I heard about Chris Guillebeau, the man behind The Art of Non-Conformity, on Twitter, and started following him there, before checking out his site or reading his manifestos.
When I found out that he was visiting Kuwait last summer (as part of his goal of visiting every country in the world by his 35th birthday), I decided to take that opportunity to meet him, and learn more about his travel adventures and his take on personal growth, lifestyle design and blogging.
I thought I’d find out more about Chris’s work before he arrived in Kuwait, so I read his two manifestos: A Brief Guide to World Domination and 279 Days to Overnight Success.
I usually have a “yes, but…” response to what I read, but Chris’s manifestos were different. They were simple, not simplistic.
For example, his second manifesto presents his own “overnight success” journey, which happened to span 279 days. In it he presents the factors he credits for his success online, and stresses on the fact that it took a great deal of hard work to establish his online business. While other writers are satisfied with telling you to “follow your passion,” Chris puts that idea in perspective, and makes it more realistic and achievable.
Rather than simply following a passion (any passion), Chris points out that you should find a passion that’s important to you, and of value to others, so that you get to pursue what you care about, and offer something to the world at the same time.
There’s no need to experience an inner struggle while creating your business. There is no dichotomy between personal success and serving others.
While I haven’t received my copy of The Art of Non-Conformity book yet (which launched today), I’m sure it’ll be as great as Chris’s other writings. And in a book, Chris has a chance to explore ideas that he may have only touched on in his blog posts, manifestos and unconventional guides.
I would highly recommend that you check out his free manifestos: A Brief Guide to World Domination and 279 Days to Overnight Success.
You can also buy his new book from Amazon, and other bookstores.
I’ll post a detailed review of the book once I get it and finish reading it. If you’ve read the book, or have thoughts to share about Chris’s writings, feel free to leave a comment below!