The Derek Loudermilk Show

Do you want to experience the world's famous beer festival? The Oktoberfest is one of the largest festivals in the world for about 7 million attendees. It is a 16-day to 18-day celebration running from mid September to the first weekend in October held in Munich, Germany annually. I was lucky enough to witness this superb celebration about food, music, and lots of beer. I was able to enjoy the festival fully and I will share with you today all the stuff I learned that will help you maximize the fun! This is a 5-minute Friday episode where I give you the 7 lessons I learned from my experience in Oktoberfest last week. * Celebration is sooo important.  Basically Oktoberfest is like a giant Thanksgiving – it’s about the food and music as much as it is about the beer. Celebrations are all the more important because it is so common to focus on the negative, in fact our neurology is wired that way. I see with my entrepreneur peers all the time – even if they accomplish ten amazing things on their to do list, they focus on the one little thing they didn’t get done. Celebrating helps us be grateful, it brings people together, it gives us something to look forward to, helps us be more interesting to others, and it helps us demarcate one step of our lives to the next. * Minimalism is scary and liberating. As an eagle scout I learned to " be prepared". I hardly ever leave the house without a backpack, water bottle, snacks, sunscreen, and a jacket, but all I took to Oktoberfest was my wallet and phone (my mates even carried the house keys and train pass). I felt naked but so light and free at the same time! It also highlighted that minimalism is a privilege of people with money. You see homeless people pushing grocery carts or post depression era hoarders because, “you never know when you might need something”. * Conformity is a strong force. Probably 75 % of people at Oktoberfest are wearing the traditional outfits: Lederhosen and Dirndl and it looks really good. I wasn’t planning on buying anything because I don’t need any more stuff, but I spent so much time wishing I had that outfit, that I broke down and bought a traditional Bavarian hat. * Drinking is a lifehack to get into flow states. Why do so many people like drinking? Because it forces you to live in the now, and brings you quickly into a flow state, like surfing or doing art. Call it escapism, but if you can model your focus on the present moment in your sober life, you won't need to escape from anything. * It pays to be early. For pretty much everything in life, being early. Early adopter, early investor, early supporter, etc. At Oktoberfest, we woke up at the ungodly hour of 6 AM on a Sunday to be the first in the gate to be the first to get a table, so we could have a permanent spot in the middle of the best tent. * Experiences are more valuable than things. Why has Oktoberfest continued for over 200 years? Why is it on everyone’s bucket list (including mine)? Because it is one of the most amazing experiences in the world! Oktoberfest started as a wedding celebration and people loved it so much that it kept going all these years. Creating an amazing experience for people is also not replicable by robots, artificial intelligence, or outsourcing (so it is a great way to get rich!) * Maximize your adventure by planning less and asking the locals. On our second day, we met some people in line at the gate who gave us the scoop on “Gay Sunday” at a certain tent. This tradition has been running for 45 years and was definitely the most interesting and fun tent we could have attended at the whole event.

“The mission of the group, in one sentence, is that this is a place to ask travel questions, share travel advice, and ultimately encourage one another to travel the world sooner than later.” – Jackie Nourse Today’s guest on the Art of Adventure podcast is a traveler, an adventurer, an explorer who has mastered the art of traveling and living on a budget. She is on a mission to bring more people into the world of travel and experience the power of wanderlust. Jackie Nourse is the founder of The Budget-Minded Traveler, a space for travelers with diverse experiences to share their journey and learn from one another. She is also known as Traveling Jackie, which is the name of her second blog, where she recounts all her travel experiences for the world to witness and be inspired. Living a nomadic life for several years, she acquires vast knowledge on the “how”, “what”, “where” of traveling. During the episode, she explains why she has two blogs and what these blogs are for. She gives out amazing tips for those who wish to travel and see the world. She will be leading an adventure to Patagonian – and she welcomes everyone to join. What you will learn on this episode: * Why does she have two travel blogs * How her blog evolved over the years * Difference between The Budget-Minded Traveler and Traveling Jackie * How much money she makes out of her blog * How she uses SEO to drive her business * How she runs adventure events * How she gets sponsorship * Tips for Oktoberfest * How she runs her Facebook community Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):The Budget-Minded Traveler on Facebook on Instagram on Twitter on YouTube on Pinterest  Traveling Jackie on Facebook on Instagram on Twitter on YouTube on Pinterest on LinkedIn You might also like these episodes:AOA 157 | Mike Spencer Bown | The World’s Most Traveled ManAOA 163 | Travis Sherry | Travel More, Spend Less | Extra Pack of PeanutsAOA 153 | Matt Bailey | Travel Hacking and the Limitless LifestyleAOA 128 | Gunnar Garfors | A Story From Every CountryAOA 055 | Ladan Jiracek | Travel Wisdom From 80 CountriesAOA 118 | Chris Guillebeau | Born For This – Find the Work You Were Meant to DoAOA 052 | Ben Keene | Creating Tribes Around The World

Are you ready for a location independent life? If you are, I tell you, it's not all about booking a one-way ticket to another country, sitting in front of your laptop, doing some digital work. It's a lot more than that. Having the chance to live as a nomad allows you to experience various cultures, languages, traditions, currencies and more. And as you go through this journey, you get to realize that there's more to the world than what we read in the books or on the internet. As they say, "Experience is the best teacher". Today, I bring to you another 5-minute Friday episode where I give you a peek into my four-year quest as a Digital Nomad. If you are thinking about escaping your corporate life and join me in this digital world, here are some lessons I learned that I will be sharing with you today. And if you already have a location independent job, then listen in and let me know about your own lessons, as well. 1. We don’t need borders anymore. It is the most annoying thing in the world to have them, and people find a way to migrate one way or the other. With an increasing number of war and climate related refugees, we have to be prepared for massive human migration. 2. The people in developing countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Ukraine, and Hungary have more optimism about their future than in established economies like the US or the UK. Up to 60% of people in Vietnam are entrepreneurs with their own business or a side gig – anything from selling pineapples to creating apps. 3. Smaller governmental entities are better at serving the needs of their people than national governments. Neighborhoods, city governments, and mayors can enact change much more quickly than a large central government. In the Banjar system in Bali for example, the village reaches a consensus and building on a new temple can begin the same day. In structures like the canton system in Switzerland, and the city-state system of the ancient Mediterranean, ore autonomy led to creating solutions that work the best for that particular area. 4. Cities can effectively compete for the best talent to live thereby creating the space for location independent workers and treating them the best. If you can live and work anywhere, move to the place that has the most number of things you value whether it is mountains or community or restaurants or sunshine or safety or the ocean. “Go here you are treated best,” is the motto of the Nomad Capitalist, Andrew Henderson” 5. Some people gain the ability to work from anywhere and they choose to stay at home because they have a community at home, are scared of other cultures, or are simply uncomfortable with any real change. 6. When you compete in the global marketplace it is impossible to understand hierarchy. Instead of the traditional ability to compare yourself to your competition in your local town, you have millions of competitors around the world – there is no way to effectively rank who is the best and have it be understandable. You need to reduce the size of your market by defining your niche so that you become the best in your particular area. 7. The amount of control and autonomy that people feel in their work lives is one of the main keys to happiness. When people complain to me that they can’t find a job or they work long hours or are stuck inside, it’s likely they don’t have the skills or experience to control their own work destiny. There s always someone somewhere willing to work harder for less money than you – don’t compete with them. I recommend getting more rare and valuable skills that can’t be outsourced or automated. (And if you are thinking of starting your own location independent business and want a free strategy session with me,

“Be really clear on ‘This is what I speak about’ and ‘This is who I speak to’.” Today’s guest on the Art of Adventure podcast is a normal dude who wants to live a fulfilling and rewarding life – just like the rest of us. Grant Baldwin is the founder of The Speaker Lab which helps speakers get more paid speaking engagements, develop speaking and presentation skills, and grow speaking/online businesses. He has been a full-time speaker for eight years, and has always enjoyed speaking and helping others. In fact, he went to Bible college and became a youth pastor. During the episode, he reveals the secrets in finding and booking a paid speaking engagement. He explains how to build up your speaking portfolio and attract more clients. He also gives away tips on how to get hired and to make them want to hire you again. The Speaker Lab offers a training workshop on How To Start Booking (And Getting Paid For) Speaking Engagements Without Having An Existing Platform. The Speaker Lab also offers a speaker fee calculator where you answer a few questions and it will tell you how much you should charge for a specific event. Try it here. What you will learn on this episode: * How to get paid in speaking * Shifting from free speaking to paid speaking * How to get speaking engagements * How to make the clients look good * Making the audience as the hero * Tips to get hired * How to make the client want to book you again * Tips on making a demo video * What you should incorporate in your talk * Using humor in your talk Quotes: “In fact, many speakers that I know are introverts.” - Grant Baldwin “There’s no right or wrong way to get paid speaking gigs. You just have to figure out what makes the most sense for you.”- Grant Baldwin “You’re not just going there to speak to an audience. Part of what you are hired to do is to not make the event planner look bad.” - Grant Baldwin “Your job as a speaker is your there to serve the client”- Grant Baldwin “It’s really important that you are talking about something that solves a problem for the audience.”- Grant Baldwin “Nobody can sell you better than you.”- Grant Baldwin Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):The Speaker Lab websiteFacebookTwitterInstagramYouTube You might also like these episodes:AOA 093 | Michael Port | Steal The ShowCaroline Weiler | The Power Of StorytellingAOA 034 | Jordan Harbinger | The Art of the Interview and Networking Like a ProAOA 056 | Michael Margolis | Storytelling For BusinessAOA 081 | Vanessa Van Edwards | The Body Language Of Great First Impressions

"There are all kinds of different voices in our heads, and often we are listening to our rational mind instead of our intuition." What do you listen to when you make decisions? Should you listen to intuition, statistics, or experience? This is a 5-minute Friday episode about the Invisible Scripts, the voices and programs in our mind that control our decision making. This episode talks about the variety of influences on our dreams and decisions. Our lives often unknowingly followed a script written by tradition, culture, and heritage. But this is not always the right path to lead. Do not just do what the world tells you to do. Sometimes, we should forget all these rational decisions and listen to those butterflies within us. From my Graduate School Days at Montana State I was talking with Jeff Shapiro the other day – he is a paraglider, rock climber, BASE jumper, and wing suit athlete that has had many of his friends die from these dangerous pursuits. We were talking about risk management and what voice in your head you should listen to when you are doing a highly dangerous activity and want to minimize the risk of death. It got me thinking about decision making and why intuition is so hard to listen to. If it were easy to listen to our intuition, I wouldn’t have been divorced just 16 months after I got married. I knew deep down that I didn’t want to get married, I wasn’t even sure whether I wanted to stay in a relationship. But I also knew that I loved my ex and wanted to make her happy. My intuition was telling me “Don’t get married”. Another voice said, “It’s the right thing to do. You owe it to her after dating for three years.” Another voice said, “Getting married will save the relationship”. Now with hindsight, I see that my intuition would have been the right voice to listen to. What about with career decisions? What do the voices in our heads tell us? I followed a dream of becoming a professional cyclist, but then I stopped to follow a different dream of becoming a scientist. This was a very confusing decision because it was a mix of my own dream and dreams came from other people. Cycling was my dream. Being a scientist was a script I inherited from somewhere, it wasn’t totally mine. I always wanted to be an explorer and adventurer. I was chasing a feeling of being a hero. With bike racing, that was covered. Going after a PhD in microbiology was a mash up of my true dream of being an explorer (because I was doing extremophile research in Yellowstone National Park) and my invisible script telling me to be a scientist. This invisible script wasn’t something I got from anyone in particular, but a presumed destiny I picked up along the way in life. My teachers told me I was good at science and biology, my father was a microbiologist, and I think science is really cool, so all the arrows pointed toward a career in science. When I was out in the field collecting samples, I was living ‘my dream’, but when I was back in the lab analyzing them, I was living someone else’s dream. And the rational voice in my head and my intuition couldn’t really figure out what wasn’t working for me. I recently finished reading Charlamagne Tha God’s book “Black Privilege”. In it, he talks about how his mentor told him “fuck your dreams if they aren’t yours”. Charlamange wanted to be a rapper and he was no good, but his mentor saw that he was a natural behind the mic as a radio DJ. He was only chasing the dream of being a rapper because sports and rapping were the two main ways out of the hood. I already have dreams for my nine month old son. I see innate talent and ability in him that I hope he gets to take to advantage of.

“It’s not the lack of resources but the lack of resourcefulness that holds people back” – Chase Boehringer   Today’s guest on the Art of Adventure podcast is an epitome of an adventurer. He takes people to the world’s most epic adventures! Chase Boehringer is the founder of The Bucketlist Lifestyle which brings together the most positive people on Earth for once in a lifetime “Bucketlist-worthy” adventures. They also provide the most up to date travel information, tricks and hacks that will help you travel the world by spending less. They give you no more excuses to pack your bags and experience the world. Chase is a small town guy who got married at the age of 19 and got divorced a few years later. He felt like his heart was crumbled to pieces and didn’t mind dying anymore. It is when he did the world’s most extreme adventures that he felt the essence of living. During the episode, he shares the book that made a great impact in his life: The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. If you are tired of your life and wants to travel the world and experience an epic adventure, this is the episode for you. What you will learn on this episode: * The story behind The Bucketlist Lifestyle * How The Bucketlist changed his life * Who are the people behind his transformation * Tips and tricks for people who want to travel * How manifestation works for him * Men’s vulnerability and emotions * His beliefs * Making money while traveling * When is the time to act * How to afford a travel lifestyle Quotes: “When I started doing that crazy stuff, that’s when I actually started to feel the feeling of being alive.” - Chase Boehringer “I needed that extreme to slap my face again to wake me up to life”- Chase Boehringer “You need to become the person that can handle your manifestations"- Chase Boehringer “What we focus on grows.”- Chase Boehringer "Taking care of yourself is the best way to take care of others"- Chase Boehringer "Nobody has all their shit figured out"- Chase Boehringer Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):The Buckelist Lifestyle websiteChase Boehringer's websiteFacebookYouTubeLinkedIn You might also like these episodes:AOA 136 | Christine Hassler | How To Beat Expectation HangoversAOA 051 | Rick Hanson | Permanently Increase Your HappinessAOA 094 | Loretta Breuning, PhD | Habits Of A Happy BrainAOA 159 | Calvin Witcher | Finding and Living Your Truth

"The ability to focus is one of the most valuable skills you can cultivate" How long can you stay focused on something without getting bored? Can you end a day without any distractions - no phone, no internet? I've written before about how I learned to be more present with my son, Axel, and how that helped me concentrate when I go to work on a challenging project. This is a 5-minute Friday episode about the Power of Focus, the ability to concentrate on something for a significant time without any interruptions. Focus and concentration is what allows the worlds best minds to generate brand new thoughts and ideas. This episode talks about how focus leads to productivity and success. A lot of people are having difficulty in focusing - including ME! I realized I often lacked focus and wanted to challenge myself to structure my life to increase this skill - starting from spending time with my son longer without picking up my phone. And I challenge everyone to do go longer without your favorite distraction and let me know how it goes. To learn more about this topic, you can check out the interview with Cal Newport on Episode 121 about his book and his theory of Deep Work, the skill of structured focus.

“My superhero power is a VIP access to the world” – Colleen Schell Today’s guest on the Art of Adventure podcast is an energetic and inspiring person who believes that everyone is a jerk; and the more we accept that, the more it goes away until we are left with self-love. Colleen Schell is a repeat guest from Episode 53: The Core Of Leadership. She is an Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Coach who encourages people to think differently. She has this awesome personality that makes people feel amazing. This is a powerful conversation about how to live a VIP life. Colleen gets to fly on private jets, stay at luxury hotels and experience a VIP lifestyle without being extremely wealthy. How does she do it? She has access to billionaires and gets invited into powerful circles by being who she is – no strategies, no intentions, just the being herself. To her, it is more about the being than the doing. Listen to this episode and fall in love with yourself. During the episdoe, I recommend you to read the book, Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It, by Kamal Ravikant. What you will learn on this episode: * Finding the answers within yourself * The magic of group coaching * How to make people feel great * How to get invited into powerful circles * What is a VIP lifestyle * Why people want to be around her * How important is Emotional Intelligence * How to learn from others * How to get people to connect with you * The game of self-love * A self-hack Colleen recently did Quotes: “I already have the answers for myself.” - Colleen Schell “The ability to get in and out of different emotions can really be a key to success.” - Colleen Schell “There is nothing different between me and the multi-millionaire.” - Colleen Schell Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):The Crew Bali websiteColleen Schell websiteFacebookLinkedInTwitter

“We connect people with needs overseas with to donors who want a really cool donation experience” – Gret Glyer Today’s guest on the Art of Adventure podcast is an amazing person with a big heart. He founded a charity organization to help those who are in need and he gets ZERO salaries in return. His compensation is the smiles from the people they are able to help. Gret Glyer is the founder of DonorSee, an app that lets you help the world’s poorest people and then show you through videos where your hard-earned money went.  This is a perfect avenue to give your money and see for yourself the impact your money made. I wanted to have Gret on the show, because so many of us are trying to figure out the best way to help and donate to charity, but its a complex decision. For 3 years, Gret lived in Malawi, one of the poorest places in Africa. He started out by helping a homeless old lady raise fund to build her a home before the rainy season starts. This started a journey of helping the poorest people find donors for their most immediate needs. During his stay in Malawi, he was able to build 100 houses for the homeless and famously crowdfunded $100,000 to build a girl’s school. If you want to learn more about the DonorSee and why it chose to forgo the traditional route, I recommend you read the DonorSee’s Superior Humanitarian Aid Model. What you will learn on this episode: * Basic concept of DonorSee * Idea behind DonorSee * What makes it different from other charities * Why they chose to use for-profit model * How to donate and where your money goes * Can ordinary citizens post on DonorSee * Disparity between the rich and the poor * Motivation behind the charity * Living conditions in Malawi * What makes a good or bad charity organization * Sustainability of the projects * Who are the aid workers * Solving unpredictable revenue problems Quotes "There is so little conversation about the best interests of the end user of charitable giving" - Grey Glyer "Africans are more expressive because they can't afford to numb out" - Grey Glyer "DonorSee is also building sustainable infrastructure" - Grey Glyer "How much better can your life be if you step outside your bubble?" - Grey Glyer "The best charities are highly decentralized or highly specialized" - Grey Glyer "To feel fulfilled, give until you have to sacrifice - Grey Glyer Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode): To donate on DonorSee, visit: www.donorsee.com or download the app:on App Storeon Google Play   Learn more about Gret on:www.gretglyer.comTwitterLinkedInFacebookYouTubeInstagram You might also like these episodes:AOA 136 | Christine Hassler | How To Beat Expectation Hangovers

Hi Adventurers! This is a special bonus episode featuring some of of my top travel podcaster friends! You will hear from each host for a couple of minutes so you can get a better feel for what they are like.  Immersing yourself in a variety of travel, lifestyle, digital nomad, expat, and adventure podcasts is the best way to accelerate your learning on the topics! Of course there are some great shows in addition to this list, but have a listen and see what piques your interest! The 6 Packs w/Expats is a podcast by CP Travels which discusses global politics, fashion trends, myths, or just share stories about their time abroad hosted by Carl and Patrick.Travel Like A Boss podcast is the radio show all about traveling like a boss by being your own boss - featuring guests that have built their own online businesses. This podcast is hosted by Johnny FD. The Expat Happy Hour is the podcast that draws on the realities of expat life to offer you smart and simple solutions so that you can quickly (and painlessly!) adapt. Be successful, find your purpose abroad and stay connected with those who mean the most. This podcast is hosted by Sundae Bean.As Told By Nomads podcast features interviews with global nomads, Third Culture Kids, entrepreneurs and multicultural individuals who are leaders in business, culture, travel and global affairs to discuss what it takes to embrace your global identity and become a global leader. This podcast is hosted by Tayo Rockson. Check out his website at tayorockson.com I had a great interview on the Art of Adventure with Tayo about Global Leadership. The point of the Travel Wisdom podcast is that traveling can be more than a vacation but a learning experience and that traveling can be an investment into your future. This podcast is hosted by my good friend Ladan Jiracek. Look for an upcoming course on the Hero's journey by Ladan and I in the near future. I had a great interview with Ladan on The Art of Adventure about what he learned from visiting 80 countries.  Ladan was the organizer of putting these podcast promo together! And if you haven't already, make sure you subscribe to the Art of Adventure, and we will keep bringing you the best guests and exploring the most adventurous ideas!