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My Crazy, Stressful, Wonderful Year: 2015 in Review

Steve Bloom 2 Comments

Happy New Year

If you think about it, there’s no real reason to celebrate the coming of a new year. Its basic function is to commemorate the full circle of our planet’s rotation around the sun. We’re not remembering any particular historical or religious event or celebrating a national hero so the day seems hardly worth caring about.

Yet, I have to admit there’s something satisfying about seeing our calendar move up another number. When I see that date tick up one more year, I feel optimistic about what lies ahead; it’s a reminder of all the years I have to live and the good things still waiting for me to discover; that idea feels uplifting and hopeful.

Perhaps this feeling of optimism is due to the year I’ve had. I will always remember 2015 as the year that changed my life forever. In April, my little boy, Desmond, was born, making me a brand new father with all the caring, stress and sleepless nights that it entails.

As you might have noticed, I haven’t posted much this year. Well, Desmond’s a big reason for that. When he arrived, I decided to take an impromptu break away from blogging so I could focus entirely on family for a while. Now that things are settled here, I feel I can come back, although my posting might still be a little sporadic at first.

To get back into the swing of things, it would be good to let you know what I’ve been up to these past few months. Here are some of the highlights from this year:

1. Writing. I released a new (free) eBook – 10 Ways to Travel Endlessly (you can still get it free). The feedback has been very positive. With all the work and research that went into it, I’m thrilled to hear so many people raving about it.

2. Not only did I get a baby in 2015, but my family and I moved across the country, from Houston to Milwaukee. New baby and moving – two of the most stressful events that can happen in life and I did them both at once. Honestly, I’m surprised I’ve kept my sanity so intact.

3. Travel. Even with the baby, I’ve done a lot of traveling. The relocation gave us the opportunity for a road trip so we say Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. The highlight of that trip was Mammoth Caves in KY, huge – so huge.

4. International travel. In January, I went to Turkey to see Istanbul and Ephesus. Pammukale was amazing – go see it if you go to Turkey. My wife was pregnant at the time so our son wasn’t born yet, but we have his passport and are making plans for his first international trip next year.

5. I read over 60 books, more than one a week.

6. I reached my goal of reading every book by John Steinbeck , 19 in total. Plus, on a whim, I read every book by Malcolm Gladwell.

7. I finished my goal of reading every play by William Shakespeare finishing with The Tempest. 39/39 plays. This goal has been in the works for several years now.

8. Minimalism. In preparation for the move, my wife and I donated so much that we actually had to rent a van to drop everything off. It always feels so good to get rid of clutter.

9. I gave up alcohol this year. I did it as an experiment and I actually don’t miss it much.

10. I took in some masterpieces at the symphony and some new art museums.

11. I finished the first draft of my novel and I’m making my way through the second draft.

Goals and Thoughts for 2016

I’ve been carefully considering where to take my son on his first international trip (suggestions on good countries to take a baby are welcome in the comment section below). My wife and I are leaning towards Europe or Central America as a good starting point – nothing is concrete at the moment.

My wife and I already have our baby’s passport; we got it months ago. He’s already a natural traveler – curious, friendly and he’s only cried once on the dozen or so flights he’s already been on.

I’m excited to finish my novel which should happen sometime next year. With the new baby, I haven’t had as much time to write, but work on my novel has been accelerating lately. I’m very excited to finish the second draft.

Since I finished reading everything by John Steinbeck and Shakespeare, I’ve decided to read another celebrated author, William Faulkner. So I’ll be reading everything by him in mostly chronological order. We’ll see how far I get into his books this time next year.

I plan on posting more frequently in 2016. Writing is an important part of my life, something I’m passionate about and I plan to keep updating this blog as much as possible.

Best Posts of the Year

This is an abbreviated list since I took so much time off, but here are some posts I’m really proud of.

Kurt Vonnegut’s Powerful Advice for Life: How to Grow Your Soul

7 Life Lessons from the Man Who Saved Over One Billion Lives

Your Beautiful Life Will Expand When You Eliminate the Excess

A Lot Can Happen in a Year: 2014 + Announcements + Best Posts of the Year

Steve Bloom 18 Comments

A lot can happen in a year

The coming of the New Year is always a weird time for me.  For most of the year, I try to be in the present and concentrate on what I’m working on.  But this time of year I tend to focus on all the things I’ve done and what plans lay ahead.

It never seems like a year is long enough to do much. But as I reflect over 2014, I realize just how much I’ve actually accomplished.

I took on several challenges that I’d never tried before and had a lot of great, new experiences. I’ve gone through many big changes and I took some really big steps in writing for this blog.

As I look ahead to 2015, I can already see signs of better things to come. Some new projects and plans are already in the works which I’m really excited about.

But before we get to the new year, here are some of the highlights from the previous one:

1. More traveling. I spent time in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. I also went to California to go wine-tasting with friends and toured all the missions in San Antonio – not just the Alamo, all of them. It took all day, but it was worth it to see some incredible sites. And seeing Mardi Gras in New Orleans was unforgettable.

2. I released my book on travel – Spend Less, Travel More.

3. I’m working on a new book. I’ve almost completed the first rough draft.

4. My wife and I risked a ton of money on IVF in order to start a family. The odds weren’t great, but I’m happy to announce that we were successful. Sometime in mid-April, we’ll be having a baby boy. It’s all so very exciting. I love when a big risk pays off.

5. Several people have expressed interest in donating to the site so I experimented with it by creating a Patreon page. I wasn’t sure what the response would be, but so far it’s been great. Click here if you’re interested in reading more about it.

6. I read over 50 books this year which met my goal of about one a week. Next year I’d like to do even more.

7. I’m reading all of John Steinbeck’s books. Now that I finished Grapes of Wrath and A Russian Journal, I’ve read 19 in total. Only nine more to go.

8. My wife and I made a goal to stop eating out – both restaurants and fast food (unless we’re traveling). We’re making all our food at home and it’s been a fantastic experiment. Not only are we saving a lot of money, but we’re also eating much healthier.

9. I took in some masterpieces this year at some art museums and the symphony. I got to listen to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons live.

Goals and Thoughts for 2015

In January, my wife and I are going to Turkey. We’re landing in Istanbul to see the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and wander the streets before going elsewhere in the country.

For those of you who might be wondering, my wife will be about six months pregnant during this trip, but we got the OK from our doctor to go.

By the way, here’s a quick tip on getting cheaper plane tickets. When we originally searched for flights to Istanbul, the price was $750 apiece. The next day it shot up to $875.

We tried the usual ways to get around it like clearing the browser of cookies and even used a different computer, but nothing worked.

So I called the airline directly and told them the website wasn’t working for us. I got the $750 price over the phone which saved us $250 in total. So if you notice a sudden price spike like this, it can be worth calling directly to get around it.

As I mentioned earlier in the post, I’ve also been working on a book. This time it’s a novel about men and women and their relationships together; I don’t know quite how to describe it yet without giving away too much. I expect to complete it sometime in 2015.

When it’s finished, I’m planning on sending it out to literary agents and publishers. I’ve had a lot of positive feedback and emails from readers who love my writing style so I think it’s worth searching out an agent who might be interested in my work.

Best Posts of the Year

I probably don’t say it enough, but I want to thank you all your support and readership. I feel extremely lucky and fortunate to reach so many people and that my words are touching so many lives.

More posts are already lined up for release in 2015. There’s a lot of good things to look forward to.

I’m going to end this by going over some of my more popular posts from the previous year. If you missed some of these, you should definitely check them out.

10 Hard Things You Need to Do to Live a Full Life

17 Ways Travel Makes You a Better Person – this one blew up on Stumbleupon and was seen over 13,000 times there.

The Einstein Method for Freeing Your Creative Mind

Do More Boring Things (Seriously)

50 Things Really Smart People Do All the Time

Why Having Faith in Yourself is So Damn Important
photo credit: just1snap

6 Things Everyone Hates But Should Actually Be Thankful For

Steve Bloom 35 Comments

Things Everyone Hates But Should Be Grateful

Over the years, gratitude has been getting a lot of attention. As well it should. Counting our blessings has been shown in studies to improve health, mood and mental well-being. The benefits seem endless.

Making lists of what you’re thankful for is therapeutic because we can focus on the good and forget about the bad.

But are the bad things we leave off really that bad?

If we made a complete list of reasons to be thankful, it would have to include things people often complain about and actively try to avoid whenever possible.

These are things people would probably rank dead last on reasons to be grateful. But that’s only because people don’t realize that they should be thankful for them to begin with.

The truth is that a lot of good can come out of bad. Despite being the source of anger for so many people, these things can actually be very beneficial.

Things like:

1. Stress

No on likes stress, right? Even the name “stress” itself seems to have a harsh sound to it. And certainly, chronic stress can have negative consequences such as weight gain or depression.

Long periods of intense stress can be harmful, but short bursts of it actually has many amazing benefits.

Brief periods of stress can improve brain function and memory and boost your immune system. Added benefits include increased clarity, a general appreciation for one’s circumstances and better mental toughness.

Moreover the benefits of stress seem to increase based on your mental attitude. If you think it’s all harmful, it will negatively impact your health and well-being. But according to researchers adopting a “stress can be good” mindset actually increases the benefits you get from it.

So as weird as it might seem, taking the time to be thankful for stress can be good for your health.

2. Uncertainty about the future

The future is like a big question mark with plenty of uncertainty about what will happen. The unknown is fear-inducing as we worry about what troubles might be lurking around the corner.

But what would life be like if you knew everything that would ever happen to you? Imagine how boring and mundane it all would be. Yes, you’d be prepared for the bad times, but what about the good? If you knew everything that was going to happen, all those good moments waiting for you would seem less thrilling and less wonderful.

Uncertainty is a big part of what makes an exciting and fulfilling life. Not knowing what the future has in store for us can be scary, but that’s the fun of anticipation – seeing what happens.

3. Adversity and problems

“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” – Bruce Lee

The University of Buffalo surveyed 2400 people repeatedly over a period of four years. Those who reported more adversity and difficulties actually had better mental health and well-being compared to those who had less.

The study highlights the connection between adversity and growth. It’s a sign that you’re pushing yourself to take on challenges others would simply avoid. Those who never experience adversity usually choose the easy life which is rarely exciting or fulfilling.

The only people who don’t experience difficulties are the ones who are standing still. Seeing your problems and difficulties purely in a negative light is misleading; they might just be signs of progress.

4. Pain

Some of us dream of a pain-free life. Some people are actually born without the ability to feel pain and would tell you that we don’t appreciate it as much as we should.

Pain is unpleasant and disruptive, but focusing entirely on the negative qualities ignores its positive motivational side. Would we change as quickly without pain?

Think of all the good things you’ve done because of pain. For example, you might have proposed to your girlfriend because the pain of losing her was too much. Maybe you pursued your dream because leaving it unfulfilled became too painful.

Seeing pain as entirely negative is missing the point about its purpose. It’s just a signal – that’s it. Yes, it’s an unpleasant signal, but if it pushes you in the right direction, is it really as bad as you think?

5. Our enemies

“We should value our enemies because they provide us with unique opportunities to practice patience, tolerance and forbearance.” – Dalai Lama

Just mentioning the name of an enemy can cause feelings of resentment and anger. But as much as you dislike your enemies, they can serve a real purpose beyond annoyance and frustration.

Your enemies are an opportunity to learn tolerance of others and the wisdom to respond to mean-spiritedness with kindness and compassion. Their irritability provides a chance to develop patience and calmness.

In addition, the competition you get with an enemy can be good for the mind. As they challenge your opinion or point of view, your mind quickly sharpens through debate and discussion. Each new verbal attack either strengthens your argument or reveals blind spots.

A good enemy can also be a major source of motivation. Striving to beat them, you work hard to make sure you reach your own goals ahead of them.

6. Making mistakes

It’s only natural to look at mistakes with some sense of regret. We hate making them and it’d be great if we just did everything perfectly. But as Alexander Pope famously stated, “to err is human.” Mistakes are going to happen – it’s a fundamental part of our nature.

But let’s get something straight. You become a better person because of mistakes, not despite them.

We can’t change much about making mistakes, but we can change our response to them. Continually repeating mistakes or failing to recognize them is misguided. Mistakes are only beneficial when we learn from them and use them as lessons to a better future.

Don’t regret mistakes; they’re valuable lessons in wisdom. That’s something to definitely be grateful for.
photo credit: Daniel Hoherd

The World is Getting *Better* – Not Worse

Steve Bloom 19 Comments

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I hear a lot of people complain about how messed up the world is. I get it. I truly do. War, poverty and crime are continuing troubles. Our leaders seem incapable of doing anything right and, all the while, problems keep mounting ever higher.

That’s one way to see the world. It’s not my way though.

I’m one of those few people online who actually admits to paying attention to the news on a regular basis. It seems to be a common fad to condemn the news media as a purveyor of negativity and pessimism. They’re often accused as being a source for sad stories that only serve to make us feel bad.

But the news never makes me feel pessimistic about the state of the world – it just doesn’t. That’s because I don’t pay attention to individual stories as much as I do the overall trend of where the world is moving. And if you look at the data, you’ll see that there are many reasons to feel hopeful and optimistic.

You have to look at trends over time to see just how much better the world is becoming. Let’s look at some of the data:

Health and Well-Being

Average life expectancy worldwide in 1960 was 52.48 years. By 2012 it has increased to 70.78 years.

According to the Global Hunger Index, global hunger has decreased 39% since 1990.

Extreme poverty (living off $1.25 a day or less) affected 43.1% of world population in 1990. Today it is 20.6%. There are even serious talks between governments about eliminating extreme poverty permanently.

Freedom and Self-Determination

According to Freedom House, in 1975 there were 41 free countries and 63 not free (the rest were in the middle). By 2013 the numbers had reversed. Now, 90 are free and only 47 are listed as not free.

Education

In 1970, 37% of people worldwide were illiterate. Today it’s just 15%.

The number of years people spend in school increased in developing countries from 1.7 years in 1950 to 7 years in 2010.

Crime and Conflict

Crime in the United States has dropped year after year to low rates we haven’t seen since the late 1960s. The crime rate is getting better all over the rich world, not just the U.S.

War has decreased too. In the past decade we’ve averaged 55,000 deaths a year from war (both civilian and military). But that’s lower than the 1990s (100,000 a year) and way lower from 1950 to 1989 when the average was 180,000.

More Evidence the World is Getting Better

Not convinced yet? How about improved access to clean water, sanitation and internet usage? How about the fact that the freedom of press is getting better too?

Need more?

How about the better child mortality rates, maternal mortality rates and death rates from cancer?

I could go on – seriously, there are dozens more pieces of good news I could add – but looking up and linking to all this information is tiring me.

When you actually look at the trends, it’s hard to not see anything but a brighter future ahead of us.

None of this is to suggest we don’t currently have any problems. There is still crime and violence and a world completely without war is a long way away. Obesity, the high cost of healthcare and education are growing problems too.

But even then, I remain optimistic.

Today’s problems may seem insurmountable. It may seem like we’ll never find a solution to them.

But our past is littered with problem after problem that seemed just as impossible to solve at the time. Yet each one eventually was. Here are some examples:

  • During the cold war, communism and the fear of nuclear annihilation was a constant threat. But now that the cold war is over, that threat has vanished.
  • When I was young, contracting HIV/AIDS was a death sentence. Today, because of new medicine, people can live full lives with the disease.
  • People talk about war a lot, but what about the progress for peace? The conflict in Northern Ireland lasted for 30 years until a resolution was finally found. There’s astounding progress in peace talks happening in Colombia right now that is ending a 50 year old conflict there.

All problems have solutions. Just because something seems difficult and insurmountable today doesn’t mean it will never be solved. There’s always something around the corner coming to fix even the biggest of problems.

The world isn’t a perfect place. Stupid, terrible people will continue to do stupid, terrible things. Problems will linger because others don’t have the courage or fortitude to do what’s right.

But there are far more people who are working to make this world a better place. Remember – we’re talking about a world community that eradicated smallpox from the earth and found peace in Europe shortly after two world wars decimated the populations.

There will always be things going on in the news to make you think the world is getting worse. A war might break out or a new potential disease is making headlines.

But for every war that breaks out, two stop. For every disease that comes around, we discover new treatments for others.

That’s progress. Just make sure that when you see the one step backwards, you don’t miss the two we took forward.
photo credit: Bethan

Spend Less, Travel More eBook is Released!

Steve Bloom 8 Comments

Spend Less, Travel More - High ResolutionWhat do you think of when you hear the word “travel”? Perhaps you see yourself lying on a beach in the Caribbean or admiring the Pyramids of Egypt. When you let your mind wander, you can imagine yourself having dream vacations all over the world.

But when you come back to reality, you realize that traveling takes money – and lots of it. Plane tickets alone can be $1000 or more. How are you supposed to pay for it?

My new eBook, Spend Less, Travel More: The Guide to Financing Your Travel Plans has all the information I would have wanted when I first asked that question. It goes step-by-step through exactly what I’ve done to make travel a lot more frequent and affordable.

I’m excited to announce that Spend Less, Travel More is finally available now on Amazon and Smashwords.

This book will change the way you think about travel. Rather than seeing it as an expensive luxury, you will understand it for what it is: an incredible life-changing experience that anyone can afford.

This book is for anyone with a passion to see the world. It includes:

  • Cutting costs so you save more for travel
  • Everything you need to know about frequent flyer programs
  • Best places to get frequent flyer miles
  • How to save enormous amounts of money on plane tickets
  • The best ways to save money while traveling
  • Where to find affordable places to stay
  • The best credit cards for travelers
  • 3 examples of international travel plans that total $1000 or less (airfare included)
  • Tons more…

Here’s an Excerpt from the Book

In an informal survey, I asked people to list out reasons they don’t travel as often as they want to. Money was at the top of everyone’s list.   It beat out other notable obstacles such as lack of time or fear of being attacked or robbed.

Most people I know only travel abroad once every few years, if at all. Many of those people would love to travel more, but simply can’t afford to do it. It can be frustrating.

It’s no secret that you need to have money to travel. Plane tickets alone can cost over $1000 just to get you to the other side of the Atlantic.

And once you arrive, you have to pay for food, a place to stay, transportation and a long list of other expenses.

When you add it all up, it’s a price some people are unwilling or unable to pay. Even if you do have the money, it’s hard to justify the amount you’ll spend doing it.

Clearly money is a big hindrance to people’s ability to see the world. But it doesn’t have to be.

This book is intended to eliminate money as an obstacle to traveling. By implementing the steps in this book, you can make it so money is never an issue for traveling again.

What You’ll Find When You Read More

This book is simple and easy to follow. There’s no fluff or filler; it’s all actionable, relevant advice that you can start doing right away.  The techniques in the book will pay off after just one flight.

Click Here to Buy on Amazon!

Click Here for Smashwords!

If you buy it or have already read it, please leave a review on Amazon. This helps future readers figure out if it’s a good book for them or not.

Results from the Reader Survey

Steve Bloom 10 Comments

Reader Survey Results

A few weeks ago I sent out a post asking readers to fill out a reader survey.  I’ve never conducted a survey on this blog before so it was a big experiment for me.

I didn’t know what kind of responses I would get or even how many people would reply.

But the results beat my expectations.  It was great to see all the amazing comments and feedback.

A few of you even took the time to fill out the survey and send me an email with even more to say – wow, I have a lot of really awesome readers.
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Please Take My 2014 Reader Survey

Steve Bloom 4 Comments

Reader Survey

It’s hard to believe, but I’m only about a month away from the four year anniversary for this blog!

It’s been a long, crazy journey.  When I first started, I only had a handful of people visit every week.  Now I have thousands of regular readers.

Many of you have reached out to me through social media or emailed me to tell me what you like and don’t like about my blog.  I’m very appreciative about the feedback and always want to hear what you think.

In fact, I want to hear from more of you.  So I’ve created a quick survey.

Would you please take a few minutes to fill the survey out?  By doing so, you’ll be helping yourself.  Why?  Because you’ll be helping me make my content even more interesting and relevant to you.

Your input is important to me.  Whether you’re completely new to my blog or have been a reader for years, your feedback matters.

I’ll give every reply my full attention and consideration.  I’m more than willing to make changes based on one person’s opinion.

It’s very easy to fill out.  Feel free to write one sentence or full pages.  All questions are optional, but I hope you fill out as much as you can.

Click here to be taken to the survey!

Thanks in advance for your help. Above all, thanks for reading.  I consider it a privilege to write for you.

Steve
photo credit: Henry Faber