most (I’m really looking forward to playing a round of golf next week), and which ones may not have been that important.

I’m thankful for Dan and the Tropical MBA.  Were it not for him taking a chance on me, none of this would have happened.  I would have had a completely different year, and frankly I guarantee it wouldn’t have been as much fun and as productive as it ended up being.  I’ve found people to build a business with that share the same goals as me, are willing to work extraordinarily hard to achieve them, but also know how to have fun in the process.  I can’t wait to see where things go from here now that a solid foundation has been laid.

However most of all, I’m thankful for my closest friends and family.

I thought about going through and calling each of you out by name, but rather than do that I’m just going to say that in addition to the other things mentioned, its your support that has allowed me to do all of this.  As much as I believe that everyone has to live their own lives, and make tough choices to ultimately do the stuff they want in life, the support by those around me has made it much, MUCH easier for me to make those choices.

"I hate leaving, but I love comin' home again"

So now my choice is to come home (for awhile at least).    Traveling is still going to play a big part of my life, and I already have a lot of ideas about what the next adventure could be.  But at this point I can’t wait to have an ice cold Mirror Pond, a backyard bbq with my best friends, and get to work on building my empire from a place with fast enough internet to enable me to do so.

Oh yeah, I’m also really thankful for fast internet.

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to scuba dive.

When I was younger I used to get incredibly jealous when my dad and uncle would leave on dive trips, and I’d have to stay at home and do fun things like go to school.  Exotic places like Cozumel, Roatan and Thailand became implanted in my brain as these holy grail destinations – perhaps that’s what led me down my current path.

For years, I considered the prospect of getting certified, but there were numerous road blocks that always got in my way.  First off, is the proximity factor.  While the Willamette Valley is a mere hour drive from the Oregon coast, the diving conditions you would find there are far from ideal.  I mean who really wants to hop in water barely above freezing in a full dry suit with visibility that’s equivalent to that of your great-grandpa’s when he forgets to put on his glasses? Yeah, me either.

Then there were the physical limitations.  Something most people don’t know about me is that when I was younger I had a myriad of ear problems.  Constant ear infections, three sets of tubes, and a completely rebuilt left ear drum later, I can say I am 100% – I know this now.

Koh Nang Yuan off the coast of Ko Tao, Thailand

While these ear problems happened over a decade ago, there was still the concern that I wouldn’t be able to properly equalize if I were to dive.  This fear has kept me from taking a class on it in college, and unfortunately it’s what has made me delay attempting it until 7 days before I depart one of the dive capitals of the world.

However, I knew that if I didn’t give it a shot, I’d regret it forever, and probably never actually go through with it.

So I did.

I found one of the many dive shops on Ko Tao that offer “try dives” or “discovery dives”.  I paid my 1500 baht and hopped on the boat with no sense of what would happen.  It was a beautiful day and our dive site couldn’t have been better.  Named Japanese Gardens for the rock formations that surround the bay, we found ourselves near the island of Koh Nang Yuan – what can only be described as one of the most beautiful beaches on earth.

I had no problem at all with the 45 minutes of training – I was actually surprised at how natural everything felt.  Whether it was breathing underwater, clearing my mask or finding my regulator, I was a natural.

That is, until the words came out of my instructor Tom’s mouth: “Alright, lets go for a dive!”

That’s when the nerves kicked in a bit.  I was actually surprised at how the mention of equalizing was a bit of an afterthought.  He explained how to do it, but was much more concerned with other aspects of diving.    I never thought that something that’s been haunting me for years would be mentioned for a mere 30 seconds before diving into the crystal clear abyss.

And then I went.

Tate and I preparing for our first dive

There was some adjustment, and even some minor discomfort, but somehow minutes later I was swimming around at about 6 meters completely oblivious to the fact that I ever had ear problems.  I was jetting through schools of small fish, and observing blue spotted stingrays as they fluttered around below me.  I even dodged a few attacks by a trigger fish.

This is what I’d been putting off for 25 years?  Man, I’m an idiot.

More so for the fact that I didn’t give it a shot sometime in the last 6 months – I can forgive myself for the rest of the time.

About to take the plunge

I could have been certified and exploring some of the most majestic spots on earth for months, and yet I found it easier to put it off and continue to wonder about what could be.

As I mentioned, had I left Thailand without giving diving a shot, I don’t think I would have forgiven myself.  For months I’ve been harping on about overcoming the fear of uncertainty.  Hell I’ve written a whole book on the subject, but this is one time, where I truly realized how little we actually have to be afraid of, and how important it is that we don’t let our fears get the best of us.

If there’s ever been something you’ve wanted to do, but have put it off, don’t put it off anymore.  Life presents itself with opportunities to make you a better person and ways to actually do all of those things you say you’d like to.

When one of those opportunities comes your way, how are you going to react?

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I feel like I’ve been doing more traveling over the last month than I had in the previous six months combined.  Although I guess when I think back, I’ve been a lot of places and seen a LOT of cool stuff.

Currently I’m writing from a nice bakery on the Thai island of Ko Tao.  Ko Tao is without a doubt one of my favorite islands that I’ve been to thus far.  A far cry from the insanity that is Koh Phi Phi, as soon as you get off the boat you can tell that this place is much more tranquil.  Ko Tao is one of the dive capitals of Thailand, and I think we are probably the only people around who aren’t here to make diving their primary focus.

If there is one thing that I’ve realized over the past six months its the importance of having good friends in your life.  I’m currently here with a cool mix of old friends such as my girlfriend Tate and her cousin Abby, as well as new friends such as David Walsh, Derek Johanson, Clay Boeschen and Blake Jakopovic.  Its cool to be able to experience this place with some of my favorite  people , yet at the same time it makes me wish that there were a few people from back home who could experience it as well.

Sairee Beach on Ko Tao

Tomorrow I’m hoping to accomplish another goal I’ve had forever which is to go scuba diving.  My whole life I’ve had some recurring ear problems, and while they haven’t been an issue for years, there’s still a question of whether or not I’ll be able to properly equalize.  I figure if I don’t do it now, I never will, so I will keep you posted on how that goes.

UPDATE: Since I first wrote this a few days ago I have SUCCESSFULLY completed my first scuba dive.  More on that soon.

In the spirit of keeping you up to date, I also have another announcement to make.  If you’ve been following me on Twitter, or are subscribed to the Location 180 mailing list, you may already know, but:

On July 20th I will be headed back to Portland, Oregon.

As I’ve started telling people about this plan over the last couple weeks, I’ve received a wide variety of reactions.  From excitement to disgust to the most common of surprise, I’ve seen a far greater spectrum of feelings that I’d anticipated.

A lot of people who’ve reading about my travels at Location 180 and talking to me about them, are wondering why on Earth I would give up everything I have here?  Well the fact of the matter, is that I’m not giving up anything. The beauty of this lifestyle is that I can literally do it from anywhere I want, and the response I keep telling people is that:

There is no place in the world that I would rather spend the summer than in the Pacific Northwest

Incredible festivals and events.  Outdoor activities that a second to none. Friends and family.  The thought of that was too much to pass up.  Not to mention its been years since I’ve been able to really spend a summer in Portland enjoying all of these things without the chain of a 9 to 5 job.  To be able to craft my schedule around work, and enjoy all of the things an Oregon summer has to offer is really exciting.

The flexibility of the work I do with the Tropical MBA a big reason that this is possible, and I’m really excited about where that business is heading and my role in it.  There will be more updates on that in the coming weeks, but I think I will be able to add just as much if not more value to those endeavors back in the US as I am here.

So that’s my plan.  Obviously the writing here will be slightly different considering I won’t be living in South East Asia, but I’m really excited to start exploring some different topics and looking at another side of the location independent lifestyle.

It will be interesting to share my experiences going back and to see how I deal with things like sticker shock, not having a car, interacting with people who may not have the same mindset as me, and not to mention just being able to share all of the awesome things that are in store for the next few months.

Realistically I couldn’t tell you what will happen after the summer, and I don’t really want to worry too much about that right now.  I’m hoping to make a trip out to NYC for the first time ever at some point, and then maybe spend some time skiing and living in the mountains for awhile in the winter, but those decisions are still a long way out.

The bottom line is that coming to Thailand has been the greatest experience of my life, and I know I’m a much more self-assured and better off person because of it.  It will be a challenge to keep the mindset I now have in a place where so few people share my sentiments, but it’s one that I’m prepared and excited for.

In the meantime, I plan on enjoying my last week here with some of the coolest people I’ve ever met, have a few more memorable experiences, and then prepare myself for the next chapter in a story that keeps getting better and better.

If you have any questions, comments, thoughts etc. I’d love to hear about them!  Leave me a comment or shoot me an email!

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Have you ever had something you’ve really wanted to learn how to do, but couldn’t seem to pry yourself away from work long enough to actually get it done?  Yeah, me too.

My whole life I’ve had an interest in photography.  I’ve always wanted the ability to be able to capture the photo that would make people say “wow”.  However, up until recently I never really put much effort into it.  My high school photography teacher told me that my pinhole camera was one of the worst constructed she’d ever seen – needless to say that class left me slightly disillusioned.

More importantly, I think I always thought that I had to have a decent camera in order to be able to learn the skills necessary to become a good photographer.  The reality is that this is partly true.  In college I had a decent Canon point and shoot with some manual settings, which allowed me to experiment a little bit, but the frustration of the cumbersome menu systems never really did much for me.  Sure you can practice composition and things like that, but when it takes two minutes just to go in and change the aperature, my ADD got the best of me.  I think I was able to take one good photo with that camera.

The one Photo I liked - Proxy Falls

About a year and a half ago my dad, who was always a natural at taking photos, went out and bought a Nikon D90. Alright, now we are talking!   I’d always wanted a DSLR, but never actually thought I would ever get one.  I spent the next year stealing his camera and pretending like I knew what I was doing.  People would look at me like I was an actual photographer.  Ha. Little did they know how clueless I was…Either way, it was awesome even if I never really did much to perfect my skills.

Looking back I realized that the times I did have the camera I was just so excited to take photos with it that I wasn’t thinking about how to take better photos with it.  It was always on a weekend or when I was doing some other kind of traveling, and I just could never motivate myself to make the time to do it.

Throughout all that, I’d still never actually thought about the prospect of buying one myself.

Until I decided to move to Thailand.

I knew I was going to be living abroad for at least 6 months and would probably never have a better opportunity to hone my skills.  After a month of debating, and a long lecture from my girlfriend about how I would regret it if I didnt buy it, I went out and bought a Nikon D5000 with an 18-200mm Sigma lens.

Quite possibly one of the best purchases of my life.

I’ve never been the most artistic person.  Let me rephrase that, I suck at any thing artistic.

I can’t draw, I can’t paint, and you should see some of the pottery that I created a  few years ago – it’s that bad.

So the concept of being able to be artistic regardless of my lack of traditional artistic skills was really exciting to me.  I’ve now spent the last 6 months actually learning how to use my camera, and learning the basics of what it can do.  That coupled with a newfound affinity for HDR (High Dynamic Range) Photography, and I’ve found a passion that will stick with me for awhile.

The best part about living the location independent lifestyle is that it is easy to make time for things like taking photos.  Whenever the light is right I can hop up on the roof and snap a few shots.  If I want to take a day off and spend all day walking around the city with my camera, I can!

There is a lot of talk about the more grandiose aspects of working for yourself and being location independent.  For as great as all of that is, it is often the little things that make everything so fulfilling.  I’ve been able to swim laps every day this week.  I’ve swam more in the last 7 days than I have in the last 7 years.

Sun setting over Manila with Manila Bay in the Background

Another added benefit of regaining your time  is that many of the things I love to do are learning skills that will benefit the business side of my life at one point later on anyway.  Perhaps it’s learning how to take a professional quality photo, and then learning how to touch it up using Photoshop.  I spent an entire day awhile back doing Lynda tutorials for Adobe Illustrator.  What once would have taken up an entire Saturday, and probably wouldn’t have ever gotten done, can now be done whenever I want.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the busyness of life.  Don’t forget to take the time out to do the things that make you happy.  Over the last six months I’ve developed a much stronger sense of why I want to life this kind of life.  When all of this began I think it mostly came down to the fact that I was slowly suffocating from the tie I had to wear everyday.  Now I recognize all of the little benefits that come along with regaining your time.

The core purpose of this post is to get you to think about your goals and your passions that you may have neglected to make time for.  You only have so much time in the day, you might as well spend as much of it as possible doing things you love.

You can find more examples of me exploring my passion for HDR photography on my new site.

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For the longest time in my life, I’ve struggled with finding balance.  I was always the guy that would get ridiculously excited about something and then let my world revolve around it until I lose interest.  This has happened with everything from golf and rock climbing (which I usually get reinvigorated on about once a year) to business start up ideas.  Oh the business ideas. I could go on for days with things that I was convinced would be the best businesses ever, only to lose interest a week later.

The point here is that rather than staying level headed and continuing to live a balanced life amidst the new found obsessions, I’d let them dictate how my life went.  It is a very unflattering trait considering the lack of follow through on all of these things.  It may not be so bad if in the process I became a scratch golfer and a millionaire 20 times over after selling so many successful businesses.  But alas, this is not the case.

It can be even more difficult to find balance in an entrepreneurial and/or location independent situation.  At least in a 9 to 5, you know that work is (hopefully) only going to take up those hours of the day.  You have a convenient one hour window during lunch where you can work out, and then the rest of the time is spent doing whatever it is you want to be doing.

Well now I have 24 hours in a day to do whatever it is I want to be doing.  Things aren’t so convenient anymore, and without a little discipline I end up letting Mr. Tropical MBA buy me buckets of beers every night.

NOTE: I should probably mention I’m at a bar drinking beer right now…well hey, I’m getting better at balance already! But I digress.

Manila as seen from the Helipad of my apartment

Now I have to force myself to structure my life in a way that I will be productive, and it has taken a lot of trial and error to figure out what that magical formula is.  Even now that I know what it is, it certainly isn’t always easy to follow through.  Much of this relates back to my post about Pretending to Have a Boss.  I’m usually most successful when I plan in advance, and treat my life as though I have “real” job; although there are definitely people who disagree with this as evidenced by some of the comments.

If I don’t plan, I fail. Simple as that.

The days I’m most productive are the ones where I set a schedule the night before.  I have a to-do list, which is set in stone.  Meaning, once I finish something, I don’t add more stuff to the list.  In an environment where you are thinking about work or projects 24/7 it allows you to remember to take some time to enjoy life!  I should clarify that most of what I do I don’t consider work, since it excites me and I enjoy doing it.  But sometimes even that isn’t enough to let procrastination slip in.

There are also a few key bullet points I’ve found to be absolutely vital to the idea of maintaining a balanced life:

• Get Enough Sleep. This week I got my first cold since I’ve been in Asia. I think the biggest reason for this was not getting enough sleep. I’m not gonna lie, when buckets of beer are only 3 bucks, it makes it really easy to stay out way too late. Especially considering that drinking seems to be about all people do in this country. You think I’m joking…

Note: I am not the alcoholic that this post is making me out to be.

• Exercise and Eat Well. I’ve never been very good at either of these things. Sure there have been periods of time where I’ve stuck to a fairly diligent workout schedule and ordered a salad instead of a cheeseburger, but let’s face it, it is way easier to be lazy and eat like it’s going out of style. This is a huge issue here in the Philippines. You are surrounded by American fast food joints, and Filipino food is even MORE unhealthy than that, if you can believe it. I think I’ve gained about 10 pounds in a week and a half. Since I finally made a vow to eat fruit, drink water, and swim 20 laps a day, I’ve felt better than I have in a long time. Well, at least I do today – the first day in weeks that I combined tips 1 and 2 together…I’ll let you know how tomorrow goes.
• Forget About Work. As I mentioned earlier, work can have a tendency to consume you if you let it. SO DON’T LET IT. Make time for all the things you really want to be doing. This goes for those of you in jobs too. I know a ton of people who have months of vacation time saved up, but feel too bad about using them. Take your vacations. Go to Bali with me.
• Ignore the Fact that these are Really Generic Tips. Because you know what? They are absolutely true. This is one of those posts that I’ll go back and review once a month when I forget all of the stuff that I am talking about here. Sometimes the answers are simple, you just need a good reminder.

Balance is essential to success in life.  If you over indulge in one aspect or completely ignore another, it’s going to catch up with you eventually.  That’s something I know you can all attest to as well.  It doesn’t matter if it is drinking too much, working too much, not working enough, or even not having enough fun - life is a balancing act, so join the circus.

I’ve really gained perspective on this lately.  Sometimes it takes being out of your element for a bit to bring things back to the basics of what is important and how to achieve that.

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