My degree is in Latin American Studies. Even if there were a template called, “How to Use Your Latin American Studies Major,” I seriously doubt it would include moving to China. I’d never been to Asia, never studied Chinese, and never even taken a class about China. This rather random choice has brought me opportunities I'd never envisioned. … [Read more...]
How to Survive In The Middle: Untemplating in the Nonprofit World
In the past, I considered my untemplating life to be perpetually on hold. I was waiting for that perfect moment to change everything and really “go for it!” This site and others have given me the certainty that many people feel that way. If we were portrayed in a picture, we would be a long line of people waiting for a bus, debating whether or not we’ll get on it when it … [Read more...]
How To Be Extremely Productive: Total Immersion
How do you unlock that secret door to becoming extremely productive? Easy, through total immersion. This year I made it so that my one goal in everything that I do is going to be total immersion. It's the obvious-yet-overlooked key to success and extreme productivity in life. See, I got the idea from language learning and method acting. In the world of language learning … [Read more...]
You Are Not Supposed To Know
Here's my first conclusion after going through the many, many comments on Untemplater: Everyone wants to know. They want to know how to do everything so that they can make the transition without turbulence. Well, I got news: you are not supposed to know. … [Read more...]
Solve a Pain or Follow Your Passion?
During my young days as an entrepreneur, I was taught to find a pain in my life and solve it. Nowadays all I hear is "Make money following your passion!" or "Turn your passion into a business!" I mean EVERYONE is telling you to do this, not just the big dogs. Last week, Seth Godin advised the following: "If you're really into high-end stereos and you want to be an … [Read more...]