mytropicalescape.com

It’s the end of the year and everyone and their sister will be publishing their personal aspirations and goals for 2008. Well, of course, I am no different. However, I turned my goals and what I am planning for the New Year into a guest post over at NorthxEast because I thought it would get more readers (read: more exposure) over there.

If you would like to read the full post you can view it here: Good Bye 2007 - Blogging Goals for the New Year

For those of you that would like to cut through the content of the full NorthxEast post and get straight to the list, here are my online goals for the coming New Year:

• Set an editorial calendar based on my new MyTropicalEscape branding campaign which includes the following niche topics - | Living Overseas | Blogging | Inspiration and Motivation | Entrepreneurship
• Create a new look and feel to my site through an innovative theme
• Increase my reader base (maybe you would like to sign up for my RSS feed?)
• Set realistic financial goals (to reach $4,000 per month eventually)
• Seek and find a sponsor for my flagship interview series

How about you? What are your blogging, or personal goals for 2008?

Editor’s note: This is just a quick Humanitarian Friday post because my jump drive (with all of my draft posts) crashed and I am on the ferry from Culebra over to the big island (Puerto Rico) for Christmas shopping.

During the past week I published the post, “The Ten Most Inspirational Bloggers of 2007.” In the article the first person highlighted was Scott Rigsby, who was the first double amputee to complete the IronMan Triathlon in Hawaii.

Scott also runs a nonprofit organization that helps to support physically challenged athletes. During this holiday season, if you would like to support a GREAT organization that has been created by a truly amazing person then please have a look at the Scott Rigsby Foundation website.

For the specifics “the Scott Rigsby Foundation is a 501(C)(3), non-profit organization dedicated to the support of physically challenged athletes and their athletic pursuits. Founded in 2007 by double amputee and record setting triathlete Scott Rigsby, the Foundation will also promote education and awareness of physically challenged athletes and their use of prosthetics to help reduce barriers between individuals.”

I am impressed by Scott, and his foundation, because he chooses to focus on what people can do, instead of what they can’t.

See you next week – Mark!

Are you an employee at a company? Any company?

How do you know if you are a person who needs a boss?

I was eating lunch with a friend the other day and we were having a discussion about his career and the drama that can sometimes occur in the corporate workplace. He was lamenting about the fact that his vacation was over and he knew that he was going to walk into a firestorm on Friday (when he returned from vacation).

Specifically, one of his employees had received a less than favorable year-end review and the person on the receiving end of the review was not prepared for the lackluster work performance appraisal that had been laid out before them.

Our discussion continued throughout lunch about the corporate world and we talked about not only the negative aspects, but also the many positive aspects that employment within a company can bring.

However, during our dialogue it was becoming quite clear (to me at least) that now would probably be a good time for my friend to move on from this job. Fear is what is holding him back because he is a very well educated person and he has a tremendous amount of talent in his particular field.

So, while eating I threw it out for discussion that he should just leave his present job and start his own company. The response I got almost knocked me off of my chair.

He said, “I would love to start my own company but truthfully I need a boss.”

“What?” I said. “You need a boss?” For me this statement was beyond comprehension.

It was at that moment that I realized, contrary to my belief, not everybody wants to be self-employed, or an entrepreneur.

I could not fathom this line of thought. Really, I was shocked at his statement.

In all fairness, I have had many bosses, some good and some bad, and I might have a boss again someday if the right opportunity arises. Nevertheless, I can’t fathom actually thinking, “I need a boss.” Because his need to have a boss was such a foreign concept to my way of thinking I tried to come up with a creative list to help me understand how people actually discern that they need a boss.

I must say creating the “how do you discern that you need a boss list” was much harder to write than I had imagined.

Below is what I have come up with thus far:

· You crave structure
· You enjoy working in a team environment and reporting to you superiors
· You like the safety net of knowing there is someone else who is ultimately responsible

Surely there must be more ways to determine if you need a boss…but I need some assistance.

How about you? Do you need a boss? What are the tell tale signs that you are a person who needs a boss?

Editor’s note: yesterday my jump drive crashed and I lost about 70 post ideas (working titles) that I had stored on there so my publishing calendar might be askew for a week or so as I try to rebuild.

Today at MyTropicalEscape we have the third installment of the weekly ‘Ten Questions With’ interview series and I am pleased to have one of the fastest rising stars on the internet, Skellie, of Skelliewag.org, as my guest. If you missed the first two installments in this series you might also find my interviews with Leo Babauta and Cameron Low interesting.

Editors note: this week I am spicing things up a little bit. Last week’s interview with Leo Babauta drew 14 comments and as a way of increasing that number this week, everyone who leaves a comment about the Skellie interview below will be entered to win one of four prizes: a link to your site in next week’s interview, a Culebra Animal Welfare t-shirt, a post card from the Caribbean, or a small vial of sand from, Flamenco Beach, one of the top five beaches in the world.

For a little background information, Skellie’s site, Skelliewag.org, launched a little over four months ago in July of 2007. She lives in Australia where she is a university student and ‘ProBlogger.’ Skellie is a frequent freelance writer and guest poster at ProBlogger, Daily Blog Tips, Freelance Switch, and NorthxEast.

Recently named one of “The Ten Most Inspirational Bloggers of 2007” because of her in depth writing style and rapid ascent to the top of the blogosphere, Skellie also plans to release an ebook in the coming months. Once again, for ease of readability the questions have been listed out and linked to the answers below.

1. How did you get into blogging? Were you working around the internet or websites before? When you started was it with the intention of making money?

2. Your site contains some of the most well written, practical, and applicable information for bloggers looking to improve, where do you draw your inspiration?

3. What do the terms Skellie and Skelliewag represent about you, your brand?

4. Your posts make you come across as a very optimistic person, in your daily non-blogging life what brings you joy, and how do you turn that into innovation?

5. Do you have a background as a professional writer and do you have any tips for people who would like to become more proficient in the art of creative writing?

6. Does Australia have some sort of secret blogging club that the rest of us mere mortals do not know about? Why is there so much blogging talent in Australia?

7. Your content has a remarkably smooth and flowing style to it. What is your typical writing process?

8. In one of your latest posts (which actually had an impact on me) you tell bloggers that if they want to be successful they should adhere to Seth Godin’s formula for achievement, which is, “Be Remarkable.” What do you do to follow the “Be Remarkable” mantra everyday?

9. Aside from your obvious hard work and dedication, did you have any mentors helping you in your fairly rapid ascent to blogging fame? Are you currently mentoring or assisting any new bloggers?

10. You state on your site that you would like to get involved with women’s issues, what causes are you most passionate about? How do you plan to apply your writing and communication talents to those causes?

Question 1: How did you get into blogging? Were you working around the internet or websites before? When you started was it with the intention of making money?

Skellie’s answer: I’ve been blogging for a few years, but the blogs were always fun little diversions for me and not intended to get popular. Before that I was mainly working with various websites. It’s always been a hobby for me. I only started to learn about making money online within the last year or so.

Question 2: Your site contains some of the most well written, practical, and applicable information for bloggers looking to improve, where do you draw your inspiration?

Skellie’s answer: Thank you! I get inspiration from everywhere – it’s a collective thing, rather than getting it from just a few sources. I read all kinds of blogs and websites, mainly outside the niche I blog in. These inspire me on a regular basis, particularly when I puzzle out how I can transfer the best ideas of other niches to my own niche.

Question 3: What do the terms Skellie and Skelliewag represent about you, your brand?

Skellie’s answer: I was brainstorming unique names for the site and that’s what I came up with. The meaning and connotations of the name seem to have evolved with the site, rather than existing before. Considering that I focus a lot on uniqueness and innovation, I think it’s appropriate that myself and my blog go by such weird names!

Question 4: Your posts make you come across as a very optimistic person, in your daily non-blogging life what brings you joy, and how do you turn that into innovation?

Skellie’s answer: I try to be a rational optimist in everything I do :). There are about a million things that bring me joy, most of them incredibly different to one another. I’m a person with a strange combination of interests, but that’s what helps me innovate. If you’re bringing together knowledge and experience from a dozen wildly different things, you’re bound to bring that together into something that hasn’t been seen before. When it works, that’s great. When it doesn’t, it’s another learning experience to add to the melting pot.

Question 5: Do you have a background as a professional writer and do you have any tips for people who would like to become more proficient in the art of creative writing?

Skellie’s answer: Growing up I was always a creative writer. I remember tapping out stories back in the days when MS Word was black and green. Over time my interest switched over to journalism, particularly after I realized that, while it’s hard to make a living as a journalist, it’s even harder to make a living as a wannabe author. I studied journalism at university for a while and decided it wasn’t for me (mainly because I’m a terrible journalist). Some of the things I’ve learned have transferred comfortably to blogging, though, so I’m grateful for the experience.

Question 6: Does Australia have some sort of secret blogging club that the rest of us mere mortals do not know about? Why is there so much blogging talent in Australia?

Skellie’s answer: I have no idea. Blogs have really been embraced by the media here and are considered quite cool, so that could be one influencing factor. Alternately, maybe we all just have too much time on our hands? ;-).

Question 7: Your content has a remarkably smooth and flowing style to it. What is your typical writing process?

Skellie’s answer: Thanks! I tend to start by encapsulating each key point I want to write in one sentence. Then I flesh-out each point. I usually turn the sentence into a sub-heading and most of the time I’ll write the introduction last.

Question 8: In one of your latest posts (which actually had an impact on me) you tell bloggers that if they want to be successful they should adhere to Seth Godin’s formula for achievement, which is, “Be Remarkable.” What do you do to follow the “Be Remarkable” mantra everyday?

Skellie’s answer: When it comes to blogging, I try to pursue being remarkable by giving more than I receive. It’s important for me to give readers everything I can and to avoid acting out of self-interest, even if it might benefit me financially or otherwise. I also try to be remarkable by treating readers as individuals and never turning down a request for advice.

Question 9: Aside from your obvious hard work and dedication, did you have any mentors helping you in your fairly rapid ascent to blogging fame? Are you currently mentoring or assisting any new bloggers?

Skellie’s answer: I learned a lot about what not to do through the various mistakes I’ve made over time. Making mistakes is really important – though you’ve got to be willing to acknowledge them, rather than making mistakes and convincing yourself that everything is fine. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not progressing as a blogger. In other words, my most significant mentor has been that part of me that really sucks at blogging. It’s always struggling to get out!

I learned the basics from Darren Rowse at ProBlogger (like most of us). It’s a surreal experience to now be a staff writer at his blog. Seth Godin has also revolutionized the way I approached blogging, though neither of them have been mentors in the personal sense (except Darren more recently).

I do a lot of one-on-one mentoring of readers via email. I’m also doing more in-depth consulting with some people. That’s a lot of fun.

Question 10: You state on your site that you would like to get involved with women’s issues, what causes are you most passionate about? How do you plan to apply your writing and communication talents to those causes?

Skellie’s answer: While freelance blogging is something I’m really enjoying at the moment, the work in women’s issues is what I hope to be my ‘real’ job, so to speak. I’m mainly interested in helping women in the Third World, particularly in the areas of domestic violence, human trafficking and education. I’m still not sure how the skills blogging requires will transfer to that pursuit, but my experiences with Skelliewag have given me the confidence to be much more audacious in pursuing the most important goals I have.

Skellie, THANK YOU for your time, and I wish you peace, happiness, and tremendous success in the future!

Please come back for another installment of the ‘Ten Questions With’ interview series next Tuesday when I will be talking with the orginal blog mastermind, Yaro Starak. Or better yet, subscribe to the MyTropicalEscape RSS feed.

This interview has been powered by the kindness of Skellie, the Culebra Blog, and the Palmetto Guesthouse.

Have you been inspired by someone this past year? For me, 2007 has been GREAT! I quit my job, bought a small business in the Caribbean, and have gone down the path of entrepreneurship after more than ten years of planning and working toward these goals.

Personally, I started out blogging last year as a way to keep people informed of my life overseas, and to hopefully inspire people to get off their butts and pursue their dreams, goals, and aspirations. After a long year the site has taken a slight turn to include more topics but it still remains quite true to its original purpose.

Many people have had an impact on my life this past year and since the holiday season is upon us I would like to highlight Ten People who have truly inspired me during 2007 through their blog or website.

image source: Lush.i.ous

Without further adieu, here are my selections for the Ten Most Inspirational Bloggers of 2007:

First, I would like to highlight three amazing people, two of whom are athletes and one who is an online entrepreneur, all of them also happen to be bloggers. By virtue of how they conduct themselves and live their lives, they have been inspirational to me.

Specifically, they do not let physical setbacks get in their way and they face fear and everyday challenges in ways that most of us should aspire to. These people are truly inspirational and are listed in no particular order.

1. Scott Rigsby - Scott’s Website or Scott’s Blog

Do you have a hard time getting off the couch just to go for a walk or a bike ride? If you have not heard of him, I would like to introduce you to Hawaii Ironman competitor Scott Rigsby. Next year, let Scott Rigsby’s story inspire you to do better. He is the first person to complete the grueling Hawaii Ironman Triathlon as a double amputee. Reading an article on his life story in Runner’s World magazine recently two of his statements really stood out. When it comes to facing challenges Rigsby states, “If you tell me I can’t do something I am going to find a way to do it.” Additionally, Rigsby’s view on life is equally inspiring:

“I want to stay the course and show people that you can take the life that you have been given and you can use it to do something extraordinary.”

2. Sarah Reinertsen – Sarah’s website or her blog

Another world-class athlete, I initially saw Sarah Reinertsen competing in the 2005 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon as the first female amputee to enter the race. I happened to turn on the TV late into the telecast and she was already well into the bike riding stage. For the first five or ten minutes while I was watching the race they did not show her from the waist down, only from the shoulders and up. The commentators up to this point had made no mention of any disability so I continued watching and assumed that she was in the spotlight because she was a frontrunner in the race. However, a few minutes later the camera panned down and I saw that she had one artificial leg. Amazing, I thought. Most of us put mental blocks on what WE think we can achieve and here was this woman, who was missing one leg, competing in an Ironman Triathlon and she was even smiling. Sarah continues to race and train and she is a shining example of what we can do!

Sarah’s motto is “fear less and live more” which is a statement that we should all strive to live by in 2008.

3. Jon Morrow - blog On Moneymaking

Jon is not an athlete but the example he sets with how he chooses to live his life is just as inspirational. I first came across Jon’s blog, On Moneymaking, about a month ago and I have been fascinated with his story and success ever since.

According to his website, Jon has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. As stated on his ‘About’ page, “it’s a degenerative neuromuscular disease, meaning I’m supposed to get weaker and weaker until I’m finally dead.” Jon is inspiring because he refuses to let his disease define him, rather he is defining his disease and LIVING EVERYDAY. He retired at 25 to become a fulltime philanthropist and he fully expects to walk again within the next ten years.

Editor’s note: Next up I would like to highlight two bloggers who have experienced a meteoric rise to the top of the blogosphere this past year by providing well-written content and easy to digest posts which add tremendous value to the lives of their blog readers.

4. Leo Babauta – blog Zen Habits (read Leo’s recent interview on MyTropicalEscape)

The blogging success that Leo has accomplished this past year is truly amazing. Back in January he started a little site with a killer title, Zen Habits. Well, since then the blog, which is listed in the Technorati Top 100, has dispensed a daily dose of ‘simple inspiration and motivation’ that has some 25,000 subscribers (and growing) coming back every day. Recently, Leo released his first ebook, “Zen to Done – The Ultimate Simple Productivity System” and it has received great reviews.

5. Skellie – blog Skelliewag.org

The second upstart “Problogger” that I would like recognize and who has had remarkable recent success with her blog is Skellie, of Skelliewag.org.

Unbelievably she did not launch her blog until the end of July, which is only a little over four months ago. Skellie’s straightforward posts about how to be a better, more productive blogger have made her a great success in a relatively short period of time. She has become a fantastic inspiration for many bloggers. Some of Skellie’s keystone posts over the past couple of months include 110 Resources for Creative Minds, 50 Tips to Unclutter Your Blog, and 25 Headline Formulas That Have Plagued and Blessed Web 2.0. Editor’s note: If you would like to learn more about Skellie, I will be posting a recent interview that I conducted with her for the ‘Ten Questions With’ series tomorrow.

The next three blogs (and bloggers) have been around the internet for a while and each one has inspired me during 2007. With the millions of blogs that are out there these days, each of these sites below has managed to teach me a tremendous amount about personal finance, blogging in general, and how to make money online. Like the other blogs above, they are listed in no particular order.

6. J.D. Roth – blog Get Rich Slowly

Roth’s no nonsense website ‘personal finance that makes cents’ currently has almost 40,000 subscribers, and provides daily information about personal finance and related topics. Personally, I find his posts about removing debt most inspiring. As someone who has accumulated higher education debt (loans from undergrad and graduate school) I found his post “Free at Last! Saying Good-Bye to 20 Years of Debt” particularly uplifting. Recently, J.D. has been able to pay down all of his debt except a home mortgage, which is a goal that I am aiming for myself. One reason I believe his blog has mass inspirational appeal is because of his philosophy, “that personal growth is systemic, that in order to improve financially, you have to improve in other areas of your life.”

7. Darren Rowse - blog ProBlogger

Darren is the man who has inspired legions of bloggers to quit hacking around and get serious. His posts and articles are always stimulating and I remain in awe at the number of daily updates he does. Of course, he is a fulltime ‘Problogger’ but he posts multiple times a day on his site and the consistency and quality are always of the highest caliber. According to his about page, Darren’s site “is dedicated to helping other bloggers learn the skills of blogging, share their own experiences and promote the blogging medium.” If you are looking to start blogging, or to bring your skills to the next level, there is no greater inspiration than this site. Just remember to check back often for his insights because he is always posting new articles.

8. Maki - blog DoshDosh

Maki’s site, DoshDosh, is what I like to call a ‘thinking man’s blog.’ His typical posts are much longer than most blog articles that you will find about making money online. He writes in a dissertation-esque style with a depth and breadth of topic coverage that always makes you feel like you have learned something new. Additionally, he has a way of investigating money making and marketing topics from viewpoints that I would never think of. Recently, his post, “The Flagship Blog Project: Creating Multiple Blogs for Profit in 30 Day Cycles” really motivated me and made me realize that possibilities for generating income online are almost limitless.

Ok, we are down to the last two but they are certainly not listed here at the bottom because they are any less inspirational than the others! This is just how the list worked out.

9. Seth Godin – blog Seth’s Blog

I believe that any list regarding the year’s most inspirational blogs (and cutting edge marketing) wouldn’t be complete if it did not include Seth Godin’s blog. His website, books, and blog posts pack more value and insightful wisdom than grandma’s stories about the good old days. From what I have discerned as a frequent reader of his articles, Seth has based his career on being ‘remarkable’ and he recommends the same for all who would like to succeed. His blog posts are inspiring because he has a creative way of dissecting corporate marketing, customer service, and entrepreneurship in a very direct and almost matter of fact manner. Many times after reading his blog I feel like Seth sees the same inadequacies that we all see, especially as it pertains to customer service, he is just (MUCH) better at writing about it.

10. Curt Schilling – blog 38 Pitches

Okay, for those of you outside of the United States you might be asking, who the heck is Curt Schilling? He is a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and he has one of the best sport’s blogs around. Unfortunately, I completely disagree with his right-wing politics. But as a native New Englander living outside of the continental US his site provides tremendous insight into the every day lives of a professional baseball players and the baseball team that I have followed my whole life.

Also, the Red Sox won the World Series (again) this year and after their 86-year drought, if that isn’t inspiration then I don’t know what is. Curt also uses his blog to help raise money for his various charities…now if we can just get him to change his political views!

That’s my list. Do you agree with my picks? Who was it that inspired you this year? Let me know in the comments.

This is the second installment of ‘Humanitarian Friday’ last week we looked at the crisis in Darfur. For this post I thought I would highlight malaria, which is a disease that greatly affected our lives while we lived in Papua New Guinea.

When we lived in Papua New Guinea malaria was quite a common ailment. In fact, during the last night we spent in our village a young girl passed away from cerebral malaria. It was truly awful because the villagers only had quinine, a common malaria medication, in the pill form. Unfortunately, the health worker could not get the pill down the young woman’s throat, which would have saved her life. Additionally, if we had quinine in an injectable form she would have lived. Instead she died a horrible death.

So how is malaria spread?

According to the World Health Organization, “Malaria is a disease which can be transmitted to people of all ages. It is caused by parasites of the species Plasmodium that are spread from person to person through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The common first symptoms – fever, headache, chills, and vomiting – appear 10 to 15 days after a person is infected. If not treated promptly with effective medicines, malaria can cause severe illness that is often fatal.

Malaria transmission differs in intensity and regularity depending on local factors such as rainfall patterns, proximity of mosquito breeding sites and mosquito species. Some regions have a fairly constant number of cases throughout the year – these are malaria endemic – whereas in other areas there are “malaria” seasons, usually coinciding with the rainy season.”

What is malaria’s global impact?

*Approximately 40% of the world’s population, mostly those living in the world’s poorest countries, are at risk of malaria.

*Every year, more than 500 million people become severely ill with malaria.

*Most cases and deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa. However, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Europe are also affected.

*Travellers from malaria-free regions going to areas where there is malaria transmission are highly vulnerable – they have little or no immunity and are often exposed to delayed or wrong malaria diagnosis when returning to their home country.

What can you do to help?

One organization that is trying to make a difference in people’s lives where malaria is prevalent is SurfAid. They have been working in Indonesia to spread health awareness, and providing treated mosquito nets to villagers to try and prevent deaths from this disease.

Recently, SurfAid was awarded the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO) 2007 Humanitarian Award at the World Congress of NGOs awards ceremony in Toronto, Canada.

The award recognizes SurfAid as one of the best non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the world, a testament to their groundbreaking and effective approach to providing aid.

If you would like to support them and the valuable work that they are undertaking you should go to their site http://www.surfaidinternational.org/ to learn more about their efforts and make a donation.

Editor’s note: This is the second post in the regularly scheduled Thursday series entitled, ‘Personal Freedom.’ If you would like to start at the beginning you should read last week’s article ‘5 Must Ask Questions On Your Quest For Personal Freedom ’ first.

Are you currently stuck in a rut? In a job you despise? Or, are you just generally unmotivated?

Do you remember the commercial where the old lady falls and she proclaims, “help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up?” I think many people are walking around with a similar sentiment except they would be exclaiming, “help I am caught in a rut and I can’t get out.”

image source: Mr. Flibble

You are definitely not alone. I have been there before myself.

I used to work with a woman who appeared to walk around the office everyday in a gloomy state of unfulfilled expectations and sallow malcontent.

During the whole time that I worked with her I sincerely hoped that she would break through her constantly gloomy ways, or maybe even seek professional medical attention.

Her main problems, she hated her job, she was under compensated, and she desperately wanted to leave, and change her life.

Fortunately, I don’t work for the organization anymore but recently it has made me think, how many of us just are not happy with where we are in life in general, or caught in a rut?

More Importantly - How do we remove ourselves from a negative situation or rut?

Well, who better to use as an example than myself? For two very long years I worked in a warehouse packing boxes and loading trucks. It was miserable, mindless work that was better suited to drones. To this day I can still see the looks of disdain on the faces of the executives and sales staff that used to greet me when I was required to go into the main office for something.

I was not happy and I felt stuck in a major Grand Canyon style rut.

One of the major life lessons that I learned was that when you are stuck in a bad situation no one is going to come along and magically remove you. So, what do you do?

Here are five tips that should help you to begin to deal with the negative situation, and how you can begin the process of removing yourself:

Step 1: Discern whether you are truly in a RUT or if you are in a ‘stepping stone’ situation. I would define ‘being in a rut’ as anytime you feel depressed, suffocated, or miserable with your general existence. Whereas a ‘stepping stone’ situation would be if you are working a job, or living someplace that is not that great, but it is a means to an ends. For example, you might be fresh out of college working in a mindless job but you know it will not be forever.

At times we must all do jobs, or deal with people that we don’t want to, however, a lot of times it is a temporary circumstance as you prepare for a more fruitful existence.

Step 2: If you discern that you are in a negative situation you must acknowledge that you are actually caught in a rut, and that it is now time to make a change. I know when I have been in a negative situation sometimes you can exist in a zombie like state (for many years) without even realizing it.

Step 3: You have acknowledged the issue at hand, and now you need to create a vision of where you would like to go both literally, and figuratively. This step is imperative because it will determine what you would like to be doing, or where you would like to go.

You can use your vision like a goal, or as something to work towards. The vision step, depending on how long you have been in the rut, usually occurs in incremental steps. No matter how small the steps are you should take joy in your newfound vision/goal every day.

Step 4: Do research – talk to people and network with folks who are doing what you want to be doing. If you want to move overseas get in contact with people who have actually done it. Or, if you want to be an entrepreneur join a networking group and soak in as much information and enthusiasm as possible. It will help you to maintain your motivation when times get tough and you want to give up.

Step 5: If you begin down your new path and self-pity or loathing set in, I recommend that you volunteer, or help out in the community. Nothing, and I MEAN nothing, will help you remove your own self pity quicker than helping those in need.

Strangely enough, that warehouse job that I mentioned above was quite possibly the worst and greatest thing that ever happened to me. It was the worst because it was an absolutely terrible job and I was MISERABLE. However, to this day I consider it the greatest situation because it lit a fire under me once I had cognitively made the decision to change.

Next week we will look at creating a plan to help you as you work on your removal. Many sites recommend ‘creating a plan’ but most never go into detail as to how to do it. So, using a personal example I will discuss how I created a plan to help remove myself from the cubicle.

Today at MyTropicalEscape we have the second installment of the weekly ‘Ten Questions With‘ series and I am pleased to have the indefatigable Leo Babauta, of Zen Habits, as our interview guest. Leo was the first “Top Blogger” to give me a shot at guest posting so I was quite enthused when he agreed to the interview.

For a little background information, Leo lives in Guam with his wife and six children. He is a prolific guest poster and often publishes insightful articles on such sites as, Freelance Switch, Web Worker Daily, NorthxEast, and ProBlogger.

Leo’s blog, Zen Habits, and the simple productivity and inspiration that he provides on the site has struck a chord with many people. At last check his RSS subscriber count was at 24,200 people. To help satisfy his readers and their desire for more of what Zen Habits dispenses, Leo recently released the eBook “Zen to Done - the Ultimate Simple Productivity System.”

Editor’s note: For ease of readability it was suggested (thank you Michael) that I list out the interview questions and link to the answers below. Let me know how you like this format.

1. Did you grow up on Guam? If yes, how did the Chamorro culture affect your upbringing and the person that you are today? For those who might not know, what is Guam’s political status with the U.S.?

2. With such a serious nature to the majority of posts on your blog do you feel a responsibility to your readers? It seems like people leave their heart and souls on the comment form, does that surprise you?.

3. Do you ever have a bad day emotionally, or get angry? (sorry I had to ask)

4. Do you remember your first post? What was the title and topic? Did it get any comments (and I don’t mean your wife (smile))? Did you start off with a generic WordPress theme template like the rest of us? And how have you as a person changed since that first post?

5. In all of your writing online has there ever been one comment, or email, in response to a post, be it negative or positive, that really made you feel taken aback or shocked?

6. What do you think is the major problem in the world today (with respect to humanity) and what are your recommendations for how we can create a positive change?

7. If you could meet with George W. Bush what would you say to him?

8. Where do you see blogging and Zen Habits five years from now?

9. Why do you think so many people seem to be depressed or caught in a rut?

10. Other than the website and being a prolific guest poster what are the future plans for the Zen Habits brand? Perhaps a Zen Habits energy drink? Self help DVD series?

Question 1: Did you grow up on Guam? If yes, how did the Chamorro culture affect your upbringing and the person that you are today? For those who might not know, what is Guam’s political status with the U.S.?

I grew up mostly on Guam, but also lived for a few years in Portland, Oregon, Seattle, and the Bay Area (S.F. and Vallejo). Of those, San Fran is the place that won my heart. I’d love to live there again someday.

As a person, I am both a mixture of American and Chamorro cultures (and am a mixture of both), and also stand outside of both of them. But I identify strongly with the Chamorro people. The Chamorro culture is a unique one, with a blend of islander, Spanish, Japanese and American influences … I think Guam is in the middle of an identity search right now, with a revival of interest in our Chamorro roots, and it’s interesting to be a part of that. I am one of those who are searching for a Chamorro identity.

For those who aren’t aware of Guam’s political status, we are considered an “unincorporated territory” of the United States, which means we belong to the U.S. but that there are no plans to eventually incorporate us into statehood (as in the cases of Hawaii and Alaska, for example). Although the word is an inflammatory one, it’s a fact that we are a colony of the United States, and while most people on Guam are patriotic Americans, nevertheless we deal daily with colonial issues.

Question 2: With such a serious nature to the majority of posts on your blog do you feel a responsibility to your readers? It seems like people leave their heart and souls on the comment form, does that surprise you?

It has been overwhelming to have such a dedicated, generous, positive and involved readership. They’ve become a community of friends … we often disagree, as friends do, but most of the time we support each other and encourage each other. It’s been vastly rewarding to me. When I started blogging in January 2007, I had no clue that Zen Habits would turn out as it has, and it’s been a huge surprise for me. A great and wonderful surprise. It’s because of the readership community at Zen Habits that I put all this time and energy into it.

Question 3: Do you ever have a bad day emotionally, or get angry?

Of course! I think there’s a perception that I’m somehow more disciplined, or more emotionally mature or something, than most people. But the truth is that I’m human, with all of the trials and struggles of human life. I get angry, I have struggles with motivation, I get into fights, I get depressed, I get lazy. I’m just a regular guy, struggling with all the same things that everyone else is struggling with. Of course, I’ve had successes with some of these issues, and that’s what I share with people. But I have many failures too … I probably don’t write about these failures as much (though I do mention them from time to time) just because I often don’t feel that they are as useful to people as the things that work, that lead to successes. That’s probably not true, so it’s something I need to think about more. I think one of the reasons my posts connect with many people is that I’m not just writing a bunch of advice as an expert — I’m writing it as a regular person who has been working through these issues, sharing what has worked for me.

Question 4: Do you remember your first post? What was the title and topic? Did it get any comments (and I don’t mean your wife (smile))? Did you start off with a generic WordPress theme template like the rest of us? And how have you as a person changed since that first post?

I’m not sure what post was my first — I think it was a review of my year in 2006, actually celebrating a lot of my successes: becoming vegetarian, becoming organized and productive, becoming an early riser, training for and completing a marathon, increasing my income and reducing my debt. It had been a great year for me, and I was just reflecting on that. Sometimes you don’t realize how far you’ve come until you stop and take a look back.

There were no comments on that post, as I had absolutely no readers. I don’t think I had any readers for a few weeks, and to be honest I was mostly writing for myself. That’s what Zen Habits was in the beginning: a kind of journal for me to reflect on my life, with the hope that I could share what I’ve learned with others. It’s evolved into a bit more than that, but that’s still at the core of Zen Habits.

I started off with a generic Blogger template. A month or two into my blogging, I had gained several hundred readers, and I decided to take Zen Habits to the next level and get my own domain, move to WordPress (I used a generic theme but customized it, which lasted until my recent redesign) and change to a paid webhost.

How have I changed as a person since my first post? Well, for one thing, I think I’ve found my calling. I know for a fact that I’ve found my passion. Writing for Zen Habits has become one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done, and it fills my life with a purpose and a love for what I do that I’ve never had before. I’ve also evolved as a blogger and a writer, learning about what works and what doesn’t, although I think there’s still a lot I can do and experiment with in the future.

Question 5: In all of your writing online has there ever been one comment (or email) in response to a post, be it negative or positive, that really made you feel taken aback or shocked?

That’s a difficult one. I’ve had a number of comments that really deflated me as a blogger. I try to take them in stride, but sometimes certain comments cause me to question what I do, and whether I’m really doing a good job, and whether it’s all worth it. Doesn’t happen a lot, but it’s happened. Mostly (95%) the comments are overwhelmingly positive, and my readers are encouraging.

I think the most intense comments and posts have come from the readers who say that I’ve changed their lives. I get so many of these, it just takes me aback … how could I have imagined, when writing these posts, that it would have such a profound impact on people? One of the more memorable came from a woman who was suffering through cancer … she took inspiration from my writing, and I believe since has overcome the cancer. When you get emails and comments like that, it just floors you.

Question 6: What do you think is the major problem in the world today (with respect to humanity) and what are your recommendations for how we can create a positive change?

I don’t think there’s a problem with humanity. I think human beings are wonderful, incredible, shocking and beautiful creatures. They never fail to surprise me. I think there’s a problem with systems. The systems we use, that are so entrenched in our society due to decades and centuries of use, produce miserable results. Look at the incredible poverty and suffering in the Third World … does that need to exist? There is enough food in the world to feed these people. In fact, there’s usually enough food and money in these countries to feed themselves. But because of actions of First World governments and corporations, most of the wealth of these people is exported out of the country, by corporations exporting goods and money and by governments (such as ours) collecting on debt and forcing laws on these people. As a result, they are not able to feed themselves. That’s horrible.

But does this situation exist because there are evil people in corporations or governments? Not at all. These people are good human beings, acting in the best interest of the people they represent. Unfortunately, because of the systems that exist, that best interest is in the worst interest of people outside of their entities. And that’s the problem: our systems should be designed not to act in the best interest of entities (such as corporations) but in the best interest of the community, of people.

How can we correct it? It’s a daunting task, to be sure, but it’s not impossible. In fact, if the right people could be convinced to make changes (such as the head of the U.S. government and other First World governments), these problems could be corrected very easily. They would just have to erase Third World debt (something that would have minimal impact on their finances) and stop imposing “reforms” on these Third World countries. Unfortunately, our government representatives won’t be convinced to make changes until *we* the people make changes. Because they represent our interests … and if they continue to do what they do, it’s because we let them. We are complicit in the deaths of millions of children from starvation and diseases, because we choose to do nothing.

Are we evil people because of that? Not at all. We are wonderful human beings who are living our lives in peace — blissfully ignorant of the suffering of others and what we need to do to stop it. And so it all starts with awareness … if more people became aware of the real problems, and started giving attention and thought to the issues, perhaps we could start to make changes. And perhaps eventually the harmful systems that control our society could be changed.

Question 7: If you could meet with George W. Bush what would you say to him?

I’d probably read him my answer from the last question. Bush has the power to end so much suffering, but I doubt that anything I say to him would change his mind. He has an outlook on the world that has been ingrained in him since birth, and I doubt I could change it overnight. Perhaps if he had to spend some time living among the people of the Third World countries, he’d begin to change his outlook. I think about a year should do it.

Question 8: Where do you see blogging and Zen Habits five years from now?

I have no idea! At the beginning of this year, I couldn’t have predicted where Zen Habits would be right now … I can’t imagine where it will be this time next year! All year, I’ve been taking this approach: Just see what happens. Do my best, be true to myself, do what I love, always look to improve, and see where it takes me. I try to take advantages of opportunities that come my way. I try to enjoy it all. I don’t have any concrete plans beyond what I’m working on now.

That said, I hope I’m still doing it in five years. There’s no telling what the online world will be like in five years, as things change so rapidly. I think instead of trying to control the tide, I will try to go with the flow, and be there when things change and change with it. My hope for five years from now: that I still have the chance to do what I love, that I still have a great community of readers. That would be awesome.

Question 9: Why do you think so many people seem to be depressed or caught in a rut?

It’s part of the human condition. Our emotional lives have peaks and valleys, some more than others, but it’s hard to live a life without sadness, without frustration, without depression. Many times I think we feel depressed when we feel like our lives are beyond our control. It seems overwhelming, it seems that nothing we do helps, it seems that we cannot achieve happiness, it seems useless to give any effort. And there will always be reasons why we feel like our lives are out of control. The key, for me, has been to find ways to get things under some semblance of control, and that always means action. Take action, and you’ll feel instantly better, because you’re doing something to get your life under control. Even if you’ve got an ocean of troubles, taking a bucketful of that water and doing something with it is a start — it’s getting a part of that sea of troubles under control. That might mean making a list of things we need to do, creating a plan, going out and exercising, starting on that project that’s overwhelming us … anything, really, that’s a step towards getting things under control.

Question 10: Other than the website, and being a prolific guest poster, what are the future plans for the Zen Habits brand? Perhaps a Zen Habits energy drink? Self help DVD series?

I can’t imagine creating merchandise, because I don’t see how selling useless stuff to my readers helps them in any way. If anything, it makes them a little poorer. I don’t mind if they buy things from me, like books or e-books, that are actually useful — then we both gain. In fact, that’s what’s next for me: I’m in the process of writing a book for print, and trying to sell it to a publisher. That’s a new experience for me, but I find it tremendously exciting. I’m a book lover, and the prospect of having a book in print with my name on it is exhilarating.

BONUS Question
Is there anything you would like to add, or any announcements that you would like to make?

I’d like to thank all of my readers, the amazing people that make writing for Zen Habits a thing of pure joy, the people that encourage me every step of the way, the people that make Zen Habits what it is. I’d like to thank my wife, Eva, and my kids, and my mom, Shannon Murphy. They are incredible supporters of mine, and I would be nothing without them.

As for announcements, besides the print book I’m working on, I’ve got a few other projects that I’m working on, including a new blog and another online project. I can’t disclose details yet as I don’t know them myself, but things are shaping up and I hope to be able to announce things soon.

Leo, THANK YOU for your time, and I wish you and your family peace, happiness, and tremendous success in the future!

If you have any additional queries for Leo that were not covered in the interview, please feel free to post them in the ‘comment’ section and I’ll see if he can stop by and check for follow-up questions from the readers.

Please stay tuned for next week’s interview with Skellie of Skelliewag.org. Or better yet, subscribe to the MyTropicalEscape RSS feed.

This interview has been powered by the kindess of Leo Babauta, the Culebra Blog, and the Palmetto Guesthouse.