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A journey can only begin with your decision to embark. – Michael Dell

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. – Marcus Aurelius

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. —Oscar Wilde

Those who stand for nothing fall for anything. – Alexander Hamilton

Those with more talent require fewer props. – Hugh

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. – Dr. Seuss

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain

It’s not about being treating like a superstar, it’s about being treated like part of the family. – Steve Lawler (DJ)

I work extremely hard doing what I love, mainly to ensure that I don’t have to work extremely hard doing what I hate. – Hugh

You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your own legend or not. -Isabel Allende

Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light? – Maurice Freehill

Success is the culmination of failures, mistakes, false starts, confusion, and the determination to keep going anyway – Nick Gleason

Below are a few of the more memorable moments (6 good, one challenge).

• Went to the Obama Presidential Inauguration (thanks again Brian! I owe you).
• Left Chicago Tribune after 1.5 tumultuous years (survived 4 rounds of layoffs, and then resigned).
• Spent 2 ½ unforgettable months on summer holiday in Barcelona, spending the time with my friends that I first met when I lived in Spain from August 2006-August 2007….also making plenty of new friends
• Traveled to Washington D.C, New York City, Los Angeles, Madrid, London, Bangkok, Istanbul, Dublin, Athens and Santorini (Washington D.C., Thailand, Turkey, Ireland and Greece were all firsts)
• Relocated to Sydney, my current residence.
• Started new job @ Myriad Minds
• Father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, a challenge he’s facing with courage and grace.

2009 was an incredible year. It’s hard to believe that a decade has passed since the apocalyptic predictions of 2000. Yet here we are. So much has changed in the world and within my life in the past ten years. It’s certainly a much different world.

I have no idea what will happen over the next 10 years, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. For me, it’s the excitement of the unknown, the chemical high of anticipation and the thrill of possibility that makes life worth living.

More importantly, the author raises an incredibly interesting question whether more attractive, but less intelligent people tend to gravitate to beach cities like Barcelona, Miami and Sydney.

Hmmm…certainty worth pondering.

Growth is built upon a series of stress and recovery, so you can excellerate your growth by consciously putting yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable. Over time, you’ll resilience and comfort with the uncomfortable will grow.

I plan to do more of these challenges in the near future, but want to start with a more manageable challenge and build up to larger ones (such as a 30 day vegan diet challenge).

If you’re interested in reading challenge updates, I’ll post them at @crakowski.

The master in the art of living
draws no sharp distinction between
his labor and his leisure,
his mind and his body,
his work and his play,
his education and his recreation.

He hardly knows which.

He simply pursues his vision of excellence
through whatever he is doing
and leaves others to determine
whether his is working or playing.

To himself, he is always doing both.