This week I will be writing about all of the people that have changed my life over the last three years. These posts will be long because there have been many people that have made a positive impact on my life. Today’s post describes the non-conformists that have made me look at my life differently and change it for the better.
The life I am striving to have is very different than the one I have now. I want to make my own schedule, have the freedom to live where I want and minimize my physical possessions. To get to this point I get inspiration from many different writers and web personalities. I have compiled a list of all 19 of them and some of my favorite posts, quotes and resources they provide.
Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau
Chris is on a mission to visit every country in the world and he is almost there. He writes about his travels, his unconventional business and much more. I had been reading Chris’s site for a while, but it was his book that really changed my life. I read it over Thanksgiving and then when I found out he was visiting Seattle on his book tour, I knew I had to see him speak. Going to see him was the last push I needed to start this site because I wanted to tell him and others that I was launching a website. Chris is a huge inspiration for a lot people and I highly recommend his work.
Favorite Quote: “Now the Question is… when are you starting? Because it’s not too late.”
Zen Habits by Leo Babauta
The person with the most recent major impact on me has been Leo. His minimalist view towards life and the changes he has made in his own life are what keep me coming back to his writing. I’m reading his book The Power of Less a second time through just to make sure I start to implement as many of his suggestions as possible. I also bought and read his latest eBook, The Little Guide to Un-Procrastination, and have already started completing tasks that I have been putting off for far too long.
Favorite eBook (free): Focus
Blog of Impossible Things by Joel Runyon
Joel writes with a lot of passion and is on a quest to do everything on his impossible list. He doesn’t blog for an income, but rather just to motivate others to make something out of their lives. From jumping out of planes to climbing mountains, Joel is pushing his life to the limit and I love to read what he puts out.
Favorite eBook (free): Renaissance Man
Nerd Fitness by Steve Kamb
A single word that is often used to describe me would be nerd, as I have spent countless hours playing video games and building computers over the years. But since I quit playing organized sports and have gotten a desk job, I have failed to put enough focus on my health. I go to Steve’s site to get motivation on how not to suck at working out or look like Gerald Butler in 300.
Favorite Post: Make Optimus Prime Proud – Start Transforming Your Life
Location 180 by Sean Ogle
For a perfect example of what I hope to become, check out Sean Ogle. He used to work in finance and got fed up with it. He started a blog, started making money online, left the corporate gig and now he travels the world working as a blogging and SEO guru. The post below was a huge motivator for starting Pocket Changed.
Favorite Post: Improve Your Life in Just One Easy Step
Advanced Riskology by Tyler Tervoorhen
Sick of living like everyone else, Tyler started taking risks and writing about it. He saved up an escape fund to leave his job behind and started living by his own rules. He strives to live in the 1% club by traveling all over the world and doing things that most people never get to do. Follow Tyler on his journey as he grows his community of risk takers.
Favorite eBook (free): Quit Your Job Without the Panic
Blogcast FM Podcast by Srinivas Rao & Sid Sivara
When I bought my domain I searched for podcasts to listen to that had to do with blogging. Blogcast FM was the first I found and I have just now gotten through their 130+ episodes. In each episode they either talk one on one with a blogger or discuss an important topic to bloggers. I plan to listen through the backlog again too for more great ideas. Srini’s personal site is Skool of Life and Sid runs a personal development site as well.
Favorite Episode: Dave Navarro on Product Launch Strategies and 5 Figure Launches
Castles in the Air by Nina Yau
A recent escapee of the cubicle grind, Nina left the U.S. with just 34 things and left for Taipei, Taiwan. Be sure to read the story of why she quit her day job and lives minimally. She writes with passion to change the world and is an inspiration for me to do the same.
Favorite eBook (free): Minimalist Freedom
EvBogue.com by Everett Bogue
As a no b.s. minimalist working to change how the world works, Everett is bold in how he writes and is not afraid to voice his opinion. He has become a well-known blogger and created a strong business off his writing. I like to read Everett’s work to remind me of the life I want to be living, not the life I have been told to live.
Favorite eBook (free): How to Create a Movement 2.0
RaamDev.com by Raam Dev
Raam’s writing is not just filled with fluff and feel good-eries. He believes that there is more to life than what most people do with it and is working to change people’s worlds. He set off to travel to 3 countries for 6 months and lived off just $3,000 to change the direction of his life. Raam is a world changer. Watch out for him.
Favorite eBook (free): Small Ways to Make a Big Difference
Miss Minimalist by Francine Jay
Being one of the most popular minimalist bloggers has led to great success for Francine. Her latest book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide is a great step-by-step manual for creating a simpler life. By having less possessions and obligations, Francine and her husband are able to travel the world and to live the life they want.
Favorite Post: Minimalist Philosophy: To Walk Away, Empty-Handed
9 to 5 Alternative by Alan Perlman
As he forges his own unconventional life, Alan writes about his life and goals he has for it. Sometimes they are as random as learning parkour or climbing 14,000-foot mountains. The way Alan views his life is an inspiration and I hope to live my life based more on want-to-dos than need-to-dos, like he is able to.
Favorite Post: Alan’s Personal MBA Progress
The Minimalists by Joshua Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus
Together on a quest to live minimally, Josh and Ryan are chronicling the steps as they get rid of clutter, simplify their lives and focus on what matters. Be sure to check out their complete list of the 288 things they own to see how minimally they live. Also, read their 21 day journey series to see how they made their lives less stressful and filled with less clutter in just 3 weeks.
Favorite Series of Posts: Our Journey | 21 Days
Fluent in 3 Months by Benny Lewis
On a mission to become fluent in a ton of languages, Benny travels the world to live in countries while learning their language. His blog is not just about how to learn how to speak in Spanish or Italian, it is about striving to achieve. Known as “the Irish Polyglot”, Benny has created a strong following. Look for him to continue to do great things with his site.
Favorite Post: How to Speak English Like The Irish
A Guy Named Dave by Dave Bruno
One of the big names behind the minimalist movement, Dave is well known for the 100 thing challenge. I don’t know if I will ever get to just one hundred possessions, but I hope to get there someday. Read his blog for great advice on how and why you should live a more minimal lifestyle.
Favorite Post: So What Exactly is the 100 Things Challenge?
Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
If you need motivation, you need Gary V. Just watch the video I link to below or search on YouTube for speeches or interviews with him. Gary started Wine Library TV and it became a widely successful internet video show and his newest project is Daily Grape. Gary’s first book Crush It: Why Now Is The Time to Cash in on Your Passion is like an instant shot of motivation espresso. He also recently published the best seller Thank You Economy.
Favorite Video: Web 2.0 Speech
The Internet Made Awesome by Johnny B. Truant
If you are afraid of being yourself online, don’t be. Johnny is a great example of someone that doesn’t try to be anyone he’s
not and in 9 months he has begun earning five figures a month from his online business. Read this page to see what he’s all about.
Favorite Quote: “It’s okay to be a real, multi-dimensional person, and to market yourself by just kind of hanging out and being cool.”
Okay, so that was a lot of people, but what can I say? Their writing and passion has made a difference in my life. I am extremely grateful to all of the above people that have changed me and I hope to either return the favor someday or help others change their lives through what I do.
I am going to compile all of the posts from this series into a free eBook soon, so sign up for the Pocket Changed Newsletter to find out when it is ready. Please let me know below who else has inspired you to change your life for the better.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Caleb!
Powerful resource post, my friend. Many of these names are the who’s-who of people owning it online and in general these days. Gary V and Johnny B are awesome with such interesting stories behind them (not to take away from anyone else on the list).
Thanks for the round-up, I’m going to share this…
Jon
Thanks for the share Jon. Many of these people are A-listers and have a huge following, but they still were able to make a personal impact on me. To me, that makes them stand out above the crowd.
Caleb,
This is a powerful list, my friend. These are perfect examples of people who make great things happen for themselves. Thanks for sharing..
Anytime Steve. There were so many people I could have shared, but I wanted to focus on just the ones I could directly relate to a single post, quote or product they’ve created that I still think about or reference on a daily or weekly basis.
Great round-up Caleb! Bookmarking your post and passing it along
Thanks Celine
Hey Caleb
Thanks so much for including is in your list. I think you may have listened to more BlogcastFM episodes than I have and I’m the host
. Good call on the Dave Navarro interview. I always have said that interview could stand alone as a product. I used the ideas in it to create my first mini product.
Of course Srini. You have been a big inspiration for me to stick with blogging and getting ideas for the future direction of my site.
This is a fantastic list! Thank you for posting.
So many of the resources you posted were new to me and I look forward to checking them out.
Wow! You’ve just filled up my reading list.
Thanks - I’m looking forward to checking these and your other recommendations (from other posts) out.
Hey Caleb. Congrats on such a great year! I hope we get to connect at WDS again this summer.
Thanks Tyler! I know we only met briefly last year, but hopefully we get more time to talk this year. I’ll let you know if I’m in town early.