I have to tell you that this website is amazing. Wow, to think i’m not alone in this world. I like everyone else come with a story as well. I came into this world with clubfeet and borderline retardation. I overcame these through adversity, children calling me names and my pure brain to overcome the doctors. Getting two opinions from a psychiatrist calling me mentally retarded didn’t quite sit with me. All my mother did was sit and watch me and at 5th grade I was finally ready to join the regular kids. She knew what I had known all along, I was misdiagnosed. Long story short I am graduated with a B.S. in Accounting and played every sport including football where I excelled as a quarterback. Today I write stories and tell funny stories of what happened to me as a child growing up in my family dealing with psychiatrists. Every day I am liberated. Every day I wake up wanting to soak up everything I can and staying awake until I pass out. Treat everyday as a gift because nothing is a given. Clay keep up the good work!

I found this blog because I googled the word “growth”. I woke up at the wrong side of the bed this morning. Felt so sluggish to go to work. I felt like a zombie or robot. In reading this blog, I realized that I am not alone. Maybe its really human nature to feel free and alive, and not cooped up in an office building working for someone else.

I’m a very REAL person, in all sense of the word. Believed in sending kids to the “best” schools. Lived a stepping stone life. Added letters of the alphabet after my name (it became a habit). I did what was expected of me by my parents and the society in general. Right now, I am feeling restless and dissastisfied.

I also loved your post about decluttering your life. So many of those things apply to me now (ie. committees, grad school, etc.). I can say that I am a very goal oriented person. I feel excited and proud of accomplishing something. But sometimes, I doubt myself of my motivation and think I may just be feeding my ego. In the process, I think I may have lost my identity by pursuing success in society’s terms.

I have a read a couple of self help books to motivate myself. Some days it would work but some (like today) it just makes me think more that maybe some things have to change. Maybe I should figure out what truly makes me happy and excited to wake up every morning.

I wish you luck in your pursuit of liberation and to the rest of us here who simply want to lead an incredible and meaningful life.

I admire your moxy and I plan to follow your pursuits.

Good luck!!!

Now after reading this blog and many others, all seeming to be people who have notice this lifestyle design trend between the 4 hour work week and productivity blogs and personal developement, I feel like there is a whole world out there that belogs in a city or country town together to pursue all these interest (maybe something like burning man with less substance abuse).

Anyhow, I’m glad to know there are a thousands upon thousands of others who believe in a life less ordinary and are willing to pursue and have a place to come share ideas.

Finally a question, Clay Collins are you from VA? I saw in a couple post you mention the Blue ridge Mountains and the Appalachin trail and was just wondering.

glad to be part of your next step to project Liberation!

am I your biggest donor so far?

V!

That said, the financial choices we make can greatly influence our ability to change our path should we not like the corporate job we sign up for. “Standard of Living” creep is a real thing, and before you know it it’s easy to have mortgage payments and car payments and it’s easy to be working just to pay the bills. I think keeping your financial requirements low (and flexible) while trying for longer term financial security is achievable if approached from that cautious viewpoint.

Myself, I’m slow to move to a new lifestyle, but it’s building on me. Part of my issue now is “what do I do with all this stuff I have if I change?” What decisions can I make now to facilitate a transition to something better? To me building up savings and staying out of debt is a big part of that

Anyway…

I have also been fortunate to have worked for a mom ‘n’ pop business as my first job. I went back to retail years later for a corporate employer and was astonished at the differences. In a mom ‘n’ pop, unless you work for a control freak, you have some power to make decisions to make your customer happy. In a corporate environment you take all the blame for corporate decisions but can do absolutely nothing to improve the situation yourself other than kiss a lot of butt (and even that doesn’t always cut it). I had a customer once who was mad at me because I couldn’t refund his gift certificate–store policy. Had it been the mom ‘n’ pop I could have done it and not worried about my job security. Instead I had to direct him to a toll-free number and hope he didn’t say something that got me fired anyway.

Don’t even get me started about Wal-Mart. I’ve worked there too.

And in the end, that kind of crap is why I don’t work now. I can’t *stand* not having any autonomy. I can’t *stand* being blamed for policies I didn’t set. How is that in any way fair? And “that’s just the way it is” isn’t an excuse that cuts it with me. I would rather the buck stopped with me or as close to me as possible so that I can take care of problems that arise. I can’t have that in most employment opportunities for which I qualify today. I’m sick of making excuses for the shortcomings of other people that I’ve never met and who see me as a nameless, faceless number which they can just as easily replace with another nameless, faceless number.

On top of that I’m a mom now, since 2004. And I can’t see putting my daughter in an institution, either. They would not respect her for the individual she is. They might even want to drug her. Sorry, I’m not going there.

So… I get by on the child support, her dad and I are friends now, and I look for ways to make extra money from home. It’s not the most secure existence, but it’s one that allows me to look at myself in the mirror and not cringe.