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Fishing for $1 Million Dollars

Fishing-Million-Dollars-Flickr-Dee-West
Hey everyone, it’s time for the new Sunday Store Update. I use this time every Sunday afternoon to tell you more about the small business I’m building to support the rest of the site.

I have a no-hype marketing policy, and I ask that you don’t buy anything from me unless you have a clear need for the product. All regular content is ad-free and freely available.

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This week I also want to welcome all the new readers who came over from Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project column on Slate.com. Thanks, Gretchen, and welcome, new readers.

If you’re new (or if it’s been a while), here’s a quick recap of what I do. I am a full-time writer (and traveler, entrepreneur, challenger of authority, etc.). I write for free, and I support myself from the limited products available at The Art of Nonconformity store.

It’s a small store. There are only three things for sale. (More are on the way, but I’m going the slow-and-deliberate route.)

I’ll tell you what’s in the small store, but first let’s talk about why you probably don’t need a million dollars. Do you know that story? It goes like this:

A young entrepreneur eager to get rich and make his mark on the world goes to a guru with a reputation for helping apprentices find their way. The guru asks, “Well, what do you want?”

The young student says, “I’d like to be rich,” and because he has already thought about what being rich looks like to him, he adds, “Specifically, I’d like to have $1 million dollars.”

The guru looks back at him. “And then?”

The student is puzzled, and doesn’t know what to say. The guru asks further, “What do you want it for? What will you do after you have the $1 million?”

The student hasn’t thought about this before, but he finally stammers out, “I guess I’d go fishing.”

The guru smiles. “Well, you don’t need a million dollars to go fishing. You can go right now if you want.”

My philosophy is that being able to go fishing (or whatever it is you want to do) is more important than having the million dollars, and it’s also usually easier to achieve. For most of us, our goals are related to personal freedom – the freedom to do what we really want.

Having never had a real job, my field of expertise is rather limited. I can’t tell you what color your parachute is, or the best way to answer interview questions. I don’t even know how to create millionaires.

What I know how to do is help people create abundant, fulfilling lives where they live the way they want without restrictions.

You can learn to do that without paying me or anyone else a dime. However, if you want some help with the practical details of creating your own freedom and security, that’s what I try to do with the products.

So far I have:

  • The Unconventional Guide to Working for Yourself – my 60-page ebook + audio teaching guide with the goal of helping readers create personal freedom through very small businesses. Working for Yourself is available in three versions: Basic, Complete, and Complete with Jumpstart. Each version includes a complete satisfaction-and-success guarantee. Read more here.

Because one of my personal passions is worldwide travel (107 countries and counting), I also have two travel products to help you save money on airfare and go anywhere you want.

  • Discount Airfare Guide – very simple, but regularly saves readers hundreds of dollars at a time in airfare. All for $24.97 – I know, like the Working for Yourself guide, it’s also too cheap. Read more here.
  • Travel Ninja – how to travel anywhere, anytime. This guide is more detailed and covers Round-the-World travel, vagabonding, and some “black hat” info for intermediate and advanced travelers. Read more here.

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Coming Up Soon

More products are on the way, including two new guides that address completely different issues. Because I’m writing a book, I’ve found a way to team up with a couple of people much smarter than me to ensure that the practical needs of world-changers continue to be met no matter what’s happening with me.

That’s all for this week’s store update – thanks so much to everyone who participates in the site in one way or another. Whether you’ve been reading for a while or are completely new, I’m really glad you’re here.

Tomorrow morning we’ll talk about the real world. Are you living there? I hope not. More tomorrow.

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Previous Store Updates:

The End of Consulting (March 22)
“Working for Yourself” Case Studies Needed (March 15)

Image by deedoucette

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