man·i·fes·to (măn’ə-fĕs’tō)
n., pl., -toes, or -tos.
A public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially of a political nature.
So here’s the thing about me, James D Kirk and this site, BoldlyGoing.com: like many of my friends, close family, extended relatives, readers, associates, fans (and not-so-fans!) and others that happen by on occasion, the desire to be happy, healthy, wealthy and wise is a major driving force in my life. What this means, and how to actually make it so–well, that’s another story. Yes?
The lede above is the Answers.com Dictionary definition of manifesto. While I believe most folks who know me would not describe me as being overly political, I wonder that age (pronounced worldly experience, right?) might be accumulating opinions in me as to my surrounding world and how it’s being run (or run down, as the case may be).
So less a political statement, but more the public declaration of intentions, this About page holds the beginnings of how we’re planning on making some changes, and moving towards a life less of quiet desperation and more of moderately boisterous inspiration.
For years, one of my very best friends has been telling me to do something awesome with my domain, BoldlyGoing.com. For years I’ve replied that I will. I plan to. I’m going to make it happen. For years I’ve struggled with understanding how to maximize what really is a groovy name–more important, a groovy concept.
Apart from the obvious Star Trek references, Boldly Going clearly had to be owned and operated by a (real) James Kirk (I would have gotten that domain back in 2000, but alas, it had been registered already, leaving me with JamesDKirk.com!)
But what to do in order to create the brand of Boldly Going? On numerous occasions, Joseph has indicated to me that my oft spat delusions of traveling the country and perhaps the world would best be suited for documentation within the BG domain. Even when I come up with perfectly interesting alternative domain names, I am reminded of placing them on the DCOP (that’s “Domain Cooling Off Period” for those who don’t have the hoarding tendency to collect domain names 😐 ).
There you have the first aspiration I’ve harbored for some time. Designing a life where income generation can be implemented from anywhere. One of the Internet’s under-utilized gifts to humanity is the work-from-anywhere opportunities it can provide. Granted one must figure out how and what to do. How to make it feasible for life on the road, in a manner of acceptability, etc.
Moving into the arena of being a writer has helped me to solidify my understanding of how I might use Internet connectivity to earn a living–wherever I might find myself (I could launch into a tirade about cellular services–or lack thereof–but I’ll refrain. I know you feel that pain). Additionally, the years of experiences in a number of related web development arenas including WordPress operations, SEO, SEM and general copy writing have finally come to a confluence of mobile income generation opportunities.
Hopefully, the ability to work and earn survival pay can be ironed out and proven reliable. Next, the real barriers to moving into the Boldly Going phase will exist in my ability to make the leap from a relatively comfortable life with known quantities like a bed, electricity, ability to produce food for reasonable cost and effort, to a life on the move with little in the way of “stuff”.
The desire to continue seeking an existence which requires the absolute minimum, burns strong. So much so, that the recent request of a friend and reader of this site to help her begin the process of downsizing her life got my creative juices going again.
The result will be the development of an online resource where folks can come to learn about what it really means to be of the minimalist nature, and how to do it in ways that fit you and your lifestyle. We’re not quite ready for launch yet, but when the time comes, it will be well documented in the blogs herein.
Why mention the concept of downsizing within this “manifesto”? Mostly because I feel it is a part of the process I will personally undertake in order to shift into that next stage of my life–the Boldly Going everywhere stage!
Without weighing down this page with lists, details, intentions and planning–I’ll leave that for the regular blog post updates–suffice it to say that the journey is beginning. Today. With the publishing of this page. Now.
Allow this, dear friend, family member, fan, follower, freak–you know what you are–to be my public declaration of my intentions to begin a life deserving of being called Boldly Going.