The Art of Non-Conformity: Unconventional Strategies for Life, Work, and Travel

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Image by kazze

Let’s say you have a decent little business going. Something on the Internet, perhaps—since that’s the way an estimated 24 million of us earn our living these days, just in North America alone.

I’ve found that there are two sets of Big Challenges faced by most Small Businesses. The first challenge is getting some initial cash flow heading into your PayPal account (or however you get paid). Many would-be entrepreneurs don’t pay enough attention to cash flow in the beginning, using a makeshift “if you build it, they will come” approach. Without cash flow, you can’t do anything, so it pays (literally) to focus heavily on your initial sales process.

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Image by WilliamHartz

A few days ago I wrote about my misadventures in Mongolia—the primary misadventure in that case being evicted from my guesthouse after midnight. That experience was certainly not fun while it was happening, but in the end, things turned out rather uneventfully.

As a follow-up, today I thought I’d tell you about a misadventure that was entirely of my own doing. I can blame no one but myself for this (I’d love to blame United Airlines for being so inflexible, but that would be somewhat beside the point). This misadventure is pretty much the biggest mistake I’ve made in 80+ countries of traveling. Oh, and it happened about three weeks ago.

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Image by CG

This is the story in which I fly to Mongolia for $44, get kicked out of my guesthouse after midnight, and visit the Genghis Khan brewery. Sounds like fun, right?

Well, yes. But I should first explain that in my world, a misadventure does not always refer to a bad day or an unfortunate series of events. Some misadventures can certainly turn out that way, and I’ve had my share, but more often than not a misadventure is just something that did not really go as planned.

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All images courtesy of LaserMonks.com

Monasteries all over the world have been self-supporting for centuries, and the practice of monks running a small business is nothing new. Most of them, however, don’t end up experiencing 700% annual sales growth, selling 30,000 products, and competing with Fortune 500 companies.

Instead of baking fruitcakes for the occasional visitor, the monks from Our Lady of Spring Bank Cistercian Abbey sell laser toner and business supplies throughout the United States. They’ve creatively branded themselves as LaserMonks, but they offer more than just a great story. They also help businesses save an average of 40% off printer ink and toner, and in turn, the monks donate all of their profits to charity.

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Image by quaisi

I recently got an email from a reader who said the best thing about the manifesto was that it kicked him in the ass and made him get back to working on what mattered to him.

I laughed and wrote back, “No problem. We all need a good ass-kicking sometimes.”

That’s exactly what I’m going to tell you about today—why being kicked in the behind can be a significant benefit for your productivity and focus.

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