If you’re reading this, then you may have noticed that I haven’t updated the site in awhile. Why? Because I live in a real home again! I probably should have posted awhile ago explaining the situation, but you know how life is, things happen faster than expected and suddenly a year has past. So here’s what happened in a nutshell: June 2014 – I realize I have a problem. I have over $25,000 of debt across my 4 credit cards. July – I look for ways to drastically…
That’s what my bedroom looked like. I remember it quite clearly as it’s only been a little over a week since I saw it last (though it’s felt like an eternity). Soft pillows, crisp light sheets, a firm but restful mattress that you can sink into just enough to relax without worrying about comprising the quality of your back health. Ahh… those were the days.
One week of life without rent. No apartment, no room, no bed. And guess what? I’m happy =) However… I’m also exhausted. So rather than tell you the play by play of the moving out process and what life is like for me now (that’ll be an upcoming post), I’m going to share with you a brief story in pictures. Enjoy!
A friend sent me a fortune which was quite appropriate given my situation.
I needed that.
That’s the text I received last night as I was biking my way through Cambridge, MA (Middlesex County). I go homeless and Mother Earth sends Massachusetts a freakin’ TORNADO? Well… it was a pretty intense day for me… maybe I have some undiscovered X-men style powers that finally made their way to the surface? One can hope.
After resigning myself to complete soak-dome* and biking my way through torrential downpour, I made my way to my office. The office park with it’s empty parking lot and glaring fluorescent lights was more than a welcome sight.
*My Arc’Teryx jacket doesn’t seem as waterproof as it used to be.
Day 1: Gym, food, work, scouting new locations, work, exploring couch surfing options, history of humankind online course, and now I’m all tuckered out.
The move out of the apartment was a unique experience for me but warrants a little thought (which I’m not capable of at this moment.) I’ll post tomorrow or the next day with some before and after pictures =)
…ends with a Paulo Coelho-ian twist.
In Coelho’s best-selling book, The Alchemist, an old king tells the main character, “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
On August 5th, I “came out of the closet” about going homeless and shared my plan with my Facebook network. It was a hard decision. Some friends and confidants had cautioned strongly against it.
Sure, I received some strong criticism for my apparent insensitivity to those who are truly homeless with no other options. Yes, I’ve been told I’m naive, ignorant, and downright stupid. But I’ve also met some amazing people and heard uplifting words of encouragement and understanding.
Which brings me back to the title of this post…
This week I received a text from a friend:
Uhhh YES. Besides the fact that my friend plays a mean cello (and always has interesting updates on his Cancer Dudes company), I’m trying to live without an apartment for exactly 4 months. #MATCH
What ensued was awesome:
*And guess what? He’s homeless right now (again.) When we met he had his suitcase with him and was taking a red-eye to Milan to explore for a bit before heading off to Asia for business.
…it’s been a good week.
But what’s the point?
If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re probably familiar with lean methodology and the concept of “validated learning.” In a SUPER dumbed down nutshell it’s about trying things out, measuring the results, learning from them, repeat. It’s also about knowing and understanding your customers (or audience.)
When I shared my plan to go homeless on Facebook, I got immediate feedback from my peer group (or audience.)
And on top of that, because people knew my intentions and understood my wants and needs, they were better able to provide value tailored to them. #doublewin
I’m not saying that you should share everything and be 100% transparent with everyone. But you just might consider it