Resources
In my life I’ve learned that living a life built on fostering daily purpose and meaning is a team effort. My team consists of a wide cast of people, but also a variety of tools that allows me to make my time, focus and money work harder for me.
Important Disclosure! I want to be transparent that some of the things I’ve listed below contain an affiliate link. If you use them, I may get a small commission – but there will be no additional cost to you. I only include resources that I personally use and in good conscious firmly believe you may find value in them as well.
Table of contents
Books
Amazon Kindle
I love everything about physical books. I thought Kindles were a corruption of a perfectly good thing. I was so wrong. I read more, smarter, and with greater ease with the Kindle.
Into the Wild – by Jon Krakauer
The only book I read every single year. For me, no book has better-provoked my own reflection on what the human experience can be than this one.
Favorite quote: “You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience.”
The Giving Tree – by Shel Silverstein
Many people interpret it differently, but I have always seen it as a poignant reminder of the various forms of love and loss that we all must face.
Favorite quote: “And the boy loved the tree…….very much. And the tree was happy.”
Start With Why – by Simon Sinek
Discovering my WHY, HOW, and WHAT was an important milestone in my personal growth journey.
Favorite quote: “Working hard for something we do not care about is called stress, working hard for something we love is called passion.”
Business
This website is my business and the following tools power the critical infrastructure behind the scenes.
A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is who I trust to keep my website up and running 24/7. For an entrepreneur such as myself, the cost is economical and the customer service is always reliable. (paid)
Send Fox
Email marketing is important if you have any interest in building an online audience. I use SendFox for creating and sending out my weekly newsletter. (free + paid plans)
Films
The following are films that have either changed how I see the world or have directly impacted my life. Click here to browse all the movies I’m watching.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
A beautifully moving story that demonstrates how life can be unfair and cruel but having hope and a dream is a powerful weapon.
Favorite quote: “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
The Truman Show (1998)
With each passing year it becomes a more valuable reminder of the dangers of in-authenticity and the importance of being true to ourselves.
Favorite quote: “Somebody help me, I’m being spontaneous!”
Organization
Organization is not one of my strengths. These tools go a long way in helping me keep track of my thoughts and work.
Airtable
If you’ve ever had a lot of information and no ideal way of organizing it, Airtable might be for you. (free + paid plans)
Notion
Part task manager, part note-taker, part web clipper, and so much more. Notion is hard to explain, but once you dive into its various applications, you’ll be hardpressed to remember how you lived without it. (free + paid plans)
Workflowy
My brain processes information best when there are bolded words, bullet points, and headers and subheaders. Workflowy is a tool that provides me a simple way to organize my most complex projects. (free + paid plans)
Productivity
It’s so easy to lose track of time if you don’t properly schedule it.
Google Calendar
I love having a good old fashioned calendar around. I’m a planner and I like being able to schedule my time at the daily, weekly, and monthly levels. Google Calendar can do just that AND sync across all my devices. (free)
Travel
My version of ideal travel involves good hiking, great views, and delicious food. All the tools below are essential for helping me plan and enjoy all my trips.
AllTrails
AllTrails is an app/website must for anyone who loves hiking. All hikes can be filtered by location, distance, altitude gained, popularity, etc. so chances are it can find your next favorite hike. (free + paid plans)
Gaia GPS
Anytime I go off the beaten path I rely on Gaia GPS for my map needs. It has the best collection of layers available to cover all my topographic, nautical, and historical needs. (free + paid plans)
Google Earth
It currently doesn’t play a direct role in my travels, but there is no website I enjoy using more than Google Earth. (free)
Google Maps
When I need to find out the quickest way to get somewhere: Google Maps. When I need to find a vegetarian restaurant that has more than 4.5 stars: Google Maps. When I need to create a custom map for my next road trip: Google Maps. If I could only have one app on my smartphone: Google Maps. (free)
Wikitravel
An incredibly useful resource for learning about any destination. As it’s crowdsourced from thousands of travelers, it has information that you won’t find anywhere else. (free)
Airbnb
The place to go if you want to find that one-of-a-kind lodging destination or local experience. (free)