Archive for August, 2007

The ‘No Stuff’ Mentality

If you want everything you own to fit in a 65 litre suitcase, it forces you to become an expert ‘de-clutterer’. It also requires a certain mentality that I’ve found many people struggle with, despite pretty much agreeing that clutter is undesirable.
When we leave in 2.5 weeks headed back to Grenada, we want to take [...]

If you want everything you own to fit in a 65 litre suitcase, it forces you to become an expert ‘de-clutterer’. It also requires a certain mentality that I’ve found many people struggle with, despite pretty much agreeing that clutter is undesirable.

When we leave in 2.5 weeks headed back to Grenada, we want to take with us no more than a 65 litre hard-backed suitcase (about the size of an average backpack or a large holdall) & our 2 laptop bags. We will also still have some posessions in our storage room - but instead of the storage room being the size of a small bedroom, it will now be the size of a large cupboard.

So far we have:

• Sold things on ebay - we’ve sold a bed, a futon, a guitar, an exercise bike, some shelves & there’s still more to go.

• Given books, CDs & DVDs to charity stores.

• Given vases, bedding & ornaments to friends & family.

• Given permission to my stepsister to have the freedom to clear out anything & everything she finds when she & her maid come to clear out my stepdad’s house - including many of my Mum’s possessions & clothes which I’d kept until I was ready to let them go.

Here’s my attitude to ’stuff’ now that I’m in the ‘No Stuff’ mentality:

• If I don’t know it’s even there, I clearly don’t need it!

• Whilst there’s nothing wrong with holding on to things of sentimental value especially for loved ones who have died, I now draw the line at keeping a used handkerchief, an old parking ticket & some mashed up lipstick.

• For gadgets & technology, if it’s sitting in storage and is likely to be surpassed very quickly by faster, smaller, newer models (and it most probably will be), then it’s better to get rid of it now whilst it might be still worth something.

• For clothes, if I haven’t worn or used them in the past 6-9 months, I’ll ditch them. The only exception with this now is that I will have a small bag of ‘warm’ clothes here in the UK for any winter visits.

• I really do think twice, if not three times, before I buy any new clothes and ask myself the following question: Would I wear it every day wherever we’re going to be in the next 3 months?

• When deciding whether to get rid of something in storage, I ask myself these questions:
  • Am I going to use it in the next 6-12 months?
  • Can I easily replace this if I get rid of it & do want to use it again?
  • How much is it worth to me if I sell it now versus keep it & never use it again?
  • Did this really mean something to the person to whom it belonged or was it just one of their ‘things’?
  • Does this really mean something to me or is it just one of my ‘things’?

Networking As A Location Independent Professional

Thanks, Leigh, for suggesting this topic to write about…
It’s a good one because one of the things I was a little worried about before we left the UK was staying in touch with my network of friends and how I’d continue to network for my business exploits to gain new clients.
Once again, these proved to [...]

Thanks, Leigh, for suggesting this topic to write about…

It’s a good one because one of the things I was a little worried about before we left the UK was staying in touch with my network of friends and how I’d continue to network for my business exploits to gain new clients.

Once again, these proved to be unfounded fears because in the course of the last 6 months I’ve probably been in contact with more people from all around the world than I would have been if I’d just been sitting comfortably in my loft apartment in Nottingham.

Here’s what I’ve done & how I connect & stay in touch with people…

Personal
Yes, I am a Facebook convert but at the moment, primarily use this to keep in touch with my personal friends & family. I do still find it odd that people quite happily email me via Facebook on a regular basis when I’ve got plenty of ‘normal’ email addreses they could use instead!

I also find that our personal blog about our travels is quite popular with friends & family and have some quite devoted readers & commenters with whom I have a blogversation.

Business
I have tried many of the online business networks like Ecademy, & LinkedIn but to be honest, I’ve never found them that useful - and found them to be energy drainers which haven’t been that productive for me and full of other business owners wanting more clients.

I have found by far the most effective way of networking & ‘meeting’ new people is by blogging regularly & commenting on blogs I like. I have regular emails now from people who are long time readers of one or more of my blogs which amazes me every time & I just love it when somebody takes the time to write to me in response to something I’ve written. Some of the regular commenters or readers of my blog have become ‘virtual’ friends and it’s a great way of meeting potential project partners or people who can put some business my way and vice versa.

I have also been part of a couple of mastermind groups which has been a good experience but I realised that neither were quite right for me. I’m currently thinking of setting up my own as I’d like to be able to actually speak to a group of like-minded people as well as email/blog etc. Sometimes words speak louder than texts!!!

On Location
Of course the other kind of networking can take place whilst in a L.I.P location - and this very much depends upon how much you want to involve youself in the community. It requires a bit more effort but there are often expat groups which you can join to get things kick started both socially & professionally in a particular country.

We also found in Panama & Grenada that the people we rented our apartments from were great - the Panamaniacs (Patty & Rudy) were a lovely, interesting couple who had us round for some cuba libres and nibbles whilst in the middle of a very hectic time for them. The Grenadians (Lucille & Anthony) were also great, held a cook-out for us on our last day and invited us to a couple of family functions.

It’s an easier way to experience some of the more local community aspects of your location if you rent or live with some locals - and if you’re a solo L.I.P a really good way to network & meet people in a safer environment than hanging out at the local bar on your own.

Cheap Eats in London

If you’re looking for tasty, nutritious food in London but don’t want to break out the credit card, here’s where you can eat…
1) Edgware road - there are some fantastic, cheap & tasty Lebanese restaurants in this area which do big plates of authentic Lebanese food for under £10.
2) Japanese Canteen - there are 8 [...]

If you’re looking for tasty, nutritious food in London but don’t want to break out the credit card, here’s where you can eat…

1) Edgware road - there are some fantastic, cheap & tasty Lebanese restaurants in this area which do big plates of authentic Lebanese food for under £10.

2) Japanese Canteen - there are 8 of these fantastic little eateries dotted around London (especially in the City). You can get a filling, tasty meal (think Chicken Katsu curry, Salmon Teriyaki, noodle dishes, benot boxes) for well under £10.

3) Borough Market - head on over to this fantastic foodie market (now a big tourist attraction) for great fresh food from the vendors.

4) Wholefoods - the new superstore off Kensington High Street has a huge canteen-style eating area on the top floor. Whilst it’s not the cheapest food you can get, it is healthy & nutritious without being outrageous.

5) Wagamamas - an old favourite, Wagamamas provides noodles, rice & soup dishes usually for under £10.

Are You One Of Us?

The BBC reports today that a record number of people left the UK last year for foreign climes. It also lists the following most popular destinations for British citizens…
Top 10 Emigration Countries - 2004 & 2005
Australia - 71,000
Spain - 58,000
France - 42,000
New Zealand - 30,000
USA - 25,000
Canada - 17,000
Netherlands - 8,000
UAE - 7,000
Germany - 6,000
South [...]

The BBC reports today that a record number of people left the UK last year for foreign climes. It also lists the following most popular destinations for British citizens…

Top 10 Emigration Countries - 2004 & 2005
Australia - 71,000
Spain - 58,000
France - 42,000
New Zealand - 30,000
USA - 25,000
Canada - 17,000
Netherlands - 8,000
UAE - 7,000
Germany - 6,000
South Africa - 6,000
Source of estimates: ONS

This doesn’t surprise me what with the ridiculous taxes, rubbish weather and job uncertainty faced by many in the UK - but I suspect that many people find when they leave the UK, that they end up with much the same lifestyle, many of the same challenges & many of the same complaints as they had in the UK…except with slightly better weather.

This is certainly what we’ve found as L.I.Ps - whether living by the beach, in the mountains or in a city, if there are fundamental things missing from or wrong with your life in the first place, a change of location won’t make much difference.

I’m being interviewed tomorrow by Suzy Greaves of The Big Peace. She’s interested in talking to people who have found their ‘peace’…and found that it’s not where they’ve moved to externally that’s important but where they’ve moved to internally that makes the difference.