Archive for the ‘Personal Development’ Category

Getting Organized

Author: Kyle

Working and traveling is harder then it seems.  Trying to keep track of income, expenses and time has proven to be quite a challenge.  So I’d like to mention two tools that I have found in the past year that have significantly helped me get my life under some type of control.

The first one is “You Need A Budget” or YNAB for short.  I found this program in May of last year and gave it a try for the trial period.  Within the first month it had helped me get out of my overdraft, and helped me save enough for the program.  I honestly recommend it to anyone who needs to control their money better.  This includes people with low incomes, people with bad savings habits, people with variable incomes, people who live in debt, etc.  Almost anybody can benefit from it, so go check it out… Give it a trial run, let me know what you think.

The second one is somewhat new to me, and I’m not as convinced about it.  I’ll give it a try and report back if it helps me change my habits.  The program is OmniFocus 2 and it is used in time and task management.  It only works on Mac, which may be a downside for some.  But it lets me list off everything that I’ve been intending to do, but need to put off for one reason or another, and make sure it pops up again later in my ToDo lists.  As I said, if this helps me get more done, I’ll report back and let you know how it goes.

Leaving Facebook

Author: Kyle

I’ve decided to leave facebook as per this site.  I can’t close my account, but I can limit the damage.  So after a long hiatus from writing on this page, I’m going to come back.

I’ve cleaned up a lot of old posts, but left some highlights.

I’ll try to put the content I was sharing on facebook here instead… It will be a bit of a switch from the old content, but c’est la vie.

So It’s Been A Year

Author: Kyle

A year ago today I left Canada hoping to escape my old life and start new. To get away from the constant work of my job and try to build a business I could run from the road. In my mind I know what criteria would make it work and I have a good idea of what it would look like when it is done, but actually getting it going, well that has been another story.

It is true the dollar goes further here, and that really does help, but it is also harder to work with no fixed address. And with debts back home and obligations to others my year of working abroad has been a very difficult and grueling challenge. I have been gone from living a dream to living in a constant challenge waiting or hoping money will arrive so I can pay my bills and then myself.

Certainly this experience has come with its ups and downs. I have been to several countries I have never been to before, I have started learning Spanish and had fun going on long hikes, white water rafting, exercising in ancient military playgrounds and scuba diving. I have eaten more variety of Mexican food then I even thought existed. I have met wonderful people from all over the world and right next door. My girlfriend, Soraya, is showing me a side of Mexico I never would have otherwise seen, I am truly grateful for her.

I have also been to the point of eating just rice and beans for weeks while working 10+ hour days. I have been cast back into the role I tried so hard to get away from. Routine is the order of the day and there often feels like no escape. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, as there always has been, but for now it feels like my hard work, sweat and tears are going to be required to get me out of my shackles back home. I just want something, anything, that would help me build residual income. I suppose many people are looking for that, and few people actually find it. In the meantime I owe, I owe, so its off to work I go.