None of them involve money — One of my favorite jokes I’ve ever heard was delivered to me by a terminally ill man. He knew I was looking for a serving job, so I could quit as a retirement home night-cook and go back to school. “I was looking in the classifieds today,” he said…

Six tips built from 10,000+ interactions — It has taken me ten years, thirty countries, and ten thousand human interactions with people all over the world to realize one simple, time-saving truth: The people you choose to spend time with define you, whether you like it or not. I wish it weren't true, but it is. You're…

I just bought a $2200 e-bike for $230 — I’m so proud of my awesome state. The Colorado Energy Office is offering residents the chance to embrace energy-efficient transportation alternatives and receive substantial rebates. I’m currently searching for a job, so I’ve been looking for public programs to ease my financial strain. A few months ago, I saw the…

Save precious time and money on the road — I’ve spent a combined four years outside of the U.S., and that number just keeps growing. All I wanted to do in my twenties was travel, and travel I did. I’ve sat in medicine ceremonies with Shamans in Ecuador, surfed in Costa Rica, played with monkeys in Bali, and danced…

Learn from the uncommon leaders — “If you only read the books everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” -Haruki Murakami Three months ago, I decided to switch my life around and pursue a renewable energy career. Looking for a way in, I decided on project management. …

Here’s what he would do instead — Attending college at 18 might be one of the worst mistakes a young person can make. As high school graduates reach the door of adulthood, teachers and mentors bombard them with the advice that pursuing higher education is the sole path to success. I was a teacher, and I’ve seen…

They reminded me of the resilience of the human spirit — I worked as a summer camp facilitator this summer across five rural Alaskan villages only accessible by six-seater planes. These places have no hotels, Airbnb’s, or accommodation besides teacher housing. In every town we stayed in, I slept on the floor of a school or a flimsy air mattress in…

Life is more fun when you’re slaying your personal dragons — “Don’t be satisfied with the stories that come before you; unfold your own myth.” -Rumi “Do you think that you shall enter the Garden of bliss without such trials as those who came before you?” -Quran Everything we set out to achieve in life follows a hero’s journey pattern. We…

What are the books that shaped you? — Dear Medium Community, In a week and a half, I’m embarking on a new adventure! I’ll be working for the summer in Alaska for Camp Fire, an organization that offers summer camp activities to kids in rural communities only accessible by prop plane. I’m writing you today because I’m about…