August 18, 2004

• Topic: Creating your own culture

  
  

  First of all, if you haven’t read Tuesday’s With Morrie, it takes about 2 – 3 hrs. to read even if you’re a slow reader.  Pick up the book and read it.

  
  

  Second of all, the reason I mention that, is because one of the main characters, Morrie, is giving advice as he gets closer to dying.  And this is a true story, written by Mitch Albom, the other main character in the story.  He talks a lot about creating a culture that has meaning for you, a culture different than the mainstream reality tv watching culture.  Anyways…i don’t want to get too much into that, but i wanted to make a point, what was it.

  
  

  Oh yeah…so i’m doing just what this dying man told me to do.  I’m living the dream.  I have friends who have 0 vacation days while I have 0 working days for probably a few months.  I’ll admit, my parents are paying my insurance, that’s the big thing that’s holding me back.  But everything else, getting around, living, food, social life, i’m on my own.  and whatever i’m missing by not having a lot of money or a lot of possessions, i have freedom.  There are some close to me that for various reasons are unhappy with the life i am living.  I don’t want to discuss those issues here, but only say that those who criticize this lifestyle are those who don’t understand it, in the same way i don’t criticize those who work 9-5 and live in their apartments.  I just notice that those people don’t have the passion for life that I have right now, and if people are unhappy and not doing something about it, that’s what upsets me.  It’s hard for me to not have all the people close to me fully supporting what i’m doing, but at the end of the day, i do need to make myself happy and live my life. 

  
  

  Topic: Going big

  
  

  I also feel I have something to prove.  People want to know my fall-back plan, want to know what i’m doing without a job.  Right now, my job is promoting this book, and I have every expectation of it being a success.  It’s like i’m going for a gold medal.  What’s those guys jobs.  Except for Michael Phelps, most aren’t making a lot of money in sponsorships, and they’ve spent their last 4 years doing nothing but training for a sport.  Are people hounding them about what job they’ll get?  Probably not, because by following their passion, a) they’ve been living their dream and inspiring others and b) they’ve accumulated life skills that they’ll be able to use later on.

  
  

  This book is my olympic bid.  I expect people at my university to talk about it.  I expect word of it to spread to other schools.  I expect Outward Bound to get notice of it, and for it to spread in the community, possibly even overseas.  I expect parents to get notice of it, and newspaper writers.  Those are my expectations.  They’re high, but achievable if I want them.  And if i fail.  I win for the experience.  And there’s still a world of things I can do.  So, to my skeptics, bring it on.  And to my supporters, I hope I prove to you what’s possible.

  
  

  -dan

  • 11:08 pm
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