Could you first introduce Just Action players to the Art of Non-conformity?

[Chris:] Sure. AONC is a blog, a book, a business, and a community. I write for a small army of remarkable people all over the world. The project began as an attempt to chronicle my personal journey to every country in the world (currently at 151 countries, 41 to go) — but it ended up growing much beyond that.

Is living the Art of Non-Conformity important beyond personal satisfaction? Could it become a core value for successful societies of the future?

[Chris:] I certainly hope it goes beyond personal satisfaction. Or to put it another way, a core part of the movement is the belief that personal satisfaction is found largely in our interaction with others and the ultimate contribution that we make to the world. I also believe that we can pursue our own personal dreams and big goals, and being independent or “selfish” in that way isn’t a hindrance but rather complimentary to the first part.

How has your “reason why” expanded since you published your famous online manifesto “A Brief Guide to World Domination”? If it has?

[Chris:] I think the worldview outlined in that manifesto is still largely the same, but the vision has definitely grown quite a lot. I didn’t predict that the project would become as well-known as it has, so that has required some good adjustments in terms of being more clear about intentions and the agenda. At each step along the way, the readers have helped me make AONC much better than it would be with just me.

What are the only credentials necessary for anyone pursuing an unconventional life?

[Chris:] I don’t think there are any necessary credentials. In some cases, credentials can be helpful or advantageous—but almost never necessary.

I hold that even “conventional people” that are 9:00 to 5:00 employees, for example, will have to develop and express their own unique “unconventional bug” to thrive personally and collectively. How can anyone be unconventional even in a conventional context? Is that possible?

[Chris:] I agree with your contention. And I’d say that non-conformity is first and foremost about being clear on motivations and intention. Frankly, a lot of people don’t have clear goals or even a clear picture of what they really want to experience in life. This tends to lead to unhappiness or at least discontent, especially when what we say we believe and what we actually do are in conflict.

So whether someone is in a conventional job or otherwise, I think the most important thing is to start asking why. Why do we do the things we do? What’s the point? What are we working towards? Once we start asking those kinds of questions and begin making small changes, the context we do it in is almost irrelevant.

If you had to start all over again building a successful blog what would you do differently?

[Chris:] I probably wouldn’t have put the main website on chrisguillebeau.com, since no one can spell my name. But I can’t do anything about that now, and Seth Godin told me once “Don’t worry about things you can’t control.” So I don’t worry too much.

You have stuff about travel, about your personal objective to visit every country, about business, world domination, all in a wrapper of Non-Conformity… Could you explain what your ultimate agenda is moving forward? Is your upcoming book going to reaffirm your mission and direction?

[Chris:] Very good question. One of the things that is a constant tension is the need as a leader to provide a vision and agenda while also not trying to be a guru or present all the answers. So let me say first that everything with AONC has been a work in progress, and continues to be. But with the first part of the answer in mind, the mission is to help people live unconventional, remarkable lives.

That’s the vision. The strategies to enact the vision are varied, from the writing I do on the site and elsewhere, the side business, the upcoming World Domination Summit (next June in Portland, Oregon), and so on. But ultimately I’d like to see more people embracing change and making personal decisions to puruse big dreams and improve the world for the rest of us.

The coherence, substance and clarity of your messages are sourced from a deeper wisdom that you have, but have not expressed explicitly – rather, it is implicit in your writing. If I were to make a prediction, you will slowly move from teaching skills mostly to focusing on spreading the philosophy and its broader meaning. Is that sort of evolution in the horizon for you?

[Chris:] Time will tell. But it’s certainly true that as the project has grown, I’ve been thinking a lot about the bigger picture and what the fundamental message is. Questions like these help a lot, though I don’t always know what a good soundbite answer is right away.

What would be your most out-the-box thought about your future aspirations?

[Chris:] I have no idea! But I like this quote from Rosalia de Castro:

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.”

I’m really having a lot of fun traveling the world and learning from people. I hope to continue that in some form for a long time, wherever the path leads.

In Part II of this interview we discuss the art of daring to take action, learning to recognize a unique opportunity, and taking action in that second overcoming fear. Paul and I also explore an almost magical feature that unfolds when taking action, and that is the phenomenon of Synchronicity. I am always intrigued by the what triggers the creative process. In this case, I asked Paul about his motivation for writing Begin with YES! I hope you enjoy Part II of this interview.

Begin with YES – Interview with Paul Boynton Part I

Today we have the pleasure to present to you Part One of an interview with Just Action friend Paul Boynton, the author of a great book titled Begin with YES: A Short Conversation that will Change your Life for Ever. This wonderful book presents what I would call “positive strategies” to get unstuck, make decisions, and take action. The book is structured as a conversation that slowly reveals many of the questions that come up as we encounter resistance, change, and the urge to grow. Most importantly, Paul’s answers help us meet these challenges with positive action. As you read on, the book turns into a friendly conversation between you and Paul as he raises many familiar concerns most of us have when managing changes in our lives.

Begin with YES is aligned with Just Action as it encourages you to attract change through what Paul calls The Law of Action “The actions we take influence our outlook. What we do affects how we think, and the kinds of experiences we have. When we take positive steps, small, manageable steps, guess what? We feel more positive and our lives flow more smoothly.”

Watch Part II of this interview where I ask Paul:
About the art of daring, the magic of synchronicity and his motivations for writing Begin with YES!

Book Trailer for Begin with YES

Javier's early racing!

In previous posts I have stressed the importance for love in all your activities. Passion for your work is most certainly a fundamental ingredient that will see you through the toughest times as you persist on achieving your goals. However, not all your passions contain a sense of mission that will appeal to your highest creative self. This post intends to explore the difference between passion and mission to help you define your character in your Just Action journey.

Javier's latest racing!

As a child, I had a passion for cars, driving, and racing. My earliest childhood memory is while riding in the back car seat of my father’s 1963 Porsche 356. I also remember my parents’ apartment brilliant track like layout where all rooms were connected. I used to drive my 911 pedal car around it with extreme precision skillfully avoiding assorted furniture and adults along the way. I probably drew hundreds of cars, built radio control car kits, and dreamed of being an engineer at Porsche or Mercedes. When my father “taught” me how to drive, he hardly said a word. I knew how to drive with not much instruction thanks to the many years of attentive observation. My first patented invention was a safety device for cars that I tried to market at the tender age of 18-19 in the US automotive industry (a huge learning experience by the way). Then, I became a Mechanical Engineer and on and on… In other words, cars and racing where my passion and I still enjoy it – (click for photos of the latest).

From Passion to Passion with a Mission

However, priorities seemed to shift and I did not know why. But without being fully aware of the reason, by the late 90’s I was already helping entrepreneurs build their internet companies and strategies. At the time, the Internet was booming, and I was attracted by the unbounded creative possibilities. I enjoyed tackling new challenges all the time so I went on to build all kinds of online services and communities. It was fun because there was no limit to my expression. However, I still didn’t have a clear mission at the time. I was just having fun creating cool new things and helping others do the same. In time, I realized I enjoyed helping people with their projects and I learned a lot through observation of many failures and a few successes I got to see.

Your Mission with Passion

I went on to create Just Action instead of becoming a race car driver. As I ponder the reasons, I cannot deny the exhilaration that I still feel when driving on a race track, but as I look back to the decisions I have made, my personal path was not about going around a track faster than anyone, even if it is incredible adrenaline pumping fun. Instead, I realized I had pursued my other creative passions, most importantly helping others discover and realize their potential. I feel a deep sense of accomplishment every time I teach a seminar, give a speech, or coach a person. It is a sense of exhilaration that finds me more energized when I complete it than when I start it. All are telling signs that when I am doing these activities I am expressing my highest vibration. Ever more satisfied that with every bit I am leaving my best legacy.

Beyond Green Film Project

Day by day, hour by hour, it is becoming painfully clear to more and more people that if we don’t change almost everything in terms of what and how we think and thus behave, in a very short time — probably less than a decade — we will be facing a situation where the “crisis” we see unfolding around us now, will shy in comparison and seem “mild” to what lies ahead if we continue along in this outdated “Everybody For Themselves” (EFT) system.

Are there solutions? Apparently yes, if you believe some politicians, if you believe the marketing and even a lot of documentary films that are telling us to “Go Green” and be a “Conscious Consumer”. Apparently yes, if we all could just obey the 3R’s of “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”. However, the cold-hard-truth is that this is extremely poor thinking.

The New Paradigm Community Convergence (NPCC) is producing a documentary film that intends to show that “Going Green” is not really a solution at all. Instead, that it is merely a mask of the same old game and the same old paradigm. And that to pass the transition, we have to go “Beyond Green”.  

The story will start in China, showing some deep and rarely presented aspects of this country by the global mainstream media. Then, it will show alternative ways of living in different communities in India and Europe. Additionally, the film will examine the emerging power of online communities and the role that they might play in the transition to more sustainable and holistic ways of living. Finally, it will capture the arrival of the group to Argentina, where we will meet with other people to start living and working together on laying the foundations for future New Paradigm Communities (NPC).

In essence, this will be a story of adventure and travel, a story of people looking for real and practical solutions to create a new paradigm. A story that will share the experiences and challenges of old and new emergent initiatives to inspire and nurture the development of future communities. This will be a story for those who are ready to take action.

What is the New Paradigm Community Convergence (NPCC)?

The NPCC is a global initiative and website that exists for three (3) prime purposes:

First Purpose

To promote initiatives, projects, and movements that are aimed at transitioning society away from the overly materialist, Everybody For Themselves System into something that is far more holistic, ecologically balanced and saner. Specifically, we encourage the realization of convergences of people (at least 500 or more) so that they may finally begin living and working in a closer, more interconnected and synergistic manner for the purpose of designing and building sustainable — ecologically balanced “New Paradigm Communities” (NPCs).

Second Purpose

To build and provide a transparent global network of collaboration that can assist individuals and movements in their efforts in order to maximize and empower their “Transition Processes”.

Third Purpose

To provide information on the realities of our current lifestyle, on new technologies for sustainable living, and on useful information to support the ongoing Paradigm Shift.

Last week, I asked this question on my Facebook wall starting a flurry of comments. Everyone seemed to agree that there are no accidents, everything happens for a reason, and there is meaning in all events. One of my Facebook friends, Nikko, summarized his view with a famous quote:

Look upon every experience you’ve ever had, and everyone who’s ever played any role in your life, as having been sent to you for your benefit. In this universe, which was created by a divine, organizing intelligence, there are simply no accidents.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

This exchange prompted another friend, Maya Hayward, to post this to start her extraordinary tale of enlightenment:

I think perhaps things may seem random to us, but I do believe, as others have pointed out here, that everything happens for a reason – mostly because this seems to be my experience and something learned through hindsight and with realization… So this would suggest that, ultimately, it isn’t as random as it may seem.

I asked Maya to share her story with all of you here. It is an inspiring story of how she was able to change her perspective in life, connect to her infinite potential, make courageous decisions and become a stronger person.

Here is Maya’s story:

I invite all of you to watch this revealing video by Lorna Bryne author of the book Angels in my Hair who speaks of experiences similar to what Maya described. Maya, this could very well be your launching pad for your writing career!

Maya, I thank you for sharing this story with us, and I hope we can bring to you as much light as you have to our growing community of paradigm shifters! For every one that participated in this fantastic exchange in Facebook, I would love to have your comments.

Harmony and peace start within, but to go beyond, to expand and realize your potential, you need the support of your love ones. You cannot make great progress alone, your life team has to be with you for real progress to ensue. Those of us that have this support should not take it for granted. You should nurture the bond with your loved ones in full awareness that it is the foundation for all great breakthroughs that you will accomplish personally or as a family. In this post, I will discuss three creative and unique ways to strengthen or rebuild the bond with your spouse or life’s partner. Bonding with your life’s partner occurs in three equally important dimensions: Spiritual, Physical, and Mental – The concept of playfulness should be present in all three dimensions.

Do Yoga Together

Yoga practice creates holistic mind-body-spirit harmony helping you prepare for any action. If you practice Yoga with your spouse you compound the benefits by invigorating and balancing the energy flow between both of you. As you complete the Yoga practice, you feel your heart chakra open and balanced.

Luckily, my wife is a Yoga teacher so I get to practice with her. The type of Yoga that activates your creative sexual energy is called Kundalini, which refers to the libidinal force that lies coiled in the base of the spine. Kundalini Yoga untangles this natural creative energy and makes it flow in cycles through your body. However, all Yoga practices dislodge stagnant energy to rejuvenate your mind-body-soul.

My wife and I practice Hatha Yoga and get similar effects. After completing the Yoga practice, we hold each other in a lotus position embrace for a few minutes and feel the connection. In our experience, our reopened heart chakras renew our bond leaving us with a lasting sensation of oneness that goes beyond the emotion of love.

Painting on the same Canvas

We discovered joint painting one night as I was showing her that we could all be creative artists! I decided to tape two pieces of cardboard on the floor and took out finger paint. We got naked and started painting with no expectations, and no pressure. Once in the creative flow, with laughter and joy, there is little to stop you from exploring and experimenting together. Our awakened child within rejoiced in the freedom of expression. When finished, I stood up and looked at the creation and I was actually surprised! The result shown below was more than just a painting, but also a meaningful symbol of the awakening of our potential.

Then, it just became normal for us to paint jointly, both of us working on the canvas at the same time. We have made several paintings that always intend to have a meaning. We did one for the occasion of our wedding, and then another one for my sister in law. I also liked one we did symbolizing the birth of my first niece. One of my favorite joint paintings is about a life mandala that shows the cycle of breakthrough as explained in this video. The creative dialog and team work that results from playful joint painting prepares us as a couple to take on other activities with the same positive outlook.

Cooking for each other

Going on a date to a restaurant is always a fun occasion. But, you could add a creative twist to it! There is little meaning in ordering from the menu. The candle light and the beautiful scenery are always a plus, but what if you could make this occasion into a meaningful surprise!

Once in a while, my wife and I cook for each other. But we make it into an elaborate surprise. If it is my turn, I stay at home cooking a new never made before dish, and she leaves to a friend’s house to get ready for our special date. I prepare the dish and the ambiance with the sole purpose to impress her. The creative part of cooking something new, the expectation of seen her come home, and the surprise I give her with my special dish for her, all make for a great bonding experience filled with laughter and appreciation for each other. Then, the next time it is her turn to surprise me with her best dish ever. No restaurant can beat your life’s partner loving intention.

The unfolding Just Action journey that you go through as a participant of our personal transformation game will be enhanced by the support of your loved ones. Nurturing these important relationships is a key to your breakthroughs. I hope these ideas help you in creating a healthy and enduring bond with your life’s partner. If you have your own rituals or practices share them with us here in the comment section!

I have noticed that most of my clients, personal or corporate, request services that integrate coaching with Internet strategy design. Now more than ever, integrating both types of services is a must since a successful web presence incorporates social interaction that depends on a unique message and strong relationships built on trust. Many technical experts have recognized this and talk about it extensively, but they don’t have the coaching tools, skills, or resources to help their clients tune into the subtle spiritual and emotional elements that help you build a following that sustains a business.

The process you go through to setup your own blog, or a more sophisticated online presence, is in fact very similar to what you do in a discovery process through coaching. You have to tune into what you love, manage any negative conditioning that keeps you from expressing it, design a strategy to differentiate your craft or service, and take material action while preparing the foundations for continuity. Some times this entails a considerable personal transformation, to some degree a reinvention that starts within and not with learning the technical buzz words.

The Paradigm Shift that I talk about so much in my manifesto and other posts incorporates another language that addresses the spiritual and emotional dimensions of your business as a key factor in its continuity and financial success. You can only clarify and tune into these dimensions of your project by going through a formal coaching process, but without leaving behind the strategic aspect of building your business. It is hard for me to imagine continued success in our current world, where sustainability and innovation are required, without addressing the heart and spirit of your endeavor.

There are countless blogging programs that teach the tactical aspects of building a blog, but in most cases these programs are not designed to help you find out its heart. The heart of a blog is of course, your heart, your passion, your talent, your creative expression. There is more to finding your heart than just asking business questions, so I am integrating the Just Action program to help you define the mission and strengthen the heart of your project.

After you complete the Just Action program, you will have:

• A fully functional blog and social media presence
• A content strategy that leverages your passion and skills
• A product or service plan with a launching strategy
• A feasible and innovative business model

When should you select this program?

• When you are deciding on a new career path
• When you are unhappy at work and in need of a change
• When you have been fired and need to reinvent yourself
• When you have completed a cycle and want to explore other ventures
• When you have a new online business idea that you want to start
• When your business is not doing well, and you need to turn it around
• When you have retired and you are looking for new ways to create value
• When you have already a clear idea, but don’t know how to implement it
• When you want a community ready to support your work online

Who should select this program?

Anyone that has any type of intellectual property such as: Authors, Musicians, Artists, Photographers, Professors, Politicians, TV personalities, Inventors, Engineers, Internet Entrepreneurs, Social Entrepreneurs, Activists, or any expert that wants to reinvent the way they do business…

Since I live in Spain, I have been able to see first hand how the Soccer Worldcup has united us all as a nation with one single hope, to make history winning Spain’s first Worldcup. My wife and I were enjoying the final against The Netherlands when she mentioned, if humanity could unite us with the same passion to take on the problems we face, there are no challenges we could not overcome. If we could celebrate all of human victories with the same fervor, there would be enough energy to create the most unlikely breakthroughs.

The Worldcup is a true global phenomenon that brings people together every four years. More than 200 countries go through a grueling qualifying round which takes place during the preceding three years, and the best 32 teams finally meet to fight for the coveted trophy. An estimated 700 million people watched the 2010 final match making this the most widely viewed sporting event in the world. It has been found that the country that wins increases its Gross National Product by an average 0.7%! It shows then that sheer joy and pride makes us work productively and with optimism.

All human pleasures seem to mix, Flamenco (instead of Zamba this time), and soccer. In this short post, I wonder what would happen if we brought this sense of world unity, this level of team work, this feeling of hope and joy to other important human quests that take place every day? Today, I wonder how we could vibrate in this high frequency when celebrating other human conquests? We should just remember the emotion we felt yesterday as Andrés Iniesta struck a dramatic gol late in extra time. We certainly must experience these moments to know how to instill this intensity in other matters.

In business there are all kinds of buzz words, and it seems we have to not only know about them, but also apply them or else we are doomed. Strategy, client development, long tail, direct to market, relationship management, social media metrics, psychometrics, conversion optimization, networking, search engine optimization, persuasion assets, sales pages, social objects, followers… We spend more energy learning about the new buzz words than doing what we love.

Recently, my super talented cousin, Xabi Mendoza and I were talking about his popular comic called Owned!. He has created an epic viral phenomenon among teens with a comic series that focuses on the video gaming subculture. He has done so with the help of literally thousands of followers that flock to his blog daily just to check if he has posted anything new. Forget about RSS, email marketing, or distribution lists… Teens just go to his site and check just in case there is something new. Xabi is preparing for the second season coming up soon, and everyone that follows Owned! is ready to retweet, like and share his stuff in all social media venues as soon as it hits the waves.

Keep in mind Xabi has not implemented any of the blogging, branding, and web design best practices. He has built his loyal following without knowing what the blogging gurus recommend, and without following the hundreds of courses and programs available to build and launch online products. Even though he increases his readership by the thousands weekly, he could do even better if he were to apply these best practices, but that is not the point!

The feasibility of your project does not depend on money alone. Even if it sounds like utopia there are means to build a validating following for your creative project even before it gets produced. The first organ that develops in a human embryo is the HEART. All creative expressions must do likewise. You should form the HEART of your project even before all other aspects needed for its survival develop. The question you must ask is whether you are developing your project’s heart! Then the rest, will follow in harmony.

For all the expert advice and best practices to work the required ingredient of love must be present. Tuning your daily actions to do the things you love is the key. In a world with so much competition, your only true competitive advantage is to serve others through an authentic expression of love. It is only in that state of being that your highest expression will emerge; it is only in that state of flow that your full creativity is born; it is only in that state of harmony that you inspire true loyalty and trust.

As we said good bye, Xaby told me:

It does not really matter if all these efforts make me any money now, I just know for a fact that I will continue drawing to the end of my days no matter what. It is inevitable, I just need it…

Of course, little does he know how quickly his life will change soon… It is only a matter of LOVE. All the business buzz words cannot compete with it…

For those of you curious about Xaby’s work check out this video montage of his comic series: