Receiving Graciously - The Details Work Themselves Out

The people in charge of the UB Blog asked that I kindly have my blog up by 8 am of the day in which I am assigned to post. I was right on time last week but this week the entire week slipped away before I realized that I was an hour an thirty minutes late and I still didn't know what I was going to write about. When I realized what it was that made me completely lose track of time the topic came to me pretty quickly: Get inspired about what you want to do and go do it - the details will work themselves out.

Priorities in the Wrong Place at the Right Time:


The first week of class I ended up dropping a Wednesday 5:30-8 pm class not because I didn't like it, the professor or because I thought I would fail it. I dropped the class because it was an elective and my roommate and I were discussing joining a Wednesday night flag football league in Baltimore. I ended up picking up a class right before it - International Management from 2-4:30 pm. This was the best decision that I've made in a really long time for the worst reason possible.

The first day in my Int'l Mgmt. class the professor let us know that there was a trip to Portugal available for anyone who like to go and she talked in depth about the project that we would be undertaking while there. The trip is a social entrepreneurial endeavor in which UB has teamed up with Mr. Jose Lucio in order to help him create a for-profit arm of his NGO (non-governmental organization - a.k.a. non-profit.) Mr. Lucio has a museum (currently his home) of hundreds of traditional Portuguese guitars, thousands of LP's and a lot of traditional sheet music. Our job is to create a plan for a living museum where he can not only display his collection but also have a place to have concerts and practice space and instructors for people who want to learn the traditional Fado style of music. The main goal of this museum is to preserve the tradition of Fado.

The Inspiration:

I have been itching to travel for quite a long time now. I am a musician and very interested in world music. Above all else, I am a believer in social entrepreneurship - in my eyes it is the only way to solve the worlds problems.

This trip was a perfect opportunity for me. The only problem is that I spent my summer "living it up" as it was my last summer still being able to be responsibility free. Instead of working hard and saving money all summer I worked when I had to to support myself but I went sailing, laid by the pool, played my guitar, womanized, partied etc. almost every day. This gave me no money when it came time to go to Portugal.

When contemplating this trip I thought back to something that my uncle, Sam, said to me after I graduated from high school. Not ready for college yet I was contemplating going out to California and Hawai'i to live it up a bit. I was hesitant because naturally I am a planner and I was trying to plan my entire trip, which was going to last several months, and I didn't have a job already lined up. Sam told to go do what I really wanted to do and the details would work out. The money would come, I'd meet the right people and I'd get the right opportunities. I took his advice and he was right.

I decided to go ahead with the Portugal trip despite the fact that I would be in debt when I got back because I feel like the opportunity is worth way more than money so I started a blog about my trip - milestoportugal.blogspot.com. I sent all of my friends and family a link telling them why I was inspired about my trip and to follow along if they were so inclined. I would be updating my blog daily while in Portugal with photos, videos and written accounts of my daily activities. I let them know that if at any point in time they felt inspired by my blog they should let me know simply for the satisfaction of knowing that I've inspired someone. I went on to let them know that if they were truly moved at any point then I would have a place where they could make a small monetary donation - perhaps buy me a drink, meal or a train fare - on the website.

The Details:

My plane from BWI to Portugal takes off in exactly 24 hours. The donations that poured in the first week blew my mind. I received almost $700 - probably double what I thought I would get total. I hope the grand total amazes you as much as it does me. I started this blog on Friday, September 11th. At the time of this writing I have received one thousand nine hundred and seventy dollars in donations through my blog.

Yes, some of my family members donated but I also received donations from people that I would never expect and from people that I do not even know. I have hooked my blog up to google analytics so I can see where people are coming from that are looking at the site. I have hits all the way from Washington State (where I know no one) to Pakistan (where I do not know a soul.)

Tony Robbins Rant:

Some people would call me lazy and say that I need to get a job. They would say that I should've worked harder this summer and saved money - which I should have. They would say that I shouldn't even have a place where people could donate on my website, that's the same thing as panhandling right? Clearly I disagree. Not only do I believe firmly that in "carpe diem and the details will work themselves out" but I also believe in "receiving graciously." Many people like to give gifts but feel guilty or awkward receiving them. Think about how good it feels to give someone a gift though. When offered a gift if I do not graciously receive it the person offering it doesn't get to feel good about it.

This is not a prescription to be a bottom feeder and to take advantage of people. It is to let everyone know that it is not only a good thing to give but also to receive - back to that whole yin-yang balance thing. The moral of the story is go do what inspires you. Quit waiting for someone else to tell you what to do and tell you that it will be okay. Quit making a plan, back-up plan and an emergency plan for when the back-up plan fails - nothing ever goes to plan anyway so you're wasting time that you could be spending living the dream.
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My next blog will come from across the Atlantic. I'm sure I'll have no shortage of things to talk about. Maybe a topic on taking advantage of the opportunities here at UB. The following week when the class goes home, I stay back and three of my boys fly over to kick it for the week I'll be blogging from the Algarve - the South of Portugal. Just to prove that the details work themselves out I will post my blog while laying on a gorgeous beach that has soft white sand, turquoise water, topless, exotic, dark skinned Portuguese women and I'll do so with a cocktail in my hand and a guitar by my side. Wish me luck.

Remember kids: be well, do good work and always know your dealer.

Cheers.

Miles.