Comments on: Is Travel, Lifestyle Design A Selfish Pursuit?

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:51:53 +0000

On the other hand Kirsty the part we do contributing to the societies we visit may be able to make a more beneficial impact than at home, we could potentially also make a much worse one too, hopefully if we are aware of the possibilities we’ll be intelligent enough to see what our impact is.

By: Kirsty

Kirsty — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:29:06 +0000

I’ve wrestled with this question a bit in the past but it doesn’t really bug me anymore. Sure, I might not be contributing to society by having my 2 kids and buying a house and filling it with crap, but what one person calls responsible behaviour, another wouldn’t. My life doesn’t fit into what society expects, but I feel perfectly happy that I am still contributing to the great good in different ways than spending money and raising families.

By: Creative Evolution

Creative Evolution — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:43:56 +0000

Why should we be constantly asking ourselves if what we want to do is selfish? Presumably we will be most fulfilled AND effective when we do what we are uniquely passionate about and qualified to do.

By: Corbett Barr

Corbett Barr — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:02:21 +0000

Dan, fantastic post. This is just what I needed right now to help frame an issue I’ve been having with someone lately. Your definition of selfishness helps my position, so I love it. Making someone feel guilty for following their own dreams and pursuing happiness is just selfish. Thanks for helping me not let it get me down.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:03:41 +0000

Glad you enjoyed it guys.

@Diggy I’ll email you about the sharing buttons.

By: Diggy - Upgradereality.com

Diggy - Upgradereality.com — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:49:40 +0000

Hey Dan!

Awesome post! I agree that following your own dreams and desires is not selfish. You only live once, and if you live your life to please others, you will look back one day thinking “what If”.

Stumbled!

Diggy!

Ps, I love your sharing buttons, they look so cool! Is it a plugin?

By: Dave - LifeExcursion

Dave - LifeExcursion — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:40:34 +0000

Hey Dan—

I remember when I quit my 9-5 and people were criticizing and thinking I was crazy. They all had horrible priorities and did not see the big picture. They just coasted through life debt in hand. I think influencing others decision down a good path is okay, but like you stated, judging and forcing is never a good way of being influential.

Great post I will share with my readers!

Dave
LifeExcursion

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:51:47 +0000

Absolutely! If there is one thing I’ve learned from traveling it is that people look for and want instant gratification in everything they do. We all do it but some of us are capable looking beyond what we can do for ourselves immediately and see the bigger payoffs later on. It’s the same sort of thing whether in business or in life in general, we have to look at the big picture but to benefit from it we also have to position ourselves to take advantage.

I hope that makes sense, it sounds a little disjointed even in my own head. Thanks for the comments guys.

By: Tyler McCan

Tyler McCan — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:29:51 +0000

Woah!

A great article. I agree with your points and find your distinction between selfish and not selfish awesome and realistic. The second bullet under selfish I find especially selfish and cruel. Find your stable base then go and help others find their own stable base!

By: Colin Wright

Colin Wright — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:31:22 +0000

This is something I’ve been going back and forth on, too. I’ve had a similar experience, where people want to hear all about what I’m up to, but certain aspects of the project or my lifestyle make some people cringe, drop their jaws in indignant shock, or just slowly nod their head back and forth as they murmur something about ‘responsibility.’

The way I see it, I’m taking responsibility for myself first and foremost. Anyone who doesn’t cover this important base as a primary function of their lifestyle is doing themselves and those around them an injustice (because otherwise it’s left to their friends and family and government to carry their weight).

It’s like they say, ‘Better me, better world.’ The more I’m able to do what I love doing, the more others around me have slowly (or in some cases, very quickly!) moved toward their own happiness, seeing that it can be done. Not only that, but the happier and more successful I am, the more I’m able to influence things in the world that I’m passionate about (for example, I have a long-term goal of completely scrapping and changing the education system in the United States). In this way,

I suppose my actions and goals are selfish because I have very specific ideas about how things should be and I move toward those ideas. I listen to others opinions and integrate them into my own, but at the end of the day I’m not fighting for my best friend’s point of view or my little brother’s opinion of how health care should function. Nor, I think, should I. That’s their battle to fight, not mine, and I think that selfishness in this light is used as a dirty word and probably shouldn’t be.

Great post. Lots to think about here.