As much as I want to continue my month-long posting fast that magically took me above 2,000 subscribers for the first time, I thought I’d better tell you about Marelisa Fabrega’s new ebook before the price goes up.

Currently priced at just $9.50 (that’s 5.76 cents per page for you value shoppers), I’m inclined to say “just go buy it – how can you go wrong with something by Marelisa at that price?” But perhaps I can manage a better introduction.

As long as I’ve known Marelisa, she’s been big on life lists, also known as bucket lists. You know, those 100 or so things you want to accomplish before you die, or the things you’d most regret not doing if you suddenly found you didn’t have long to live. She’s well known for her popular and high-ranking Squidoo lens on this topic, so who better to write an ebook about life lists?

And that’s what she’s done with How To Live Your Best Life – The Essential Guide for Creating and Achieving Your Life List. This ebook is designed to help you rekindle your adventurous spirit, figure out exactly what you want in each area of your life, break through falsely perceived limits, and thereby achieve your life list.

Do I have a life list? You betcha (though I lost the original version, and the current one exists only in my head). Here are some items I’ve recently added to it:

• Complete all 100 levels on Wii Tanks (seemed impossible, until I did it in a lucky outlier run lasting nearly two hours, with 10 lives to spare)
• Run a marathon in under 5 hours (seems impossible at this point, but who knows?)
• Write ten novels (one down, nine to go)
• Create a steady income stream from playing poker (just started reading books and playing at the lowest limits)
• Have lunch at every restaurant in the vicinity of my workplace (every day is a field trip for me and my lunch buddy)

This ebook is both inspirational and practical, so different people may get different things out of it. Since I prefer to follow my impulses and let my life list unfold naturally, I especially liked the stories and lessons from both average Joes and famous people. Those who prefer a more organized and systematic approach will appreciate the exercises and instructions where she walks you through the process of creating your life list and starting to cross off the items.

I’ve included an abridged version of the table of contents below, so you can see at a glance how much Marelisa has managed to pack into this guide. If you’re serious about achieving your life goals, read How To Live Your Best Life!

Introduction

Part VII: What Are You Waiting For? Get Going
Chapter Twenty-Five: Keep a Journal of Your Journey
Chapter Twenty-Six: Your Victory List
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Ithaca

Do you remember what your life was supposed to be like? Most of us once had a certain destination in mind, and we were all set to go there. But something went wrong. Despite our carefully arranged plans, we ended up someplace else.

At first we’re very disappointed to end up in the wrong place. This isn’t the life we wanted. We might even call it a tragedy. After some time though, we start getting used to it.

We’re not sure whether this is a good place or a bad place, but it’s certainly interesting. Maybe it’s best to withhold judgment. And since this is where we’re going to be for a while, we might as well make ourselves at home, and take a look around.
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We find ourselves surrounded by people of all different backgrounds. We wouldn’t necessarily have chosen to be with these people, and we might think we have nothing in common with some of them. But when we learn their story, we probably find that we can actually relate to them. Eventually, we may realize that we need each other.

There were things that we were so desperate to get back to, but now we can’t really remember why. Maybe we weren’t really supposed to be where we thought we were. Having left some parts of us behind, the past no longer matters. And looking ahead to the future is largely pointless, because there’s no way to predict it. All that matters are the experiences we have today.

A bunch of irrelevant crap will happen, sometimes for weeks at a time. We’ll often wonder, “What the hell does this have to do with advancing the plot?” Some of it will become significant later. Some of it won’t. What we think are our most important questions may never be answered, and we’ll get answers to questions no one asked. But the world wasn’t designed to answer your questions, and we can’t expect to be guided on a straight path from start to finish.

Bad things will happen to good people, and good things will happen to bad people. We’ll even lose track of who the good guys and bad guys are. We’re not sure what we’re supposed to do, what’s right and wrong, or even whether it matters. Are black and white really opposites?

We don’t really know what our part to play is. Are you supposed to learn to forgive yourself or others? Repair a relationship? Become a leader? Protect something? Get off drugs and act like a father? Stop torturing people? Kidnap people on a list? Shoot a polar bear? Set off a nuke? Push a button every 108 minutes? Study electromagnetism? Determine what happens to dynamite in 90+ degree heat? Turn into a smoke monster?

There’s really no one here to tell you what to do. And if someone is, you might not want to listen.

Many times, we’ll wonder whether this is all a test, whether our life has a purpose. Do we have free will? Do you believe in destiny? Are we here for a reason? You’ll probably be wondering right up until the very end, but you’ll never really know. Even after it’s over, everyone will still disagree about what it all means.

So, what then? Is life a hopeless chaotic jumble of teleporting islands, four-toed statues, doomsday numbers, mistranslated tattoos, sonic fences, magic boxes, invisible horses, fake beards, light and water wheels, and so on? Or is there a grand purpose to it all? I couldn’t tell you. But regardless, what can you do, other than making the most of each episode?

I’ve got a guest post up on IttyBiz about the meaning of life.

It was originally titled “Planning For The End Of Your Ittybiz,” but it’s really not specific to business at all. It’s about what you’ll do once you no longer have to do anything.

Stop by and get some life advice from the Dalai Lama, Thomas Jefferson, Steve Pavlina, Tim Ferriss, Neo, and Ferris Bueller.

In my review of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, I basically just said “this is awful, don’t buy it.” I didn’t expect that review to get much attention, but it did. There was a lot of discussion in the comments about how much your mindset matters compared to the more tangible things.

I think mastering the inner game is hugely important; I just don’t think that book was very helpful in this regard. But today I came across something that is.

Mary Anne Fischer’s site is called i Profit On Purpose, and there are a couple of double meanings here. The lowercase “i” is for “internet,” as in i[insert Apple product here], and “on purpose” refers to life purpose. So it’s about consciously creating an online business that fits with who you are.

She has a free ebook called “What Everybody Ought to Know About Making Money Online.” It had been on my list of things to read, but I didn’t get around to it until Michael Martine gushed over Mary Anne in his latest Remarkablogger newsletter.

He got an early look at her not-yet-launched program and loved it. And while I haven’t seen her program, I can tell from her ebook that she knows what she’s talking about. She talks about things like core strengths, core genius, and the “you” factor, putting it all together to help you create an online business that’s both profitable and enjoyable.

I read through it pretty quickly because I’m trying to leave town, but I saw it as a very extensive overview of the personal considerations that most people ignore when building an online business. I’m very curious to learn more, and I hear from Michael that a lot more is coming.

If you get on her list, you’ll have a chance to win a full scholarship to her program when it launches, but the deadline is 1 AM EST Sunday morning. Sorry for the short notice, but I just discovered it myself.

Let me ask a very loaded question to get some conversation going: do you think an online business should take your passions, strengths, and life purpose into account, or is it better to follow a one-size-fits-all solution?