Close your eyes, take a deep breathe and imagine you are already dead.
Now open your eyes and be grateful for being born again. You have a second chance, a new lease on life.
Do what sets your soul on fire. Attack your bucket list.
Have a biased toward action and achieve your wildest dreams, now when you are of the right mind, able bodied and still have this youthful adventurous nature.
Time waits for no man.
If you JFDI like my mentor Dan Martell has on his license plates, which stands for Just F*cking Do It and “Carpe Diem”, from the Roman poet Horace, which means “seize the day”, you will arrive at the end of your life with fulfillment, gratitude and a joyful feeling of doing all that you wanted to do.
What a way to go out.
You truly appreciated the ephemeralness of life, the miracles it possesses and truly squeezed every ounce of juice from life’s sweet nectar.
“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one”- Confucius.
Essentially, this means your first life is when you felt you have all of eternity. But your second life begins when you realize you only have this one and so you better make sure you make the most of it.
An unconventional life is a way of living not bound by standard societal rules, prioritizing personal freedom, purpose, and self-expression over traditional expectations.
People who have lived unconventional lives reject standard societal milestones like corporate careers, marriage, or city living in favor of total solitude, extreme exploration, or radical self-reliance.
Worked in corporate for 7 years.
I pursued Professional Basketball at 26.
Played Pro Ball in Mongolia for 1 year.
Lived and played Basketball in Bangkok, Thailand for a year.
Had a son with a woman I had know for just 3 months.
Lived 1 month in Bhutan with wife and son
Traveled for 3 months with wife and son to Nepal, India and Thailand.
Separated from wife at 37.
Single at 37 with a son
Renting an apartment with a $80,000 per year business/job as a Basketball Skills Trainer & Personal Trainer.
I feel free with no mortgage.
However, what keeps me here in New Jersey is my son.
When I compared myself to other successful people, I feel behind because I don’t own a home.
But, then I quickly think about how I have lived “The Unconventional Life.”
Historically, I haven’t done things exactly by the book and that’s ok.
In fact, I truly understand the meaninglessness of life and have realized life is totally based on my own interpretation.
Here are some people in history who have lived unconventional lives:
The Buddha
Benjamin Franklin
Leonardo Davinci
Tim Ferriss
Felix Dennis
Bruce Lee
Elon Musk
Henry David Thoreau: A writer and philosopher who famously spent two years living in a small cabin by Walden Pond to practice self-reliance and deep reflection on nature.
Jack Kerouac: An iconic novelist who abandoned conventional stability to roam across North America, capturing the beat lifestyle and the philosophy of the open road.
Christopher McCandless: An adventurer who gave away his savings, shed material possessions, and journeyed into the Alaskan wilderness seeking ultimate freedom.
Faustino Barrientos: A Chilean hermit who lived completely isolated in the remote Patagonia region for roughly 46 years, relying on a lifestyle akin to early frontier settlers.
Mr. Gunnar (Mr. Gilu): A Swedish recluse who spent over six decades living in total solitude deep within the remote forests of Sweden.
Common Themes in Unconventional Lives
The Search for Solitude: Many who leave the grid do so out of a deep preference for quiet and a desire to escape modern stress.
Rejection of Material Burdens: Shedding traditional markers like home mortgages, corporate ladders, and heavy possessions brings a distinct sense of psychological lightness.
Risk of Isolation: Stepping away from the crowd often trades societal safety nets for potential loneliness and self-reliance.
Do I want more success?
Sure.
Well, then how do I get it?
I just keep going. I learn from the best. I experiment. I iterate.
But, I just keep going.
I’ve made many mistakes in my life.
However, life is a school and our problems are the curriculum.
Life is an adventure.
And before I die, I want to dome interesting, fun and cool a** sh*t!
This jives with my motto, “make a whole lot of money and have a whole lotta fun doing it!”
