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I don't think the post is meant to be just generally motivational, he lays out specific tasks that people should do that align with what he did. He isn't just

by vertr 15y ago

I don't think the post is meant to be just generally motivational, he lays out specific tasks that people should do that align with what he did. He isn't just saying 'go out and live your dreams.' He is saying 'go out and live my dreams.' "You want to quit your job and become a professional blogger? You can. You want to travel around the world, living life to its fullest? You can. You want to dedicate your every hour to helping people and making the world a better place? You can."

ChuckMcM 15y ago
I hate it when I agree with both sides of an argument :-) So on the one hand this guy is clearly in the 'make money stuffing envelopes by selling information about making money stuffing envelopes to other suckers' genre of advocacy. That being said, he was in a place that is probably worse than what the average reader is in and is now much happier with his life now that he has 'taken control of his life.' I read his story and liked how he discovered he was being held back by his own pre-conceptions of how he "should" be living his life. Now that he's doing something he loves doing he's both happier and more successful than he has ever been. Score one point for doing what you love. The cautionary tale is that his 'recipe' won't work for everyone, and probably not for a lot of someones. Writing, like drawing, or programming, or fine carpentry, or any of a number of things takes dedication to learn to do well and hours and hours of practice. If you don't love to write, trying to re-make your life as a blogger is going to fail and fail big. So exhorting people to "Do what I did, be a blogger!" is ultimately bad advice for the verbally challenged. (I guess in that regard he's not helping people but we'll set that aside for a moment) It does also reinforce the notion that one's quality of life is most affected by your attitude about it. I had an opportunity to hear a great commencement speech from Doug Ulman (CEO of Livestrong Foundation) where he very eloquently put that into perspective, his advice to accept that you aren't in control and to live fearlessly is solid advice, regardless of your gifts.

by vertr 15y ago

ChuckMcM 15y ago

I hate it when I agree with both sides of an argument :-) So on the one hand this guy is clearly in the 'make money stuffing envelopes by selling information about making money stuffing envelopes to other suckers' genre of advocacy. That being said, he was in a place that is probably worse than what the average reader is in and is now much happier with his life now that he has 'taken control of his life.' I read his story and liked how he discovered he was being held back by his own pre-conceptions of how he "should" be living his life. Now that he's doing something he loves doing he's both happier and more successful than he has ever been. Score one point for doing what you love. The cautionary tale is that his 'recipe' won't work for everyone, and probably not for a lot of someones. Writing, like drawing, or programming, or fine carpentry, or any of a number of things takes dedication to learn to do well and hours and hours of practice. If you don't love to write, trying to re-make your life as a blogger is going to fail and fail big. So exhorting people to "Do what I did, be a blogger!" is ultimately bad advice for the verbally challenged. (I guess in that regard he's not helping people but we'll set that aside for a moment) It does also reinforce the notion that one's quality of life is most affected by your attitude about it. I had an opportunity to hear a great commencement speech from Doug Ulman (CEO of Livestrong Foundation) where he very eloquently put that into perspective, his advice to accept that you aren't in control and to live fearlessly is solid advice, regardless of your gifts.