It’s not so much that I don’t approve – it doesn’t actually affect me, it’s that I see so many people failing to perform and I would honestly like to see them achieve.

We’re on this planet for a maximum of what, 100 years? It sounds like a long time but as a 25 years old I already realise that I am a 1/4 of the way through a best case scenario.

I think about my parents, newspaper articles, stories of grandparents, movies, and so on and what people have and haven’t achieved in their lives. Everyone effectively lives the same life;

1. Go to school
2. Go to work
3. Buy a house
4. Have children
5. Wait for the children to leave the house
6. Retire
7. Wait to die

Granted that’s a fairly subjective way of looking at it all, but if you break it down, it is what most people do with their life and what many more will do.

People are concerned with the small things along the way. For instance during the younger working years they might be able to buy a nice motorbike. Their friends at the time will tell them that they have “made it”. Years on they will have seen their children through school, and being so “successful” they will have funded their children’s tertiary education. The children move out, they retire at 65 and then go on a three week cruise with their wife. They have won the game of life.

…Or have they? Chances are this same person has spent the last 45 years working a job that they hate. They always wanted more time with the kids but couldn’t afford to work fewer hours because of the mortgage. Their kids are on track to live the same life as them because of how they were brought up, and unfortunately the cruise was a challenge more than anything else because they had to spend so much time in close quarters with their wife who they have lost touch with after years of stress and neglect due to their work.

As children we have these dreams of being all sorts of things. I remember wanting to own a black Porsche 911, being a BMX champion, live in a rainforest, and so on. Things that most adults would put in the “unobtainable” category. Are they really that ridiculous though?

Granted nowadays I lust over a Porsche but know full well that the money spent on one would help me attain many other things ($200,000 would bring in enough income every year for me to justify taking a day off of work every week).

These supposedly unobtainable goals are the ones that keep us excited and ideally, happy. I strongly believe that if I’m not happy, my wife won’t be happy. This means that while I always take her into account, from time to time I need to be honest to her about what I want from life. The alternative is “forgetting it” and ultimately living a life of regret.

Our society breeds mediocrity and no one can break you out of this mold aside from yourself. If you are very lucky a close friend or loved one may push you, but ultimately it’s up to you to make the choice to break free.

Start to define what you want from life, then start living your life in the direction of achieving your goals.

It’s not to say that you need to always be meeting goals and turning your life into some sort of statistical report, it’s just important to make sure that you are where you want to be or on track to where you want to be. Goals could be as simple as “be happy” or be ridiculously complex too. My goals are relatively simple, although will require some effort from myself and my partner.

I want to remain free, happy and healthy. I DON’T want the same lifestyle until the day I die. I don’t want the same job, same bills, same day to day frustrations and hassles. I want the both of us to be able to change when we need it. When our lifestyle becomes one that doesn’t facilitate a good relationship, we’ll change. Ultimately everyone has the ability to do this, it’s just that many people tie themselves down and then it all becomes too hard.

Think about what you would like and start to work towards it. Try not to think too much about possessions, they will come with the lifestyle that you want to attain.

If life isn’t how you pictured it would be, make some dreams.

Post from: r0dman.com

Dreaming Bigger than Mediocrity

We both have a backpack with “the essentials” – clothes and toiletries basically.

When we were first packing, it didn’t seem to be enough – it was as though we were leaving all of this “stuff” behind. We felt as though we would never survive without it, but within a day or so that feeling completely left us. All of a sudden I realise the freedom that a light backpack gives you.

At home, when you are tied to many things – friends, work, possessions - it’s very easy to say no to things, because of all of these other external factors, but it is such a feeling of freedom when you remove them from your life. We can make last minute decisions on changes to make; we can literally get up and move in about 2 minutes if we want to.

I’ve only realised the power of freedom over the last few years. With so many possible commitments in life, it’s so easy to become intertwined in things that most people consider “life”. Contracts are a huge one – phones, internet, etc. Car loans, home loans, etc. They lock you in, and as a result, your decisions for the next “x” number of years.

I have no ongoing commitments at the moment – I’m tied to my wife and that is about it. It’s such a breath of fresh air, and I’m loving it. Who knows, maybe my opinions will change, but to be honest I doubt it. Life is great right now!

Post from: r0dman.com

Freedom in a Backpack

For example, one night around 9pm a man knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to donate to a charity that preserves rain forests and so on. I’m a bit of a greenie, so I was ready to give him some money but he refused the cash. “We are looking for a donation that we take monthly – as a regular thing”. I explained to him that I was travelling next year and had no idea what my financial situation would be like, but I would be happy to donate as a once-off thing. He refused again and gave me same story about the “monthly commitment”. It was pretty obvious that he was getting a cut of the monthly commitment, and as a result wasn’t interested in my genuine donation. He left empty handed and I walked back inside frustrated with the world.

Ever since a friend asked me to donate to a charity quite some time ago, I’ve given it some thought, and to be honest I ask myself “what is the point”.

For instance, charities supporting cancer research are just misguided, and wasting money on research for a wonder drug, when clearly the solution is a good diet and a healthy lifestyle. Doctors receive essentially no training on nutrition, despite it being the most important thing in our lives, and good nutrition being the most plausible way to “beat” cancer.

I plan to pick some well thought out charities that I believe strongly in, and donate to them only. I think it’s a better way of going about making donations.

Post from: r0dman.com

Donating to Charities

Steve has recently written his latest edition of “Debtwatch”. Debtwatch No 41, December 2009: 4 Years of Calling the GFC looks at where Steve started his journey and began to realise the global and Australian economic situation.

“…debt had been growing faster than GDP–4.2% per annum faster in Australia’s case for over 40 years, and 2.7% faster for longer in the USA’s. An unsustainable trend in debt had been going on for almost half a century.

Staring at those graphs, I realised that these debt bubbles had to burst (and probably very soon), that a global financial crisis would erupt when they did, that someone had to raise the alarm, and that given my knowledge, that someone was me.

Less than 2 years later, the Global Financial Crisis erupted, and economists who didn’t see it coming, and who for decades had argued that government spending could only cause inflation, suddenly called for–and got–the biggest government stimulus packages in world history to prevent an economic Armageddon.”

Australia's Private Debt to GDP Ratio, 1945-2006

He covers topics such as debt servicing, deflation and depressions, bad theories, and his opinions on where we are headed.

“With such ignorance about the dynamics of debt, academic economists and Central Banks around the world are hoping that the crisis is behind them, even though the cause of it–excessive levels of private debt–has not been addressed. They are recommending winding back the government stimulus packages in the belief that the economy can now return to normal after the disturbance of the GFC.

In fact “normal” for the last half century has been an unsustainable growth in debt, which has finally reached an apogee from which it will fall. As it falls–by an unwillingness to lend by bankers and to borrow by businesses and households, by deliberate debt reductions, by default and bankruptcy–aggregate demand will be reduced well below aggregate supply. The economy will therefore falter–and only regular government stimuli will revive it.”

Steve’s predictions for the future?

“…I do not share the belief that the GFC is behind us: while the level of private debt remains as gargantuan as it is today, the global economy remains financially fragile, and a return to “growth as usual” is highly unlikely, since that growth will no longer be propelled by rising levels of private debt.”

If you have the time, this really is a worthwhile read. Steve Keen’s blog is at www.debtdeflation.com.

Post from: r0dman.com

4 Years of Calling the GFC

• Don’t get tied to a physical location
• Work as little as you can
• Actually do what you want to do in life

This is all good and well, but you really need to financially support the lifestyle that you want. If you have read any of my other posts on this site, it’s probably obvious by now that I’m not a very materialistic person. I’m no Amish, but I’m not very driven to have a lot of “stuff” either.

By not having the need to own a lot of posessions, I personally have a huge advantage – I can get away with earning less in order to have the lifestyle that I want. Of course if you do have a lot of needs by way of posessions, it’s all possible, you just need to raise more income.

How do I plan on doing this? There are plenty of ways, but essentially I am working on projects that require little to no work from myself after the initial setup. I’m not quite at the “outsource everything” stage, so I’m doing a lot of work myself (since I actually enjoy it), but maybe one day.

For instance, I run a website called “Eco Update“. The idea of the site is to aggregate content – basically it pulls the relevant content from other sites and then displays it on mine. The aim is to collect content on a few related topics, making it a “hub” of eco friendly/green living news and information. From the income generating point of view, the site also features Google Adsense advertising, and generates a minor income stream for me which requires little to no effort after the initial setup.

It goes to show that while you can make smart investments to generate passive income, there are also other little projects that can do the same for next to no cost. Some people like me create websites and use affiliate programs and advertising banners to generate income while others will start a dropshipping business. There are plenty of options and you are only limited by your imagination.

Think about it, then do some planning, and make it happen. Start small if need be and aim for the stars.

Post from: r0dman.com

Financial Self Sufficiency

Over the last six months to a year I have changed my diet, lifestyle and general habits considerably.

• I am eating a LOT less meat, from at least 10 meals a week (often more), down to just two or three.
• I am no longer consuming milk, and have cut my general consumption of dairy products down a lot.
• I am eating more fruit and vegetables, and generally trying to stay properly hydrated at all times.
• I am exercising more, specifically weight training.
• I am drinking far less alcohol than I used to, and less regularly too.

As an example, nowadays when I drink alcohol, I really feel it the next day. I used to be able to go out and have at least 20 standard drinks in a night, often many more, and as long as I’d had a decent glass of water before bed I would feel fine the next day. Nowadays I can have a half a dozen drinks and the next day my head is killing me.

Obviously our habits, traditions and general day to day living as humans are brought on by the way our ancestors have lived their lives. Are humans, for example, only able to consume large amounts of alcohol with large amounts of meat? Is it possible that only people that drink milk are able to “handle” smoking better? If you consume predominantly fried foods, is your body able to cope with energy drinks better? Will they have the same affect on you as they do someone who has a diet made up of more fruit and vegetables?

I’m sure there are plenty of foods, drinks, activities and habits that are linked. Complimentary foods if you will.

I think the way that I feel physically is also due predominantly to the fact that I am well hydrated most of the time. It’s like I’m setting a high standard for my body. When I go and have a big night drinking, I’m very dehydrated and by body tells me this by giving me a throbbing headache the next day. After a decent mountain bike ride it will often do the same as I’m usually unable to drink enough water during that time (I can only carry 3 litres with me).

It’s interesting. Not bad, not good, not anything subjective. Just another one of those things I’ve come across and still haven’t figured out what it really means or where it’s relevancy fits in to my life.

Post from: r0dman.com

One without the other?

I’m unsure about my diet – I don’t know who to believe and what to believe.

I’m unsure about weather patterns it’s affect on the future of this country – I always try to be two steps ahead, but I really don’t know where my fiancee and I should live when we return from our overseas trip. Water is of great concern to me, and from everything I have read and heard Adelaide doesn’t have too brighter future.

I’m unsure about finance – nobody can be trusted anymore. Worldwide, economies will do anything to hold power via money at any cost. Australia’s population is planned to hit 35 million by 2049 despite the environmental issues, in order to keep property values from crashing, keep the economy “booming” and to supposedly keep our nation secure. Do we try and place our money in the perfect location to try and “win” from the instability in the world right now? Do we just do as everyone else does and keep our money in property, assume it’s the best investment ever, or do we just exit the world as we know it?

On top of all this, I just can’t see how I can bring a child into this world. My fiancee feels the same way. It’s just not fair to be making a decision like that. We love kids, but without knowing our own future, how can we possibly bring someone else into the world with that uncertainty?

There are so many to list, and while I want to consider them all and decide where I stand and what I want to do, I also know that I need to clear my mind. I think way too much and need to relax.

Interesting times…

Post from: r0dman.com

Clarity

My commute is mixed. Some road, some gravel, some single track. I used to commute on my 29er with 37c “slicks”, and they provided more than enough control – I never had a puncture either, touch wood.

I was thinking about converting my 29er to a “dingle-speed” two gear ratios, but the same number of teeth. I run a 32/20 for XC, and would probably run a 36/16 for commuting. The chain length is the same so it doesn’t need adjusting, but to be honest I’m a bit of a perfectionist with bikes. Commuting on big chunky tires seems a bit pointless, and ultimately a waste of my energy and money.

Versa VRS-8 Alfine Levers - Allows you to shift an 8-speed internally geared Shimano Alfine hub with road levers - STI style.

So, I think I’ve figured out what I really want from a commuter…

The frame and fork should be a “monster-cross” style frame (cyclo-cross with disc tabs IMO). Ideally I’d be able to tension the chain using an eccentric bottom bracket (EBB) or track dropouts. Shimano Alfine 8-speed internally geared hub on the rear, and a “whatever” QR hub up front with some light 29″ rims and my 37c tyres. Road drop bars with Versa VRS-8 levers, so I can shift the Alfine hub, STI style, without any other messy shifters around the place. The rest of the spec would probably be fair mountain bike in flavour. Crankset, pedals and saddle would be similar to my 29er. Nothing over the top, since it is a commuter after all. The one thing I can’t decide on is whether to run discs or cantilevers. I know canti’s work fine, I just don’t know if I should because I can. Certainly finding a disc specific frame is harder, I just have visions of running this bike with a 2″ wide tyre in the future for some XC fun, and Avid BB7 Road’s would go nicely on it – not to mention handle the winter better as a commuter.

I’ve been on the frame hunt for a while now but unfortunately there aren’t a huge amount of options available, especially for myself living in Australia. The Salsa La Cruz covers some of my needs, just has no way to tension the chain. I’ve considered the Forward Components EBB but to be honest I’d prefer a frame that comes built for single-speed.

Singular Peregrine - Monster-cross styling - Cyclo-cross geometry, disc tabs and eccentric bottom bracket.

The Singular Peregrine meets my needs perfectly, only I can’t justify that sort of money on a frame yet (I’m guessing around AUD$1000 by the time it’s landed here).

It’s challenging, but I suppose it’s part of the fun of building something yourself. I’ll find my frame eventually – maybe I’ll just have to make some trade-offs first.

Post from: r0dman.com

The Ultimate Commuter Bicycle

There’s plenty of information/propaganda/etc on the topic out there. If you break it down to the basics, essentially humans have reduced the number of situations in their life in which they can end. Medicine is lengthening our lives considerably. People are far less likely to die from disease nowadays. Food, albeit debatable as to whether or not it is healthy, is able to be produced in greater and greater quantities as the population increases.

World Population Growth

My fiancee and I have spoken a fair bit about the possibility of not having children. Not to the point where we have made a decision on whether or not to have kids,but it’s nice to know that the option is there (especially when the female in the relationship brings it up!).

I’m well aware by now, that I over think my decisions. I rarely act on impulse – maybe when I’m drunk or something. When it’s a life changing decision, like career, relationships, buying property and so on, I really think it through. It’s a good thing sometimes, but for having children, I ask myself “How can I bring a child into this world”.

Maybe it’s my cynical view on the earth – my need for something more. I’m not happy with the way that the human race lives. Our lifestyle, diet, and general values are just so misplaced – and it only appears to be getting worse. While I’m happy to be the odd one out and hold my “different” opinions, given what I know and what I believe in, wouldn’t it be irresponsible to force a child to live in that world?

One thing is for sure, we need to drop our population. Is this one of those situations where we say “what difference can one person make?” or should we really act on our beliefs? Obviously someone needs to have children, otherwise there is no future for the human race, but whether or not I am one of those people, I’m yet to decide.

Post from: r0dman.com

Population Growth and Families

It’s interesting how we change during our lives. As a child we are completely free. We are happy to attempt anything, laugh and play and run and smile and whatever happens happens. Never thinking of the consequences, just acting in the moment.

As we begin to grow up though, we learn that there are consequences to our actions. While this is healthy – learning for ourselves that we can get hurt from jumping from something too high – we also learn a lot from our parents. We are told not to climb too high – “you will fall and hurt yourself, come down please”, told to slow down on our bike – “don’t go too fast, you will hurt yourself” and told not to eat too many lollies – “you will feel sick if you eat too many of those”. It’s not a negative thing – parents look out for the well-being of their children.

From the innocent advice given by our parents when we were young, we are then bombarded with why not to do things. Fear on TV, fear in the paper, fear everywhere. If we aren’t given the advice directly by the TV, our parents are. Stay in line and everything will be ok, you will be safe, but be different, and who knows what will happen!

Most people, myself included to an extent, grow up into people that just conform and do the same as everyone else. We no longer laugh and run around and jump and do whatever we choose. We know that if we laugh at the wrong thing people can be offended. We know if we run around and jump up and down we will look like an idiot, so we take the safe option.

We all call it “growing up” and “being sensible”, but from my experience most people hate the constraints in which they live… They crave the freedom that they had as a child, it just takes a long time to realise this.

It seems almost a textbook lifestyle cycle for the Baby Boomers – my parents’ generation. They were born, free spirited fun loving children, then “grew up” and did the “sensible” thing and bought houses, had families and so on. Now as the kids are moving out, they are wanting their freedom back. Some may be rich enough to buy a holiday house, some travel around the world by plane or on a cruise ship, while others buy a caravan and drive around, stopping wherever they please. It’s becoming less and less common for them to just grow old in their house nowadays.

It’s been something that I have been aware of for a few years now, but only now am I piecing it all together. Humans are creatures that are born in nature. We need our freedom to be sane. Early this year my fiancee and I made the decision to lead a life of change. We will still buy a house. We will still “be sensible”, but we will force ourselves to retain some level of freedom in our life. By “mixing it up” we hope to lead an exciting life, with plenty of choice and an easy going lifestyle. We don’t need a lot, but we need our freedom.

Post from: r0dman.com

Freedom