2017 : The Art of Non-Conformity

Life

“It’s not about dollars or followers. It’s about long-lasting impact”: Mohammed Faris at WDS 2017

Our second superhero in our WDS 2017 speaker video series is Mohammed Faris.

Mohammed is an international author, speaker, and leader of a community with more than one million people. He started his journey in 2007 when he became obsessed with the question: "Can faith boost productivity?" Mohammed has since spent the last decade trying to answer this question—from his own Islamic faith tradition—his popular blog, ProductiveMuslim.com, and his new book The Productive Muslim: Where Faith Meets Productivity.

At WDS 2017 Mohammed taught us about the missing soul of productivity—leveraging spirituality to boost our productivity. There's a hidden element of success that, in the Islamic tradition, is called "Barakah." It can help you do more with less and live beyond your expectations.

Life

“Worrying is Not an Investment in Failure Prevention.”: Vanessa Van Edwards at WDS

Big news: we'll soon be releasing tickets for WDS 2018, our 8th annual gathering of creative, remarkable people taking place next summer in beautiful Portland, Oregon. I'd love to see you there!

For the last 7 years tickets for WDS have sold out, so make sure to join the waiting list to be the first to get notified. The next ticket sale is Wednesday, October 25th!

Leading up to the sale, I'll be sharing speaker videos from this past year's 2017 event—and here's our first, Vanessa Van Edwards.

Life

For All the Things You Can’t Control, Remember “This Too Shall Pass”

Just as there are some things that can’t be fixed, there are also some things you can’t control. This fact can be hard to accept for those of us who like to both fix and control things.

You might have a lot of influence, all the autonomy you could wish for, and independence for days—but when it comes to things you can’t control, none of that matters.

I was reading a thread on Quora recently and noticed a recurring theme in what people mentioned as being outside the realm of control.

Work

Making Money From More Than One Paycheck Can Help You Follow Your Dreams

This year I’ve been focused almost entirely on helping people take action. Side Hustle School, my daily podcast, shines a spotlight on people who are creating freedom and security for themselves (and making more money, too).

In my new book, SIDE HUSTLE, you’ll get a 27-day plan to go from idea to income. It’s meant to be as straightforward as possible: follow this plan and you will have something to show for it within a month.

A few people have asked: why is everything so practical? What happened to “follow your dreams”?

Et Cetera

SIDE HUSTLE: From Idea to Income in 27 Days (The Book Is Out!)

Hey everyone, the SIDE HUSTLE book is out!

Buy it now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks| Your local bookstore

Support your local bookstore

Join me on my 100-city tour.

Life

Thirty-Four

A man in San Francisco jumps or falls on the subway tracks. As the train approaches, the passengers all around him unite to warn the train's conductor, who’s able to slow down and prevent disaster.

The man’s life is saved—maybe not forever, but at least for a day.

I recently saw this video of CCTV footage from the incident being passed around, showing exactly what happened. There's no audio, but you can perceive the commotion and urgency of passengers frantically waving for the train to stop.

Life

Going Back to a Hard Place

Imagine revisiting a place you’d been long ago during a hard time in your life. Maybe that time was long, long ago, and the place far, far away. Or maybe it was last week, and the place is the coffee shop down the street.

Whatever the story, you walk in and experience an unpleasant flashback. You remember what happened when you received bad news, that thing that someone said, or whatever the hard time was about. But it’s not just about the memories. You can feel it. The anxiety tightens, and maybe you’re short of breath.

There's no doubt about it: that thing was hard! Not just a little hard, but hard in a life-changing way. Back then, during the time of the hard thing, you had no idea how you'd recover. You couldn't fathom ever being "okay" or normal again.

But maybe there’s also something good about this experience, the one that feels so unpleasant at first.

Life

Evening Rituals

I have one or two drinks with dinner, rarely any more.

Before bed I make a cup of herbal tea and take magnesium. Sometimes I have a square of dark chocolate.

I sit with my thoughts and my calendar. I look at my tasks. I do this in digital and analogue form. There is pen and paper and phone and MacBook Air.

I determine the priorities for the next day, with the knowledge that there can only be so many. There may be thirty things to do, but only two to three are truly critical.

In fact, it’s hard to do three. Often it’s just a maximum of two. Choosing more is a recipe for procrastination, if not outright failure.

Et Cetera

Meet Me Anywhere! Announcing the 100-City* Side Hustle Tour

Hey, everyone!

Two big things today…

My new book, Side Hustle, comes out on September 19. As part of that process, I now have the first batch of cities for my fall tour ready to go. And because pre-orders for the book make a huge difference for authors, I also have a special offer for you.

Et Cetera

Stating the Obvious: “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.”

"We'll have to repent in this generation not merely for hateful words and actions of bad people, but for appalling silence of good people.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’ve been traveling this week but also seeing the news from home. I’m not sure I have much of substance to what’s already been said. I just want to affirm the obvious: perhaps America has received the leader we deserved, not the one who was competent, but that doesn’t mean the good people of our country should go down without a fight.

I don’t support this administration and I wish I'd done more to stop it.

To those like me with all the privilege in the world, try to consider how you’d feel without it. And if it’s impossible to have that kind of empathy, at least acknowledge your privilege. It's a start.

Work

What If All Your Work Disappeared At the End of the Day?

Over the past ten years, I’ve thought a lot about building a legacy. In particular, I’ve thought about it as it relates to a body of work that you produce and share over the years. This model has kept me going for a long time.

One of the most attractive qualities of writing the blog, starting in 2008 and continuing until now (albeit in several distinct forms), was the idea that I was building a portfolio of sorts. I could write something today, and it would still be around tomorrow, next week, next year, and so on. It would, as I’ve said more than once, “go on to live a life of its own.”

But is that really true?

Et Cetera

An Early Recap of WDS 2017: 12 Photos that Tell Thousands of Words

Last week I hosted WDS 2017, our seventh annual gathering of awesome people in Portland, Oregon. This year we focused on the theme of “Building a Better World.” The intention is to encourage and empower everyone to take action that helps others. We can’t solve every problem in the world, but that doesn’t mean we should hold back from helping.

The event unfolds in a few different settings:

Main-stage keynotes
A get-to-know-you Opening Party
Hundreds of independent meetups taking place all over town
A dozen Academies, half-day workshops focusing on specific topics
Additional activities and adventures, including an interactive art installation
A truly epic Closing Party

Oh, and we also had a lot of fun!

Work

Why Ideas Are Not Enough (Or: How to Sell Out Like Iron Maiden)

Link: Perennial Seller

"What if I'm not good at making ideas happen? I just like to have ideas!"

Ever since I started Side Hustle School on January 1, I've heard this question a surprising number of times. And believe me, I know it would be nice if you could just have ideas and then someone else does things.

That's not how it works for most of us, though—even those who are successful writers, entrepreneurs, or artists of all kinds. Ideas gain value not through brainstorming but through the getting-it-done phase that all good work needs.

Et Cetera

Buy One Wedding, Get a Honeymoon Free

One time I went to Dubai for my honeymoon, except it wasn’t really my honeymoon. I was traveling with Stephanie, my longtime friend, travel hacking colleague, and frequent travel companion. Even though she is basically a member of my family, Stephanie and I aren’t partners in the romantic sense—which occasionally leads to humorous encounters when we travel.

For some reason, our hotel in Dubai had gotten the idea that it was our honeymoon. When they assigned us a luxury three-bedroom apartment as our room, we may have failed to correct their impression. We did, however, express our gratitude for the free champagne they also gave us.

Et Cetera

Announcing the Side Hustle Book: Coming September 19, 2017 (+ 100 City Tour!)

On September 19th, my new book, Side Hustle, will launch—and I can't wait to share it with you!

After much debate, here's the cover, as selected by a panel of readers who had a lot of strong opinions. 😃

The book builds on the lessons of my daily podcast, Side Hustle School, and presents a step-by-step, 27-day plan to help you create a new source of income without quitting your day job.

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