(above photo from our motorbike trip in Newfoundland by Josh)

I’ve recently started a new job and have a new home for the next ten months. Seems to me a good time to reevaluate what’s important to me, set priorities and really focus on the next big goal: buying my freedom.

Everybody wants to have enough money to be free. But for me, the why is most important. I feel like the how never happens without a strong why. So here’s the why: Ever since I was sixteen, I’ve wanted to do this crazy trip where I travel around the world, stopping in remote, wild places to live for a month or two at a time. Learning different languages, living and eating with the locals. National geographic stuff. A few years ago, I was really into hitchhiking, and I wanted to do the whole trip by hitchhiking. Then I discovered motorcycles and the corresponding freedom. Now I dream of doing the whole trip on one motorbike, a la Jupiter’s Travels. Of course I’ll have to hop a cargo ship or two to get from place to place, but otherwise, it’s gotta be by bike. That’s the dream.

(photo by Mike)

But dreams ain’t cheap, and I need to somehow get the money to do it.

Which is why I’ve purposely taken a job which covers all my expenses (travel, room and board, miscellaneous toiletries, etc) – so it is theoretically possible to save 100% of my earnings. That is, assuming I have immaculate willpower (which I do) and don’t spend anything on frivolities. Then, next year, I have a similar contract lined up with a slightly different organization, which will leave me an even better salary to bank. Which means that by the summer of 2010, I’ll have enough money to do the big trip. I originally gave myself until I was 25 to do it. I’ll actually be leaving when I turn 28, so not too far off the mark.

Of course, after that, I promise to settle down, get a real job, have 2.3 kids and all that grown up stuff. (that last line was for my parents really, should they come across this… love you mom)

(above photo by Josh)

In addition to the new job, the last few months have seen a few other tangible steps to financial freedom, including:

1. Eliminating credit card debt. This one is huge. For the longest time my credit card balance hovered between $1000 and $3000. Mind you, I had harassed my credit card company a few times to lower my interest rate (which they had), so I wasn’t paying as much interest on the balances. But now I won’t be paying any. I rearranged some finances and combined with my first paycheck, managed to pay it off completely. Zero balance.

2. Discovering a way for my new job to work for me. This is related to number one: Now that I don’t carry a balance on my credit card, I’ve switched to a no annual fee cash back rewards credit card that earns me 1% cash back on every dollar over three thousand dollars I spend per year (less than 1% on everything under three thousand). Considering I am able to expense between 30 and 50 thousand dollars this year through work (which I may do on my credit card), essentially I can make up to $500 cashback (assuming I make all my payments on time, which I tend to do). It isn’t a huge amount – but it’s not bad for doing something I would do anyway (it will at least pay for my aluminum side paniers for the bike). I’ve also applied for a Mastercard that earns 2% (!!) cashback on all purchases, that can be used towards the purchase of any vehicle (I’m planning on buying a new Kawasaki Dual Sport or BMW GS Touring bike…), but I haven’t heard back about the application yet.

3. Reawakening the Tim Ferris within. I’ve reread The Four Hour Workweek, re-listened to the audiobook, and have been brainstorming new ideas for my muse (what Tim calls the relatively passive income generator). I’ve got some good ideas, and when I get set up here at my new job, I’ll start the testing stages. This will not be the first time I’ve attempted this online business thing. But I have learned, and am smarter now.

(photo by Mike)

Somewhat related are a few other side priorities for the year:

1. Healthy Lifestyle. This means eating healthy and especially, working out at least 3 times a week. I’ve definitely slipped on this one before. A lot. The recent 6 months in Japan I was really good about doing basic workout stuff most weeks, but this year is all about renewed strength of will power. I bought a discount weight set in Labrador city for $10 and I’ve been doing well for the last 2 weeks while traveling up here. I’ve also managed to procure a snowmobile for the winter here in Labrador (where it snows an average of 14 feet), which will inspire me to get out of my warm little house (actually, it’s quite big) in the cold winter months.

2. French Language. As part of my job, I’m required to learn French, and will be supervising at least three Francophones (who may or may not speak English), which I’m really excited about. I’ve got a workbook, language tapes on my ipod, and I’ve been watching a ton of Quebecois movies this past week (Lauberge Espagnole, L’Audition and Crazy are amazing!). I give it a month.

And lastly, there’s a few things that I’ve decided won’t be a priority: despite what I wrote last month, I will not be continuing with the photo post each week. Some people had asked me to post more, but after some reflection, I really feel that I need to keep this website as an outlet for things that I really feel passionate about sharing. Therefore, the idea is scrapped, in favor of adding a photo or two to possibly unrelated posts (like I did here with photos from the bike trip with Josh). I do have some great stories that I’m working on, and another feature length magazine article that should be ready soon. Look out Rolling Stone…

Okay so it’s been more than a week. I’ve been busy. I am working on writing up some stories though, which will be up soon.

I love this photo. I took it on a week long river boat trip up the Mahakham river in Borneo, with my Canada World Youth group. We would dock the boat at sunset and go for a swim/bath every evening. We would watch the monkeys and multi-colored birds on the river banks as we soaped up and then jumped of the roof of the boat. I love this one because I caught my friend Marcus holding onto the side of the boat shaving…

This was from a recent two-week kayaking trip in the Pacific Northwest (San Juan islands). Amazingly beautiful place.

My friend Bryan taught me how to roll out of the kayak and get back in. Which came in handy when we found a tennis ball in the water one day and invented a new extreme sport: kayak baseball. Under normal circumstances, it’s actually quite difficult to tip over in a kayak. Except when you’re trying to catch a tennis ball while speeding along in the water. Do I hear 2010 Olympics?

People have been emailing me, telling me that I don’t post regularly enough, so here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to do a short post a week with a couple of photos (in addition to when I actually have something to say, rather than just reminiscing). Just to get me in the habit of posting something (however brief) every week. I’m just going to include random photos that I like or that have a story behind them.

Apparently, this weeks theme is grassy photos.

This one was taken in summer 2003, on the dikes of Grand Pre, Nova Scotia.

I had this crazy idea that I would walk the length of Nova Scotia, from Yarmouth to the Northern tip of Cape Breton. When I started telling my friends I was going to do it, they either wouldn’t believe me, or would tell me I was crazy and pointed out that I didn’t even really like walking (which is true).

It took me about a month and a half to walk the thousand or so kilometers — I took lots of breaks in towns I liked and generally kept a pretty slow pace. Just me, a giant blue backpack from the seventies, and about 15 pounds of granola bars.I had plans to write and publish a short travellogue about the trip, but as it turned out, a solo hiking trip through rural Nova Scotia isn’t terribly exciting on paper. Mostly because this was shortly after Fat Mike had transformed, and I was still terribly shy.

Highlights of the trip include waking up to giant waves crashing into my bivy sack because I camped too close to the ocean at low tide; spending the most intense lightning storm I’ve ever experienced camped behind a parking meter factory with my girlfriend who was visiting at the time (before we realized what the building was, I remember scratching my head at the end of this field of waist high grass and thinking, why the hell are there parking meters in the middle of the grass?); and the hospitality (and booze) of friends of friends all across the province.

This picture was from a hitchhiking trip in summer 2005 from Kumamoto (Kyushu, Japan) to Yakushima (an island south of Kyushu) with my college buddy Todd. When we finally got to the island, the locals kept on acting really surprised to see us (more than usual). We eventually found out that there was a vicious typhoon headed straight for the island and all the tourists (and a lot of the locals) had fled to the mainland (the ferry to the island had been mysteriously empty…). We did a quick 2 day mountain bike tour and made it out on the last ferry just before the island got hammered.

Todd has an amazing ability to pick up languages faster than probably anyone I know. One thing I’ve learned from watching him is that you can’t be attached to perfection. This is huge. In other words, take risks with your speaking, make a complete ass of yourself, laugh, and learn from your mistakes.

“Three! Two! One! Go!” In perfect unison, the six of us lick the salt from the backs of our hands and down our double shots of tequila. We give a gasp and a celebratory cheer, as we slam our fifth (?) round of shot glasses down on the bar. “Come with us, we’re going to a house party a few towns over!” the blonde says. We all stumble out of the bar and jump into a cab-van. I will my eyes to focus on the digital clock. It’s 2 am. I’m loving life.

Back up three hours: I’m laying on my hotel room bed in Provo, Utah, watching some B-grade movie about vampires. It’s my first night off work in weeks, and my first night in a town of over 500 people in months. It also happens to be Saturday night. Despite all this, I’m feeling very lazy, comfortable and uninspired.

I take a minute — on a commercial break — and think about my situation. How many times have I had a really great, memorable night of TV watching? How many adventures have I had sitting around, watching B-movies?

On the other hand, the last time I went to a bar in a mostly Mormon city alone, I had a crazy adventure, met some really great people and ended up sleeping in a public park with some other travelers.

I knew what I must do. I pulled myself off the comfortable hotel bed and dragged myself to “downtown” Provo. I genuinely did not want to go out.

On Center Street I case out a late night burger joint and quickly start talking with a couple of transported locals. We hang out for a while and they give me a walking tour to the two bars in town. As I internally debate whether buying a temporary membership plus paying cover might be worthwhile (the bars in Utah have strange laws about membership), two girls on their way in offer to sponsor me in on their membership. The rest — the tequila, the rockabilly band, the house party, and the ensuing hangover — is a bonus.

I suppose this is another one of those reminders to myself — this one on the importance of Right Action. Right Action (as I define it) is pushing yourself to do something you know you should do (write that term paper; do something interesting instead of watching tv; talk to that girl who is intimidatingly beautiful…), but normally may not do because of laziness, procrastination or that little bit of short term pain that you might be avoiding.

I had an amazing, memorable experience in Provo that night, and I wouldn’t have even had the chance if I followed old patterns of laziness and procrastination.

It’s kind of like the concept of inertia: an object in motion will stay in motion and an object at rest will stay at rest — unless acted upon by an outside force. Sometimes you need to be that outside force.

Below: the Arcade Fire in an elevator…

I’m a shameless promoter, I know. But I need to take this time to point out a few friends that are accomplishing awesome things right now.

Firstly, there’s my buddy Dave Lowe over in Vietnam who released his first travel novel, the hilarious Sandwiches Should Never Taste Like Cow Crap. I read a bunch of the advance chapters when he was editing it and I laughed my ass off.

Here’s what the New York Times had to say about the book: The world, according to Dave Lowe, is a dangerous place — full of sadistic customs agents, decaying airplanes and toothlessly grinning old women. It is therefore also a wonderful, hilarious place, the kind of world you’d visit yourself if only you had Lowe’s wit, open-mindedness and unerring penchant for disaster.

Go read some sample chapters on his blog, www.theloweroad.com and then go over to Amazon and buy it. I personally guarantee you’ll enjoy it. Support the team.

Then, we move on to Liam Mather, definitely my favorite musician in Halifax, who also happens to be a good friend. Today I came across a video of Liam performing one of his newer songs, Lonely Road. Amazing song. I’m stoked for his album to come out.

And then my good buddy Josh Webb, who’s kicking ass in the photography world as usual. Check out his online portfolio and his photography blog (one of three blogs that I read regularly — when I’m not in the middle of nowhere). That’s his motorbike below, and I’m sure that he and I will be posting more motorbike pics from our big Newfoundland trip in August.

My journal entries from last week about the No Complaint Challenge:

Day 1

I receive my new Ipod from Amazon as I’m on a break from being out in the field. I hook it up to my friend’s MacBook and sync up her music. I’m stoked. Then I move on to the PC laptops (having never owned an Ipod before and not realizing it had to be either PC or Mac formatted and wouldn’t work with both…), which asks me to reformat my Ipod. I proceed to curse out Mac, Apple, Steve Jobs, and his children if he has any.

I switch wrists and restart the complaint challenge.

Coincidentally, as I typed this, I noticed my good friend Josh wrote a post about why Macs suck (here). Also coincidentally, Macs are the reason Tim Ferris had to restart his No Complaint Challenge (here). I guess the universe is conspiring to keep Macs sucking…

Day 1 (Second Attempt)

After the Mac incident, I’ve managed a whole day without complaining. I feel more aware of my thoughts and am even able to quench most other (non-complaint) negative thoughts.

Day 2

I’m driving a 1978 Chevy pickup truck deep into the desert on roads that most modern trucks would take issue with. But I trust the old Chevy, because we have been here together before — and in worse spots. I will be spending the next six days camped far from any mark of civilization, working as a logistics and backup camp for a month long desert survival course.

As I drive down one particularly steep, precarious, washboard-like section in the dirt track, the Chevy engine stalls, taking with it the power brakes and power steering — and leaving me to wrestle the beast of a truck from driving over the side and into the great canyonland abyss. I call the Chevy a worthless piece of shit that isn’t fit to drive to the supermarket in.

I switch wrists and restart the complaint challenge for the second time.

Later, the Chevy and I reconcile our differences and spend a mostly peaceful 5 days together in the desert heat.

Day 1 (Third Attempt)

Without anyone around to complain to about the intense heat, the black flies, and the squirrels trying to steal my food, I am doing quite well. I play my guitar, read two Paolo Coelho novellas, and decompress.

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Life, The Universe, and Everything Coincidental

I don’t believe in omens in the religious sense of the word. I do believe that we notice coincidences or perceive special circumstances when our unconscious is focused intently on a goal or objective. For example, when your major definite goal is to make a lot of money as an entrepreneur, you might notice that the people at the table next to you at the restaurant are talking about a business service that might meld well with your new company — and when you talk to them, you think to yourself, hey, what a coincidence… In fact, you had simply programmed your subconscious mind to be hypersensitive to anything related to money, starting a business, and your particular product niche.

Which brings me to why I’m doing the 21 Day No Complaint Challenge. I can’t really explain why, just the how. My unconscious mind conspired to make me do it.

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