7 sins of crowdfunding

My recent indiegogo campaign has elicited a flurry of emails from people looking for support and advice on projects of their own. I’ve attempted a few fundraising efforts — one that failed, one that supported inner city kids (and got me to Everest Base Camp), and another that had me running the 2011 NYC marathon (never again!). I’ve noticed a few patterns surrounding the psychology of asking…

The best moments of my life began with a plane

I started writing a post titled “The Best Moments of My Life Began With Getting on a Plane.”

I was thinking about my first memory of travel, the second I knew I had a lifelong relationship with foreign places. I was a young girl visiting my father’s family in Holland, and I was standing in the produce section of a local market with my aunt. The vivid green of the…

Two kinds of people

You’re feeling dissatisfied, unsettled. You want better than what life is presenting to you. You want to provide for yourself and your family. Maybe you’d describe yourself as unhappy.

No matter where I’ve gone in the world (or who I’ve worked with: students, prisoners, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, monks), I’ve seen two typical responses to this situation.

Option A — Action Paralysis
What does this mean? Ideas aren’t in short supply,…

On risk

Risk frightens some people. It paralyzes others. Risk has stopped many people from doing incredible things.

Risk has also failed to prevent others from wholeheartedly chasing their dreams.

It might be worth asking whether risk is your fear dressed in disguise.

If risk wasn’t an issue, would your decisions change?

A quote from Derek Sivers

If you think your life’s purpose needs to hit you like a lightning bolt, you’ll overlook the little day-to-day things that fascinate you.

Nepal

While fundraising for the Discover Outdoors Foundation, I learned Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. One quarter of its people live on less than $1 a day and barely half of them are literate. After some research and plenty of emails, I found a local agency that places volunteers in projects across the country. My bags are filled with crayons, games and animal balloons,…

What connects us

Understanding that first and foremost, the life you want to create for yourself, the type of person you want to become, the parts of yourself you’re most excited to develop will attract individuals who will help you get there.

Realizing that true, authentic connection is expansive. The right relationship discovered at the right time can help you soar, find freedom, create, and see a limitless future.

Recognizing that relationships are catalysts…

8 Do’s and Don’ts for Adventurous Living

“You’re so lucky! I want your life!”

If you’ve heard this, you probably know luck has very little to do with it.

If you haven’t, you, too, can live the life that gets people asking, “How do you do it?” by following these tips for living adventurously:

Don’t: Be afraid of looking like a fool.

The “foolish” moments are the stories you’ll share later on. You won’t always have the answers, and on…

29 thoughts from a 29-year-old

1. Decide to get it done. Commit. Go.
2. Goals will keep you on track.
3. Fears take on tricky disguises. Call them out or enlist the help of someone who can.
4. Helping others is one of the best things you can do with your time.
5. You will learn more traveling than sitting in a classroom.
6. Relationships are containers for growth.
7. Be kind.
8. Laugh more.
9. It’s OK to make mistakes.
10. It’s OK to admit you’re wrong.
11. It’s OK to say no.
12. Sometimes you…
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Get out of a career that isn’t working for you

Several years ago, I made the transition from social worker to social curator. My time spent working in courtrooms and jail cells paved the way for boardroom negotiations and architecting group dynamics. When I tell people my story, questions ultimately focus on how I made this transition. Part curiosity, part plea for guidance, people want to know how it’s done, the best way to make the change,…