Making Some Changes to ADD

Just a note to those that follow this blog:

Some of you know me and many of you do not (which is really cool in my opinion). I am planning on changing the direction of this blog – a little. Over the past year, I had mostly been posting on articles and videos that related to outdoor lifestyle and I thought were either cool or inspiring. On occasion I would write something up about minimalism or other somewhat abstract topics – like my last post about “passion”.

I still plan on doing some of these things since the outdoor/ active lifestyle is part of who I am and what I think is important, but the founding of Bulumu, a natural food and adventure lifestyle company that I co-founded in the last year, has begun to lead me and my energy in a new direction. Moving forward, I plan to focus slightly more on such topics as sustainable agriculture and manufacturing, community development, and the food industry in general.

I know these topics might seem strange for a blog still titled “Adventure Deficit Disorder”, but I think that any of us interested in outdoor lifestyles should be interested in the health of our environment as well as the quality of our food.

As a lifelong athlete I have been aware about the importance of nutrition in relation to performance (but haven’t always practiced accordingly). As a former political science student and now food manufacturer – I find the politicking behind the food industry baffling as truths about products are bent and hidden from consumers. As a consumer, I feel it is our right to know what we are putting in our bodies without needing a PhD in Food Sciences.

Perhaps true to form, starting a new business in a highly competitive category of a highly competitive industry has been an adventure, but a different kind of adventure than I have become accustomed to.

Ultimately, my mission of this blog remains the same and is similar to our mission at Bulumu: Use the blog to inspire, educate, and build community around values and ideas.

Pursue your passion: The most vague advice ever.

Over the past few months I’ve engaged with some friends on the topic of passions and more specifically – the pursuit of passions.

Most of us have grown up being told to “pursue your passion”. It’s the common answer that people who are well-intentioned, but don’t really know what advice to give – will tell you. For example, “What should I choose as my undergraduate major?” “Follow your passion”; “What should I do after I graduate?” “Follow your passion”. And so it goes.

Telling someone simply to pursuit their passion is a little like asking someone who just got a beer if they need a drink. It’s an empty offer.

As one friend recently noted, “What all the self-help gurus fail to tell you is that following your passion is easy. The hard part is figuring out what exactly your passion is”.

Okay, so lots of people are getting wealthy distributing empty advice, but how does one go about figuring out exactly what his or her passion is? It’s not that easy, but it’s not too hard either. The hard part is what keeps people from the actual pursuit (more on this later).

We may enjoy things like skiing, photography, but is it a passion?

How do you find your passion?

There’s some good news and bad news here. First the bad.

It’s cliché, but you don’t find your passion (it doesn’t find you either). Passions are not the kinds of things that you can book an around the world trip, or take a cross-country road trip, or whatever to find yourself and your passion. Trips like that can certainly offer perspective, but your passion is not waiting for you on a dusty lonesome road in West Texas. Trust me on that one.

The good news is that you don’t have to spend a fortune trying to find your life’s calling half-way around the world or at the finish line of some endurance event. Chances are you have a pretty good idea of your passions.

Ask the hard questions

Decide what you believe in and what your identity is. To do this, ask the hard questions of yourself. Most people are afraid of what they might see, so they never self-examine. What are your core values? How will people remember you? How do you want them to remember you? Are you being honest with yourself?

The passion checklist

A passion needs enthusiasm, vision, support and commitment. Without these 4 characteristics (and possibly more) the doubters and naysayers will get you. People often say “I’m really passionate about x, it’s my new thing… etc, etc.”, but it’s completely unfounded because all the above are lacking or are for the wrong reason.

Enthusiasm – This is pure enthusiasm – the kind that comes from deep down. False enthusiasm will fade away when others doubt you (and they will).

Vision - What do you want to do with your passion? “Earning a living” is not necessarily a vision. What do you see your passion accomplishing for others? For you?

Support – Find a network of people who share your enthusiasm and can see your vision. These people will be instrumental. Like-minded individuals are good, but may not share the breadth of your enthusiasm and vision.

Commitment – This is the hard part. Commitment trips most people up. Commitment means that you are willing to put yourself out there. You are willing to risk being a little different and stand for what you believe. You’ll know you’re committed when you feel a little scared because you know you’re taking a risk.

How do you know you’re following your passion?

You know because you are doing what you love. You know because you can’t wait to wake up in the morning. Think of something you used to really liked doing as a kid and you couldn’t wait to go do it. If you feel that tingle in your body, than keep going. You’re doing whatever you’re doing because it’s yours. It’s not to impress other people or because it’s what you think is expected of you.

 

 

Fall Adventure Music Pick: Mumford and Sons

Mumford and Sons’ distinct-yet-familiar sound combines acoustic elements with passionate vocals that elicit emotion in even the most stoic among us. Perfect for fall road trips to the ocean or though the changing colors autumn in the mountains.

While their album, Sign no More, is solid throughout, my favorites include the title track, “Sign no More”, “The Cave” (video above) and “Little Lion Man”.

What if Everything You Needed to Survive Had to Fit Through This Space?

Click to enlarge

I would need a lot less.

In an interesting question inspired by the 33 Chilean miners trapped 2,230 feet underground, the image to the right shows the size of the tube used to get survival supplies as well as a list of items the miners are receiving.

For perspectives sake, the thought makes me wonder about what, in my life, could I fit in a tube 3.19 inches in diameter that I would need for survival? Food. Bottles of water. Maybe some clothes. Lighting might be nice. I wouldn’t have even thought about the doses of Vitamin D for lack of sunlight.

Some of the items that the Chileans are receiving are not exactly what I had in mind. The list contains some comforts not expected (such as the autographed soccer jerseys and projector for watching sports and movies on a 50-inch projection). Well hey, of all possible issues, at least entertainment will not be one of them.

Image from Newsweek

Movie Review: 180 Degrees South

180 Degrees South from Woodshed Films follows Jeff Johnson, a “real dirtbag”, on a journey to Chile’s Patagonia inspired by footage he had seen years earlier of Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins (Founders of Black Diamond/ Patagonia (clothing) and The North Face, respectivley) on their own journey in 1968 driving from Ventura, California to Chile’s Patagonia region.

Unlike Chouinard and Tompkins, Johnson hitches a ride on a boat that takes him to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and eventually to his destination in Chile. Johnson brings with him a cast of characters including surfer, Keith Malloy, and climber/ mountaineer, Timmy O’Neill.

While the film is about adventure and the human experience of pursuing dreams and passions, 180 Degrees South is very heavy with environmental rhetoric, but for good reason. Doug Tompkins, who plays a large role in the film, has put much of his time and capital resources behind creating the Conservacion Patagonica, a 2.2 million acre reserve that Doug and his wife Kris have created in both Chile and Argentina.

At times, 180 Degrees South moves a little slowly, but consider it a must see for ecologists, dreamers, and adventures of all types.

The Recycled Wallet

I’d been looking for a new wallet for a while when I stumbled on The “Recycled Wallet” from New York City-based Holstee. I wasn’t really interested  in a bulky piece of tanned hide in my pocket, so the Recycled Wallet fit the bill perfectly.

Made from recycled plastic bags and newspapers collected from the streets of Delhi, every wallet is unique (mine is a mix of classifieds and headlines). Despite my reservations about the durability of a wallet made from newspaper and plastic bags, the slim and minimalist design not only seems ready to take a beating, but also makes accessing cash, cards, and IDs really easy.

Holstee’s design philosophy of a sustainable lifestyle through innovative and conscience design is obvious, but what else would you expect from a couple of brothers who live their company manifesto which includes such statements as, “If you don’t like something, change it” and “If you don’t like your job, quit”.

Arcade Fire’s The Wilderness Outdoors

Just checked out The Wilderness Downtown, a project done by Canadian band Arcade Fire in conjunction with Google. Enter your address, or any address, and wait for the video to load (it may take awhile, but it’s worth it).

The theme, as the title of the film and the latest album from Arcade Fire, The Suburbs, suggests a commentary on the relationship between the environment and the impact sprawling development has had on the natural landscape and our culture. Pretty cool.