This is a story about losing our surfing virginity on the beaches of Raglan, a town on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. It’s also about taking a step back to appreciate that learning to surf is a lot like learning to live life itself.
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Filed Under: New Zealand, Pacific, Personal Growth, Travel by: Daniel Noll
28 Comments | 4 March 2013
The following is a selection of twelve lessons we shared in our talk at the World Domination Summit (WDS), plus one of those aha! moments.
When Chris Guillebeau asked us to speak at WDS about our lives and what we’ve learned, we were beyond honored and excited. Then reality hit.
Holy poop. What are we going to say in front of all those people?!

In front of *all* those people at WDS. Photo courtesy of Armosa Studios.
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Filed Under: Personal Growth, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
31 Comments | 13 July 2012
This is about saying thank you: why we do it, the ways we do it, the cheapening of it, the deepening of it. And why, when you’re traveling, it’s one of the most important words to know in the local language.
Thank you. For travelers, it’s no wonder those words are among the first our guidebooks suggest we learn. With such a simple expression, satisfaction is affirmed, respect is underscored, roads of goodwill are paved and we are bound to one another just a little bit more than we otherwise might have been.
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Filed Under: Personal Growth by: Daniel Noll
40 Comments | 25 September 2011
I turned 40 yesterday. Yep, I’m almost hesitant to admit it. Almost. There are days where I’d like to think I’m suspended permanently at either 23 or 33. But that’s not the way time, this construct we’ve created to capture the constant state of change in the world around us, actually works.

“What have you learned over these years?” a friend asked in light of the occasion. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Personal Growth by: Daniel Noll
42 Comments | 5 August 2011