True Tests of Your Character

It is very easy to preach one thing or another. It is totally different to follow through on what you preach. When faced with a decision which flies in the face of everything you have been talking about, this is when your character and principles must really be tested. It is easy to preach virtue and honesty, but much harder when faced with the option to almost effortlessly download copyrighted media online for free. If you really want to tests someone's character, there must be options available to them that go against what they say. It is easy to keep dating the person you are with when there is no one else around. But how is it if something new comes along?

I was recently faced with a potentially life-altering decision. I had a job offer, which to most people, would seem like an incredibly extraordinary opportunity. One in a million. Impossible to refuse. It was totally unexpected, and initially, I completely wrote it off as it flies in the face of everything I have been convincing myself of the past two or three years. The job offer meant I would have to postpone, for at least two years, my long-term travel plans and desire to work on my own projects. I specifically meant to NOT look into any job opportunities because I did not want to face any decisions or compelling offers. Sometimes life throws you curve balls though.

Despite initially thinking there would be no way I would take the job offer, I decided to not decline it right there outright, but just to sit on it for a bit. After thinking a little more and talking to my research advisor, I was able to work out a pretty sweet deal. I would graduate about 5 months earlier than originally planned and start at the new job almost 2 months later. Not only would I finish graduate school early, but I also had bought myself some time in between to travel and explore my own projects and ideas. But 2 months is very different from the 2 years I had imagined. This was DEFINITELY a compromise. However, for a while, I thought maybe it was one I could live with.

Everyone who really knew me could not believe I was considering the job offer. I have been quoted on saying ridiculous things such as "even if I got offered a job with a salary of $500,000 a year, I would still have to turn it down." I had spent the past two years proving to myself how little money I really need to live a complete and happy life. I had taught myself that time was your most valuable asset, not money. But here I was, faced with a clear option which went against all this. My character and values were most definitely being tested.

The next week of my life was one of the most stressful in recent memory. Going through in my head all the pros and cons of taking the job or not. Most of the time, I felt a slight leaning toward taking it, and then, in a moment of extreme clarity, I felt so ridiculous about the prospect of taking it. I knew it was not what I wanted. This cycle persisted.

In the end, I decided not to take the job and stick with my original plan to travel, take time off, and work on my own projects and maybe projects with friends. It is the MUCH scarier option, that is for sure. But it is the one that excites me. It is the one that pushes me to grow. My character was tested, and I had passed the test. The next time yours is, will you?

The Vagabonding at Home Challenge

While it is important to know how to live an awesome life while in graduate school, it is just as important to have one after graduate school. I can hardly believe I am typing these words, but I will be done with school in less than a year (and hopefully much less). After school, I plan on taking a mini-retirement while travelling for at least a year full time.

If you have read previous posts of mine, you would know I value efficiency and simplicity. I do not just want to go out and see a few things while blazing from place to place, I want to give vagabonding, or long-term travel, a chance as a lifestyle. There are numerous ways to make money which are independent of location, and I plan to explore these while travelling. Nonetheless, with my extremely simple and inexpensive life as a grad student, I have managed to save a bit of money which will hopefully allow me to travel for a while even if I cannot successfully make money on the road.

I want to maintain a simple, yet highly connected and productive life while seeing the world. This will involve taking some steps to make sure I have the right gear. One thing that I absolutely require is that I must be travelling light, very light. However, I must still be very functional and not make any huge sacrifices of convenience, productivity, or connectivity.

Since I still have a bit of time left in my graduate career, I have decided it is important to get started on what I call "The Vagabonding at Home Challenge." I want to live in such a way that will closely mimic how my life will be when I am travelling. This will force me to start looking at the gear which I think will be useful on my travels, whether it is clothing, technology, or other things. Every ounce matters when aiming to travel very light, so this will force me to discover what I really need (and not just what someone else's travel blog says I will need).

In this initial state, I will primarily focus on clothing. Since where I live now is pretty warm all year, I will focus on clothing for moderate to hot weather. As far as clothes go, this is my plan:

• 1 pair of shoes
• 1 pair of convertible pants
• 2 pairs of underwear
• 2 shirts

This is it, at least for now. There are also a couple further rules. Once I have all of the items (at the moment, I am still waiting to get the shirts I plan to use), I can wear these items and only these items. On top of this, I can only wash these items in a sink, just like I would probably often have to do while travelling.

Now let's talk about the clothes I am testing. My ideas so far are very much inspired by people like Tynan and Tim Ferriss, but the point is I need to figure out if their recommendations are right for me. The current list is:

• 1 pair of Vibram Five Fingers KSO shoes (Black/Gray Camo)
• 1 pair of White Sierra Convertible Trail Pants (Stone)
• 2 pairs of Ex Officio Men's Give-N-Go Boxers (1 Black and 1 Charcoal)
• 2 Icebreaker Short Sleeve T-Shirts (haven't decided on exact models)

I have had an interest in the barefoot-style Five Fingers for a while now, and I have heard good things about them as a travel shoe. The pants are just the ones I already have, and I find them to be just fine. The quick drying Ex Officio boxers have the motto "17 countries. 6 weeks. One pair of underwear. Okay, maybe two." It seems like these are right up my alley. The Icebreaker shirts come recommended from many long term travellers and are made of Merino wool which is known to be extremely resistant to odors while being very durable and comfortable. I have a bunch on order from REI.com in various style and sizes, and I will be sure to report what I find.

I am very excited to see how my initial clothing challenge goes. Will my office mate say I smell? Will my friends get bored of my attire? It will be interesting to see, but this is exactly why I am doing this. If I can be comfortable with this lifestyle during my normal life, I am sure it will be good for my life after graduate school.

When Social Proof Misleads Us

While driving up to the mountains to do some snowboarding, I noticed something interesting. While the roads were perfectly clear, there were still tons of cars using chains on their tires. I quickly realized that this was a "monkey see monkey do" type phenomenon when I saw these large turnout areas with tons of cars pulled over putting chains on their tires.

It is very natural, as well as useful, for humans to take shortcuts in making decisions using social proof. When people saw that so many cars were chaining up their tires, their mind used this as a shortcut to tell them to put chains on their tires as well. In many cases, using social proof is useful, but in this case, it clearly was not. Having chains on the tires while not needed on the mountain is not that big of a deal, but it made me think of some of the more far reaching consequences of social proof.

Much of the world's consumerism is based on the concept of social proof. If everybody wants it, then I need to get it. If Paris Hilton wore it, it must be good. These types of thinking, unchecked, will inevitably lead to a rat racer type of lifestyle, where you are constantly listening to what other people tell you you need to buy or what you need to do. It is important to rationally evaluate each important decision you make and find out what your real motivation is. Social proof may be an indication, but certainly not a validation of a quality decision. Use social proof with caution.