The Bayaka do not have that luxury.

This month, 30 bloggers are trying their hardest to raise $30,000 for clean water to be provided in Central African Republic. Tyler Stanton is the brains behind this operation (I'm not sure how often he's called the brains of anything, but he deserves the credit for this impressive feat of organization) and we all hope that over the next 30 days, a world of good can be done half a world away.

charity: water has done a lot of good in its short history. It uses 100% of all donations to provide clean water (the organization's overhead is covered by private donors). Therefore, everything you give will co to make a difference directly in the lives of the Bayaka.

Who are the Bayaka? Watch this and find out (it's worth all five minutes):

Ready to donate? Of course you are.

More thoughts about why your life needs an editor below:

Who Edits Your Life? from Sam Davidson on Vimeo.

What has been the dominant theme of your conversations lately?

No, it's not quick or sexy, but it's important and very telling. For me, I've had a lot of conversations with people lately about their career plans, school plans, or life plans. They want to chat about whether they're making the right decision, how to not make a wrong decision, or they wonder if it's worth making a decision at all.

Some wonder if more school or the next job is the right decision. They're curious if they're stagnating where they are, left to flounder at a dead end job or in a master's program that may be no better than their undergrad one. They're curious if the opportunity cost is worth it, if they should be doing something else to get where they want to be.

I tell them not to worry about any of that and I instead ask if their life has a trajectory. To me, instead of planning out each step, it's better to know if your life is headed in a general direction (and what that direction is). It's the difference between a compass and a map.

A map plans out each step. Turn by turn directions will get you from point A to point B without missing a beat. No sightseeing. No pitstops. Go. Stop. Repeat.

A compass points you in the right direction (west), but doesn't tell you how to get there. It keeps you on track and you can check it when you think you may have gone off course. You have freedom to explore so as long as you are moving forward.

Photo by egmTacahopeful

A plane from Nashville to Tulsa can get there a thousand different ways. The pilot is able to change altitudes to find smoother air or she can fly around a storm if need be. The plane is still getting to Tulsa.

You're the pilot of your life. Just know where you're headed and you can make all of the other decisions much more easily. Is grad school or a certain job right for you? It depends on where you want to end up. Define your trajectory and you'll be sure to choose wisely.

PS: I use this same compass/map analogy in my next book, due out in November. 50 Things Your Life Doesn't Need will help you to discover your life's passion and get rid of everything that stands in the way of it.

Rafiki is the one who celebrates the births and personifies the circle of life. He reads the wind and offers advice in a way that is encouraging and not demanding. He is the unseen hand that mystically guides the characters to do what is right. And here's why you need one:

• Rafiki tells the truth. Sometimes, it's hard to find truth in our lives. White lies and tame compliments seem to be preferred over the truth. When someone tells us we can't do something, we get offended. In reality, they could be saving us time and even embarrassment. How many American Idol hopefuls need a Rafiki?
• Rafiki teaches. We have a terrible myth in our culture that learning stops when you graduate something. The smartest and most successful people I know are always learning - from magazines, from books, from blogs, from others. Where are you learning? From whom? Find someone who can teach you.
• Rafiki believes. No matter your religious affiliation, there's no denying Rafiki is deeply spiritual. That's why he says he knows (not knew) Mufasa. He also poured juice in a gourd and determined that Simba was alive, too. There is something still intimately religious and spiritual about our world. And even in you don't attend a church or mosque, having people in your life who believe deeply in something unseen can be an advantage to you. Knowing people who are in touch with their spiritual side and use that context to describe things can give you a glimpse of hope and possibility, too.
• Rafiki fights. In the end, when the hyenas were looking to keep Scar as king, it's Rafiki who shows up with his stick and fights off several of them. His convictions are such that he'll fight for them. He believed Simba should be king and would go to his death to make it happen. It's one thing to have people offer advice or even tell the truth; it's another to have those same people be willing to help you be the person you were meant to become.
• Rafiki is not a friend. You only see Rafiki at ceremonies and in times of deep learning (or fighting). You don't see him palling around with Timon and Pumbaa, or romping with Nala or Simba. While we need someone in our life to provide the above things, we must remember it's okay for them to not be a friend. When someone isn't deeply attached to us, they're able to offer better advice and tell the truth more objectively.

Who is the Rafiki in your life? Who can you turn to (or who comes after you) when you need to be doing something else? Who steers you, corrects your course, teaches you, and enlightens you?

Find them.

Thanks to my friend Cathleen, I read this article today that highlights many of my key points in 50 Things Your Life Doesn't Need. My book - like the people profiled in this article - showcases why living a simple life is better and how getting rid of stuff will free up time, money, energy, and resources to live your life with passion.

Some key takeaways from the article:

• When you start getting rid of things in order to create a better, simpler life for yourself, people will call you crazy. Rest assured that your crazy self will be much happier than anyone you know.
• The less debt you have, the less you need to work.
• You will be happier if you spend money on experiences, rather than stuff.
• There is a movement afoot to live simpler lives, built around experiences and people that truly make you happy. If you're just blowing your money on cars or video games, you'll be missing out on life.

Go read the whole thing. It's lengthy, but worth it. Then decide what you're willing to give up to be truly happy.

It just hit me: I never want to have a job where I have to wear a name tag. I hate name tags, actually. I hate wearing them at conferences, and I hate writing my name on them at mixers or other gatherings. I'll wear a suit or a jumpsuit; just don't slap a name tag on it. Especially one that has my picture and clips to my belt or is on a lanyard.

To me, they simply smack of corporate un-creativity. I never want to wear them. That is all. Back to work.

The full analysis from TechCrunch and a video of CEO Eric Schmidt is here. The best quote?

We celebrate our failures.

Figure out what you're not doing well and stop it. Focus on what you are doing well and do it some more. Take appropriate risks. Measure everything.

This goes along with Penelope Trunk's post today about how to find good ideas for startups.

She says, "No idea is precious. If it's bad, just move on to the next one." Brilliant. So many startups and entrepreneurs stay married to an idea or a dream when it's time for a divorce. And many dreamers out there never chase the right one (or even get a chance to) because they're stuck trying to force an old one to work.

Sometimes, we need the remnants of a shattered dream to best build a new one that has hope and promise of becoming a reality.

This week, Stephen and I began dreaming again about Cool People Care. Our little (and growing) company turns four years old this month. We asked ourselves, "If we were to launch the company today, what would we do? What would we build? What would content and distribution look like?" We decided to put everything on the table.

Come January 1, Cool People Care will look a lot different. We're going to abandon a few things that we've always loved because they don't work as well as they did in 2007. It's a little sad. But it's even more exciting.

This coincides with the fact that I filed paperwork to start a new company last week. You'll hear more about it in September. It's part of a dream I've had for the last two years and just now the pieces are coming together to make it happen. And if it doesn't happen? If we fail?

Great. I'll celebrate that.

And I'll move on to the next thing.

People who try a lot fail a lot. And people who fail a lot succeed a lot. That's how it happens. No one hits home runs every trip to the plate. No one cranks out memorable tunes every time they go into the studio. But the best hitters and rappers remember every at bat and every track, even the terrible ones.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. - Colin Powell

Two other posts I've written on failure:

1. Knowing When to Quit
2. The Odds of Failure

What happened, of course, is that the happy couple created something that friends and family will want to watch over and over again and something that they'll watch a thousand times. It's better than "traditional" pictures that sit in a gold-lined album that's only opened once a decade.

No one cares about your boring wedding pictures. So why did you take them?

No one cares that you stay in a job for at least a year before looking for another one. So why are you stuck?

No one cares that you're over/underdresed. So why did you spend an hour worrying about it?

No one cares about the details of your business plan. So why are you spending so much time writing it instead of trying to actually get to work?

Conventions of modern society are quickly becoming an impediment to creativity. Doing things how you think everyone else wants them done leaves you unable to create something the way you want it. Don't follow the rules unless you'll be screwed if you don't (like selling drugs or stealing cars). Otherwise, understand that most rules were made by people who wanted convenience at your expense.

You can always find an ordinary job. You can always rent a tux and gown and go take pictures in a sanctuary. Throw away their rules and start making your own. You'll be happier and have something to show for it.

Photo by kevindooley

Without waxing too political, from my vantage point it looks like a lot of good ideas go to Washington to die. The optimism that many of us had for a new (better) America with the election of Obama have been stalled on the floor of the Senate. Obama seems to be a very hands-off manager that wants to delegate. He lets the Senate legislate and then executes that legislation when it gets to his desk. Very CEO-ish.

This isn't bad, except when things need to get done. The Senate, which should act like a COO, instead seems to be hanging around the breakroom all day - bickering, complainging, pointing fingers, and taking 15-minute smoke breaks. (The old joke goes, "If 'pro' is the opposite of 'con', no wonder they call it 'Congress' instead of 'progress'.)

It's time for all of them to move on.

I even suggest this at the risk of this kind of guy (yes, he is really running for governor in the state where I live) or this kind of woman being elected. But at this point, I'd take it.

When progress stops, something has to change. This is true in business, the nonprofit world, education - you name it. And since very little meaningful legislation has happened in the last decade, let's change the people. Shake things up. Start over. Find new blood. Bright minds. Bold ideas. Deep passion.

Add term limits. Decrease salary. Add performance bonuses. Sometimes I like that Washington doesn't operate like a company, and then other times I loathe it. Nowhere else would you be allowed to do nothing for years and keep your job (and get a raise).

Brian Reich tweeted this same sentiment after healthcare reform was passed. It stuck with me. He's on to something. I'm on board.