Last week I got this punchy closing in an email from #MinBizMo partner Miya Kressin:
I hope Monday is being gentle and has brought plenty of caffeine.
It got me all nostalgic.
Monday?
Here’s what I did last Monday. At 8 a.m. my blog post, Nipple Shirts Around the World, went live. Almost simultaneously, so did my video log about the most awesome scrolls in the universe. I slept through both events. They were scheduled to publish themselves like good little robots.
When I woke up I glanced at emails and tweets, chatting with Mauricio. We argued whether our papaya was still good. It passed his smell test but not mine. But he’s the smoothie expert and soon we had sweet, sweet papaya-and-berry smoothie in tall beer mugs.
Because it’s fun and good for me, I then exercised. Ab workout, yoga and light strength conditioning. Relaxing.
Mau asked if I had plans. Monday at 10 a.m.: staff meeting time for most folks. “No,” I said. I mean, there was stuff I could do, but… would it really matter when?
So Mauricio took me on a house call. Mexico City is surrounded by mountains. When you go over the first ring of peaks (actually under, through tunnels) the smog disappears. You find yourself in sharp green valleys with tourist ranches, torta stands and stocked trout ponds every half kilometer.
It’s beautiful.
I rode along. We chatted about the god Quetzalcoatl, and how hard it would be to march an army on the old Aztec capital (which literally floated on water). While he did his house call, I relaxed in a small village and read a Mexican pulp fantasy novel to practice my Spanish.
That’s my Monday.
This week? We’re going to climb up a wooded hillside and explore some very old caves, with two villagers as our guides.
Look, You Don’t Need to Buy Anything
It is truly a joy to work for yourself. Especially when you have the skills to succeed.
I know I mention Location Rebel a lot. Maybe you’ve seen the link enough times. Bear with me, because here it is again—it taught me how to make this lifestyle sustainable. And yes, if you sign up, a portion of the money supports Rogue Priest (yay!).
But set that aside. This isn’t just about a sales pitch. Working for yourself rocks. Whether you join us at Location Rebel or not, I want you to be able to not hate Mondays. Hating one seventh of your life (plus, let’s face it, Sunday night dread + big chunks of the rest of the week) is a painful way to exist. There were Aztec peasants once whose whole purpose in life was to run marathon distances to bring fresh fish for the king. They probably didn’t have much choice. But you have a choice.
If you’ve never wanted to work for yourself, you can skip the rest of the post. I promise I’ll tell more travel stories soon. If this blog is your escape, that’s your call.
But instead…
Actual escape could be your escape.
Making money without a job feels good. Taking your time going places feels good. Deciding when you want a personal day (and not playing sick) feels good. And you have time to spend on your creative pursuits, or with your family.
It’s just all around good. I want you to experience that.
Today’s Offer
What can I do to help you quit your job? This is my open ended offer. I want you to start loving Monday. I want you to forget it is Monday or what that means to all your tired friends.
Is there a skill you’re not sure how to learn? A doubt or challenge you face? What’s keeping you, personally, YOU from building up an independent income?
Ask. I can’t give you all the step by step instruction that Location Rebel does, but I’m happy to help you get started. What do you want to know?
Please break the tweet button by tweeting this post so many times.
Drew Jacob, Rogue Priest
