With each blog post I write, I’m sharing a part of my philosophy and view of the world with you. I recently realized that I haven’t actually written much about myself directly. I think it’s super important to know the person along with their ideas, so I found these 10 questions to do just that. It’s not everything, but it’s a starting point that’ll help give some perspective about why all of this Break the Twitch stuff is so darn important to me. I literally googled ‘questions to get to know someone’ and this was one of the top results, so let’s get on with it.
1 / What do you want to accomplish in your life?
That’s a pretty long-term question, and what I know is what I want to accomplish in my life right now. Both Amy and I are actively working towards having location independence. We both love traveling and a big part of reaching that goal is owning less and experiencing more. I’ve never been particularly motivated by money, so the accomplishments that I want are much more connected to the lifestyle that creates them. We don’t have kids yet, so within the next year or two we’d like to be able to have the flexibility to live in different places, take advantage of various travel deals without having to worry about traditional work schedules. Amy quit her full-time finance job over a year ago and has freelanced since then. I still work full-time because I love what I do, plus it’s allowed me to not worry about monetizing this blog (you’ll notice I have zero advertisements or products for sale). I’m working on a book that I’ll sell eventually, and the goal is to have this site support us along with other various projects. Those are the immediate-term accomplishments we’re working towards. Later on, having children, being a great father, husband, and just putting as much good out into the world as possible is what I want to do with my life.
2 / How do you want people to remember you when you’re gone?
I’ve struggled with this kind of question for a long time because death has always been my biggest fear. The most reassuring thing that anyone has ever said to me about that was, ‘I think life after death is a lot like life before birth. How did it feel then?’ Regardless, I’m not sure how much I truly care about being remembered after I’m gone. What is most important to me is being well thought of by the important people in my life and bringing positivity to the world.
3 / What would you do with a million dollars?
Assuming that this million dollars is post-tax dollars and I get the full amount, I’d give $120,000 to The Hope Effect to build a beautiful new home for orphans in Siguatepeque, Honduras. I’d pay off the mortgage on our home as it’s the only debt we have right now. I’d put about $100,000 into an emergency cash fund and $500,000 into a dividend based index fund so that I could quit my job and take the leap to write Break the Twitch full-time while working on my first book and creating better tools to really help people. I’d use about $100,000 to do nice things for my family. I’ve realized that I’m never going to retire in the traditional sense, so it wouldn’t be my goal to stash the money and try to live on it while laying on a beach. Right now, I choose to spend 20-30 hours per week of my ‘personal’ time building this website. It’s the time when we might be watching TV, going to movies or doing other fun things like that. I love building things, creating things and learning, so I never expect that to stop with any amount of wealth. I’ll always be working on something I’m passionate about. I guess the very direct answer is that not much about our lifestyle would change. I’m pretty sure we’d still share one car between us – I’d just switch over hours from working at my job to working on my own projects. I’d honestly continue writing this blog if it never made a single cent.
4 / Where would you go on your dream vacation?
I don’t really believe in traditional vacations per se, so this is a bit tough to answer. I am particularly interested in traveling to Iceland or Southeast Asia. I’ve talked to a few friends who have visited those places recently and had fantastic experiences. Traveling isn’t really a vacation for me – when I travel, I want to see ALL THE THINGS and try ALL THE FOODS so I tend to come back from trips exhausted. I made an intentional shift to experientialism this year and while I haven’t spent much on physical things in 2015, I’ve traveled more than the previous five years combined. In 2015 I pledged to travel somewhere every month and so far have been to: Chicago, Los Angeles, Eau Claire, Las Vegas, The U.S. Virgin Islands, Siguatepeque Honduras, Louisville, and New York City. I’m going to be writing more about that experience in the near future. Most of those trips were weekend trips, totally exhausting, but enjoyable. So in a sense, I don’t believe in vacations but more so travel experiences. At some point I’d like to do a 5 – 7 day meditation retreat with Amy, ideally overseas.
5 / If your life were a movie, who would play you?
Easy: John C. Reilly, Seth Rogen, or Michael C. Hall. Not because of their personalities, but simply because I’ve been told at various times that I look like all of them.
6 / If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’d like to have the ability to heal myself and others instantly. Similar to Wolverine in X-Men, but usable on other people as well. If I couldn’t have that, I’d take teleportation so I could travel the world. I get motion sickness, so various forms of travel can be pretty rough on me at times. Appearing at my destination instantly would be pretty great. I assume I’d be able to carry items with me, so I’d be able to make a fortune by starting a shipping & logistics company and instantly transporting items around the globe. I’d be able to deliver lifesaving vaccines to remote places in Africa. I’d use my wealth to be a philanthropist alongside Bill Gates. Maybe spend time as a fireman. So many possibilities. Think of the carbon savings.
7 / What is your most embarrassing moment?
There have been many, but probably the time I threw up after interviewing for a silly job at a bank.
8 / If you could spend a day with 1 person, living, or dead, who would it be and why?
Living: Warren Buffett, he’s a billionaire that lives simply. Not living: Any of my grandparents. I would like to be able to talk to them now that I’m older and try to gain some more perspective on the world through their eyes.
9 / What are your favorite pizza toppings?
Oil and garlic sauce with Sriracha, tomatoes, onions, fresh spinach, mushrooms and chicken with a light sprinkling of fresh garlic. (I literally just stole the toppings from my favorite local pizza joint). Yes, this is a real pizza.
10 / What is the best gift you were ever given?
My parents provided a stable home and supportive environment for me. I can’t think of a better gift than that – they allowed me to explore my interests and passions while growing up. They worked hard to give me experiences that shaped me into the person I am today. I consider it a great privilege to have had that childhood and one of the reasons that orphan care has become so important to me.