When you feel called to say yes to an invitation, even if you’re not sure why, simply say yes.

Four years ago almost to the day my friend texted me that Chris Guillebeau was in my hometown, Portland, ME, on his book tour.

I happened to be in Portland that day with my mom. (I was living in NYC at the time, so this was unusual.) I also happened to be a block away from Longfellow Books, the venue for his book event. (On visits home I usually spent most of my time at my mom’s house. So this was also unusual.)

Third unusual thing about that day: we didn’t have any plans that evening.

I kind of recognized the name Chris Guillebeau from Twitter. I didn’t really know anything about this guy, but I saw that his book was called The Art of Non-Conformity. Sounded like something we’d be into.

So we said yes. And that was an evening that changed everything.

Chris Guillebeau is an adventurer. His dry sense of humor and quick wit balance beautifully with his profound humility. He’s inspiring, but not in a grandiose way.

He’s the kind of guy who makes you feel like you too can be an ordinary person who does extraordinary things.

Sitting at his book signing four years ago (9/14/2010 to be exact) I got an idea for a quest.

I was going to get rid of my apartment, most of my stuff, and my life as I knew it and hit the road on a trip called The Freedom Tour. I would teach workshops about financial freedom along the way, and I would see what types of adventures I would find.

(I invited Mike to join me for the first five days of the trip. Five days turned into 10 months, 41 states, 34,000 miles, and a wedding. It was a good quest.)

When Chris told me he was coming through Portland again to spread the word about his third book, The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding The Quest That Will Bring Purpose To Your Life, I immediately blocked the evening on my calendar.

This book weaves Chris’s own story of pursuing an audacious goal of visiting all 193 countries in the world by his 35th birthday with the stories of hundreds of other people on quests whom he connected with along the way.

I’ve recently become so aware that if we’re not pursuing something, life becomes lackluster. If you’ve ever felt like your life has an uncanny resemblance to Groundhog Day, you know what I’m talking about.

I wanted to share Chris and his new book with you because:

1. I love Chris and he’s not only an awesome guy, he’s also an awesome writer.
2. The way he tells stories is inherently inspiring and has catalyzed a great deal of action in my life and the lives of thousands (possibly millions) around the world.
3. I believe in adventure and the way that having a pursuit of some kind brings happiness into our lives.
4. I want that kind of happiness for you.

Chris and I sat down recently in the very bookstore where we met four years ago for our second Glimpse TV chat. (You can watch our first Glimpse TV episode from March of 2011 here.)

In this new episode we cover:

• What to do when you’re doing something that no one else in your life seems to relate to.
• Where happiness comes from.
• How to turn a big goal that seems crazy, daunting, and unwieldy into something simple and doable.
• Three specific stories of regular people who decided to do something decidedly un-regular.
• Why finding a quest is so darn valuable to your life.

Click below to watch the episode. (This one has some extra goodness at the end where you get to see a side of Chris that doesn’t often come out in interviews.)

 

You have to believe in your dream even if no one else does. ~Chris Guillebeau (Tweet it.)

 

Get yourself a copy of the book HERE.

Over to you:

What’s your quest? Are you on one now? Are you thinking about starting one? I’d LOVE to hear about it in the comments below!