each of us is born with inherent power. our lives are ours to decide. problem is, as we age we relinquish some of that power to social norms, status, possessions, even time. we eventually begin to feel as if we have no control over our lives and powerless to effect any lasting impact in the world. that’s about as enjoyable as eating a crap-sandwich.

clearly, it’s no way to live a life of meaning. so, here are 7 ways to reclaim your inherent power…

money

the fact that the US dollar is fiat currency (not backed by anything of value and only worth something because the government says it is) is a clear indicator of how our relationship should be with it. namely, not much.

refuse to allow something of such little value to have power over you. get out from under money’s control by clearing your debts and living within your means.

the next time you make a purchase, support the merchant by paying with cash instead of debit/credit. with every card swipe the banks take a cut of the transaction from the merchant.

food

our food supply is controlled by multi-national corporations and they sure as hell don’t have your best interests in mind (Monsanto rated the #1 most unethical company in the world).

know where your food comes from, support your community and your health by buying from local growers. look for organically grown foods and stay away from trans fats, refined grains (white flour), and the evil high-fructose corn syrup. not only will this help you reclaim your food but also your health. double win. suck it, Monsanto!

things

George Carlin puts possessions into perspective in this classic clip. basically, the more things you have the more stress they cause and the more they drain your finances all without you even realizing it. folks tend to wrap their identity around their things, too. that’s a lot of power we give to things. instead, declutter your life and adopt a more minimalist approach to living.

download Leo Babauta’s Simple Guide to Minimalist Living for free or support the creator and buy it directly from him.

connections

for the good and/or bad, internet media is rewiring how we interact with the world. websites such as facebook, twitter, and youtube are demanding so much more of our attention their draw is now being considered an addiction or disorder.

i’m as much a geek as the next WoW gamer (for the Horde, Alli scum) but the time and attention folks choose to devote to these web-driven connections has to come from somewhere. namely, the world and the people that currently surround you. the right now, the present you currently occupy.

the world won’t change because you miss the next staus update, but you can change the life of the person next to you. (there’s a Hallmark card in there somewhere)

goals

we live in a culture where if you’re not being “productive” (which is subjective, anyway) you’re not a good human being. i used to work for FranklicCovey and can appreciate the excitement and power of goal-setting. however, as i pointed in how productivity ruins your life folks tend to set goals for things other than their most important. add the stress, guilt, and negative associations of failing to meet a made-up metric of where you think you should be and we see that goals don’t exactly make people happy.

don’t allow “productivity” to cloud your being present in the moment. instead of holding yourself to a goal, when you want something do go after it but recognize it’s okay if you alter your plan or postpone it as you see fit. and your goal is not your identity, you are much more than that.

thinking

this list couldn’t be complete without telling you to kill your television. or, at the very least, cut back to just watching Sons of Anarchy seriously, reduce your consumption of television and other corporate mass-market media. the more you consume the same talking points as others the more your thinking and views resemble that of the masses (and the creators of said news).

instead, replace these with alternative and independent sources to get different perspectives. you’ll be surprised at what isn’t covered by the major outlets.

and a lo-tech way to reclaim your mind… get physical with a book. be aware, there will be thinking invovled.

time

for most folks morning usually starts with an alarm followed by a rush to reach work by a certain time. time plays a huge role in people’s lives, constantly measuring success based on their ability to perform against the clock. obviusly we still need to be accountable to our obligations and agreements but we don’t need to allow the clock to preside over our actions as much as we do.

i believe i learned this from minimalist blogger Everett Bogue and it has quickly become a favorite ritual of mine. when i wake in the morning, instead of jumping up and racing the clock, i lie in bed in silence. i listen to the quiet and meditate for about 15 minutes. it’s a practice that’s allowed me to break free from viewing my life in minute or hourly chunks and instead approach it as if walking towards the horizon.

there are more, but everything here are things you can start doing today without much effort.

most productivity gurus tell us that to control our time commitments we need to say No more often. initially, it makes sense inside the context of task efficiency and getting things done. i call bullshit. it’s the worse advice one can follow in life.

where productivity went wrong

Richard Branson gives us a cool quote:

i’ve enjoyed life a lot more by saying yes than by saying no.

and no one can point a finger at him and exclaim “but you’re not being very efficient, mr. branson.” the dude’s got companies in air travel, music, telecom, space flight, etc. he also lives on a a private island and i say that counts for something, too.

so, do folks like Steven Covey and David Allen have it all wrong? not really. not for for the paradigm they’re working from. keyword being “working”.

see, for most folks, success is defined by the amount of work you accomplish by the end of the day. how many emails were sent? how many widgets were sold? how many cells entered in the spreadsheet?

by saying No to the things that don’t further the work you’re doing then you’re able to produce more.

No priorities

you’re supposed to say No to the things that aren’t a priority.

yeah, i hear ya. i used to work at FranklinCovey so know full well their message and methods. and over the years i’ve found most folks, despite the tools and training, just plain suck at this. mostly because people tend to wrap their identity around the work they do.

i’m a doctor. i’m an accountant. i’m a designer. i’m a ___fill-in-the-blank___

so, what happens? folks end up saying No to real life enriching experiences so they can further build their identity around their work.

i’m a recognized and award-winning doctor/designer/blank

they’re saying No to things that should be, and often are, priorities. folks are pretty good at sacrificing their priorities in order to be a “good and productive member of society”.

the Yes proposition

what i propose is this: just say Yes. it’s certainly a lot more positive way to greet life and by doing so you’ll accept more of the things that matter into your life. and find new opportunities to enjoy life more. in fact, some of the most memorable, life changing experiences i’ve had resulted from my saying Yes even when (and especially when) i wanted to say No.

what do you think? will you say Yes more often?

Mohawks, spiked leather bracelets, screaming lyrics, and a stiffly raised middle finger… oh yeah, lifestyle design is so fuckin’ punk!

The same DIY ethic that powers punk rock is also behind the lifestyle design movement. Folks want a life that’s infinitely more fulfilling than the ones dealt by conventional society… and they’re doing something about it. Oi!

Get a haircut and get a real job

Go to college. Get your degree. Get a job with a pension and benefits. Work hard so you can be happy when you retire.

Despite being the “sensible” thing to do for generations we’ve already realized this path is a crock of shit.

Facing this harsh reality though is what created a culture of slackers.

If there’s no pot of gold at the end of that rainbow, why should I even bother? I’ll just play my Xbox until I have to put on my Mr. Cluck’s uniform and go to work.

Where we went punk

Now listen up, especially the sniveling bitches (read: slackers) in the crowd. Here’s a quick crash course on punk…

Flashback to the 70s. The country was full of hippies disillusioned with the state of being. The curtain had been pulled back and for the first time folks got a good look at “the man” and they didn’t like what he was selling.

Rather than cinch up a tie and tote a briefcase they decided to turn on, tune in, and drop out.

So, on one hand we had the tarnished promises being peddled by “the man” and on the other we had a bunch of folks who rebuked the system by “making love, not war”.

But, there was this third group of people who came around. They were like “Fuck the fat cats and their system. And fuck those hippies who waste their time with love-ins.”

Discontent, non-conformist, individualist, free-thought. This is punk. And their music, their words, their dress and lifestyle reflected this ideology.

They refused to buy into a system they didn’t believe in, and they didn’t sit down waiting for someone to hand them a new one. Instead, they rushed the stage, elbows swinging, and did things their way.

They published their own zines, started their own record labels, distributed their own music, promoted their own gigs. They spoke out about things they believed in. They did it DIY. And they still are…

Do. It. Yourself.

DIY. It’s an ethic based on being self-reliant. That the ordinary joe can do things never thought possible. Joe ain’t one to wait around for someone else to fish the fly out of his soup… he’ll get that damned fly himself.

What Joe lacks in professional training he makes up for with moxie. He seeks out and gains the knowledge and skills for himself so he doesn’t have to rely on some “expert” to feed him.

DIY is about being self-reliant, taking charge, and being personally accountable.

The DIY of Lifestyle Design

Today it’s painfully apparent that job security, like social security, is a myth. Folks have also wised up to the real definition of “cubicle worker” – wage slave.

These folks know that a fulfilling life is a hell of a lot more important than slaving away at something you’re not passionate about in exchange for valueless green pieces of paper. True to the DIY ethic they’ve made themselves personally accountable… they took back stewardship of their happiness and quality of life.

These are today’s lifestyle designers… can we call them lifestyle punks?

For some it means going location independent, traveling beyond boundaries and borders. Others have started their own businesses and are calling their own shots. While still others are turning their backs on crass consumerism and living a life of minimalism.

DIY. Punk. Life.

If you’re a “lifestyle designer” then you choose to live life your way, on your terms, and fully accept all the joys and hardships that come your way because of it.

If you are one of us shout Oi! and keep on rockin’.

If you’re not DIY then I have one question, “Who are you waiting on to take care of you?”

Happiness. It’s the uber-topic for a whole line of folks from the Dali Lama, the slicksters behind The Secret, Steven Covey and even your friendly nomad.

Hell, friend, there’s a vast hunger in the marketplace for “happy”. That’s why we got ourselves a billion dollar business. And that makes me happy.

So, the billion dollar question of the day is (would you finally be happy if you won that?): with so much material available on the topic, why the hell aren’t you happy?!

It’s time to put all the imitators aside and go to the wise men at the top of the mountain for the answer: Yoda and Buddha.

Buddha brings it, sans attachments

Buddha’s answer goes something like this:

Attachment to outcomes is what causes suffering in life.

Like all wisdom laid out by folks infinitely more insightful than I, the words are simple yet incredibly deep.

We humans have an insatiable desire to have that which we currently do not. That, and we try so hard to match our lives to some inner image, want, ideal, or story. We perceive our lives not as they are, but as we want them to be.

It’s this attachment to outcome that the brilliant Buddha speaks of. Attachment leads to want, desire, envy, frustration, jealousy, anger, disappointment, hatred, heartache, guilt, self-loathing, fill-in-the-blank. i.e. suffering.

The point is to let go of your attachment to the possible future outcomes bouncing around in your head (“Always in motion is the future,” Yoda chimes in). Especially the ones you can not control (which, frankly, is most of them). Instead, commit to being in the present.

Where goals and dreams go wrong

Sounds like hippie pie-in-the-sky talk. If you want to be happy, kid, you gotta have goals. Dreams!

Now, some folks may object and say that goals and dreams are important. That I’m not denying (I admit, I’m a recovering goal chaser). However, goals and dreams are simply directions… you can’t do goals (outcomes). Which, actually, is the reason so many folks fail at reaching their goals – they focus on the outcome and not actionable, do-able steps. You can only be in and act in the now. Happy is in your now.

This ties in with what our favorite little green man has to say.

What would Yoda do?

Yoda’s insight goes something like this:

Do or do not. There is no try.

Considering English isn’t his native language, not too cryptic. Here’s what the Jedi’s getting at: “Outcomes are created by actions. You do actions. Trying is no different than hoping for an outcome.”

Again, release whatever you think the outcome might/should be and simply act in the now. Luke, focusing on the seemingly impossible outcome of trying to lift his x-wing, whined like a beat down brat. His attachment to the perceived outcome… awww, poor lil’ nerf-herder.

Like I said, these dudes got bigger brains than I and… oh wait…

Look, we have a surprise guest who wants to say something…

Wisdom at sword point

It’s Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s most ass-kickin’ samurai and author of The Book of Five Rings.

Here’s what the sultan of swords has to say:

When you go into battle, your mind must not be on victory or defeat. There is no room for it. Instead you must empty your mind and exist in each moment.

I think you get the drift… wise folks say give up your attachment to outcomes. Stop chasing or hoping for that idealized image that, ultimately, means nothing. Especially right now. That’s where happy is.

The conversation started out simple enough but quickly turned into a scolding as to the inherent dangers of travel and how easy it is to fall prey to cutthroats and scoundrels.

In fact, travel is easily the most dangerous activity known to man. With every reason under the sun proving why you shouldn’t go, you’d be a fool to step outside your little hamlet. Right?

It was a recent conversation with my mother that got me thinking about this. I mentioned that I wasn’t going to be in Thailand for a month as she had thought (and bravely accepted). I would be there for about four months. That’s when the grief started to roll…

“Be careful! They don’t hold themselves to the same standards we do. There were two girls that got life in prison there. What if you get kidnapped? Swine flu is everywhere there. Don’t run with scissors.”

Insert scene of me rolling my eyes and saying, “Y’know, I wasn’t going to be careful before but now that you mention it, sounds like a good idea. I’ll give it a shot.” Insert sound of her slapping the back of my head.

Now, I understand that it’s in her DNA to worry – she’s a mother. However, if you look beyond mothers and agoraphobes these same fears and concerns resonate with everybody to some degree. Which begs the question…

How the hell does anyone ever actually travel beyond their driveway let alone travel abroad?

Have you seen the National Geographic show Locked Up Abroad? The series tells stories of travelers who get locked up, beaten and helpless in foreign jails. Oh, snap! What a horrible fate awaits me!

Actually, most of the folks on the show are dumb shits who got conned into smuggling drugs but still… jail (anywhere in the world) ain’t a happy place.

But, what could happen to you if you travel?

In the book 4 Hour Work Week, there’s an exercise to help you put all your crap on the table and really look at all those travel fears for what they really are… excuses to not do anything worthwhile.

In the exercise, the question goes something like this:

Write down all the scary and horrible things that could happen to you while abroad.

Hmmm, let’s see. What could happen?

1. End up in a foreign jail, shackled in a hole in the ground
2. Stranded without money or help
3. Mugged and beaten by a gang of thugs who recognize my mugger’s wallet for what it really is
4. Catch a flesh eating virus
5. Kidnapped and held for ransom (good luck)
6. A major organ could fail and the pain reduces me to sniveling sobs on a bedroom floor with no one the wiser
7. Eaten by tigers (damn good story if I actually lived through it)
8. Murdered, burned and left in a ditch

All in all, not a bad list of things that could happen while traveling (feel free to add your own travel fears in the comments below). The likelihood of any of these things happening are pretty much nil. The only ones that have any real lasting impact are the ones that include death. Of course, if that happens it’s a done deal and there’s no use complaining about it.

That’s the idea of the exercise, though – to discover that your nightmares, however big and scary, aren’t that likely or permanent. Even so…

Are the positive outcomes of travel worth nightmarish risks?

The next exercise from the book asks you…

What are the positive outcomes?

1. Witness things that were personally never thought to exist or be possible
2. Meet and learn from amazing people and call them friends
3. Discover a new self, a new confidence
4. See parts of the world only a small percentage of people have ever known
5. Take part in once-in-a-lifetime adventures
6. Make a difference in someone’s life
7. Learn a new language
8. Shift perspectives on people and life
9. Have experiences that make life worth living

Again, not a bad list (feel free to add any positive outcomes in the comments below). Especially that last one.

For the analytical types, we now have some pros and cons of travel. From where I’m standing, one side vastly outweighs the other.

You can brainstrom every reason under the sun what could happen and use those as excuses why you shouldn’t travel. However, even with death (which comes to us all at some point anyway) weighing in for the cons, the opportunities for personal growth, fulfillment, and getting more from life make the argument for travel far more compelling.

Life isn’t about avoiding danger and risks, it’s about choosing how you live.