I am NOT a status quo kind of guy! Not because I have anything against stability or because I’m an anarchist. I challenge the status quo because it lulls us into conformity, stagnation, and mediocrity. It almost silently robs us of our creativity and motivation to innovate, our wanderlust and curiosity. The idea of doing something, anything, because someone else expects me to is just insane.

Enter The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau and the very first passage I underlined in the book, “You don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to.”

For me, this book was more of a confirmation of the way I’ve been looking at life recently than any kind of revelation…. but it will totally be an eye-opener for almost everyone who reads it.

The general theme of Non-Conformity is actually pretty straightforward, Instead of living your life by the rules someone else defined (work hard, save up, retire when you’re old), decide what is important to you today and orient your life and lifestyle around that. For Chris, that means travel. He has decided to visit every country on the planet within five years. To accomplish that he has made decisions about where to live, what work to take on, whether to buy a car, buy a home or rent… all driven by his goal of world travel. He includes a quote from D.H. Lawrence that sums it up nicely, “Life is something to be spent, not saved.”

For me, its not about travel. I’ve been to several countries that I don’t care to return to and I still have a few I’d like to see, but I don’t really care about seeing them all. For you, it is likely to be something else as well. The point is pick your passion, figure out what you want to do, be, or accomplish and make a plan to do it now. Why do you want to wait till you’re old and grey to start traveling, or learning to hang glide, or make custom jewelry? Do it now! Chris can help you get started!

If you’re interested in the book, I would certainly appreciate it if you can use the (affiliate) link at the top to get The Art of Non-Conformity today from Amazon.

Chris also has a blog, not surprisingly entitled The Art of Non-Conformity. Check it out as well.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The central character of One Shot (and several other books as well) is Jack Reacher, a retired Army major and Military Police investigator. He’s retired from the Army now and society in general. He keeps no regular home, has no cell phone, and carries no clothes from town to town instead opting to just buy new outfits when the present one has run its course.

In One Shot, we find Jack in a gulf coast hotel examining the cultural differences between himself and a dancer from a Norwegian cruise ship. As he is catching up on the news he spots a report about a terrible mass murder by a sniper in a non-descript Indiana town. Jack is immediately compelled to hit the road.

Through the course of this story we learn the origins of the relationship between Reacher and the accused shooter, James Barr, what compelled Reacher to trek to Indiana, and how even the smallest detail can be the key to unlocking a series of complicated secrets.

As with other Reacher stories, we get a sprinkling of his quirks, intelligent engagement, and blasts from his past. In One Shot Child also explores the interactions of a small town legal community, the comfort of a 20 year police veteran and even former Soviet functionaries…all expertly woven together into an engaging, suspensful six hours. Overall an excellent story! Your should try it!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.