Good evening and welcome to another edition of the 21st Century Nomad blog.  Tonight I’m going to be discussing my woes with organizing my thoughts into useful information and as a result organizing my business endeavors.

Blame the schools!

So, I’m not one to point fingers, and, to clear the air, no, I do not think my lack of organizational prowess can be blamed on our educational system.  But, I would like to prelude this post with a little food for thought -

So, this video may not totally relate to what I’m going to discuss tonight, but I just can’t get enough of these RSA videos!  Go ahead and call me a bloody Brit and let the cries of Benedict Arnold fly, but you gotta admit…these guys have some pretty solid points.

Anyways, while this video points out some of the most crippling flaws in our current educational system and philosophies, I think it also provides a nice segue into my rant on how our educational system shortchanged me.

Now, don’t get me wrong…as much as I feel things could have been better, I’m not starving or impoverished due to the fact that our schools couldn’t understand my educational needs.  In fact, I’ve done quite well in life, due in part to the fact that I was able to cruise through my formative schooling years on wit, natural abilities, and a little bit of luck.  With relatively little effort I’ve been able to provide a steady, decent income for my family in a reasonably comfortable day job.

So why am I complaining?

The answer is twofold:

1. Our education system only played to my strengths, while never seriously addressing any of my shortcomings.
2. As a result, I’ve had to play catch up on many basic areas of scholastic prowess that I never learned.

Unfortunately, for many people the educational system only played to their shortcomings, never allowing them to discover their true intellectual strengths and leaving them to live a life of struggle.

My own story is one of cruising through classes to easy A’s, despite a tendency towards napping, truancy, and avoidance of any and all homework.  Luckily for me, I was able to pick up quite a few skills along the way, but, unfortunately, organization was not one of them.

Since day one I have struggled with the issue of staying organized.

I remember how embarrassed I was that, every so often, the teacher would have to call my mom up to the school so I could dump out my desk and clean out the treasure trove of useless junk.  Out would come spilling an array of broken pencils, 3 month old homework assignments, half-finished doodles, and remnants of snacks long forgotten.  I would diligently rummage through the rubble to sort out meaningful work from the garbage.  I guess in my mind it was sort of all garbage, though.  More useless bits of information (so I thought) that I had gobbled up and regurgitated for teachers, one college-ruled sheet of notebook paper at a time.  I rode through school anesthetized by the lack of stimulation others found so challenging.  Who needed to take notes when your brain could handle everything the teacher wrote on the board plus the latest season of X-Men and a wealth of Sega Genesis cheatcodes?

Fast forward a decade or two, and now I find myself cruising through employers, constantly seeking out new jobs in order to keep the cash-flow increasing so I can buy more toys to help me forget about the dull, lifeless jobs I find myself enduring.  That all stopped when I found the wonder of online business, though.  Finally, I could pursue all the things I loved, while generating a substantial income; substantial enough to possibly quit the dull, lifeless jobs I felt were just another necessary evil.

I was in love…

…like most love though, it was definitely puppy love, with all the slobbery kissing and constant attention seeking that one would expect.  I immediately started to soak up every tidbit of knowledge I could seek out.  I read blogs, I listened to podcasts, and, like anyone in puppy love, I spent money.  I told everyone that would listen about how I had an idea for the next big thing, and was going to quit tomorrow when I was a millionaire (ok, maybe I’m not that jaded and realized that it was going to be a lot of work, and that, no, I wouldn’t be making millions next week).

But, puppy love fades fast.  As the holidays came and went, I saw much less time to pursue my dreams of online entrepreneurship and much more time devoted to the holiday season rush of work, family, friends, more work, and a whole lot more family.  All of a sudden I couldn’t think about my new-found passion 24/7.  There were parties to attend, relatives to amuse, and no lack of year-end deadlines to wrap up at work.

I’ve done a lot of hard thinking about my new love.  Is this really something that I truly want to pursue, or is it just another flavor of the week, waiting to be interrupted by the latest PS3 game or season of Sons of Anarchy?  I had to decide: was this love real?  Real love is developed through hardship and struggle, learning to look past the flaws and shortcomings to build a real connection that lasts beyond the butterflies and sweet-nothings.  Real love doesn’t doubt…

…and I had no doubts.

Without doubt, trust is built.  I’ve decided to trust that my pursuit of doing business online is one that will not disappoint me.  I trust that putting every second of time and every ounce of effort I can muster into it will bring me the freedom and career satisfaction I’ve been desiring.  Sure there will be struggles and frustrations, but being in control of my life and doing the things I love is worth it.  Not just career-wise, but spending time with my kids and taking the time to show my wife I’m more than just an ATM machine.

Of course, the struggles and frustrations have come quickly, and that brings me back to my initial point (wow…what a tangent, eh?!) -

My organizational shortcomings have become extremely apparent.

As much as I’d like to believe that building websites is easy work and to tell you that in “just a few clicks, you, too, can be making millions online!”…the reality is, its a time-consuming, chaotic process that provides quick rewards only with discipline and organization (and by quick rewards, I mean the satisfaction of accomplishment and maybe a couple bucks…with a little luck.  This ain’t no get-rich-quick blog!)  So, all of a sudden, my years of cruising through school and breezy annual promotions have slapped me in the face.  I’ve realized that building a profitable, sustainable site involves serious planning and organization.  My worst nightmare has manifested itself as my true love!

All kidding aside, though.  I’ve been in a rut the past few weeks.  Converting my ideas into cold, hard product has proved to be rather challenging for someone who believed organization meant stuffing every piece of paper into a backpack abyss never to be seen again.  Luckily I love knowledge, and knowledge (provided through more than a few podcasts, blogs, and websites) has provided me with the tools I need to organize my thoughts, develop ideas, and structure a site so that  the 99.5% of you who aren’t idiot savants have a clue what I’m talking about!

THE TOOLS

• First off, I’d like to introduce Evernote.

This amazing tool provides me with the ability to jot down a thought anywhere, anytime across every platform I might consider using.  I can dictate notes with its recording features, upload images, and it’ll even read handwritten content I’ve contributed through images.  This thing does it all, and then some.  Its completely cloud-compatible so I can record a speech on my iPhone, type a note on my work computer using my web-browser, and then view it all at home on the Evernote app on my laptop!  Never again will I have to say, “Well, I had this awesome idea, but I forgot what it was…”

• Up next, I present to you MindMeister.

Ideas are only the first step in building a website and generating epic content.  Ideas must be expanded into finished, consumer-ready products.  MindMesiter is perfect for that expansion.  It works just like the old (lightning) bolt charts your teacher probably had you do in third grade when you were learning how to write a paper.  The only difference here is that, just like Evernote, MindMeister is your cloud-connected source to all your brainstorming activity.  In the classic words of Sandy Lyle (Along Came Polly), “Let it rain!”

• Kashoo – tracking income and expenses is key.

In fact, tracking your finances in general is key to controlling your money and building wealth.  If you don’t believe me, just check out Dave Ramsey or Man vs. Debt to learn why you can’t afford NOT to worry about where your money goes.  While my bank offers a pretty nice solution for tracking my income and spending, I’m personally trying out Kashoo for all my accounting needs.  There are plenty of solutions out there to suit anyone’s needs, from Quickbooks to good ol’ pen and paper, but I find that Kashoo offers the right amount of features at a reasonable price.  Now, if only I could start to generate some income!  (I’ve got no lack of expenses though…)

While I still have a long way to go before I’ll be able to claim that I’m clutter-free and more organized than the Container Store, these tools have helped me see the light and understand the basics of running a successful online organization.  As I get more fluent in their use, I hope I can start to post some tutorials on how to take full advantage of the assets these tools can provide you.  Hope to see you back next time, and as always…

Safe Travels!

As we head into a new year, one particular subject always seems to be the heat of much debate.  That subject is, you guessed it -

RESOLUTIONS

Many view resolutions as simply an exercise in futility, as most resolutions don’t make it through January, and almost none make it through the entire year.  Furthermore, resolutions often get criticized for their broad scope, such as “eating better” or “exercising more.”  These broad resolutions usually offer little in the way of accountability to the resolver.  How will you define “eating better?”  What steps are you going to take to “exercise more?”

Now, don’t get me wrong…its not that resolutions are inherently bad, or that they are just silly practices to be avoided.  I believe 100% in aspiring to achieve greater things.  Heck, that’s what this blog is all about, achieving something better.  The problem I, and many others, see in the classic New Year’s Resolution is that a resolution doesn’t provide you with a path to achieve greater success in the coming 365 days (and beyond).

I don’t want to sound like too much of a downer to start 2012, though, so I’ll leave the ranting at that.  I always believe in presenting solutions when pointing out a problem, so, may I present to you, without further ado…

THE GOAL!

That’s right, folks.  Let’s stop resolving and start setting goals!

I know you’re probably thinking to yourself right now, “Dave, but isn’t a resolution a goal?”

Well, in a sense it is, in that its a milestone you hope to achieve in the future, but what I love about a solid goal is that its more than just some abstract idea you hope to achieve.  A good goal provides you with a clear cut path of how to achieve those hopes and dreams.  It does so by providing a clear-cut timeframe for achieving an attainable, measurable result.

How Do We Turn Our Resolutions Into Goals?

Many people refer to SMART criteria for setting goals.  There are many interpretations of what SMART actually means, but they’re usually something along the lines of Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

So, first off, we want to make our goal specific.  We don’t want to just be healthier, we want to do so by eating more green vegetables.  Notice we want it to be relevant, so we don’t say we’re going to be healthier by buying a bunch of diet books.  We need the goal to actually affect our health outcome.  Next, we have to make it measurable.  How many green vegetables are we going to need to eat to be healthier?  We want it to be attainable, so it would probably be crazy to say I’m going to eat ONLY green vegetables for the next year.  If you did that you would not become healthier because I imagine you would be severely lacking in several key nutritional areas.  So let’s say we’ll eat 5 servings (I know…sounds like a lot for the fast food generation, but definitely achievable!) of green vegetables per day.  Finally, we want to make our goal timely, by setting a time period for this goal to be achieved.  I actually like the idea of setting this goal for life, as there is no “magic pill” for great health, but for the example’s sake, let’s say we’re going to do this goal for one year.  Our resulting goal looks something like this:

I’m going to eat 5 servings of green vegetables daily everyday in 2012.

Its deceptively simple, but this type of goal will hold you accountable to achieve the success you desire.  Its gives us a specific action to complete within specified periods, and it hasn’t set us up for failure.  Keeping all this in mind, I think this presents the perfect opportunity to present my goals for the coming year.

The 21st Century Nomad’s Goals for 2012

• Goal #1 – I want to leave full-time employment by May 30, 2012

• I have learned that working for someone else will never allow me to achieve the career success and happiness that I desire.  I originally wanted to set this goal for March, but the holidays have clarified the time commitments involved to make my way into the world of online business while continuing to provide for my family.  I pushed the goal back a bit to make it more attainable and provide me with the hopes of giving myself a wonderful birthday gift of being free of an employer at age 28.

• Goal #2 – First site operational by February 1, 2012

• I have plans of building several income generating websites over the next year, but I hope to have my first site (to be revealed soon) operational and generating income by February.  It may only be a few pennies but having that motivational boost within the first month of this year will really provide me with the steam to continue pursuing this life change.

• Goal #3 – Make at least $75,000 in 2012
  

• Right now my gross income from working for “the man” is right around $53,000.  Barring a promotion (which I don’t see happening, see Goal #1 for reasoning), I’ll probably gross around $56,000 this year between increases and bonuses.  Not a bad salary, but its not my ideal way of living my life and generating income.  Because I hope to leave full-time employment in the near future, I may have to generate up to $50,000 from my websites.  This may be tough, but I see it as a totally obtainable goal, and would be a good starting point to building some real success online.

• Goal #4 – Update this blog 3x per week

• I plan to update this blog daily, but I realize that it may not always be possible with all the other commitments I have, including a current full-time job.  Therefore, I hope that I can stay accountable to the community I’m trying to build through this blog by updating at least 3 times every week in 2012 with real, relevant content to motivate others to pursue their dreams of building a business they are passionate about.  Furthermore, by staying accountable I’ll have a greater chance for success in achieving my other goals.

So, that’s it.  4 SMART goals to start 2012 and, hopefully, achieve the lifestyle I’ve desired for so long.  I hope you’ll follow along and set some goals of your own in the process, and together we can make 2012 the biggest year of our lives yet.  Now I’ve got to run, time to chow down and cheer on my Cowboys!  Happy new years to all and, as always…

Safe Travels!

Welcome back to the next post from the 21st Century Nomad.  Its been a couple of days since my last post because of the Christmas holiday, but its given me time to reflect on where this blog is headed, why I want to do what I’m doing, what posts I’ll do next and so on.  One of the topics that I’ve thought about over the past few days has been urgency and the lack thereof in much of corporate America.

It seems that I’m constantly running into road blocks to simply getting things done in my 9-to-5.  And, simply from talking to co-workers and peers in other industries (coupled with past experiences), I know I’m not alone.  I’m not just talking about the massive undertakings that large corporations experience when upgrading to new database systems or designing a new product or some other earth-shattering business venture; I’m talking the day-to-day, “customer first” issues.  I can’t believe the level of bureaucracy involved in such mundane decisions such as adding an extra phone line for the office or reimbursing a customer for some petty items that our business damaged or lost.  Not only does it slow the process of accomplishing tasks, it sucks all motivation from those attempting to accomplish the tasks, leaving them hesitant to pursue similar projects and tasks.

How does this relate to creating an online business?

The answer is two-fold for me.  For one, I’m excited to be involved in something where I no longer have to wait for someone else’s decisions to accomplish business today.  99% of what I do relies solely on my will to achieve.  And, luckily for me, that’s one department where I’m not lacking.  Day in and day out I’m thrilled to put in the necessary work to knock out what I need to do, knowing that in the end I will reap the benefits of my hard work.

The second part of the answer can be seen in the aforementioned massive corporate undertakings.  Sometimes I, too, tend to get bogged down by the sheer magnitude of some projects.  Right now, there are SO many things to accomplish to get my first product site off the ground.  I look at all the planning and what-ifs and logistics of the task at hand, and I freeze.  Rather than pushing forward, I lock up, not knowing what to do next or bogging myself down by planning the planning.

SOMETIMES ITS BEST TO JUST GET THINGS DONE!

That’s what I’ve had to tell myself, as I head into the meat of this new endeavor.  Just get something done each and every day.  Like the old saying goes: “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”  I recently heard about Will Smith’s approach to acting, and, to summarize, he equated it to erecting a building: each day place just one stone with all the care and precision you can muster and eventually you will build a great structure.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the planning and brainstorming of an idea that we never make it any further.  Instead take just one part and put all of you into the implementation of that one piece of the puzzle.  Take the same approach with the next piece tomorrow, and so on and so forth until its reached fruition.  Most importantly get something done!  I know I’m happiest when I can step back at the work I’ve done for the day and see what I’ve accomplished.

In fact, I’m head off now to go accomplish something.

If someone were to ask me, “What is your primary motivation for creating this blog?” I think my answer would be fairly simple – WORK IS EXPENSIVE.

“But, Dave,” you say, “my company pays me a pretty decent salary or wage to work…how do you consider that expensive?”

Easy.  I know everyone’s experience and expenses will be a little different, but for those of us with “typical” jobs, we do incur certain expenses as a result of having a job.  Let’s look at a breakdown of how much I, personally, spend every year to have “the right” to earn my current annual income of $53,040:

• Car – $2,714
• This is my annual car payment for my 2007 Honda Accord I-4.  I know this expense could be changed…remember, these are my personal expenses and everyone’s will be different.  I had a need for reliable transportation (can’t beat Honda’s in that department) with decent gas mileage (I currently average just over 28 MPG) that could haul 2 car seats and baby gear when necessary.  Furthermore, I got this car for a steal at about $3,500 below market value and could DEFINITELY sell it for a couple grand more than I bought it for.
• Gas – $1,500
• With a 27 mile commute each way, I’m projected to spend just about $1,500 in gas this year just driving to and from work.
• Insurance – $850
• Can’t own a car without insurance (or at least I wouldn’t recommend it).  I’m just glad I have a good driving record and have earned the privelege of using USAA because of my military service.
• Maintenance – $905
• So this cost is based on data from Edmunds, as maintenance costs vary from year to year, but it seems to be a fairly accurate summary of the costs of maintaining a vehicle.
• TOTAL TRANSPORTATION COSTS – $5969

• Meals – $1,000
• While I’m fairly frugal when it comes to eating, (I take my lunch most days and try to eat cheap when I go out) I still spend, on average, about $10 per week on lunches. Furthermore, I’d estimate I spend an average of $10 more per week on dinners.  The reason being is simple.  Time.  I just don’t have time to ensure I have a lunch packed and ready to go every morning with so many other things going on in my life, and Jordan and I can’t simply throw together home cooked meals on a regular basis with 2 crying babies and me at work all the time.
• Clothing – $200
• I actually feel I’m pretty lucky in this department, as my employer allows a business casual environment, and I can usually find decently priced khakis and polo shirts at stores like Old Navy and Target.  I’d say the biggest expense I incur here is shoes, as my job requires quite a bit of walking, sometimes through rocks and mud, so a decent pair of footwear is essential.
• TOTAL PERSONAL COSTS – $1,200

TOTAL EXPENSES TO WORK – $7,169

TOTAL NET INCOME FROM WORKING (PRETAX) – $45,871

Now, I’m sure you’re saying to yourself right now, “But, Dave, $45,871 is still a pretty decent salary.  You should stop complaining and get back to work!”

Well, there’s one factor I never gave much consideration until learning about the wonders of passive income.  Time.  Right now, I put in a minimum of 55 hours working every week between commuting, lunch breaks, and hours worked.  I would estimate the real “total time lost” is closer to 60 hours per week because of unproductive or less-than-productive mornings and evenings and weeks where I have to put in extra time at the office (sometimes up to an extra 16 hours).  Honestly, I think this estimate is fairly conservative; reason being, my work can be very draining and most weekdays I can’t squeeze much productivity out of myself outside the office and could say that my 80 waking hours during the workweek are ALL devoted to work.  I’ll leave out the self-pity though and stick with my 60 hour figure.  I would consider myself fairly lucky, though…I know folks that put in 60-70 hours of actual work before counting commutes, lunches, and lost time.  I doubt many of them feel fairly compensated, unless they truly LOVE their work.  So…

TOTAL TIME DEVOTED TO WORK ANNUALLY – 3000 HOURS*

ACTUAL CURRENT WAGE - $15.29/HOUR

(Based on 50 work weeks with 2 weeks of vacation)

Now, $15/hour is not horrible by any stretch of the imagination.  BUT, I know I’m worth more, and I know I can earn more.  As I mentioned on day one, my inspiration for starting this blog is Pat Flynn, who, since starting his first online business, has been netting WELL over $100k per year after all expenses are paid.  And, he constantly stresses the fact that he works (on average) about 20 hours per week.  I have no illusions about the hard work he has put in to get to this point, but one thing I learned from my army days is that there is a massive difference between working hard and working smart.  Just like the title of Pat’s blog states, his income is smart income not hard income.

So let’s return to our expense breakdown we’ve been reviewing.  So let’s take the exact same numbers and apply them to earning passive income online.  I believe bringing in $53,040 in internet-based income is definitely achievable in my first year (2012).  I also feel that $7,160 would be a high estimate for expenses to spend in my first year, but let’s just say its a significant investment into future earnings.  With a net total of $45,871 in income working an average of 20 hours per week (of course I won’t calculate vacation time in this total), I’ve increased my wage to $44.11!!!

I could be totally wrong in all of this, and may not make a penny, but with as much research as I’ve done, I feel its worth the gamble…ESPECIALLY, since I don’t have to quit my current job to get started!  And, who knows, maybe I’ll bring the money like some of my influences and bring home a 6-figure salary next year.  Most importantly, I hope by tracking my progress and providing a road map of all my successes and failures, I’ll influence others to take control of their lives and help them start pursuing their dreams!  I can’t wait to provide more juicy details in my upcoming posts about my plans to achieve all this and more.  As always…

Happy Hunting!

Today was a busy day.

With Christmas and the New Year quickly approaching, and all the parties and festivities that accompany them, I’ve been swamped between work and personal commitments.  All the more reason I can’t wait for things to really take off here at 21st Century Nomad to live a life free from many of society’s typical constraints.  I don’t even have a follower yet (and, frankly, until I can get some halfway decent content on here, does it matter?), but I continue to be more and more motivated everyday by the potential this blog and my other, soon-to-be-launched sites hold.

I don’t have much time to write content tonight, especially with another incredibly eventful day tomorrow, but I’ve been diligently plugging away in MindMeister, an incredibly simple, yet powerful, tool for creating mindmaps.  For those of you that are unfamiliar with mindmapping, or at least think you are, remember back to your 3rd grade creative thinking lessons with those little brainstorm charts made of little “thoughtclouds” connected by “lightning bolts.” (I hope I’m not the only one who remembers these charts…)

Anyways, in a nutshell, this is what mindmapping is.  I find its a great way to organize your thoughts into a structured, yet flexible, manner for further development.  Best of all, with MindMeister your data is cloud-based so you can access your mindmaps from any internet-accessible location, including apps for iPhone/iPad and (coming soon) Android.  So far, I’ve constructed fairly extensive maps of this blog and another site in development, as well as laying the groundwork for a number of other, less-developed ideas.

In the end, I’ll be able to focus much more sharply on content development rather than site structure with these detailed plans in place.  The site is completely free to try, so go ahead and give it a shot for yourself, and until next time…

Safe Travels!

OK.

The blog is open for business.  I know…there’s no “business” yet, but you now have a little glimpse into the happenings and goings-on of yours truly, the 21st Century Nomad.  Over the coming days and weeks, I’ll start to provide a little insight into what this whole “nomad” idea is all about, what it means to me, and why I want you to know about it.

For starters, I’m Dave.  I have a house, a wife, a couple kids, a couple dogs, and a cat named Mr. T.  I enjoy watching football on Sundays, cold beer, and listening to just about any music I can get my hands (or ears) on.  I currently work a typical 9-to-5 (or 6, or 7, or more) job like most of you probably do.

And, like many of you, I want out.  I want to be free.  I want to do what I want to do.  I want to walk into my office and quit like this guy:

I want to exude confidence in the fact that I no longer have to rely on corporate coffers to slice me off a piece of their table scraps while they pad their pocketbooks with wads of cash.

I want to take control of my destiny.

“But what about your wife and kids and dog and Mr. T?” you ask.  That’s where this blog comes in.  I’ll be charting my escape from the corporate doldrums right here on the 21st Century Nomad, ensuring no animals (or wives or children) are hurt along the way.  I also hope to track my progress as I move towards a more “nomadic” existence, and provide you with the insights and tools for you to do the same.

I’m keeping things short and sweet tonight, and  I’ll wrap up with a quick shout out to the inspiration for starting this blog.  While I’ve read plenty of books, blogs, and articles on achieving all of your goals, making more money, and working less, Pat Flynn is the guy who made it click for me.  He’s provided a pretty amazing blueprint for success on the internet, and I’ll be happy if this blog helps me achieve just a fraction of the success he has seen.  Check out his site and check back tomorrow for Day Two.

Safe Travels!