I started my new job in Sydney today, and I must admit I've quite enjoyed the adventure that I'm going through at the moment. Staying in a serviced apartment only 30 minutes from the Sydney CBD by bus, and I catch an express bus which means it's not too busy. And it picks me up outside where I'm staying, and drops me off outside where I work. Can't ask for much more than that!
This entire experience in Sydney is a new adventure. The new job, new place to live, new ways of doing things, new people to meet, new sights to see. I'm eating out every night, while trying to make sure I eat reasonable food so that I can stay healthy while still looking after my weight.
I met a very friendly fella at the restaurant tonight. He's a regular there, he was there last night too (it's a good restaurant, I went back to it tonight), and we got to talking. Very interesting conversations for almost a couple of hours. And then it was time to leave. I was cold, I had thoughts in my head I wanted to explore, and I wanted to do some writing. So here I am.
He recommended I read some poetry by Gerald Manley Hopkins, to get an appreciation of the beauty of his words in describing things. So I will. I might get something of value from it.
It's not often you can connect with people, with strangers, who turn out to enjoy your company and your conversation. Such connections are new adventures in their own right. They lead you along paths that you never thought possible.
I went to that restaurant expecting only dinner, and instead I connected with someone interesting. It was enjoyable and rewarding having them share some of their life with me, and sharing my own with him.
New adventures. I think there's going to be many more here in Sydney.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Understanding my life with Aspergers
I've had a really amazing and enlightening few weeks, reading all about Aspergers Syndrome and the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and re-evaluating my life with this new understanding of who I am, who I have been, and why. I'm in the process of throwing everything away and starting again.
You see, I've been on a journey to understand more about myself, and along the way I've also tried teaching others what I've learned. I've written posts and articles about these things, from the experience, the understanding, and the point of views I had at the times.
I've been thinking that what I've learned can be the same for everyone. The experiences I've had and how they've shaped my thinking, I thought others could have their thinking shaped the same way. I thought I was 'normal'. But I wasn't.
Having Aspergers Syndrome in my life has forced me over the years to subconsciously modify my behaviour so that I could 'fit in' or find success. It was a process of 'this causes a negative reaction in people, so I need to find a different way of doing it.' And so I've learned to disguise who I really am so that I could be what I thought was better. And along the way, with no knowledge of anything different, I thought that I could teach others how to do the same things I was doing, to find similar successes.
But the way I think and the way I do things is different to most people, so I've come to realise that I need to re-evaluate what I'm writing and how I'm writing about it.
What is 'normal'?
Normal is simply the average of everyone, but 'normal' sets the standard that is supposed to be aspired to or adhered to. Anyone who is not 'normal' is shunned, ridiculed, or made to feel like they're not fitting in or that they're failing. They're rejected before they can have a chance to succeed at something, in their own way. 'Normal' people set the rules that others must follow, or risk being excluded.
Many of the challenges occur in the workplace. Most managers are outgoing, confident and extroverted - that's how they've become managers - and they set the standard or the rules for those that they manage. And so 'expected behaviour' becomes something that is expected of you by these outgoing, confident and extroverted managers. If you're not doing your work the same way they would, or the way they expect it to be done, then in their eyes you're 'not performing to expectations' and you risk losing your job.
Unfortunately, this happens to many people who would be able to do a good job if there were allowances made for how they need to work, but they're fired before they can achieve their success. Apparently 85% of people with Aspergers Syndrome have difficulty getting or keeping a job, mostly because they just don't 'fit in'.
Turning weaknesses into strengths
What I'm learning and discovering about myself is that all these traits I have, which I've disguised or modified over the years, are actually ok. Negative or critical reactions from people over the years had resulted in my embarrassment and led me to changing or disguising my natural traits, but the truth is that I should never have let other people's ignorance affect how I do things in my own life. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Those things which I thought were embarrassing weaknesses can be turned into strengths, simply by understanding them better. They're not weaknesses, they're simply different ways of doing things.
I've been re-evaluating some of the things that I've had problems with in the past, and understanding what I've done to avoid them. But I've realised that I'm not just avoiding some of these problems I have, I'm coping with them in ways that turn them into strengths.
Here's an example. I can't stand up in front of a group of people. Get me talking to one person, or even a few people around a table, and I can be confident and talkative. But if you get me standing up in front of even half a dozen or more people, especially strangers, with all of them looking at me as I'm trying to make some kind of presentation or explanation about something, and I will just refuse to do it. I mentally shut down. I know it's a weakness, so I've learned to do everything I can to avoid it.
However, I realised this past few days that the way I've avoided it is by turning it into a strength. I've used a projector connected to a laptop to project my work onto the wall while I've sat down in front of the laptop. Instead of standing up there with everyone looking at me, they're all looking at the work being projected in front of them instead. I can then talk them through what I'm presenting from my position in front of the laptop, with confidence and with detail, knowing that the focus is on my work - where it should be - instead of on me.
Alternatively, if a presentation is actually needed, I'll work with someone who I know is good with standing up in front of people and presenting something. I'll do the details work for them, which they're usually very bad at, and give it to them to do the presentation.
By working with my weaknesses in ways that turn them into strengths, the quality of my work is understood and appreciated. If I tried to get up there in front of people, I'd stutter, stumble over my words, lose all knowledge about what I'm doing, and completely fail to pass on the information about my work that they need. I would be judged as not knowing what I'm doing or being 'unsuitable' for the position I'm in, all because I try to do it in ways that 'normal' people would.
And many people go through this, where they're forced to do what they're uncomfortable doing, because that's what's demanded of them, and they haven't learned to change things around so that their work can be done in ways that works for them.
So things like that, in the context of recognising I have Apsergers Syndrome, is helping me understand how I work best, and how I need to make sure I continue working in ways that is best for me. It's also about setting expectations appropriately with those that are going to manage you and work with you.
I got a new job
A couple weeks ago I went for a new job in Sydney as a Senior Business Analyst with Westpac (one of Australia's leading banks). I was successful with my interview, and I got the job. I'm starting it tomorrow. But I think I got the job because I was honest about my weaknesses and how I've turned them into strengths in order to get results.
I told the recruiter about challenges I've had in the past, as per above, and how I've turned them into successful outcomes simply by making sure I do the work in ways that work for me, and I pointed out what doesn't work for me but how I've turned them around to achieve successful outcomes.
The interview was almost an hour and a half, and was quite enjoyable. He was interested in the work I've done in the past, the issues I've had, and how I've overcome them. It was almost refreshing for me to decide to be completely honest this way.
Re-evaluating my life
As a result of what I'm going through right now, looking back on my life and who I am, I'm re-evaluating everything I took for granted about what I thought I knew. This is going to lead to a change in what I write about, based on what I learn.
For example, I can see that my passive aggression wasn't the personality disorder I thought it was. It was instead a way of coping with relationships I just didn't know how to deal with properly. It's not a disorder, it's a defensive coping mechanism.
This is going to be an interesting new chapter of my journey through life.
You see, I've been on a journey to understand more about myself, and along the way I've also tried teaching others what I've learned. I've written posts and articles about these things, from the experience, the understanding, and the point of views I had at the times.
I've been thinking that what I've learned can be the same for everyone. The experiences I've had and how they've shaped my thinking, I thought others could have their thinking shaped the same way. I thought I was 'normal'. But I wasn't.
Having Aspergers Syndrome in my life has forced me over the years to subconsciously modify my behaviour so that I could 'fit in' or find success. It was a process of 'this causes a negative reaction in people, so I need to find a different way of doing it.' And so I've learned to disguise who I really am so that I could be what I thought was better. And along the way, with no knowledge of anything different, I thought that I could teach others how to do the same things I was doing, to find similar successes.
But the way I think and the way I do things is different to most people, so I've come to realise that I need to re-evaluate what I'm writing and how I'm writing about it.
What is 'normal'?
Normal is simply the average of everyone, but 'normal' sets the standard that is supposed to be aspired to or adhered to. Anyone who is not 'normal' is shunned, ridiculed, or made to feel like they're not fitting in or that they're failing. They're rejected before they can have a chance to succeed at something, in their own way. 'Normal' people set the rules that others must follow, or risk being excluded.
Many of the challenges occur in the workplace. Most managers are outgoing, confident and extroverted - that's how they've become managers - and they set the standard or the rules for those that they manage. And so 'expected behaviour' becomes something that is expected of you by these outgoing, confident and extroverted managers. If you're not doing your work the same way they would, or the way they expect it to be done, then in their eyes you're 'not performing to expectations' and you risk losing your job.
Unfortunately, this happens to many people who would be able to do a good job if there were allowances made for how they need to work, but they're fired before they can achieve their success. Apparently 85% of people with Aspergers Syndrome have difficulty getting or keeping a job, mostly because they just don't 'fit in'.
Turning weaknesses into strengths
What I'm learning and discovering about myself is that all these traits I have, which I've disguised or modified over the years, are actually ok. Negative or critical reactions from people over the years had resulted in my embarrassment and led me to changing or disguising my natural traits, but the truth is that I should never have let other people's ignorance affect how I do things in my own life. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Those things which I thought were embarrassing weaknesses can be turned into strengths, simply by understanding them better. They're not weaknesses, they're simply different ways of doing things.
I've been re-evaluating some of the things that I've had problems with in the past, and understanding what I've done to avoid them. But I've realised that I'm not just avoiding some of these problems I have, I'm coping with them in ways that turn them into strengths.
Here's an example. I can't stand up in front of a group of people. Get me talking to one person, or even a few people around a table, and I can be confident and talkative. But if you get me standing up in front of even half a dozen or more people, especially strangers, with all of them looking at me as I'm trying to make some kind of presentation or explanation about something, and I will just refuse to do it. I mentally shut down. I know it's a weakness, so I've learned to do everything I can to avoid it.
However, I realised this past few days that the way I've avoided it is by turning it into a strength. I've used a projector connected to a laptop to project my work onto the wall while I've sat down in front of the laptop. Instead of standing up there with everyone looking at me, they're all looking at the work being projected in front of them instead. I can then talk them through what I'm presenting from my position in front of the laptop, with confidence and with detail, knowing that the focus is on my work - where it should be - instead of on me.
Alternatively, if a presentation is actually needed, I'll work with someone who I know is good with standing up in front of people and presenting something. I'll do the details work for them, which they're usually very bad at, and give it to them to do the presentation.
By working with my weaknesses in ways that turn them into strengths, the quality of my work is understood and appreciated. If I tried to get up there in front of people, I'd stutter, stumble over my words, lose all knowledge about what I'm doing, and completely fail to pass on the information about my work that they need. I would be judged as not knowing what I'm doing or being 'unsuitable' for the position I'm in, all because I try to do it in ways that 'normal' people would.
And many people go through this, where they're forced to do what they're uncomfortable doing, because that's what's demanded of them, and they haven't learned to change things around so that their work can be done in ways that works for them.
So things like that, in the context of recognising I have Apsergers Syndrome, is helping me understand how I work best, and how I need to make sure I continue working in ways that is best for me. It's also about setting expectations appropriately with those that are going to manage you and work with you.
I got a new job
A couple weeks ago I went for a new job in Sydney as a Senior Business Analyst with Westpac (one of Australia's leading banks). I was successful with my interview, and I got the job. I'm starting it tomorrow. But I think I got the job because I was honest about my weaknesses and how I've turned them into strengths in order to get results.
I told the recruiter about challenges I've had in the past, as per above, and how I've turned them into successful outcomes simply by making sure I do the work in ways that work for me, and I pointed out what doesn't work for me but how I've turned them around to achieve successful outcomes.
The interview was almost an hour and a half, and was quite enjoyable. He was interested in the work I've done in the past, the issues I've had, and how I've overcome them. It was almost refreshing for me to decide to be completely honest this way.
Re-evaluating my life
As a result of what I'm going through right now, looking back on my life and who I am, I'm re-evaluating everything I took for granted about what I thought I knew. This is going to lead to a change in what I write about, based on what I learn.
For example, I can see that my passive aggression wasn't the personality disorder I thought it was. It was instead a way of coping with relationships I just didn't know how to deal with properly. It's not a disorder, it's a defensive coping mechanism.
This is going to be an interesting new chapter of my journey through life.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Aspergers and me
Back in October 2012 I learned that I may have Aspergers Syndrome. Various tests I do online put me up at the threshold or over the edge (depending on the test) and into the 'you definitely have it' area. Interestingly, when I talked about it with some of my friends, most of them have said there's no way I have it, because they don't see me doing the things that they would expect someone with Aspergers to be doing.
But they don't know the inner world I live in. They don't know what goes on inside my mind, the initial mental responses I have to situation I find myself in , but which I've learned to disguise with conversations and behaviour that is more 'socially acceptable'.
Some people have told me over the years to act from the heart, but in my heart is a lot of socially irresponsible and unacceptable mannerisms and emotions (self judgements, I know, but which are based on growing up with negative experiences resulting from them). It's been much safer for me to act from my head, because my heart... well, I no longer even know what acting from my heart looks or feels like. I sit and think about it, while knowing that's part of the problem, but I can't act on my heart when I can't imagine it first.
Everything I do is thought about, planned and rehearsed in my mind. And there's a lot of fear about rejection and mistakes and the expression of unwanted emotions that holds me back from doing many of the things that occur in my mind. Most of the time I don't know what's safe or what's not. And sometimes I say or do things which end up turning out to be the wrong thing, but I'm stubborn and I try to own it and make it part of me, when all I want to do is pretend I didn't say or do it at all.
I've spent a great deal of time and effort over the past decade in trying to understand myself more. I've discovered passive aggressive personality tendencies - the darker areas of my psyche - which I've explored and worked on overcoming. I discovered introversion and decided to embrace it as a strength instead of treat it as a weakness. And now I'm looking at what having Aspergers means to me.
Writing this, right now, has taken almost a year. It's not something I've consciously thought about for most of that time, but it's been there, in my mind. Writing this is a first step for me, to acknowledge something else about myself that I've avoided acknowledging in my life - that I didn't even know about - and to now start delving into what it actually means for me, and how I can turn perceived weaknesses into strengths.
As usual, I don't know where this will take me, but I recognise this is just another part of my own internal journey with my life, something else for me to understand about myself as I move forward.
Oh, and rest assured, I'll be seeking professional advice. :) I know that trusting online tests as a conclusive measure is very silly, so please don't start telling me I'm being silly. At best they can act as a guide, and that's exactly what I'll be using them as. I'll probably use this forum (shared also with my personal blog) to provide updates as I learn more.
Also, in closing, I think part of the reason I'm also sharing this here, sharing publicly, is to say hi to other Aspie's out there, and maybe to find out more about life from their perspective, and see how they have learned to deal with things and become more successful in their chosen ventures.
But they don't know the inner world I live in. They don't know what goes on inside my mind, the initial mental responses I have to situation I find myself in , but which I've learned to disguise with conversations and behaviour that is more 'socially acceptable'.
Some people have told me over the years to act from the heart, but in my heart is a lot of socially irresponsible and unacceptable mannerisms and emotions (self judgements, I know, but which are based on growing up with negative experiences resulting from them). It's been much safer for me to act from my head, because my heart... well, I no longer even know what acting from my heart looks or feels like. I sit and think about it, while knowing that's part of the problem, but I can't act on my heart when I can't imagine it first.
Everything I do is thought about, planned and rehearsed in my mind. And there's a lot of fear about rejection and mistakes and the expression of unwanted emotions that holds me back from doing many of the things that occur in my mind. Most of the time I don't know what's safe or what's not. And sometimes I say or do things which end up turning out to be the wrong thing, but I'm stubborn and I try to own it and make it part of me, when all I want to do is pretend I didn't say or do it at all.
I've spent a great deal of time and effort over the past decade in trying to understand myself more. I've discovered passive aggressive personality tendencies - the darker areas of my psyche - which I've explored and worked on overcoming. I discovered introversion and decided to embrace it as a strength instead of treat it as a weakness. And now I'm looking at what having Aspergers means to me.
Writing this, right now, has taken almost a year. It's not something I've consciously thought about for most of that time, but it's been there, in my mind. Writing this is a first step for me, to acknowledge something else about myself that I've avoided acknowledging in my life - that I didn't even know about - and to now start delving into what it actually means for me, and how I can turn perceived weaknesses into strengths.
As usual, I don't know where this will take me, but I recognise this is just another part of my own internal journey with my life, something else for me to understand about myself as I move forward.
Oh, and rest assured, I'll be seeking professional advice. :) I know that trusting online tests as a conclusive measure is very silly, so please don't start telling me I'm being silly. At best they can act as a guide, and that's exactly what I'll be using them as. I'll probably use this forum (shared also with my personal blog) to provide updates as I learn more.
Also, in closing, I think part of the reason I'm also sharing this here, sharing publicly, is to say hi to other Aspie's out there, and maybe to find out more about life from their perspective, and see how they have learned to deal with things and become more successful in their chosen ventures.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Creating a reality of your own choosing
"Your life today is a result of the choices you've made over the past five years. Your life five years from now will be a result of the choices you make today. Choose wisely."
Quantum physics seems to state that for every choice available to us, an alternate reality comes into existence in an alternate, mirror reality where that choice becomes real and is played out for a brief time before dissipating due to lack of energy. It also seems to state that what we imagine as choices also become realities in their own right.
What we see in our minds becomes real in another reality, but it has a limited 'lifespan' unless we take action to make that choice permanent. Then that alternate reality becomes the reality we choose to enter, the path that splits off that we choose to follow. We've put energy into it, and it becomes permanent as a result.
So when that kind of understanding occurs, that what you see in your mind CAN become real if you take 'action steps' to make it happen, then you have the power to create a reality of your choosing, rather than reside in a reality that simply occurs around you, without your direct input.
You create with your mind a whole bunch of alternate realities on a daily basis, but the actions you take determine the reality you choose to be part of.
As a result, you can control your reality by taking action on those things that will lead you into the reality of your choosing.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Traveler Interview: Johnny Ward of One Step 4 Ward
We have a new interview today with Johnny Ward, who's been travelling around the world for about 7 years so far. I've particularly enjoyed reading not only his blog posts about his travels and experiences, but also his rants and advice about making money. In the rants you can often find truths that many people don't talk about, and the 'making money' bit... well, I'm particularly interested in that!
Without further ado, let's get into the interview.
Could you please tell the readers a little bit about yourself?
Sure, I'm a nomadic Irishman - been on the road since graduating Uni in 2007, I've travelled to over 100 countries and I run a business for about 10 hours per week from my laptop. On the rare occasions when i'm not on the road, I'm based in Bangkok, Thailand where I have an apartment in the city.
Why have you chosen Bangkok as your base?
Bangkok is a real hub for 'digital nomads'. The lifestyle vrs cost of living is unparalled around the world. For a budget of around $3k per month you can have a tailor, a maid, a city centre apartment, a personal trainer etc. It's really something special.
You started travelling back in 2006 - why did you make that choice?
I come from a really small town in Ireland, I grew up in a single parent family with no money so the prospects of world travel were slim. I always dreamt of far away places but they never seemed feasible. Then as soon as I graduated I thought 'screw this, let's give it a go!', that was 7 years ago and i'm still going!
What would you say is the motivation that keeps you going?
I have a dream to visit every country in the world, that's something I'd be very proud to acheive. So I don't wanna rest until then! Also, from my fan page I'm aware how many people would love to be doing what I'm doing, so I feel compelled to enjoy the opportunities that I have as much as i can.
In your travels so far, have you found a favourite country?
To live, Thailand hand's down. But not to travel in, that's been done, and done again! To travel in, I'd say Ethiopia, or Iceland (or Papua New Guinea) - you get much more authentic experiences if you venture a little further than the others.
So why is Thailand your favourite country to live in, and why are the other three countries your favourite to travel in?
Living in Thailand, like I said earlier, is just just an amazing lifestyle. I can recover from my road-weariness, get stuck into some more online projects with decent internet, I can continue learning Thai and the restaurant/bar/club scene in Bangkok is really fun too.
Traveling in Ethiopia remains one of my favourite backpacking destinations. It's super cheap, but with so much to see. Lalibela, where churches are dug into the ground as opposed to on top of it, should be one of the most famous sites in the world and were it not in such an obscure country, it certainly would be.
Iceland at Christmas is a real bucket list ticket. The northern lights are spectacular, as is riding snowmobiles over glaciers, ice-climbing and partying in Reykjavik. It may not be cheap, but it's worth it.
PNG is a place I had been longing to visit, i love to go where other people generally don't. And like my trips in Sudan, Somalia, East Timor, Kazakhstan etc as soon as I landed in PNG i felt like i was really traveling again. I stayed with a local tribe in Medang, a small town in the north of the country. They welcomed me with a local tribal dance, I ate dinner with the chiefs - amazing!
What's been your most memorable experience in your travels?
As a huge sport fan I loved the Olympics in Bejing and the World Cup in South Africa, but I'm a huge wildlife fan so trekking with gorillas in Rwanda took my breath away.
What was it like in Beijing during the Olympics? What do you remember best about it?
Beijing was electric during the OIympics. They knew the eyes of the world were on them and they delivered. Best ever Olympics? Very possible. Beijing is always fascinating - Great Wall of China, Peking duck etc but that combined with elite sport was perfect. And China is very affordable to travel in to, another huge plus!
Have you worked out an average cost of travel per week, or does it depend on the country you're in?
Excluding business expenses, I guess I'd spend around $400 per week. Naturally it depends which country you're in but on average I'd say about $1500-$2k per month is more than adequate.
What's been the most expensive country you've travelled through, and the cheapest?
Most expensive is Bhutan, the visa is $290 PER DAY for a solo traveler! The cheapest is probably Bangladesh.
What do you do to earn money along the way?
I have a few income streams online, I run a number of websites and have a number of staff who manage them. That allows me the freedom to travel when and where i want!
What do you like and dislike about your lifestyle choice?
Dislike? Very, very little to be honest. It used to be my lack of money, but online business are growing so that's not such a worry anymore. The biggest dislike is actually a fear that it could end! Like? Everything, no boss, no alarms, indefinte travel - i wouldn't swap it for anything.
How has the travelling lifestyle changed you?
I like to think it's made me more patient, and it's certainly opened my eyes to how fortunate we are to come from 'developed' (hate the term) countries - with our health care, education, opportunities etc. I appreciate everything i have, every day and the more i travel, the more grateful i feel.
What advice would you offer people who are thinking about doing the same thing?
In terms of travel, do it and do it as soon as possible. If you want it to be a new lifestyle, then work out a way to make money online whether it's freelance skype english teaching, article writing, sales, affiliate marketing - find a way to bring it at least $1k a month, then you'll be truly free!
Thanks Johnny, I really appreciate your time!
You can find him at any of the following locations:
Without further ado, let's get into the interview.
Could you please tell the readers a little bit about yourself?
Sure, I'm a nomadic Irishman - been on the road since graduating Uni in 2007, I've travelled to over 100 countries and I run a business for about 10 hours per week from my laptop. On the rare occasions when i'm not on the road, I'm based in Bangkok, Thailand where I have an apartment in the city.
Why have you chosen Bangkok as your base?
Bangkok is a real hub for 'digital nomads'. The lifestyle vrs cost of living is unparalled around the world. For a budget of around $3k per month you can have a tailor, a maid, a city centre apartment, a personal trainer etc. It's really something special.
You started travelling back in 2006 - why did you make that choice?
I come from a really small town in Ireland, I grew up in a single parent family with no money so the prospects of world travel were slim. I always dreamt of far away places but they never seemed feasible. Then as soon as I graduated I thought 'screw this, let's give it a go!', that was 7 years ago and i'm still going!
What would you say is the motivation that keeps you going?
I have a dream to visit every country in the world, that's something I'd be very proud to acheive. So I don't wanna rest until then! Also, from my fan page I'm aware how many people would love to be doing what I'm doing, so I feel compelled to enjoy the opportunities that I have as much as i can.
In your travels so far, have you found a favourite country?
To live, Thailand hand's down. But not to travel in, that's been done, and done again! To travel in, I'd say Ethiopia, or Iceland (or Papua New Guinea) - you get much more authentic experiences if you venture a little further than the others.
So why is Thailand your favourite country to live in, and why are the other three countries your favourite to travel in?
Living in Thailand, like I said earlier, is just just an amazing lifestyle. I can recover from my road-weariness, get stuck into some more online projects with decent internet, I can continue learning Thai and the restaurant/bar/club scene in Bangkok is really fun too.
Traveling in Ethiopia remains one of my favourite backpacking destinations. It's super cheap, but with so much to see. Lalibela, where churches are dug into the ground as opposed to on top of it, should be one of the most famous sites in the world and were it not in such an obscure country, it certainly would be.
Iceland at Christmas is a real bucket list ticket. The northern lights are spectacular, as is riding snowmobiles over glaciers, ice-climbing and partying in Reykjavik. It may not be cheap, but it's worth it.
PNG is a place I had been longing to visit, i love to go where other people generally don't. And like my trips in Sudan, Somalia, East Timor, Kazakhstan etc as soon as I landed in PNG i felt like i was really traveling again. I stayed with a local tribe in Medang, a small town in the north of the country. They welcomed me with a local tribal dance, I ate dinner with the chiefs - amazing!
What's been your most memorable experience in your travels?
As a huge sport fan I loved the Olympics in Bejing and the World Cup in South Africa, but I'm a huge wildlife fan so trekking with gorillas in Rwanda took my breath away.
What was it like in Beijing during the Olympics? What do you remember best about it?
Beijing was electric during the OIympics. They knew the eyes of the world were on them and they delivered. Best ever Olympics? Very possible. Beijing is always fascinating - Great Wall of China, Peking duck etc but that combined with elite sport was perfect. And China is very affordable to travel in to, another huge plus!
Have you worked out an average cost of travel per week, or does it depend on the country you're in?
Excluding business expenses, I guess I'd spend around $400 per week. Naturally it depends which country you're in but on average I'd say about $1500-$2k per month is more than adequate.
What's been the most expensive country you've travelled through, and the cheapest?
Most expensive is Bhutan, the visa is $290 PER DAY for a solo traveler! The cheapest is probably Bangladesh.
What do you do to earn money along the way?
I have a few income streams online, I run a number of websites and have a number of staff who manage them. That allows me the freedom to travel when and where i want!
What do you like and dislike about your lifestyle choice?
Dislike? Very, very little to be honest. It used to be my lack of money, but online business are growing so that's not such a worry anymore. The biggest dislike is actually a fear that it could end! Like? Everything, no boss, no alarms, indefinte travel - i wouldn't swap it for anything.
How has the travelling lifestyle changed you?
I like to think it's made me more patient, and it's certainly opened my eyes to how fortunate we are to come from 'developed' (hate the term) countries - with our health care, education, opportunities etc. I appreciate everything i have, every day and the more i travel, the more grateful i feel.
What advice would you offer people who are thinking about doing the same thing?
In terms of travel, do it and do it as soon as possible. If you want it to be a new lifestyle, then work out a way to make money online whether it's freelance skype english teaching, article writing, sales, affiliate marketing - find a way to bring it at least $1k a month, then you'll be truly free!
Thanks Johnny, I really appreciate your time!
You can find him at any of the following locations:
- Travel blog: One Step 4 Ward
- Twitter: onestep4ward
- Facebook: onestep4ward
Thursday, June 6, 2013
A quick way to determine your personality type
Most people like a quick way of determining their personality type without needing to do a test. They might not have enough time, or maybe their personality type just doesn't like doing tests!
So I thought it would be a great idea to allow you to quickly work out what your personality type is likely to be.
Just have a look at the below personality traits and pick out which one from each section feels like it's you, and the result will be four letters that tell you who you are. Then click on the link for that type and read the description to find out more.
For me, it's easy to see that I'm introverted, reserved, prefer solitary activities, etc. So that makes me an I... Then I look at the next row and I can see that I'm more in my imagination and ideas and 'what might happen' than the other, so that makes me an N... So then the next row, for me, is a little bit more difficult. I can see how I would fit into the Thinking, but it doesn't feel like I am. However, I can also see that I'm just not in the Feeling side, so that essentially confirms I'm a T... And the last row tells me that I'm definitely a P.
So this is a good and quick way of determining which personality type you are. Once you've worked it out, click on the appropriate link below to read more about it.
You might also find that using the above 'quick and easy' way of determining personality types can help you understand the personality type of family, friends or anyone else that you're curious about.
Understanding more about how and why people do the things they do can be beneficial in your interactions with them.
I hope this post has been of help to you.
So I thought it would be a great idea to allow you to quickly work out what your personality type is likely to be.
Just have a look at the below personality traits and pick out which one from each section feels like it's you, and the result will be four letters that tell you who you are. Then click on the link for that type and read the description to find out more.
| Are you Extroverted or Introverted? | |
| Extraverted (E) Expressive, outgoing, prefer group activities, eager to speak their minds, more comfortable when around other people than when alone, get energized by social interaction | Introverted (I) Reserved, listen carefully, prefer solitary activities, more comfortable when alone than when around other people, get exhausted by social interactio |
| Are you Intuitive or Sensing? | |
| Intuitive (N) Introspective, rely on their imagination, absorbed in ideas, focus on what might happen | Sensing (S) Observant, rely on their senses, absorbed in practical matters, focus on what has happened |
| Are you Thinking or Feeling? | |
| Thinking (T) Tough, follow their minds, suppress feelings, focus on objectivity and rationality | Feeling (F) Sensitive, follow their hearts, keep feelings close to the surface, focus on harmony and cooperation |
| Are you Judging of Perceiving? | |
| Judging (J) Decisive, prefer clear rules and guidelines, eager to commit, see deadlines as sacred, seek closure | Perceiving (P) Probing, prefer keeping their options open, reluctant to commit, relaxed about their work, seek freedom |
For me, it's easy to see that I'm introverted, reserved, prefer solitary activities, etc. So that makes me an I... Then I look at the next row and I can see that I'm more in my imagination and ideas and 'what might happen' than the other, so that makes me an N... So then the next row, for me, is a little bit more difficult. I can see how I would fit into the Thinking, but it doesn't feel like I am. However, I can also see that I'm just not in the Feeling side, so that essentially confirms I'm a T... And the last row tells me that I'm definitely a P.
So this is a good and quick way of determining which personality type you are. Once you've worked it out, click on the appropriate link below to read more about it.
You might also find that using the above 'quick and easy' way of determining personality types can help you understand the personality type of family, friends or anyone else that you're curious about.
Understanding more about how and why people do the things they do can be beneficial in your interactions with them.
I hope this post has been of help to you.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Traveler Interview: Raam of RaamDev
Raam Dev is someone whom I consider a good friend of mine. He's stayed in my house twice now. Yeah, he came back for a second visit! It might have been the beer, I'm not sure... Anyway, I'm really happy to be presenting today's traveler interview with Raam Dev.
Raam, thank you for this interview! Could you please tell us a little about yourself first?
I'm a thinker, writer, and explorer. At 8th grade, my parents handed me the responsibility of teaching myself (I was home schooled my entire life). Fascinated by computers and technology, I taught myself web development and computer programming in my teens, inherited my parents anything-is-possible mindset, and jumped straight into working instead of pursuing a college degree (employers didn't care much that I didn't have a degree after they tested my knowledge).
Many years of climbing the career ladder and chasing dreams went by before I realized they were not my own and decided to redesign my life to better suit my nature of curiosity. I now live and travel with one backpack and a laptop. I'm fascinated by life, purpose, and meaning. How can we live better? Why are we here? What does it all mean? When I'm not writing computer code, I'm pondering those questions and writing about them.
Why did you decide to start travelling?
I've always wanted to see the world, to know that it was actually out there, to experience it with my own two eyes and my own two feet. I grew up without a television in the house, but my parents had a VCR and TV monitor and they would buy entire series of videos from National Geographic, PBS, and NOVA. I watched those series over and over, fascinated by everything.
But there came a point where I would watch those videos of kangaroos in the Australian Outback or the lions in the African Serengeti and I would be frustrated. Watching the world through a television, or later reading about the world through a computer screen, just wasn't enough for me. I needed to be out there. I wanted to be the person behind the camera, not watching an edited version of what the camera captured.
So since I was a little boy, I've always known that I would travel the world one day. In my mind it was just a matter of when, not if.
One day, after putting it off for so, so many years and telling myself that I'd get to it eventually, I felt something inside me begin to die. It was that hope, that belief that I would one day travel and see the world. Something inside me was giving up. I knew right then and there that I needed to go now or it may never happen.
So the very next moment I opened a new text file on my laptop and started drafting my resignation letter. I emailed it to my boss that evening. Six months later, after selling nearly all my stuff, I packed one small backpack and left for India, just shy of my 28th birthday.
How long have you been travelling?
Technically I've been traveling since I was a little boy. My parents took me on a six-week trip to India when I was three years old. That trip is the basis for some of my earliest memories. My parents are entrepreneurial and they were always running a business of some type, often requiring some form of travel.
I spent a large amount of my childhood in the car gazing out the window during business road trips and marveling at the Earth from the sky on short flights to major cities around the USA. But even outside the actual traveling, I think of my childhood as being one long adventure. I was always outside in the backyard, turning over rocks and exploring the big world of tiny bugs. I would swim with fish and turtles and catch frogs. In my mind, I've always been traveling somewhere.
However, outside the family business trips I did as a child and early teen, I traveled very little. Until my trip to India in 2010, I had never been outside the USA (with the exception of Canada and the trip to India when I was three). I wanted to travel, but I always found a reason to make work more important, no matter how stressful or unfulfilling.
What's your favourite country, and why?
That's hard to say. I've only been to a few, namely India, Vietnam, Nepal, and Australia. I'm on a flight to Montenegro (in Central Europe) as I type this. Of the former countries I would have to say India was the most amazing. I've spent five months there and barely scratched the surface. India is incredibly diverse and culturally rich. Those five months felt like a lifetime and I can't wait to go back. I still have so much of the world to see and explore.
What's been your most memorable experience?
When I was in Nepal, a non-profit contacted me through my website and asked me to write about the work they were doing. I told them I couldn't do that without meeting the people running the organization and seeing firsthand the work they were doing. To my surprise, I received an email back informing me that the owners' brother could pick me up the next morning and show me around. I was a little wary about going somewhere with a stranger in a country that I didn't know very well, but I took a chance.
The next morning I was picked up, on a motorcycle, and rode for the entire day through the rugged mountains of Nepal. The next day we got off the bike and hiked up into the mountains, across streams and fields of corn, to a little school nestled above the clouds. The non-profit was helping build schools in remote parts of Nepal so that children wouldn't have to walk six hours to get to class each day.
After a lunch in one of the nearby huts, they led me out to the courtyard of the school where a hundred school children stood, all the boys on one side and all the girls on the other, creating a path for me walk between them. Every single child was holding a handpicked bouquet of wildflowers. As I walked past them, each one handed their flowers to me.
I had done nothing but visit and yet I was treated like a king. A few minutes later the teachers stood up one-by-one and gave a little speech in Nepali. Then they asked me to say something. I had never given a public speech of any kind. I was home schooled my whole life. I had never even stood in front of so many children before. But how could I say no? So I stood up and I said a few words (the words escape me now).
Wealthy donors had given millions of dollars to this non-profit and here I was, with a few hundred dollars in my bank account. What could I give? What could I do? That's when I realized what I had that they didn't: access to the world, physically and through my voice and my writing. I could reach people that they couldn't. I could share their story. I could encourage others to give. I could encourage others to travel and see the world for what it really was. And that was likely worth more than any money I could donate.
What's your average cost of travel per week?
That varies greatly by country. On my first trip outside of the USA, to India in 2010, I only had $1,500 USD in my bank account. I knew I was going to be gone for six months (I had a round-trip plane ticket with a return six months out), so I divided that $1500 up and made my budget $250/month.
Believe it or not, with a little effort $250/month is actually very doable in India. I ended up going to Vietnam and Nepal during those six months and this trip wasn't about staying within budget, but rather enjoying this new experience. I did a little freelance work online while I was there to earn some extra money.
While I didn't stay within the $250/month budget I did manage to average about $500/month, which included the additional expense of flying from India, to Vietnam and then to Nepal, and then back to India.
During my trip in 2010, and for a few months after, I kept a detailed record of exactly how much I spent living this lifestyle and I published the reports on my site. Lots of people found those reports helpful and I intend to start publishing them again.
What do you do to earn money?
For the first few years after I left my job, I found occasional remote freelance work using my programming and web development skills. The work was extremely sporadic and budgeting was challenging -- some months I made $0 and other months I made $800 -- but it was worth every ounce of the freedom.
In late 2012, I was approached by a small software company called WebSharks. They make a popular WordPress Membership Plugin calleds2Member. I was hired on to help with various aspects of the business and that work currently pays the bills. It also allows me to remain location independent, as the entire team works remotely.
My long-term ambitions are with making a living through creative work and I'm working towards making a full-time income through my writing.
What do you like and dislike about your lifestyle choice?
There's nothing that I don't like about this lifestyle. I'm living exactly how I want to live. I know that my lifestyle isn't right for everyone, but everyone has a different path. This path feels right for me.
How has it changed you?
I see the world as my home and humanity as my family. The world feels both bigger and small all at the same time. I feel more grateful, more happy, and more at peace. I'm no longer so focused on myself and my own tiny world and instead see more of the bigger picture (but definitely not all of it; I've only scratched the surface). I feel a greater sense of purpose, even if I still have no idea what that purpose is.
What advice would you offer people who are thinking about doing the same thing?
Get rid of anything that doesn't help you with your goal. If you want to travel the world, owning a car (or a bicycle, or a house, or a toaster) probably isn't contributing to a goal of traveling indefinitely but rather keeping you from it.
Put yourself in the shoes of a future version of yourself who is living the lifestyle you want to live and ask that version of yourself what their world looks like. What does that future version of yourself have in their life? What kinds of choices do they make? What do they find important? Now start applying that mindset to the you of today. Start working towards that.
I was brought up believing in reincarnation, but who knows if we're reborn? Why take the chance? If you only live once you may as well be the person you want to be, the person you feel inside that you were meant to be. You already have everything you need to get there. You just need to take the next step in that direction.
Thank you Raam, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions. They're inspirational. To the rest of you, I've been a subscriber of Raam's letters for quite a while now, and I wholeheartedly recommend them to you. He's a great thinker with some great insights about life, the universe and everything.
You can find him over at raamdev.com
Raam, thank you for this interview! Could you please tell us a little about yourself first?I'm a thinker, writer, and explorer. At 8th grade, my parents handed me the responsibility of teaching myself (I was home schooled my entire life). Fascinated by computers and technology, I taught myself web development and computer programming in my teens, inherited my parents anything-is-possible mindset, and jumped straight into working instead of pursuing a college degree (employers didn't care much that I didn't have a degree after they tested my knowledge).
Many years of climbing the career ladder and chasing dreams went by before I realized they were not my own and decided to redesign my life to better suit my nature of curiosity. I now live and travel with one backpack and a laptop. I'm fascinated by life, purpose, and meaning. How can we live better? Why are we here? What does it all mean? When I'm not writing computer code, I'm pondering those questions and writing about them.
Why did you decide to start travelling?
I've always wanted to see the world, to know that it was actually out there, to experience it with my own two eyes and my own two feet. I grew up without a television in the house, but my parents had a VCR and TV monitor and they would buy entire series of videos from National Geographic, PBS, and NOVA. I watched those series over and over, fascinated by everything.
But there came a point where I would watch those videos of kangaroos in the Australian Outback or the lions in the African Serengeti and I would be frustrated. Watching the world through a television, or later reading about the world through a computer screen, just wasn't enough for me. I needed to be out there. I wanted to be the person behind the camera, not watching an edited version of what the camera captured.
So since I was a little boy, I've always known that I would travel the world one day. In my mind it was just a matter of when, not if.
One day, after putting it off for so, so many years and telling myself that I'd get to it eventually, I felt something inside me begin to die. It was that hope, that belief that I would one day travel and see the world. Something inside me was giving up. I knew right then and there that I needed to go now or it may never happen.
So the very next moment I opened a new text file on my laptop and started drafting my resignation letter. I emailed it to my boss that evening. Six months later, after selling nearly all my stuff, I packed one small backpack and left for India, just shy of my 28th birthday.
How long have you been travelling?
Technically I've been traveling since I was a little boy. My parents took me on a six-week trip to India when I was three years old. That trip is the basis for some of my earliest memories. My parents are entrepreneurial and they were always running a business of some type, often requiring some form of travel.
I spent a large amount of my childhood in the car gazing out the window during business road trips and marveling at the Earth from the sky on short flights to major cities around the USA. But even outside the actual traveling, I think of my childhood as being one long adventure. I was always outside in the backyard, turning over rocks and exploring the big world of tiny bugs. I would swim with fish and turtles and catch frogs. In my mind, I've always been traveling somewhere.
However, outside the family business trips I did as a child and early teen, I traveled very little. Until my trip to India in 2010, I had never been outside the USA (with the exception of Canada and the trip to India when I was three). I wanted to travel, but I always found a reason to make work more important, no matter how stressful or unfulfilling.
What's your favourite country, and why?
That's hard to say. I've only been to a few, namely India, Vietnam, Nepal, and Australia. I'm on a flight to Montenegro (in Central Europe) as I type this. Of the former countries I would have to say India was the most amazing. I've spent five months there and barely scratched the surface. India is incredibly diverse and culturally rich. Those five months felt like a lifetime and I can't wait to go back. I still have so much of the world to see and explore.
What's been your most memorable experience?
When I was in Nepal, a non-profit contacted me through my website and asked me to write about the work they were doing. I told them I couldn't do that without meeting the people running the organization and seeing firsthand the work they were doing. To my surprise, I received an email back informing me that the owners' brother could pick me up the next morning and show me around. I was a little wary about going somewhere with a stranger in a country that I didn't know very well, but I took a chance.
The next morning I was picked up, on a motorcycle, and rode for the entire day through the rugged mountains of Nepal. The next day we got off the bike and hiked up into the mountains, across streams and fields of corn, to a little school nestled above the clouds. The non-profit was helping build schools in remote parts of Nepal so that children wouldn't have to walk six hours to get to class each day.
After a lunch in one of the nearby huts, they led me out to the courtyard of the school where a hundred school children stood, all the boys on one side and all the girls on the other, creating a path for me walk between them. Every single child was holding a handpicked bouquet of wildflowers. As I walked past them, each one handed their flowers to me.
I had done nothing but visit and yet I was treated like a king. A few minutes later the teachers stood up one-by-one and gave a little speech in Nepali. Then they asked me to say something. I had never given a public speech of any kind. I was home schooled my whole life. I had never even stood in front of so many children before. But how could I say no? So I stood up and I said a few words (the words escape me now).
Wealthy donors had given millions of dollars to this non-profit and here I was, with a few hundred dollars in my bank account. What could I give? What could I do? That's when I realized what I had that they didn't: access to the world, physically and through my voice and my writing. I could reach people that they couldn't. I could share their story. I could encourage others to give. I could encourage others to travel and see the world for what it really was. And that was likely worth more than any money I could donate.
What's your average cost of travel per week?
That varies greatly by country. On my first trip outside of the USA, to India in 2010, I only had $1,500 USD in my bank account. I knew I was going to be gone for six months (I had a round-trip plane ticket with a return six months out), so I divided that $1500 up and made my budget $250/month.
Believe it or not, with a little effort $250/month is actually very doable in India. I ended up going to Vietnam and Nepal during those six months and this trip wasn't about staying within budget, but rather enjoying this new experience. I did a little freelance work online while I was there to earn some extra money.
While I didn't stay within the $250/month budget I did manage to average about $500/month, which included the additional expense of flying from India, to Vietnam and then to Nepal, and then back to India.
During my trip in 2010, and for a few months after, I kept a detailed record of exactly how much I spent living this lifestyle and I published the reports on my site. Lots of people found those reports helpful and I intend to start publishing them again.
What do you do to earn money?
For the first few years after I left my job, I found occasional remote freelance work using my programming and web development skills. The work was extremely sporadic and budgeting was challenging -- some months I made $0 and other months I made $800 -- but it was worth every ounce of the freedom.
In late 2012, I was approached by a small software company called WebSharks. They make a popular WordPress Membership Plugin calleds2Member. I was hired on to help with various aspects of the business and that work currently pays the bills. It also allows me to remain location independent, as the entire team works remotely.
My long-term ambitions are with making a living through creative work and I'm working towards making a full-time income through my writing.
What do you like and dislike about your lifestyle choice?
There's nothing that I don't like about this lifestyle. I'm living exactly how I want to live. I know that my lifestyle isn't right for everyone, but everyone has a different path. This path feels right for me.
How has it changed you?
I see the world as my home and humanity as my family. The world feels both bigger and small all at the same time. I feel more grateful, more happy, and more at peace. I'm no longer so focused on myself and my own tiny world and instead see more of the bigger picture (but definitely not all of it; I've only scratched the surface). I feel a greater sense of purpose, even if I still have no idea what that purpose is.
What advice would you offer people who are thinking about doing the same thing?
Get rid of anything that doesn't help you with your goal. If you want to travel the world, owning a car (or a bicycle, or a house, or a toaster) probably isn't contributing to a goal of traveling indefinitely but rather keeping you from it.
Put yourself in the shoes of a future version of yourself who is living the lifestyle you want to live and ask that version of yourself what their world looks like. What does that future version of yourself have in their life? What kinds of choices do they make? What do they find important? Now start applying that mindset to the you of today. Start working towards that.
I was brought up believing in reincarnation, but who knows if we're reborn? Why take the chance? If you only live once you may as well be the person you want to be, the person you feel inside that you were meant to be. You already have everything you need to get there. You just need to take the next step in that direction.
Thank you Raam, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions. They're inspirational. To the rest of you, I've been a subscriber of Raam's letters for quite a while now, and I wholeheartedly recommend them to you. He's a great thinker with some great insights about life, the universe and everything.
You can find him over at raamdev.com
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