What is it about faces we find so appealing? Is it what we see of ourselves reflected back, a recognition of wisdom, or a hope for the future?

We entered China almost 1 month ago and have been overwhelmed with everything about the country. From the public works projects, to the… Read full post »

Do you know how to talk yourself out of doing something? You focus on the details, the outcome, and the potential roadblocks ahead before you even dip a toe into the water of your new project.

• Before going back to college you fixate on the one class – statistics,
… Read full post »

We are pleased to share the following article from guest contributor and reader Matt Koenig from 1 Year Sabbatical. Matt reached out to us in February to talk about his story and struggles with living the good life. His story was inspiring and we wanted to have him share how he… Read full post »

“If you read 10,000 books it is good. If you walk 10,000 kilometers it is better. If you meet 10,000 people and sing about them it is best.” ~ Ancient Chinese saying

I used to think I knew a lot because I read a lot. Many bookish people are this… Read full post »

Your willpower is weak.

We’re not making any personal attacks on you. It is true for everyone. And only a masochist would worry about building up willpower anyway. I mean, who in the hell wants to deprive themselves of something they really want just to say they did it?

Not… Read full post »

Settle in with a cup of coffee and your favorite pastry to travel around the interwebs with us as we share our favorite articles and resources from the previous week to help you Live the Good Life.

On to the good stuff

Like so many of you, we grew up… Read full post »

When I was 10, my dad was killed by a drunk driver. He was 32 years old. I remember that night more clearly than any of my childhood. That evening turned out to be the single most defining moment of my life, and it meant that I grew up without a… Read full post »

Sunday morning is the sweet spot of the weekend where you are relaxed from the efforts of last week and not yet stressed about your upcoming schedule. You know, kinda like the peaceful feeling you get from watching elephants bathe each other and then roll around in the mud.

Settle… Read full post »

The wrong kind of book club is as boring as watching paint dry. The right kind of book club will show the world in a different light, bring you closer to your friends, and give you a reason to get tipsy and laugh maniacally once a month (besides your period, that… Read full post »

Editor’s Note: March 15, 2012, 12:01 a.m. Pacific to 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Be there or be square. Get your free copy of Strip Off  Your Fear during that time and then pay it forward by buying a copy for a friend tomorrow. It’s a love fest of naked confidence for us… Read full post »

It is November of last year and I’m writing a book about overcoming fear, and it is not going well. The words are not flowing, and the few that do make it through are – to put it bluntly – shit. After 30,000 nuggets of shit, I decided to call a… Read full post »

You know what’s not too hard? Getting help when you’re obviously in need. People rally with food, money, time and resources when you are sick, in a bind, going through a divorce or job layoff, or with the joyful stress of bringing a new child home or moving to a… Read full post »

Fear typically rears its head when we are drawn to something powerful: an idea, environment, or relationship that we know could be life-changing if we only took that first step.

Think about the last time an idea really intrigued you. Were you pushing your boundaries, standing on the precipi… Read full post »

I used to believe that love was enough – enough for a successful marriage, and enduring friendship, a strong family connection. Once you proclaimed your love, it was sufficient to weather any storm…right?

(Stop laughing guys. I can hear you, you know.)

It wasn’t until I w… Read full post »

Today we are excited to share this guest post from Courtney Carver, author of the blog Be More with Less. Courtney’s story is inspiring and has helped us to realize the importance of not taking our health for granted. We are sure you will enjoy her perspective.

In 2004 I moved across t… Read full post »

Photo by Alison Cornford-Matheson

At the risk of sounding like the charismatic leader of a religious cult (still on my bucket list, by the way), I’m going to advocate something new the next time you have a significant decision or opportunity in front of you.

Think about what we would do… Read full post »

What I remember most about Maria’s aneurysm was the day they cut her beautiful hair in order to place a shunt in her head. She was still out of it most of the time, but she was aware enough to tell the nurse to braid it first so she could donate

… Read full post »

It was over dim sum and beer last night, celebrating the finish of our book, we realized another big milestone. Today marks 500 days since we left on this life-changing journey around the world. It reminds me of the 1001 stories Scheherazade told in One Thousand and One Nights – we’ve had… Read full post »

We live together 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We also have a small business together. Our lifestyle is one of frequent change in location, people, food, and customs.

You know what this adds up to, right? Fights. Yes, we fight. We told you about… Read full post »

Everyone has a dream of what they want to do with their life, which we call Living the Good Life. Today we’re launching our new website and the Live the Good Life Manifesto. We will continue to provide the inspiration, encouragement and a bit of ass-kicking to help you live YOUR… Read full post »

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of essays about the voices in our heads. Click here to read the earlier entries, the bitchy little voice and the drama queen.

How do I start with this voice? There is no middle ground, no soft introduction. It isn’t even a voice you… Read full post »

Editor’s Note: As we finish writing When Fear Blinks: How to See through Your Fear, we’re interviewing people you know doing scary things. Everyone has fears, even really successful people, and learning to do things in spite of them is one element to Living the Good Life.

It’… Read full post »

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of essays about the voices in our heads. Click here to read the first entry, the bitchy little voice.

If the voices in our heads have personalities, then the uniform of the Drama Queen would be a vibrant orange jewelled muumuu, large glasses… Read full post »

Editor’s Note: Fear has many voices, and over the coming weeks we’ll be outing all of them, examining them for what they are so you can make the decision whether to listen or ignore, learn or reject, act or retreat. We’re on a mission in 2012 to help you understand how… Read full post »