I haven’t written in my blog since Maui. Heck, didn’t write much from Maui… which might make someone think that nothing much has been going on.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. EVERYTHING has been going on.
SOME of the things (I don’t know that I could list them all)… Read the rest of this entry »
I am a natural story teller.. it’s “my thing”- so… I’ve decided to start telling you some of my stories. Many of these have nothing to do with couch surfing, although, everything I’ve done in my life has lead me to where I am today.
Hit play, sit back, enjoy, and of course, leave a comment to let me know what you thought.
Hey, Ori here (From Austin again – Dallas tomorrow, Des Moines Friday), and I need your help.
I’m not ashamed to ask for help, and I’m sure you’ll see the irony here….
Last time I was in Iowa, I spent a month with cage fighters, causing all sorts of trouble. This time (May 9th) I am going for a reason that I’m even more passionate about… speaking at the 140Conf.
While I speak at conferences, seminars, schools, and even lunches, one of my favorite events is the 140Conf. Perhaps I am just utterly fascinated by the founder, Jeff Pulver (A coFounder of Vonage, and the guy who went to fight for us regular people, so that Telecoms can’t charge us for calls made over VOIP), who is just so multi-faceted, and so caring.
The 140conf is an event with the slogan “Characters Wanted” — the format is Read the rest of this entry »
I know I’ve been off the grid (‘cept all those silly jokes on Facebook)- so here’s what’s up:
I’ve been in South Florida now for almost 3 weeks. I’ve only left the house to go jogging daily (I have missed 2 days), and two times to go out to dinner with my folks. Other than that, I have been in front of my computer day and night.
Over the last month, I’ve gotten my LLC, Merchant Account, Business Banking Account (got majorly disappointed with Bank of America, for the second time, so am never doing business with them again), Online Shopping Cart, and have set up numerous business relationships and creating a few products.
You see, I love helping people build and grow their businesses. I’ve been doing this for ages, by providing people with high-end photography, videography, motion graphics, websites, marketing strategies and implementation, and even product design and creation. I’m thrilled that I can help… But…. I can’t help enough people to feel like I’m making a difference when I’m doing it one on one.
Coming in April is my Big Ideas Workshops….Everyone spends their money and time on getting and learning the latest tool or tactic… but they don’t actually have a great idea to use it with. People are running their businesses, but missing major opportunities. So, I will be working with 20 people per weekend teaching high-end creative ideation, as well as doing many hotseats, so everyone gets to walk away with their own big idea: a new product, or additional direction with their current product or service,the challenges you can expect to face, the resources you’ll need to charge through those challenges, and the tools to make sure that these ideas work with your market, as compared to just being nice ideas.
This week I am releasing a product that fills a major gap. It is a course on how to easily set up your own website, and fire that overpriced web designer that’s been holding your site hostage. Many people buy courses that tell them “ok.. just set up a WordPress site, and then do this this and this” — they don’t tell you how to customize it, or how to brand it.. I’m going step by step, and showing you exactly what to do, and… how to do it without having to know any of that geek-code… you don’t need CSS and HTML and PHP… although, I do teach that in case you do want it.
Ideas On Retainer, originally my coaching site, which I was adding a paid newsletter to, was getting great response… but as I said earlier in this post, I just don’t think I’m helping enough people if I put the information behind a wall. I will be publishing those business articles on this site. Ideas On Retainer will go back to being my coaching site.
So.. that’s some of what you can look forward to.
Sorry if I’ve been off the grid,
Ori
In honor of Working Naked Day 2011, I’ve made a video.
It’s 37 degrees out in Austin, so don’t expect that I’m going to go Streaking or anything like that.
If you missed yesterday’s blog post about Working Naked Day, you should read it ’cause I went in depth about the holiday. What I say in this video that I didn’t say yesterday was that there are over 30,000,000 Americans that work from home. That’s not the population of Facebook or anything, but that’s a pretty formidable crowd!
Now, picture 30,000,000 million people naked. Yeah, that is pretty gross. But then consider that Naked just means free from the corporate structure, and then it’s not gross! It’s 30,000,000 people that have chosen to go pursue their own dreams, or spend quality time with their families, or maybe just travel all over the world while working on a laptop from anywhere (that sounds familiar). It’s an easy decision… all you have to do is make it, and take the first step.
If you’re not working from home, then spend a few minutes today imagining what it would be like if you could work from home. How would you spend your time? What would it feel like? How much would you work? Whom would you hang out with? What kind of schedule would you keep?
If you are working from home, then spend some time reflecting on the freedoms that you do have, that you would not have if you were not working from home. Then call some friends who are stuck at an office, and see how they are doing. You get extra points if you’re calling them on video skype 
Will you be working naked? (photo from fhmonline)
I’m not making this up! February 1st is Working Naked Day, and I am celebrating! If you aren’t, perhaps you should! Let me tell you about the holiday.
Working Naked means Stripping yourself of the bonds of corporate World. Shedding that structure of the workplace.
Working Naked means working on your own terms, in what ever clothes you want, on your own schedule. Basically, welcome to the world of being a home-based entrepreneur.
February 1st is a day kind of like Thanksgiving, but without the Turkey. It’s a day of gratitude for those that have shed their workplace like a corporate suit. It is a day to appreciate all the things you can do that you wouldn’t be able to if you were at a job.
For example- you can go to a theme park without having to wait in major lines, as you would if you went on a weekend. You can go to the beach, or the park and read a book, because you control your own schedule. You can bring your laptop and work by the lake, because no one says that you have to be in the office in order to be productive. You can make sure to spend time with your family, or significant people. You should definitely wear something comfortable- pajamas? boxers? nothing?
So, if you are a home based entrepreneur, then you should make sure to do something to celebrate your freedom, and you should also contact your friends that are working their corporate jobs, and remind them that they too can work naked… all it takes is a dream, and some hard work.
In this day and age of abundance, people are starting to seek passion and meaning, rather than just a place to pay the bills. If you’re going to spend all your time working… you might as well be absolutely enthralled in what you do, and pursue your passion on your own term. You might as well work naked.
Who writes their happy new year post on January 7th? I do! I’m on Tico Time ? Yeah… things in Costa Rica are pretty relaxed. But.. it’s my last day! I leave today at 1PM, and I wanted to start my new year of blogging from another country. This blog post is very important to me.
Last year I started of writing about that new year’s resolutions are bullshit. I still think that. Most people don’t even last 1 week! I do have a few declarations to make to you and the universe, but before I get into those, let me tell you something I’m really proud about.
January 1st was the anniversary of my Couchsurfing journeys starting! I started on New Year’s day on 2007, which means I am now in my 5th year of couchsurfing! That’s also the reason that I wanted to send my blog post from here in Costa Rica… because that’s been a goal of mine which I finally accomplished: to couchsurf in another country. I’ve been here for 5 weeks now on seven different beds.
As a kid I wanted Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve conquered a lot of fears, and grown my comfort zone. I’ve studied thousands of hours on so many topics, and met with so many different people. I suppose you could call it my life’s work.
Now I am going to have to deal with the fears that I’ve let push me over to not committing. Check out Ideas On Retainer– coming January 1, 2011 after the hangover wears off.
I even like my new logo that I designed
I got my wish. I’m couchsurfing in another country. I have the most amazing friends I could have imagined, and even though most aren’t here with me, I feel that I am totally loved. So, now I’m 34 — here’s the latest from Costa Rica.
1st, since you’re curious as to how I’m celebrating, I am going to learn to surf waves, not just couches. I would’ve done it sooner, but I injured my foot when jogging barefoot on the beach. Read the rest of this entry »
This is my last post from America this year. This afternoon I take the Greyhound from Austin to Dallas, then I fly to Costa Rica (Got a nifty blog post about how that came up) at 5am. I’ve spent most of this month sleeping on a dog bed, although Bentley the St. Bernard didn’t always want to snuggle.
That dog bed is so comfortable. I started sleeping on it as a joke, because I was protesting the amount of time it took to inflate and deflate Craig’s air mattress, then I realized it’s really comfy, there’s nothing to set up or clean up, and Bentley makes a great pillow anyways.
I’m writing my “Thanksgiving and stuff” blog a few days after Thanksgiving, because I am grateful every day. I’ve got a great family (regardless of how much we annoy each other after a few days. You know what they say “Family and garbage.. they both start to stink after a few days.” ), I’m traveling, I’ve met the most amazing people, I work on projects that engage me intellectually, I Read the rest of this entry »
Nothing says you're cool like having one of these on your laptop
They have arrived! After four years of traveling and turning strangers into friends, my logo can now be had by you! That’s right! Couch Surfing Ori stickers are here!
This is a short post. I just wanted to write and announce it, so you can’t say you didn’t know. I’m going to Costa Rica. It has been one of my goals for a long time to start couch surfing outside the USA. Heck, I’ve had many offers in the UK, Scottland, Amsterdam, Australia, Japan, and more places… I love change. I love new places, new people, and cool stories.
Caleb Jennings has told me about Awesomeness Fest after he told me about his trip to the Malaysian rainforests. When I was photographing David Wolfe’s Longevity Conference, I was hanging out with Caleb and I also met Fatemeh, who works for Vishen, who is the organizer.
I wanted to go. It sounded like “TED” but on the beach. There’s some smart people going, and I love smart people. I love learning, and bouncing ideas. The tickets are costly, and would require flight, and the hotel is costly. But just as I decided it was out of my range…. Serendipity comes into play.
Fatemeh pointed me out to Vishen as a kick-ass photographer. I worked out a deal with them. Hotels were still close to $200 a night, plus flight. Well, Brendan has been inviting me to go to Costa Rica for a while. He says he’s there because of me. So, I figure if I go to the Awesomeness Fest, I might as well stay a bit longer. Read the rest of this entry »
I announced these from the road via twitter & facebook, as both winners are on both… but, just to make it official:
1st Place is Isabella Jones (@Fitbet) – She will receive 4 hours of my services / consulting.
2nd Place is Andy Dolph (@acdolph) – He will receive one hour of my services / consulting.
I may also be going to surf Andy’s couch in New Hampshire in order to photograph what sounds like an amazing performance by Chinese performers. During the contest, he filled out the CrashMyCouch Form and informed me about the event. It screws up my schedule, but sounds amazing… so… I am leaning towards a yes.
As I’ve grown older, making a difference has become more and more important.
Recently I spoke at the 140Conf, a conference held by Jeff Pulver (CoFounder of Vonage.com, and the guy who is responsible for VOIP (Voice Over IP — Internet-based telephone calls) being free, rather than billed per-call by the phone industries).
I met Jeff prior to the event for coffee and a chat. He was (is) an incredible person. He has a good sense of humor, and helps many people.
His passion for what he does, as well as his intelligence are both quite apparent. I decided I wanted to get involved in spreading the word about the uses of social media for other reasons than just marketing or being social. Jeff recently started his 140Conf Small Town as well, to spread the knowledge of what industries and individuals in those towns can do with these real-time technologies.
Basically, it’s how to leverage social media for social good. That’s a cause I can believe in! I’m not the only one, the mayor of Detroit is opening up the event!
I’ve used social media to connect with people, to connect other people with the people that have exponentially increased their business, with people that can solve their problems, to raise funds for a poodle that needed a $2,500 operation, and much more… the speakers at the 140 Conf have even bigger stories than mine.
I am driving from Las Vegas to Detroit, then down to Kansas. I will be using Social Media (Facebook / Twitter / 4Square / etc) to announce my locations, and I will have Tweetups (get togethers at certain destinations, generally announced on Twitter). I am looking to spread usage of social media as a tool for social change, and business growth, while meeting characters. As I find characters, I will be filming their stories. I am also, as always, looking to connect with great individuals along my route.
That’s right, Jeff Pulver agreed that anyone going with me to the Detroit 140Conf or the Kansas 140conf gets in for free. Tickets are generally $140, which is a bargain to see the panels and speakers that Jeff has lined up. I’ve never had a Caravan, and that would be rad!
I leave Las Vegas on Sunday morning, with pit stops in
Richfield, UT
Grand Junction, CO (Stop for the night here)
Brighton, CO
Grand Island, NE (stop for the nite)
Cedar Rapids, IA
Chicago IL
Then of course Detroit, MI.
I, like Jeff Pulver, am looking for characters. If you have a great story, are a character, and/or are using the internet to affect social good, then I want to know you! I want to meet you on my journey, and film your story.
I am also looking for people to Couchsurf with along the way. If you want me to stay with you, fill out the form at Crash My Couch.
I’m looking for characters, so if you got them, let me know! Use the contact form on my site, and let me know who they are …. especially if they are on my route.
Just caravan with me! Contact me (on Twitter would be great: I’m at http://twitter.com/couchsurfingori), and let me know! We can drive together!
If you know any places in those cities that would make for good tweetup spots, or own them and want the promotion, then let me know, and I’ll make sure we do it there.
Since I need to get the word out about my trip, get people interested in the tweetups (and decide where to have them), and of course to spread the word about the 140conf, I need to bring attention to this post. So, please post this on Facebook, Twitter, Social Bookmarking sites, StumbleUpon it, e-mail it to your friends, e-mail it to your enemies, forward it to reporters, forward it to bloggers…. just get the word out!
Thanks, and I’ll see you on the road!
Ok, I am packing up right now to go to Vegas for Blogworld. I have no couch lined up because I want to see what happens when I have a contest, to bribe people to get the word out.
It’s a 4 hour drive, and I’m looking to find places to stay until Sunday morning. Do you think I’ll have a place to stay for tonight by the time I get to Vegas? We’ll find out!
People are always inviting me to stay at their places, all over the world… sometimes they Skype, sometimes email, sometimes IM, sometimes Twitter, sometimes Facebook, sometimes Myspapce. Sometimes they just tell me when they meet me. So, I’ve created Crash My Couch(though that’s not the contest page) – a site where people can fill in the form, tell me a little bit about themselves, and now I’ll have a database of where people are, and what they’re about. This way as I travel, I can contact you when I get to your neck of the woods.
So, to put that site to the test, and to get the word out quickly that I am looking for cool people to stay with during Blog World (I’m not going to the expo, just the parties), I am bribing you with 4 hours of my consulting time. Check out my services page, to see all the massively valuable things I can do for you. You may even recognize some of the people I’ve done things for already.
At Blog World I’ll probably be working on my laptop during the days, and going to parties in the afternoons and nights to meet some of the cool people that i have chatted with on Twitter and Facebook to take our connection a step further. Everyone I stay with will get a few headshots by me (check the photography link at the top).
So, sign up! It’s easy! Seriously… uber easy, go to the BWE 10 contest page for full instructions.
By the way, the drawing will be held electronically (by this incredible contest program I’m testing, not by me) on Sunday morning!
[contest_fb_comments contest_slug="bwe10" width="520" numposts="25"]
I am going to mingle in Vegas, and I intentionally haven’t gotten a couch yet! Check this out:
My buddy Scott Stratten (@unmarketing) is having some parties at Blog World to celebrate his new book. Since the author’s photo is one that I took, and Read the rest of this entry »
One of my friends/couches works for History Channel, and they are casting for a show called “Off The Grid” – This could be your chance to be on TV and show off your skills. It’s History Channel, so it won’t be a cheesy reality show, it’ll be the real deal! They are looking for the following:
NEW HISTORY CHANNEL SHOW IS LOOKING FOR PROS TO TRACK DOWN CONTESTANTS IN MAJOR CITIES!!!!
* Do you have training to locate people in urban areas? Are you Ex-Military? Active military? Law Enforcement?
* Could you find someone hiding in a major city?
* Do you use technology to track people down?
* Have you ever used someone’s cell phone GPS to find that person’s location?
* ARE YOU: An Investigator? A Tracker? A Hacker? Bounty Hunter? Navy SEAL? Special Ops? FBI? Security Analyst? Surveillance Expert?
If so, we want to hear from you!
The producers of NBC’s “The Wanted” and History Channel invite you to apply for the opportunity to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime experience on a brand new action packed reality show that challenges people to stay hidden and avoid being caught by staying…
“OFF THE GRID”
APPLY NOW: e-mail a photo, phone # and a brief description of why you think that you would be great for the show to actioncasting@rocketmail.com or call 310-417-1549 ASAP!!!!!
CASTING DEADLINE OCTOBER 15TH !!!!!!!!!!!!
Keith Ferrazzi and his current Nanny
Keith has the most amazing home. Since he travels so much, and hosts weekly dinner parties, he has to have help. Here’s a wonderful opportunity for anyone in or near LA that wants an amazing with an amazing person (which I honestly think Keith is)- Here is the job posting, followed by an interview I did with the current “nanny”.
Looking for a personal "nanny" (more than just an assistant) for a healthy, crazy busy, fun but very demanding adult 44 year old man. Skills: Must be SUPER organized, NEVER drops a ball and always finds a way to GET IT (anything) DONE. Style: Very candid, tough, NO DRAMA. Big nurturing heart, a true caretaker who loves children (none yet). Trustworthy beyond belief! Very socially engaging but knows boundaries with many guests and friends. Frugal and a great negotiator. Special skill: A flair for elegance and throwing parties and dinners. Able to cook some. Fairly unpredictable schedule includes many evenings and weekends and some travel required for out of city events. Please don't waste your time answering this add if even one of these criteria are in question at all.
I’ve met Julie (pictured to the left with Keith), and she is a super hero, capable of all the above listed items… so, I wanted to share what her experience has been for the last 6.5 years working with Keith. Read the rest of this entry »
Thinnest I've ever been
Short post- just a video really. Everyone’s been giving me grief about “What do you look like now that you finished your cleanse?” and “You’re supposed to take before pics when you start P90x!” — I don’t even have a scale, and I don’t really care right now. I’m just committed to doing the exercises, and eating healthy… and running on occasion too, ’cause I have that 185 mile relay race later in July. So… here’s the video (since I don’t have anyone around to take my pic for me):
Again, as I say in the video… there’s many more reasons to do a cleanse than just to lose weight. Look into it. If I can help, feel free to ask any questions you have.
I’m excited that I’m beginning P90x from the thinnest I’ve been… should be interesting to see the restults I achieve by September 17- when I’ve completed the program. Wish me luck!
In this post, I actually give you a real set of stories from my travels… but I’m not 100% sure how to format my book. I’d really love your feedback!
ARGH! Who knew a book was tough to write? Well, I guess everyone, ’cause not everyone does it… but once you get started, all these little details come up: Read the rest of this entry »
Dear friend – yes you!
I have something really important to tell you. It’s very exciting, and very difficult for me all at once.
I’ve arrived here in La Jolla, CA where the weather is truly amazing, and I am house-sitting for the next 5-6 weeks.
On my drive here from Austin, TX I had a lot of time to think, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that the best answers come from asking the right questions. My question that I chose was “How do I make the best use of house-sitting near the beach for 6 weeks?”
I came up with many ideas, but the ones that made the most sense are also the most difficult, and I’d like to share them with you.
I have completed 3.5 years of couchsurfing around the USA. I’ve met the most incredible people that I could ever imagine. I have had amazing adventures, where Read the rest of this entry »
I’m going back to Cali… Yeah, I do think so! My last 2 posts were kind of sad, so here’s a happy one:
“Open invite to surf by beach spot for 6 weeks from june 12th till mid/late july. Must watch Webber though. Trying to find someone.”
Ummmmm…. 6 weeks, with a 1.5 week notice. Wait, I’m already packed up! I had cleared out everything (‘cept Read the rest of this entry »
Let's be friends on Facebook
I'm really talkative on Twitter
Let's be buds on MySpace
Let's connect on LinkedIn
Let's be friends on Digg
See pics on Flickr