Live

Inspire me. Move me shake me. Lets rattle things up and throw caution into the wind. Lets cast our sails and charge headfirst into the storm. Let's stand on the deck and scream at the stars loudly into the night daring the Universe to inspire us. I want to live. I crave adventure. Let's re-light that fire that still burns within us and take back the world. Take my hand and we'll live...

The Cafe

I sat down at the table in the back and watched. People filtered in and out and muddled about the café each with their own intentions. They each had their own stories and I tried to guess them one by one. I chuckled to myself as I imagined what each person did for a living and what they liked to eat for breakfast. I was angered a little when I thought of the potentially horrid things they also might have done, but brushed it off quickly concentrating only on the positive and amusing aspects of their made-up stories. I sat there for quite some time until I eventually wondered, what kinds of stories did they have for me? I left the café happy and smiling…

Digital Nomad?

     While I gear up and prepare for my upcoming trip to Southeast Asia a question keeps popping into my head; do I want this lifestyle?

     I have always loved traveling and consider myself to be an avid adventurer, but this time it’s different. This time won’t be for work and there is no mission to accomplish. The only goal I will have on this trip is to have fun and explore as many places as I can.  This makes me nervous because this trip is actually a test trip.

     A term kept appearing all over the internet as I scoured travel blog after travel blog searching for helpful tips and inspiration. The term I kept seeing was: Digital Nomad. What did this mean and why were people referring to themselves as this? Most of the people I have come into contact with have left pretty successful big business jobs and have transitioned to working strictly online. They write, and edit, and run successful travel blogs with the help of advertising to help fund their trips. They are all Digital Nomads or travelers who fund their adventures through 60-90 hour work weeks hunched over their laptops working tirelessly to keep their nomadic lifestyle dreams afloat.

                                         AND IT WORKS FOR THEM.

     I have always been a big proponent of forgoing the status quo of living a normal life consisting of investing hours upon hours of your life working some corporate job to fill some house you can’t afford with things you don’t need. I myself gave up a promising career in medicine for the Hollywood lifestyle. A decision I do not regret at all. I have had the opportunity to be a part of some really great projects and meet people whom a few years ago I had only known from television.

          NOW I WAS SHARING DRINKS AND SWAPPING STORIES WITH THESE PEOPLE. 

    I am still involved with the industry and still hope to continue my involvement while I test the waters of this new Digital Nomad lifestyle. One of the biggest reasons for becoming involved in the industry was to travel and touch as many lives around the world as I could. Plus, I love being able to be goofy and express myself through many mediums including writing and comedy.  

     I know I will have to give up more than I have in the past, and make many more sacrifices along the way. This is what scares me the most. Saying goodbye to family and friends and heading out into the unknown with no destination in mind. I’ll be living solely off of savings and the money I make from writing, and advertising from the other websites I plan on launching in the future as well as occasional acting gigs that I get here and there.

                                                             OH AND MY BOOK.

     I’m still not sure if this is the right choice but hey, a life lived without taking any risks is not really a life lived is it? 

Finding My Way Back

     In a few short months I will be putting all of my stuff into storage and boarding a plane from Los Angeles to Taiwan and then to Bangkok where I will start an epic journey of discovery and adventure. I have undergone some huge life and career realizations which have led me to change the way I have been thinking and acting for the past few years.

     Some of you may know that I am approaching the three year anniversary of a very particular obstacle I have overcome. I beat the odds and survived. However, I have lost sight of what that used to mean to me. I have lost sight of the beauty of life and people and exploring. Somewhere along the journey of survival I lost my way.

     Now I am on the journey back. I’m going to re-discover myself and what it means to truly be alive and appreciate this one life that we are given.

     I will be traveling to Cambodia to visit the famous temples of Angkor, exploring the many little islets of beautiful Halong Bay, Vietnam and practicing my yoga in Bali. 

     From there I plan on going where ever the wind or the tuk tuk or the buses or the motorbikes take me. Don't worry, I plan on fully documenting my trip through this blog my YouTube channel and Tumblr, where I'll be uploading pictures and video from my travels. You can also follow my journeys semi-live from my Twitter and Instagram(where wi-fi permits).

     Thank you so much for all of your help and support throughout the years and I hope that you continue to do so for the many years to come. I truly appreciate all of my friends and family and especially you the reader! Thank you and stay tuned!

Ps: If you have any ideas of where to stay and or travel or awesome things I should do along the way please leave a comment!

Don't Forget to Bring a Towel

They say that hospitals are the most germ infested places in the world. You are more likely to get sick at the hospital than you are at home. I disagree. I say the most disgusting germ infested places in the world are gyms. Gyms harbor some of the most harmful bacteria known to man, carried into them by some of the most vile people in the world. It doesn't matter what kind of gym either; Karate dojos, MMA gyms, Crossfit centers and "Athletic Clubs." Well played Athletic Club on choosing the fancy name. You cant hide from us, we know what you really are. Let me walk you through a typical night in hell, or as I like to call it: 24hour Fitness.

Upon entering the gym my nose is greeted by the pungent aroma of sweat, alcohol and week old taco meat. That's not a racist remark by the way. Next time you're cooking up some delicious tacos on a Tuesday night, take a nice hearty whiff of the meat and tell me I'm wrong.
   I like to do a little warm-up run before I hit the weights, so naturally I make my way upstairs to the cardio section of the gym. It is of course a weeknight so all of the disgruntled white-collar-nine-to-five'ers are taking up all of the treadmills. I keep looking around and finally I spot Bill, from accounting stumbling off of a treadmill. Bill[we'll call him that since I don't know his real name] weighs about five thousand pounds and from what it looks like showers once a week. His treadmill is soaked in sweat. Sweat is dripping from the buttons and the touch screen looks as if it was just rubbed with Crisco. Does Bill wipe the machine down before leaving it so the next person to use it (me) doesn't have to shower in his disgusting filth? Of course not! No, Bill walks away still angry about falling behind on his tps reports that he doesn't give wiping the machine a second thought. After unloading the whole bottle of disinfectant onto the machine I am able to get my run in. Suddenly something unmentionable and horrid worms its way into my nostrils making its way to my taste buds. Gross I can taste it. I look to my left and I am running next to none other than; taco meat guy. Yes, this guy refuses to wear deodorant or brush his teeth. He too showers only once a week. I usually do a two-mile warmup but today I can only stomach about one mile, due to the fact that I have been holding my breath for ten minutes. I can't take it anymore and pound on the stop button bringing the treadmill to a screeching halt. I muster up enough courage and oxygen to go back and wipe my machine down(because I am a good person)
  Finally it is time to hit the weights. I spot an open bench press area and lay my towel down on the bench. Oh yeah, I bring a towel to the gym because I am a respectful and clean human being. I also am not a big fan of lice. Have you ever looked down at a bench that someone was using and seen that familiar sweat spot where their head was just resting? Well take a closer look and you'll more than likely see tiny little white things. Now it could be dandruff, which in that case:gross. It could also be lice. In any case I'm not taking my chances, and I opt for the wipe-down-towel-down. Everything is going fine at this point and I am grinding through my sets without problem. Until little Johnny-never-learned-to-wipe-properly-after-pooping decides to spot his buddy on the bench behind mine. I can smell the corn in his poop, that's how absolutely disgusting he is. How does his buddy not smell him when he's dangling his balls inches above his face? I've got one more set but I cant take it anymore and have to move on. Throughout the course of the night I run into Homeless Pete who likes to sit at the leg press and stare into the distance doing one or two presses every four hours. I meet Blue Jean Sam by the free weights who is unaware that not only are blue jeans inappropriate gym attire but they soak up the sweet smell of ball sweat like nothing else. I also meet a few of Snow White's  missing dwarfs; Sneezy, Drippy, and Coughy. None of them cover their mouths and none of them have napkins or tissues. The whole gym at this point feels like a dirty bathhouse, but smells more like an outhouse, and no one in this gym has a freaking TOWEL!
  I can't take anymore. I have to leave. I stumble past Frank who wears sweatpants to the gym and "forgets" to wear underwear, and burst through the exit doors of the gym. I feel like an escaped slave bursting up from the tunnels of the underground railroad. I feel violated in so many ways and I probably need to schedule an appointment with my doctor for a full work-up.
  Here is a tip. If you stink before going to the gym, please put on deodorant and wipe yourself down with something antibacterial. Don't wear jeans to the gym, cover your mouth when you sneeze, wipe down your machines after you use them, stop screaming, and please, please bring a towel.

My Motivation

I have to because they said I couldn't. I have to because they screamed and yelled at me and shouted in my face that I couldn't do it. I have to because I need it. I have to because you need it. I cannot give up. I will not give up. I must push forward and fight and claw my way up. I will do whatever it takes without sacrificing my integrity. I have to do it because you believe in me. I have to do it because I believe in myself.

I will not fail because I work harder, faster and better than anyone else. I will not fail because I have the drive and determination to succeed. I have the skills I need and I have the know how to gain more in order to be successful.

I have to because you doubted me. You called me crazy. You said my ideas were outlandish and my dreams unobtainable.

I will prove you wrong and further prove myself right. I have to do this because he can't anymore. I have to do this because after all the times I should have died, I am still here. I have to do this for me. I can do this because whatever power is out there, whatever you believe in has given me the strength to do it. I will do this simply because I can. I have to...