Different lists kept along the way seem to be a pretty popular thing for travel bloggers to do, especially as a final post at the end of a trip. So I thought Amy and I should think through what we want to keep track of along the way so we can start from the beginning. Some of the lists are pretty standard, counties traveled to, books read and summaries of the different types of transportation used. Some of the lists can be a bit obscure, but I find those the most interesting. I marvel that the authors had the foresight to keep track of that information from the beginning. Either that or they made it up after the fact. Some of my favorites include Globe Decker’s two universal souvenirs that were spotted in 37 of 40 countries and the 27 kinds of fish eaten by Aaron and Deanna.
Below is my proposed list for Amy and me. Let me know what you think in the comments below, especially if you think I missed anything important we should be tracking from the beginning.
Continents, countries & cities visited
Number of trips in/on: airplanes, boats, trains, animal caravans
Total miles traveled
Different types of animals eaten
Books read or listened to (I love audio books)
Countries where we saw renewable energy being utilized (windmills, solar panels, geothermal, etc)
Days snowboarding (Keith) lodging (Amy) – this is likely to be the same number
While I am sure that everyone is enamored with the demonstration of my amazing graphic design and skillful Inkscape software abilities that are showcased in the logo on this site I was never quite happy with it. I played with Inkscape for hours, but at some point you really just need to throw in the towel and admit when you need to call in the pros. But the problem is I don’t have the budget for a big (or any) agency.
So that is when I turned to 99 Designs. For about $250 ($200 goes directly to the designer) you can have thousands of designers submit their ideas. It is very simple and I recommend you check out the site if you have any upcoming design needs. After drafting a simple brief with only five sections; project title, brand, about you, target and requirements, you sit back and wait for the designs to come rolling in. I also want to point out to my marketing friends out there, that three of the sections; about yourself, target and requirements are limited to 1,400 characters or 200 words each – forcing you to keep it single minded, no one likes a 5 page brief.
Also for my agency and design friends, this should be a little scary. 99designs estimates for a project like the one I am running we will get 20-30 unique designs. This equates to an average of $6-$10 average cost for each design submitted. Not sure how long these designs are taking to create but even if it is 30 minutes, that is less than $20/hr if you win an average number of contests. And even with that the designers are very responsive to feedback and really take great pride in their work. I have been really happy so far. The best part is the entire thing is completed in 7 days, talk about fast turnaround!
But now I need your help, we have had 34 submissions, which represent ~10 unique designs so far. Click here to see them all and leave your comments and favorites here. I look forward to your feedback.
Below is one of the front runners right now; but there still are 4 days remaining in the contest and more designs are being submitted all the time.
Image copyright of kj359; designer on 99designs.com
11:47am: “I think it is time for me to pursue other opportunities outside of the company.”
11:47 and 1 second: silence
11:47 and 2 seconds: My internal voice screaming, “Did I really just say that? I did, and it felt pretty good! Wait, what does that expression on her (my boss’s) face mean? What will she say? Should I say anything else, explain why? No, I should wait for her reaction?”
So that is how I did it, how I irreversibly set in motion what I hope will be the best adventure of my life. An adventure that will allow me to discover a career that will ultimately be a better fit for my skills, talents and passions. After I got back to my desk my head was swimming with ideas, but mostly this one was rising to the top “I just quit my job during the height of the worst recession of my life.” So I called my wife, and told her how it went. She was excited and happy that I had taken this proactive step to begin to move my career and our lives in the direction we want them to head, vs. sitting back passively and watching life pass by us. That was probably because she had a similar conversation with her boss the week prior. You will be able to read about her experience soon.
But back to me quitting my job, it was not a Jerry Maguire moment, no goldfish were taken and no one was lectured on manners, in fact my boss offered to write a glowing letter of recommendation for me. The fact is I work with great people and had the good fortune to work on meaningful projects during my tenure. But this position was no longer a great fit with my skill set and passions. I got into brand management to run my own business and I was able to essentially do that for 8 years. I was able to achieve significant results, gain a great skill set and build brands while having quite a bit of fun along the way. However it was time to move to a new path and this trip is the catalyst that will enable that.
In fact one quote from Zachary Scott has been front of mind for this entire decision making process:
“As you grow older, you’ll find the only things you regret are the things you didn’t do.”
Amy and I are young, healthy, and financially responsible. As we took stock of our lives and where they were most likely headed (kids – based upon the experience of our peers), it seems that this window of true freedom will only last for a very precious short amount of time. So we are seizing the day, for tomorrow will be here before we know it. And neither of us wants to head into the next big chapter of children without taking this amazing opportunity to really see what the world has to offer. With that I hope my story inspires you to seize the day, chase your dreams and do not have regrets of what you did not have the courage to go and do but instead took the traditional, safe path.
And for those that have not seen Jerry Maguire in a while, see the quitting clip below. It may just give you the necessary inspiration, it all worked out pretty well for Jerry in the end.
After watching, ask yourself if you would be Wendy or Dorothy when opportunity knocks?
