Are we living well or just pretending?!  â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â
You're subscribed to SELFISH FOREVER with Ash Ambirge, a spunky column about how to live & work from anywhere and enjoy your life againâ
â --------------------------------------------------------------- â Recipe for a New Life (When Your Old One is Killing You) Are we living well or just pretending?! â Iâm at a cottage on a lake in the middle of the woods. (Donât worry, I give an EXCELLENT titty twister, should anyone try to murder me.) Thereâs knotty pine. Bunk beds. And corn on the cob holders. DO YOU KNOW HOW POSSESSED I AM BY THESE CORN ON THE COB HOLDERS? ð½ I had forgotten they existed until I saw them in the drawer and they punched me right in the mouth. Iâm convinced that everything good about life can be traced back to the first summer you fell in love at your Aunt Bonnieâs barbecue on the 4th of July. Your shorts were weird. Your T-shirt didnât lay right. You were wearing grape-flavored Lip Smackers and still thought adults actually knew what they were doing (both while setting off fireworks and giving you advice on your future). Whenâs the last time you felt so free??? I used to see a laptop as a symbol of freedom. Remember when that happened? It was all âescape the 9-5!â and I was a big part of that movement. I blogged my way through an entire decade of escaping. I was the poster child for it. One of the very first bloggers to lay down arms. Lead by example. Do life differently. Make creativity valuable. But then the laptop got heavy. Turns out, physical freedom and financial freedom are very different from mental freedom. For years, weâve exclusively prioritized location independence and financial independence: donât do anything that puts chains around your ankles!, weâd shout. Jobs that required you to be in an office every day were a modern-day death sentence for your soul. And, there was a snooty subtext throughout all of these conversations, too: That doing so made you basic. But, what we didnât account for was the other type of freedom we were sacrificing in order to be âfreeâ: the kind where you can collect sticks and walk through the woods and pick moss off a tree and pull out the corn on the cob holders without feeling like you are failing.
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I think about âpotentialâ a lot. I think about the pressure to live up to your potential, fulfill your potential, realize your potential, eat your fucking potential for breakfast, lunch, and the snack plate at a funeral. YOU MUST NOT WASTE YOUR TALENTS. YOU MUST DO AS WELL AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. And, whenever you stop âliving up to your potentialâ in order to skip a rock and build a fire and catch a firefly in a jar? That can feel like failure, too. Because sometimes, not doing your best at all hours of the day can feel like slacking. Thatâs because âpotentialâ has got a dollar sign tattooed on its face. This is how we measure our excellence. It is not whether weâve done enough meaningful things in our lifeâitâs whether weâve earned enough money in our life. And you can never earn enough money when youâre on the internet. On the internet, opportunity is endless. On the internet, you can be âfree.â Except, thatâs a joke. You arenât free on the internet; at least, not most people, anyway. Freedom doesnât come from taking micro orders from thousands of different people every day. Oooohhh, that hit you somewhere deep, didnât it? âMicro orders.â Thatâs what it feels like, being online. You donât own your time anymore. Other people do. Because itâs almost impossible to resist responding, reacting, engaging, turning into a tiny little helpless bobble head. Isnât that what weâre supposed to do? Itâs all a bunch of charades. And none of it is good for us. Thereâs a difference between building an online business and building an online prison. Unfortunately the latter is usually what looks like success.
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There are a lot of things I donât believe in: black licorice, god, tattoos of clowns. Who the fuck wants a tattoo of a clown? Donât you dare send me that shit. Iâve also decided I donât believe in online business the way itâs been done. I donât believe in TikTok.
I donât believe in Instagram.
I donât believe in Facebook groups.
I donât believe in noise for the sake of noise. Noise does not equal money. You can make as much noise as you wantâbut most of the people doing that are broke. Thatâs because theyâre spending all their time making distractions, rather than making a product. But people who have been online for as long as I have know the truth: itâs better to have a quiet business that earns millions of dollars, than a loud one that earns millions of fans. Whatâs the point? Iâm not interested in building my ego. Iâm interested in building a life. Thatâs what true potential should mean: how well did you live?
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Maybe instead of money earned, we need other metrics to gauge success. This is why my new program, [Selfish School](, teaches you how to start an online business without social media so you can actually enjoy your lifeâand in doing so, measures success not only in terms of $USD, but also something I call $T: uncommitted time. How much leisure time do you have leftover in your day? If you are earning good money, but have no time in your life to live, you donât have a life. And frankly? That doesnât interest me. What interests me is how I can earn the financial resources I need in order to be able to: - Go out on the canoe and splash my hand in the water
- Invite the kid I shared a locker with in the 9th grade over for beers
- Look through old black and white photos of my grandparents from Italy
- Sit down with an art pad and sketch a garden for the backyard
- Run my hand over a patch of dewey grass in the morning
- Meet up with the girls for a throwback game of pool (or seven!)
- Take a 4-wheeler out to see the sunset
- Snap pictures of birds and look them up on an app
- Write a thoughtful birthday card for someone I love
- Giggle over a glass of wine with my old Uncle Barry
- Be still. Be quiet. Be able to look around me and actually see.
- Help a neighbor move a stove
- Take the time to look at the trees
- Press buttercups into a vintage book
- Breathe
- Smile when an old friend calls
- Walk through the crick like I did when I was twelve
- Think about life
- Ponder the world
- Eat corn on the cob at twelve noon in the middle of summer
- Do the kinds of things that technology should be helping us have more time to do Time is the new money. I donât care how much youâre earning; I want to know how well youâre living. Can you earn a quarter million dollars a year and still be free? Can you still be connected? Grounded? Who you want to be? This is what Iâve set out to help us do in [Selfish School](. Because turns out, itâs not a laptop that makes you feel free. Itâs knowing how to use itâand then walk away from itâthat does. â â [Enroll in Selfish School Now & Breathe Again]( â â â How to live & work from anywhere in the world
and enjoy your life again â WITH ASH AMBIRGE + Sweary outbursts
+ Unpopular opinions about crustaceans
+ New ideas about ways to earn a living that don't require you to be a sucker
+ How to actually enjoy your life while working less and visiting Ireland more
+ A real zest for extreme pearl wearing
+ Favoritism for bars with scary-ass mafia pool rules
(MY QUARTERS WERE THERE, SON)
+ Zero ambition to be a good girl who bakes casseroles & smiles politely
+ BUT ALSO: a creepy affection for small-town Main Streets & freshly-mowed lawns
+ Currently searching for the most livable places in the world (and looking through people's windows)
+ Unbridled enthusiasm for storage units and guys named Bob
+ Deep fear of waking up and not having any water on the nightstand
+ Entirely unbalanced accounts of everything, including my morals
+ At least three Freudian slips around my true feelings about bracelets
(They make your arms look like baby wiener sausages at an Italian wedding) P.S. Have you read [my book on living & working differently]() yet?
It's a real blast to have on the coffee table when the in-laws come over.
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