3. Table of Contents
Introduction to the Untemplate Lifestyle 04
Jun Loayza Untemplating Entrepreneurship 06
Monica OʼBrienUntemplating Career 14
Cody McKibben Untemplating Travel 18
Adam Baker Untemplating Family 26
Andrew Norcross Untemplating the Tools 34
Carlos Miceli Untemplating the Mind 38
The Untemplater Team 45
4. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Introduction to the Untemplate Lifestyle
Take a deep breath, look around you, and ask yourself this question, “Am I
doing the same thing as everyone around me?”
If you are, then chances are that you are on the path to the comfortable, stable
“American dream.” You’ll spend your 20’s in a small cubicle grinding long hours to
impress your boss, steadily and surely climb the corporate ladder, and retire a wealthy,
65 year old man (or woman), Dinally able to enjoy life’s riches: time with family,
travel, and the opportunity to pursue your passions as a full‐time gig.
Is this the life you want to lead?
Cause the house always wins. Play long enough,
you never change the stakes. The house takes you.
Unless, when that perfect hand comes along, you
bet and you bet big, then you take the house.
- Danny Ocean, Oceanʼs Eleven
5. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
There are many blogs and books meant to teach and inspire you to leave your corporate
existence in order to pursue a venture that you’re “passionate” about. Most of these
sites mean well and are inspirational, but they’re written by gurus who’ve already
“made it” and aren’t in touch with your reality, or they’re written by pure theorists—
people who haven’t actually put their lessons to action—they talk the talk but don’t
walk the walk.
Untemplater, on the other hand, is composed of real people who are in the
trenches, working hard to live the life that we want to live. It’s not easy, nor is it
glamorous. Below are six real case studies from twentysomethings who’ve
done it. You’ll see our pain, struggles, successes, and failures as we create an existence
that we are proud of and enjoy 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
…work where you want
to work, live how you We are MBAs; we are husbands, wives, and fathers; we are scrappy entrepreneurs,
want to live, and be who authors, and freelancers. We live all over the globe, and we have come together to
you want to be in 2010 show you how we’ve successfully broken the template lifestyle so that you can do it
as well.
This Manifesto is meant to inspire. Below you will >ind the stories of six different
individuals each pursuing the untemplate lifestyle—each a founding member of
the Untemplater team—describing in detail the ‘breaking point’ that made us want to
build our own, unconventional lives, and what we’ve accomplished in a short
amount of time.
Remember this one thing: if we’ve been able to do it, then you can do it as well. Join
us at Untemplater and learn how you can work where you want to work, live how
you want to live, and be who you want to be in 2010.
6. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Jun Loayza
Untemplating Entrepreneurship
Tick tock… tick tock… it was 5:00pm and I had another hour of grueling grunt work to
get through before I could catch the train home. I was a Dinancial consultant at a top 50
consulting Dirm making $55,000 my Dirst year after graduating college. In my friends’
eyes, I was leading a successful life and on my way to getting my MBA, working my
way up the corporate ladder, and retiring at age 65 a wealthy and successful man.
But something just didn’t feel right. It wasn’t the 60‐hour workweeks, nor was it the fact
that I could only hang out with my friends and girlfriend on the weekends; it was the fact
that I was just another drone following the template lifestyle. If I stayed on my
current path, I would die an ordinary person who followed the average “American
Dream.”
7. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
The breaking point…
On a cloudy morning in November 2007, I dragged myself into work and sat in my four‐
walled prison. My Managing Director walked in an hour after me and dropped a
towering stack of printed excel sheets on my desk: “Hey Jun, I’m in a real time crunch
and I need you to QA these excel sheets for me by end of day. Thanks!”
Do you know what “QA” means? It meant that I had to take out my calculator, whip out
…I was just another my red pen, and individually check each excel equation by hand to make sure they were
all correct!
drone following the
template lifestyle
It was salt on an open wound. I stormed into the bathroom, looked in the mirror and
asked myself this question: “Would I be happy living the life of my current Managing
Director?”
The answer was clearly “No.”
That day I made the decision to leave my corporate haven and pursue my own
startup venture full-time.
8. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
The transition was anything but smooth…
Sometimes it seems so easy doesn’t it? If Mark Zuckerberg could build Facebook from
his college dorm room, surely I could build my startup into a large empire and make
millions.
Little did I know that one of the prerequisites for entrepreneurship was sacri>ice:
One of the
prerequisites for 1. I moved back home with my mom and brother to save on costs like food and rent
entrepreneurship is
sacrifice.
2. I stopped investing in a 401K, lived off the money in my savings account, and
only paid the minimum monthly payments on my student loans
3. I told my girlfriend that we had to signiDicantly cut back on movies, dinner, and
that we had to postpone the vacation we were planning
Entrepreneurship is not glamorous.
9. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Untemplate the entrepreneur
A signiDicant portion of the untemplate lifestyle is leaving what you HAVE to do for
what you WANT to do. In my case, I broke my template by having the courage
to leave my corporate job and pursue my startup dream.
But this is just the beginning.
A significant portion Untemplater is not just about breaking the corporate lifestyle; more importantly, it’s
of the untemplate about breaking every template lifestyle, including that of the entrepreneur.
lifestyle is leaving
what you have to do The Template Entrepreneur:
for what you want
to do. 1. There is no work/life balance
2. You must use social media to market your internet startup
3. Seek funding to get your startup off the ground
My team and I have successfully broken each of the 3 points of the Template
Entrepreneur. Untemplater will show you how my team has done it so that you too can
break out of the template‐entrepreneur lifestyle.
10. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
I am you…
You can accomplish everything that I have done and I will show you how to do it.
I have built a social media‐marketing agency from $0 in revenue to over $120,000 in
revenue in fewer than 6 months.
You can accomplish
everything that I
have done and I will I’m the founder of an internet startup that has received angel funding, employs over 10
show you how to people, and supports an ofDice in San Francisco.
do it.
I gathered a team of incredibly motivated, successful, and ambitious bloggers towards a
uniDied goal to teach others how to break the template lifestyle.
I do all of this and am still able to maintain an incredibly happy relationship with
my girlfriend Kim Ear, which is proof that you are able to separate your work and life as
an entrepreneur.
11. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Break the Template Lifestyle in 2010
1. How do I run multiple startups at the same time?
I often get asked this question. A startup takes an immense amount of time and energy,
so how in the world do I build multiple startups and not lose my mind in the process?
The answer is simple: Systems and Operations.
The secret to my The secret to my intense lifestyle as an entrepreneur is my ability to create systems and
intense lifestyle as operations for my companies that allow me to focus on the critically important.
an entrepreneur is Untemplater will in part focus on the type of systems that I have created and go into
my ability to create excruciating detail about the development, execution, and maintenance of these
systems and
operations for my systems.
companies that allow
me to focus on the 2. How am I able to maintain a happy relationship with my girlfriend as an
critically important. entrepreneur?
Three close friends of mine are hardcore entrepreneurs whose girlfriends left them
because my friends did not devote enough time to their girlfriends. My friends fell
victim to the template‐entrepreneur lifestyle and have suffered a girlfriendless startup
lifestyle.
Untemplater will show you how to Digure out if your girlfriend or boyfriend is the one
for you, and if it turns out that she or he is the one for you, then Untemplater will show
you how to maintain a happy relationship even with a busy startup lifestyle.
12. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
3. The concrete, personally-tested methods to succeed or fail with a startup
All advice that we give on Untemplater comes from actual experience. You will Dind no
theories or untested advice here. We will cover the following topics in excruciating
detail so that you can have a chance at building a successful startup:
1. How to test if your startup idea is viable
All advice that we 2. How to build your team
give on Untemplater
comes from actual 3. Do you need a business model from the very beginning?
experience.
4. How to drive traf>ic to your site
5. How to get funding
6. How and when should you incorporate your company
7. And much more…
13. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
The Untemplater philosophy
My fun comes from building companies and watching them successfully grow. I get a
rush every time I build a new system and successfully implement it, cutting my work
hours and improving my effectiveness. I love training my virtual assistant to do a new
job that I previously had to do.
Sounds kind of nerdy doesn’t it?
But to be honest, I wouldn’t be happy any other way. I don’t need to live the location
…work where you want independent lifestyle right now, nor do I need to get an MBA. I’ve realized that to lead
to work, live how you the Untemplater lifestyle, you need to learn how to say “No” to the things that can
want to live, and be who wait for later, and focus right now on the actions that will provide you with the greatest
you want to be in 2010 personal ROI.
Join us this 2010 and break your template!
Jun currently lives in Los Angeles, California – Find him at
JunLoayza.com and on Twitter
14. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Monica OʼBrien
Untemplating Career
My journey on the untemplated path started in college. In the middle of my sophomore
year, I decided I couldn’t be a physics major anymore.
You see, I wasn’t a quitter. And for some reason, I always felt that if I quit physics, I
would be giving up on something I had started.
But it was time to make changes. I needed to stop doing what I thought others
wanted. I needed to stop doing things just because I could and they would seem
impressive, and start doing things I actually wanted. It was my life—I needed to
start taking myself and my dreams seriously.
This is supposed to be the part where I tell you I changed majors and found the job of
my dreams. It turns out that it’s very dif3icult to complete a degree in 4 years when you
switch majors after two, and I would run out of scholarship money after 4 years.
I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life anyway. So I did the most logical
thing at the time—I went through the degree catalog and found the majors I could Dinish
in my remaining two years of school, and then picked the one that would pay the most
after college. I Digured if I could just get a job that paid a lot of money, I would have
the time and resources to explore my interests later.
15. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Two years later I graduated with a degree in computer science, and started working in
the tech department at a Fortune 500 company in the Chicagoland area. Not
surprisingly, I hated my job—but every evening, I worked to Dind a new career. I
explored photography and considered becoming a wedding photographer; I worked on
art projects and researched how to sell art online; I considered fashion design and
contemplated going back to school for it.
Finally, I realized I had a passion for business development. I wasn’t a particularly
great artist, but I knew that if I had great art I could Digure out how to sell it. I started
experimenting online with a number of my own blog projects. I also learned as much
as I could about selling products on eBay and Amazon. It was clear to me that I someday
wanted to start my own company, and it was also clear that I didn’t know a thing
about business in order to do so.
It was my life—I needed
to start taking myself Having never taken a business class in college, I realized I wanted to immerse myself in
and my dreams seriously.
the theory. I found an MBA program and started putting together my application. It was
only right before I turned in my application that I realized the school I had chosen was
one of the top 5 schools in the country, and you usually needed 5 years of
professional experience to get accepted. I was only 22 years old, with less than a year
of professional experience.
I was accepted to the school and started my MBA with a concentration in marketing
part‐time. Meanwhile, I also started my blog and established a name for myself in the
digital world by writing about my experiences and what I was learning. I was extremely
vocal about wanting to leave the corporate world and start my own company. I
concluded that the best way to do this was to >ind a job at a startup, where I could
learn how to build a company from others. Within 4 months of blogging, I was offered a
position at a startup with a well‐known A‐list blogger named Penelope Trunk.
16. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
I spent about 6 months at the startup, learning and absorbing everything I could. The
focus of my job was still in tech though, and I wanted to make a career change into
marketing. The founders of the startup also wanted me to choose between Dinishing my
MBA and committing to eating, sleeping, and breathing the startup. It was a difDicult
decision, and despite my yearning to start a company, I picked >inishing my
education over continuing with the hands‐on experience of a startup.
Once I quit my job at the startup, I was able to focus once again on my studies and my
I picked finishing my goals of transitioning from a tech career to a marketing career. I started networking
education over continuing with other marketing professionals in Chicago and began consulting small companies
with the hands-on on how to use digital media to promote their businesses.
experience of a startup.
In 2009, I decided to fulDill another lifelong dream—I wanted to write a book. I
found a market for the knowledge I had acquired over 3 long years in small businesses,
like private practices, hair salons, and restaurants. I decided to write a book aimed at
small businesses who wanted to use social media and digital marketing to
promote themselves. Rather than get a traditional book contract, I opted to start my
own publishing company and bring the product to market myself. The book was
published in November 2009 and continues to show strong sales as it builds momentum
in its Dirst year.
17. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
I also graduated with my MBA in December 2009, and am planning to take a job at a
word of mouth agency in the new year.
Everyone will have their own de3inition of the untemplated life. Some will say that it
means to quit your job and take the entrepreneurial path. For others, it’s to build your
career online. Some might say it’s to get a formal education in a Dield you enjoy.
Self-knowledge is key, For me, it’s been a mix of everything. I’ve gotten a traditional education, and I’ve also
and most of the time, used blogging and social media to learn, grow, network, and secure jobs. I’ve tried
you just need to the corporate lifestyle, the entrepreneurial lifestyle, and the freelance/consulting
follow your heart. lifestyle, and found that there are upsides and downsides to all three. My hope for
Untemplater is that we can help all types of people Dind their paths in life, no matter
what that path is. Selfknowledge is key, and most of the time, you just need to
follow your heart.
Monica currently lives in Chicago, Illinois – Find her at
MonicaObrien.com and on Twitter
18. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Cody McKibben
Untemplating Travel
Going Through the Motions
When I applied to university, I had no idea what I wanted to study. I went because it
was just what you do after high school—the next step in the ladder. Neither my dad
nor my mom graduated from a four‐year university—because they'd become young
parents instead—so you can bet, I was going to go straight to college and get my degree!
I worked through college to pay for rent, food, and living expenses, and my dad, bless
him, paid for a large portion of tuition and books, but the instant I went beyond the
four‐year limit, I had to pay my own way.
College taught me plenty of valuable lessons—as did paying my own way. I'm deDinitely
thankful to have parents who were willing and able to help me get my education, but the
expectations (and consequences) that I was subject to demonstrate the prevailing
middleclass Western mindset—the paradigm template lifestyle—that most
of us are plugged into starting at birth.
19. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
College to Career Trial & Error
In retrospect, if I could go back I would have taken a year break to backpack around
the world at that point, or even just to experiment at a junior college to discover what
I was truly passionate about before going to university. But I played the game. I
thought maybe I'd like to be a social studies professor and wanted to gain a deeper
If I could go back I understanding of different belief systems around the world, so I graduated with a
would have taken a degree in Humanities & Religious Studies and a minor in History.
year break to
backpack around the
world at that point, After college, like many graduates, I promptly put my degree to absolutely no use!
or even just to Instead, a part‐time student job I had been doing with the College of Business at my
experiment at a junior university magically turned into a full‐time staff position. This, again, was really the
college to discover easy, boring path for me to take, and although the majority of my job duties were to
what I was truly
passionate about. simply be there from 9‐to‐5 to manage the Dean's ofDice every day, maintain his calendar,
and push papers, I was exceptionally fortunate because working with the business
professors is what turned me on to my true passion—entrepreneurship—and
being assistant to the Dean of the College of Business came with some great beneDits.
Serendipitously, I was able to meet and learn from CEOs of Fortune 500 companies,
a Federal Reserve president, and people like Warren Buffett—the most skilled
money‐manager and richest man in the world, and one of my heroes.
20. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
How Connecting with Like-Minded People
Empowered Me to Take Control of My Own Destiny
I learned a tremendous amount from the Dean and the College's experienced professors,
and as my interest in business grew, I'd travel to Stanford's Graduate School of
Business in my off‐time for Global Entrepreneurship Week and conferences with
innovative green and social entrepreneurs. Two books changed my life: the Dirst one
being Tom Peters' short but impactful Brand You, which opened my eyes to the
emerging "free agent nation" where even as employees, we need to build and
…even as employees, maintain a great reputation and brand ourselves to stay competitive in a crap
we need to build and economy where job security no longer exists.
maintain a great
reputation and brand
ourselves to stay In 2006, partly prompted by Peters' message about personal branding, I started
publishing my own whacky thoughts online at ThrillingHeroics.com. Starting a blog
competitive…
was probably the best decision of my life—I immediately started connecting with
people around the globe. People like Ramit Sethi—a role model for me, as a Stanford
grad, cofounder of a successful tech startup, and hugely successful personal Dinance
blogger, just a few years older than me—Pamela Slim, who at the time ran a great blog
and consulting company around EscapeFromCubicleNation.com, and now a
successful author with a book out by the same title, and Rajesh Setty—a student of
Tom Peters and Seth Godin and serial entrepreneur who is involved as a founder or
executive for about 8 Silicon Valley companies at any given time. Raj become
somewhat of a mentor to me, inspiring me with his book, blog, and personal
encouragement, and sending tons of clients my way when I initially started up my own
small side business.
21. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
How Breaking the Rules Lets Me Live the Lifestyle
of My Dreams
The second book that radically changed the way I look at life was Timothy Ferriss'
The 4Hour Workweek. When I read Tim Ferriss’ lifestyle design bible, I learned that
all the rules of traditional business had changed. Working 40‐ to 60‐hour weeks
It doesn’t cost as and waiting until retirement to do what you really want to do—what Ferriss calls the
much as you might “deferred life plan”—isn’t the only option.
think to live your ideal
lifestyle or set about
on on a jet set travel It doesn’t cost as much as you might think to live your ideal lifestyle or set about on a
journey around the jet set travel journey around the world, and it really isn’t all about money anyways!
world, and it really Ferriss pointed out that we don’t really want to be millionaires, we want to
isn’t all about money experience what we think only millions can buy.
anyways!
Tim noted that Southeast Asia and parts of South America are some of the world's best
remaining paradise destinations where Americans can easily stretch their dollar. By
bending the traditional rules we think apply to the world, and by leveraging geo
arbitrage for example—earning your pay in a strong currency like dollars, Euros, or
British Pounds, while you live somewhere with a low cost‐of‐living—extended travel
and living abroad can actually present some massive advantages.
22. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
So rather than waiting for retirement and dreaming about my ideal lifestyle, I decided to
create my own Untemplater lifestyle where I could work and travel at the same time. I
spent a year and a half building a business that I could run remotely from anywhere on the
rather than waiting globe—making my business "locationindependent" and becoming a digital nomad
for retirement and freelancer. And then I went for it! I left for Thailand in November 2008 with a oneway
dreaming about my ticket and no plans to return for at least a year.
ideal lifestyle, I
decided to create my
own Untemplater Creating a business I could operate from anywhere has given me the freedom to choose
lifestyle where I
could work and where I live, when I work, and it has enabled me to travel and free up more time to
travel at the same put into relationships, writing, volunteering, and other side projects that don't
time. necessarily have to contribute to my income. Living this lifestyle teaches you that traveling
is easier than you think: with a little resourcefulness, you’ll be amazed what sort of great
experiences you can have for free or very cheap! You will see some incredible things that
will change the way you think about the world.
23. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
10 Random Thoughts for Creating Your Own
Untemplater Lifestyle This Year:
1. Most people are content to live a comfortable lifestyle, doing something they're
not all that passionate about in order to pay the bills and do what they like on
the weekends. But, ask yourself if that's really what you want. Or do
you want more? The Untemplater lifestyle means prioritizing your passion
The Untemplater over money, over status, even over creature comforts.
lifestyle means
prioritizing your
passion over money, 2. Realize that nobody else is going to come along and magically Dix all your
over status, even problems and pay all your bills for you. That is a destructive Disney fantasy that
over creature isn't real. In the new economy, "job security" is an oxymoron. You've got to
comforts. establish a personal brand and maintain your reputation online even if you
just want to remain employable.
3. Remember what Tim Ferriss says in The 4Hour Workweek: we don't really want
to be millionaires. Instead we want to experience things we think only
millions can buy. But money isn't the only currency, and by bending the rules of
your reality, it can frequently be easier, cheaper, or even free to accomplish the
things you want.
24. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
4. Stop playing the game, stop trying to keep up with the Joneses. Embrace
minimalism, detach your value from the things you own, and ignore others'
expectations. When you accumulate stuff just for the sake of having possessions,
they begin to own you. More likely than not, you can invest more time and
money into the experiences you want to have—time with friends and family,
philanthropy, travel—and live a much more ful>illed life.
5. Just because everyone seems to do things one way doesn't mean you have to.
And just because a majority of people seem to use a certain set of tools to get the
job done doesn't necessarily mean they're the right tools for you. Seek
unconventional solutions that will make the life you want possible.
Stop playing the
game, stop trying to 6. If you still want to discover what kind of work you're truly passionate about
keep up with the and excites you when you get out of bed in the morning, take a weekend retreat
Joneses. to somewhere nearby where you can get away from your normal routine,
consider a media hiatus (don't read the paper, watch the news on TV, or read
your favorite blogs online for at least a few days) and do some selftalk and
search in yourself for what you really care about. How can you provide real
value to the world in a way that will return to you and allow you to earn a
living?
7. With the increasing availability of free and cheap wiDi internet access all around
the globe, it’s becoming increasingly possible for anyone to work from
home, the coffee shop, or anywhere. Leverage the different purchasing power of
currencies around the world, and you can vagabond your way around the globe
while you do freelance work from your laptop!
25. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
8. Social media makes it much easier for anyone with enough motivation to share
their ideas with a global audience and build a successful business online
these days.
9. If you choose to build an Untemplater lifestyle free of dependence on any one
location, if you live abroad or go on extended travel, just by immersing
yourself in the unfamiliar, you'll experience an increased rate of learning,
creativity and resourcefulness that will serve to reinforce your
abilities as a producer, rather than a passive consumer—sharing and adding
something to the world, whether that's in the form of a business or something
else.
Your time here on this
earth is a finite
resource, precious 10.Even though everybody seems to do it, there is no law that says you have to
play by the rules or follow the crowd. Your time here on this earth is a >inite
short—how will you
choose to spend it? resource, precious short—how will you choose to spend it?
I'm excited to launch Untemplater with my great co‐founders, and hope to provide
guidance to all of you who are seeking more from life. If I can build a vast, strong
professional network, sell my services online, and afford an adventurous, exciting life
abroad, you can too. My personal mission in life is to encourage others to pursue
freedom—the freedom to live and work anywhere, and to live life beyond borders
and limitations. If I can do it, you can build an Untemplater lifestyle and reach your
dreams too!
Cody currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand – Find him at
ThrillingHeroics.com and on Twitter
26. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Adam Baker
Untemplating Family
I was good at Math and Science. I had high standardized test scores.
My path was clear… Honors Engineering.
What else was there? That was the path. No one in particular forced me into it. My
parents didn’t push me into it. My high school counselor didn’t push me into it (or do
anything now that I think back).
Don’t get me wrong, somebody, or rather something was pushing me. I just couldn’t
pinpoint the source of it.
It just seemed like that was what I was supposed to be doing. This was my next
step. Why? Not because I chose it, but because it was the accepted path on my
current life template.
27. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Well, that lasted 3 semesters. Which I’d like to point out is one more than the minimum
required to fail out (they let you go at least 2 semesters by default). So, I had that going
for me.
I returned home and got to work. I picked up a job opening the local McDonalds in the
morning and closing the local pizza parlor at night. After only a month, I was
promoted to shift manager at both locations, but that didn’t change anything. I was
working shit jobs.
I was blinded by the
script that society had And why? Why did I come home and immediately dive into 80+ hours of work? Why not
written for my life. It join the Peace Corps, join the Army, live in a selfsustaining community, hitchhike
wasn’t a custom script. to Alaska?
It was a copy of a copy
of a copy. Sure I needed to pay to live, but there are thousands of options to do that. At 19
years old, McDonalds was my plan B.
The sad truth was I couldn’t see any other options. There were no plan C, D, E, or F’s.
I was blinded by the script that society had written for my life. It wasn’t a custom
script. It was a copy of a copy of a copy. It’s the same one that’s passed down to every
middle‐class, white, Midwestern kid in school (and many other demographics, although
I can’t speak for them!)
28. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Modeling the success of giants…
Flash forward a couple years. Managing fast food led to playing poker. Playing poker led
to running local poker tournaments for hundreds of people. Running poker rooms led to
real estate (well, the police dictated that one, but that’s another story).
Things certainly weren’t perfect, but I was starting to get a glimpse into plans C, D, E,
and F.
I started reading personal development books (the exact same ones I made fun of
There was a common only a couple years previous). I started studying success stories and business
bond between nearly biographies.
every story I read.
They were finding ways I noticed that almost without exception, the people whose stories I was reading had
to break the template screwed up lives. They came from horrible childhoods in some cases. Almost all of
life had dealt them.
them failed out of traditional education. They started in their parent’s garages or
some desolate third world country.
They worked day in and day out for years, without reward. But there was a reason
they were sacriDicing. There was a common bond between nearly every story I read.
They were finding ways to break the template life had dealt them.
They weren’t simply playing the cards they were dealt. They were changing the game
mid hand.
29. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Debt, Marriage, & Kids: The lure of the template life.
Reading these stories was one thing. But making the jump to apply them to my life was
another. I wasn’t quite ready.
I had just gotten engaged to my high school sweetheart.
Courtney was in the last few years of putting herself through college through a mixture
of part‐time jobs and massive student loans. I brought several thousand dollars in
credit card debt from my last few irresponsible years.
And life started happening. Quick.
It just seemed like Our wedding was only 7 months away from the engagement. Courtney had a year left in
each life event we went college and I started a real estate company.
through had a ‘next 3 months after marriage, we were pregnant. 5 months after that, Courtney graduated
logical step’. It was college and starting working. At that time, I myself was working 80+ hours again in the
real estate business and had just Dinanced an 8‐unit apartment building with no money
like we were playing a down (it sounded cool at the time).
board game.
Engaged, Married, Pregnant, Finishing college, Starting a business…
Student loans, credit cards, jewelry loans, car loans, and money borrowed from
family. We weren’t behind, but we had a nice little collection of burdens that were
growing.
In fact, the only thing that was missing was the white picket fence and the mortgage.
And don’t let me fool you… we were house shopping.
Again… why? We hadn’t really chosen this path. It just seemed like each life event
we went through had a ‘next logical step’. It was like we were playing a board game.
We were rolling the dice and trying to advance around the path just as quickly as we
could.
30. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
But then it happened…
I’m convinced childbirth is God’s way of smacking people across the face. At least
that’s what it felt like in our situation. We had started to clean up our >inances a little
throughout the pregnancy, but bringing her home from the hospital took it to a whole
new level.
We Dinally made the connection that we were fortunate to be granted an enormous
We were paying amount of freedom in life, but that we were giving big chunks of it back.
chunks of our
freedom by trying to We were paying chunks of our freedom in debt payments. We were paying chunks
follow a path that of our freedom by trying to follow a path that we hadn’t chosen (at least consciously).
we hadn’t chosen.
So we decided right then and there to take back control over our life. We weren’t
sure we were making the right decision (whatever that means), but we were sure we
wanted to test out some other paths.
We decided that over the next year we were going to aggressively attack our debt, sell
everything we owned, and spend a couple years living and traveling overseas.
We knew it wouldnʼt be easy, but we were eager to start living intentionally.
31. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
The first step: Dominating our finances.
We realized that the Dirst and most tangible obstacle was our mess of a >inancial life.
We weren’t behind on payments or getting foreclosed on. But we certainly were on that
path if we didn’t change something.
Over the next year, we struggled to adopt frugality, budgeting, and life without
constant credit. We had lots of learning to do… some strategies worked great and
others failed horribly. But we kept up the intensity until we slowly installed new habits.
We realized that the
first and most We slashed our lifestyle and sold everything we could (including our small business
tangible obstacle and rental property). The more small wins we began to have the more momentum it
was our mess of a
financial life. seemed like we were building.
Finally, at the beginning of 2009, we had paid off everything but our student loans in
full. We had cut up and canceled all of our credit cards and closed all of our old loan
accounts. Most importantly (for us) we had also managed to save over $15,000 for
our trip on one income.
We hadn’t fully funded retirement. Neither of us had signed a multi‐million dollar
contract. But, we had taken the >irst step, and over 18 months had completely turned
around our >inancial life.
32. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Our overseas adventure…
Our next big step was learning how to travel. That kind of sounds funny, but people
who have done it can relate I presume.
Our Dirst destination was Cairns, Australia. We had planned to Dind an apartment get a
couple touristy jobs on the beach and just relax. Well… It didn’t turn out that way.
We learned quickly that not knowing a single soul in the entire country was
probably going to be our biggest hurdle. Over the next month, we worked our way down
Australia’s eastern coast, meeting new friends and learning a little bit with each stop.
After learning of a shortage of teachers in New Zealand (Courtney’s a teacher), we
decided one night to hop on a plane and head to Auckland, NZ. Once again we weren’t
sure what the right decision was. We were just going with the >low.
We were driving the
bus. We were the There was one thing for sure, though. We were driving the bus. We were the ones in
ones in control. control (for better or worse).
After a month or so in Auckland, Courtney found an elementary school willing to
sponsor her for the remaining part of the year. It made a lot of sense both culturally and
Dinancially, so we took the offer (and work permit).
We leased a tiny, one‐bedroom apartment in the heart of Auckland city and for the Dirst
time got a small taste of downtown city living. Courtney took the train and a 20‐
minute walk to school each day, while I stayed home with Milligan and tried to get some
writing done here and there.
As the end of the school year approached (in December), Courtney had the opportunity
to make a year commitment and stay and teach. We elected against committing for a full
year and instead decided do a bit more travel.
Currently, we are wrapping up a two week driving tour of the South Island of New
Zealand, before we spend a week in Melbourne, and two months in Thailand.
33. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Our future…
We have no idea what the future holds, which isn’t necessarily something we
dislike.
There are always going to be ups and downs and we’ve had our fair share. Had we
stuck to the template lifestyle we had in Indiana, we’d be farther “ahead” according to
a lot of traditional deDinitions.
we are having a
blast, learning a ton, Once again, I can’t tell you what we did right or wrong. There’s a Dine balance between
and growing more active lifestyle design and recklessness!
than we had thought
we could. All I can tell you is that we are having a blast, learning a ton, and growing more
than we had thought we could.
For now, weʼll take that. For us, thatʼs what breaking the template is all about.
Baker is currently traveling through New Zealand,
Australia, and Thailand – Find him at ManVsDebt.com and
on Twitter
34. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Andrew Norcross
Untemplating the Tools
Better Late Than Never
At the age of 17, I got a jump on my peers and got a foot into the corporate world. I was
able to turn a high school internship into a fulltime entry level position at a well
known >inancial >irm at the age of 18. Putting college on the back‐burner, I worked
my ass off and climbed up. Within 10 years, I had a vicepresident title (with the
salary to match), an ofDice with a window, my own assistant, and managed quite a large
sum of money with a high level of responsibility and prestige.
And I couldnʼt have cared less.
Prestige doesn’t ful>ill the soul. Neither does money. Following your dreams
does. I tried to maintain a bit of individuality, but the tattoos underneath the suit
didn’t do much to help me stand out in a way I felt comfortable. The green spikes and
mohawks from my teenage years had turned into a clean‐cut image and demeanor. The
decision on where to place new tattoos involved how they’d appear at work. All of a
sudden, ‘Norcross’ had a Mr. attached to the front of it, and people began calling me ‘sir’
without a hint of irony.
And I slowly became miserable.
After the market crash in late 2008 and early 2009, I lost it. Watching folks who had
toiled away at their jobs for 20, 30, even 40 years freaking out because they now had to
postpone their retirement gave me a moment of clarity. My job and my lifestyle
owned me. And if I didn’t do something about it soon, I’d be stuck.
35. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
How My Dreams Became My Lifestyle
Since I was a kid, computers and technology is what I did for ‘enjoyment’. What
began as a hobby and being helpful to friends and family began to turn into a realistic
career. By this time, however, I was married, had a 1yearold son, and a mountain of
debt from my wife’s law school education. I had responsibilities. So my dreams took a
backseat. I tinkered at night and on the weekends, but that was about it.
So in June 2009, after talking a lot with my wife and some close friends, I decided I was
Prestige doesn’t going to do it. I was going to follow my dreams. So I gave my boss a 5‐month
fulfill the soul. notice and began the process of breaking my corporate mindset and
Neither does
money. Following untemplating my life, building a freelance design & development business,
your dreams does. while at the same time returning to school to Dinish that bachelor’s degree I never got
around to Dinishing. Clients came in quicker than I ever imagined they would. What I
thought would take 6–9 months happened in 6 weeks. I worked over 100 hours a week.
I slept an average of 4 hours a night. I nearly disappeared from public.
And it was worth it
On December 18th 2009, I left my job, the safety of the ofDice and started MY life.
The one I chose for myself. At the age of 29, I Dinally started living my own life on my
terms.
36. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
How Social Media Broke the Mold
I had long been active on sites like Twitter and BrazenCareerist.com. While I had been
blogging for years, it was sporadic at best. I had more fun building and designing
blogs than I ever did writing them. And as I connected with more and more people in
the social media space, I realized that my skill for assisting folks with technology was
a real gift. Like most folks, I learned by trial and error. I have always had a cynical look
on the world of marketing and advertising (going back to my punkrock roots), but I
couldn’t deny the real connections I had been making in social media. Not to mention
client leads and wordofmouth recommendations that I began receiving. Seemingly
from nowhere, I was becoming an authority, and expert even. Quite the jump from the
I left my job, the ‘geek’ I had always classiDied myself as.
safety of the office
and started MY life.
The one I chose How to Use the Tools to Break the Template
for myself.
Lifestyle
I’ll be the Dirst to admit, I’m a gadget geek and a computer nerd. I had a computer in
my home the day I was born, and began writing simple dBase+ and QBasic code at the
age of 9. So I’m naturally inclined to use technology to make a task easier. So do it!
Don’t just run out and buy a Mac because the commercials say they’re easier. Sit down,
>igure out what you need your technology to do, then Dind out the best way to do it.
After all, technology is simply a tool, a means to an end. And yes, get out there and
begin to connect with likeminded folks. Don’t just turn your Twitter steam into
another place to spit out your newest blog post, but really connect. Reply to people.
Comment on posts you Dind interesting. Have a personality, not just a username.
37. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Whatʼs Next?
I have no idea. And that’s a good thing. I’m expected to graduate in late 2011 with a
degree in IT Management, and my freelance business could get to the point that I
Sit down, figure out never return to an of>ice. Only time will tell. But in the meantime, I get to be a better
what you need your father, husband, and friend. I get to be content with the work I am doing. And I get to
technology to do, be the tattooed nerd in jeans and a tshirt that I always knew I was.
then find out the
best way to do it.
Norcross lives in St. Petersburg, FL — Find him at
andrewnorcross.com and restlesslikeme.com, and on
Twitter
38. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Carlos Miceli
Untemplating the Mind
The Untemplate Lifestyle Has Never Been More
Realistic
What an opportunity that we have ahead of us. I’m not sure everyone’s aware of the
amazing time that we are living in.
Technology and globalization are giving us access to an impressive amount of tools
and people that only 10 years ago were unimaginable. Really, what will escape from
the realm of possibility for all of us in the 21st century, in 2010? Combine the tools of
communication, productivity and automation with people’s desire to improve their
lives and form strong relationships, and the opportunities are endless.
The untemplate lifestyle is knocking on your door. It’s here. And the reason why you
should answer its call, it’s because the possibilities justify it.
39. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Just to be clear, this is not a dreamy lifestyle.
It’s not an unrealistic lifestyle.
Technology and It’s not a lifestyle without any money.
globalization are giving
us access to an
impressive amount of It’s not the lifestyle for the immature.
tools and people that
only 10 years ago
were unimaginable. And I can assure you that it is deDinitely not an easy lifestyle.
It’s the lifestyle for people that are tired of society’s rules and barriers, that can see
that there’s something better in the future, and that are willing to work hard
enough to achieve it.
40. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
The End Of Standard Requirements And My
Personal Untemplater Story
To be serious about this path you have to realize, among other things, that there are no
longer any “have to’s.” There is no clear decision, no safe choice, no stable life. The
biggest consequence of all this innovation and globalization is a fast paced change, and
the most important thing about it is that there’s no way to escape it. So if you think
that you have to have a college degree or that you have to have a corporate job in
order to have a safe life, you are in for a big surprise. The only thing you need to
…you have to have is independency of ideals. Since everyone can be affected by changes happening
realize, among in any place on Earth, you might as well take your life in your own hands and enjoy
other things, while you are at it.
that there are
no longer any That is what I realized not too long ago.
“have to’s.”
When you consider where I come from (Buenos Aires, Argentina), understanding that
I could live life by my own set of rules was not simple. We are way behind the US in
entrepreneurial spirit, dreams of professional freedom and de>iance of the status
quo. But thanks to the internet, I was able to Dind information that taught me more than
college ever did, and connected with amazing people that inspired me more than
my family ever could.
Only a year ago I was studying Marketing at the best university in the country and
was the youngest Sales Executive in B2B at one of the Top 5 Argentinean companies. I
was constantly pampered, offered a great corporate future and a dreamy paycheck.
41. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
And I was miserable.
So, I had to change something, and just a couple of months ago, I did. I left my job,
went into the startup and freelance world, and in June 2010 I’m going to move to
Perth, Australia to study.
Needless to say, my life has never been better. Hey, we have to walk the talk, right?
Loving The Uncertainty Is The Only Way To Smile
Funny thing about Now, let me explain to you something very important, maybe the key element of every
untemplaters: they untemplater: you have to live one day at the time. You have to trust that as long as you
are all happy. bust your ass going after what you believe in, things will fall in place. The moment
you start getting worried because you can’t see your future clearly is the moment where
the claws of fear and boredom will get a hold of you again. In reality, no one can see
the future clearly, but some think they can. Nobody knows what will happen, but the
only difference is that untemplaters realize it, accept it, and make the best out of their
time while believing in themselves and their vision.
Funny thing about untemplaters: they are all happy. I am not kidding. When you meet
them, you can tell that they enjoy their lives, they like what they do and grow doing
it. You shake their hand, look them in the eyes, and it’s an immediate spiritual
connection that only happens between two people that have decided to be different,
to be better. There’s no denying that glow. Believe me, once you embrace the lifestyle,
you’ll see it too. It’s just beautiful.
42. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
The Endless Dot Connection
I always quote Steve Jobs when trying to explain my decisions: “You can’t connect the
dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards.” There’s always
some dot, some activity, person or moment in your life that, had it not happened, you
wouldn’t be where you are today.
The path is easier It’s because I hated my job and university that I looked for intellectual growth on the
than ever, you just internet. It’s because of that that I started blogging, which led me to connect with all
have to walk it. these amazing people who I’m launching Untemplater with. I don’t need to tell you
that dot connecting can go very far in your past, but it doesn’t stop being truth.
Now, the real reason I like this quote so much is because nowadays the dots are
endless. Think about it: how many dots can stumble into your life if you embrace
globalization, technology and your dreams? The path is easier than ever, you
just have to walk it. But when the whole world is your market and your home, walking
it is absolutely thrilling.
43. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
In The End, Itʼs All You. But We Can Help!
Untemplater is not for everyone. You have to face your own fears. You have to
WANT to have a better and more interesting life. Otherwise, all our advice will
remain in the written word, and for you to accomplish your goals, you have to turn
the words into action. But, if you actually do have that little voice whispering to you
every time you go to the ofDice telling you that there has to be something more (which
I’m betting that you do), then we want you to join us. We have all been there and want
to help you break out of the template as well. You have no idea how good it feels.
One last thing: I don’t like cute dreamy visions of the world, optimism for optimism’s
Untemplater is not sake. I’m a very realistic person. I have a thing for philosophy and psychology, not a
for everyone. You thing for fantasy and utopia. I say this because we are serious about our proposal. We
have to face your want you to break the template lifestyle in a realistic way. We want you to
own fears. You have have the time and money you want to achieve your objectives, and the appropriate
to want to have a mentality to enjoy it. It’s easy to say things like “follow your passion”, but we will go far
better and more beyond that, we will tackle all the little things that make goals come true.
interesting life.
I am very passionate about Untemplater, not only because of the amazing people
behind it, but because I can’t tell you how sad it is to realize that few people are
smiling their way through life like we do. We need more company.
In 2010, we need your company.
Now, whereʼs that smile?!
Carlos currently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina – Find
him at OwlSparks.com and on Twitter
44. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Donʼt Stop There. Take Action!
We hope the stories of these six remarkable lives entertained and inspired you.
We’re a small group of unconventional folks who hope to build a thriving community
for anyone who ever sought more out of life—and we hope to help you learn how to
sidestep the traditional life to Dind the career, relationships, and lifestyle that makes
you come alive!
For concrete, actionable steps to live an unconventional lifestyle,
join us at Untemplater.com to work where you want to work, live
how you want to live, and be who you want to be in 2010.
45. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
The Untemplater Team
Adam Baker
Baker is a husband to Courtney, Dada to Milligan, and kickass blogger over at Man Vs.
Debt. The Baker family philosophy is simple: Sell your crap. Pay off your debt. Do what
you love. They are currently trying to do just that somewhere in between New Zealand and
Thailand.
Andrew Norcross
Norcross is a Wordpress ninja, freelance web developer, IT consultant, student, husband,
father, and overall regular geekforhire. He currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, with
his kickass wife and rock and roll son. Find him at AndrewNorcross.com.
Carlos Miceli
Carlos is an Argentinean blogger, freelancer and entrepreneur with a thing for philosophy,
psychology and social media. He got tired of settling with the best Buenos Aires had to
offer and is now pursuing the best the world has to offer. In 2010 he’ll move to Perth,
Australia, looking for a deeper learning experience than just what a classroom brings.
Read his continuous efforts to upset the established order at OwlSparks.
Cody McKibben
Cody is a nomadic entrepreneur, lifestyle designer, and traveler who writes at Thrilling
Heroics. He provides nonproTits and innovative social entrepreneurs with web
development and social media consulting services, and also serves as Advisor, Donor &
Volunteer for In Search Of Sanuk.
46. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Jun Loayza
Jun is the CoFounder and CMO of Viralogy and the President of
SocialMediaMarketing.com. When he's not building his startup companies, you can Tind
Jun doing cardio at the gym, optimizing his Tinances, or spending time with his girlfriend
Kim Ear. Find him at JunLoayza.com.
Monica OʼBrien
Monica is a Marketing Consultant specializing in marketing strategy and consumer
insights at the juncture of new media and traditional marketing. She is author of
MonicaObrien.com and the recent book Social Pollination.
Dariane Nabor
Dariane is our incredibly helpful intern. She is currently an undergraduate student at
UCLA, expecting to graduate in 2010 with a B.A. in Sociology. Born and raised in Delano, a
town in California’s central valley, she’s also the founder/editor of The Popcorn Kids, and
a Independent Consultant for Scentsy, Inc
47. Work where you want, Live how you want, and Be what you want to be in 2010
Did You Like this Free Manifesto?
Please spread the message! Email this book to all your friends who are
stuck in deadend jobs they hate… send it to your relatives who recently got laid off
when the economy tanked. Review it. Quote it. Remix it!
Whatever you do with it, it's time to start taking control of your life and your
career! Anything is possible. But it's up to you to Digure out what you're passionate
about and start taking ACTION towards making your dreams a reality.
Share this Manifesto generously and show your support for
our rebellion against the status quo on Facebook & Twitter!