Wild Outsider

Freedom Lifestyle

WILD OUTSIDER

Wu Wei: Taoist Art Of Non-Action

Posted on February 13, 2014 4 Comments

Wu Wei's concept contains a deep philosophy that "acting without action" is the best way to deal with life. Liabilities? №. Only a more careful observation of our surroundings with a wise and methodical adaptation of ourselves to provide a more effective response, here's how.

What Wu Wei Means

Wu Wei in Chinese literally means "Not action". This word may seem like an invitation to relax, to be passive, lazy or apathetic. But it actually encompasses the meaning of the noblest type of action.

The word Wu Wei should be understood with the deepest meaning of "act effortlessly" or "act without acting". Concretely this translates into following the flow of life by pandering to situations without resisting.

The sense of peace resulting from greater flexibility helps to maintain harmony with whatever we are doing. This mental condition of serene acceptance of things projects into a state of deep concentration and fluidity that allows greater efficiency.

The Wu Wei In the Philosophy of Taoism

Wu Wei is closely linked to the Taoist idea of the natural world. According to this philosophy, we should always spontaneously follow the Tao, or "the way" as nature does with its elements. Be sure to swim always in the direction of the current therefore and never against, like a bamboo rod that bends with the wind.

The Wu Wei implies "letting go" of ideas and situations without violently forcing them in a precise direction. It invites us to set aside the plans imposed by our ego and listen calmly and carefully to what the surrounding environment is asking us. Only after doing so, and only after feeling our feelings about it, will it be possible to act in the right way. The fundamental text of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching, says:

" The Tao never acts, yet nothing remains unfinished.

Dao De Jing

As repeatedly reported in the text, we should be like water, able to adapt to any shape. And that can get around the problem and obstacles by going further or have an effect, despite its weakness, on what is hard and strong, gradually eroding it with its persistence.

The concept of water as a weak and powerful element at the same time is also present in Chinese martial arts such as Wing Chun which is based on this very principle: adapt to the opponent's move, without countering it with rigidity to return an answer more effective. Bruce Lee, who was a student of it, expresses it fully in the famous phrase:

"Empty your mind, be shapeless, like water. If you put water in a cup, she becomes the cup. If you put it in a bottle, she becomes the bottle. If you put her in a teapot, she becomes a teapot. The water can flow or it can break. Be water my friend."

Non-Action As Strategic Action

In Wu Wei's concept lies the idea of achieving a higher result through a strategic passivity. Use force not to oppose with impulsive violence but to methodically eliminate the obstacle and only at the right time. In the Taoist manuals it is repeatedly expressed not to oppose with a plan or method to situations but rather leave them free to act frantically, observing their evolution and adapting in the meantime ourselves for a more effective response.

Many Chinese poets compared the application of Wu Wei principles to being mildly drunk. They led as an example the moment when the total absence of rigidity and anxiety related to that condition helps us to be more fluid than when we exercise more control over our minds.

The concept of Wu Wei captures a wisdom that we may sometimes feel the need for. Especially when we run the risk of harming ourselves by imposing ideas that do not fit our real needs.

Multipotential or Fancazzista? Don’t mess up

Posted on February 13, 2014 4 Comments

In his TED Talk Emilie Wapnick uses for the first time the term multipotential. With this term he describes those who have never stopped asking “what do I want to do when I grow up?” With the word multipotential transforms something perceived as a problem in a strong point. But what is a REAL multipotential? How not to confuse it with a Fancazzista?

What is a multipotential

With the multi-potential term Emilie Wapnick describes a curious person with many interests. A person who has a tendency to get bored quickly once achieved his goal, to learn, discover, know. But a strong intelligence seems to be the prerequisite. Intelligence allows him to quickly learn all about a certain subject and stand up when he has nothing to feed his mind.

It moves with mastery in several areas, often completely different from each other. It does this by creating new dimensions, often unexplored, in the intersections that are created in the middle. A multipotential does not know how to attach itself to a single vocation or to a life that does not have the right meaning and variety for him.

Each with its personality and with different facets, it manifests its tendency to change often idea, direction and desires. There are those who are stabilizing on a couple of passions/projects and those who go in exploration of dozens of interests at a time.

With the multi-potential term Emilie Wapnick has described individuals whose thirst for knowledge and the desire to experience new forms of themselves has virtually no limits. Individuals who make this their lifestyle, which they self-define and re-define continually thanks to their interests, building one or more successful careers around their passions.

His talk has intercepted all those multipotentials in the world that for this reason are flanked by a continuous sensation of anxiety, inadequacy, guilt. This type of personality in fact adapts badly to a society in which the profession defines the individual as a person. The multipotentials unfortunately feel almost always out of place in the world because the specializations (and the consequent clear and definite identity) are seen far better than the cross-cutting knowledge.

What is not: the great misunderstanding

Unfortunately Emilie Wapnick has inadvertently kicked off a parallel movement of Fancazzisti who, having totally misunderstood the meaning of his words, likes to self-define multipotential. These people mistakenly find in the term an incit to the inconsistency rather than the description of a consistency sometimes too excessive and multifaceted.

Fan Multipotential

A multipotential in fact is not simply that person who has a thousand hobbies, interests, passions because it is the only way he knows to spend the day. It is a person who does not know what to do as a big because it has too many interesting options to choose from to focus on one, not a person who is unable to choose because he does not want to make even one. A multipotential is a person who changes trajectory once it reaches its goal, not a person who changes trajectory because it gives in to the first difficulty. And he’s certainly not a person who among his passions and interests can list passive activities in which he excels as knowing all the Netflix series or playing video games.

In the light of this, we leave you to the words of Emilie… The real multipotentials will finally feel at home.

On the other hand, we hope that the Fancazzisti understand that they had not understood anything. And that they begin to build something in their lives or to use more appropriate terms to define themselves.

Custom Van Conversion: Ultimate Guide

Posted on February 13, 2014 4 Comments

Camperizzare a van is the dream of all lovers of outdoor and travel on the road. A van equipped simply with a bed for sleeping, a stove for cooking and a table for eating allows you to live wonderful holidays full of freedom.

How to Realize a Custom Van

If you do not want to limit yourself to renting a camper, camperizzare a van allows you to have one all for you at low cost. With a low budget and a bit of DIY you can have a fully customized vehicle according to your needs.

But how do you get a van?

Step 1: Choose the Right Vehicle

The first step is definitely to choose the most suitable vehicle. You can opt for a small vehicle, a vehicle of medium size or very large. The more adventurous maybe want to opt for a 4×4 van with which to do even off-road. These are the main categories:

Car / SUV / Stationwagon / SUV

Campering a car, SUV, Stationwagon or SUV is an option for those on a tight budget or those who don’t need a lot of space but just a comfortable place to base up to eat and sleep. Suitable for very short vacations or super-adaptable people.

Minivan / Van

Campering a Minivan or Van is an option that allows you to have a practical vehicle and at the same time a little more spacious than a car. You drive and you park easily and can be used every day. Some examples are the Volkswagen van California, T3, T4, T5 and Transporter, Mercedes Vito, Opel Vivaro, Ford Tourneo Custom. Inconvenience? Inside a minivan/van you will not be able to stand, unless of course you change the vehicle to a raised bellows roof. In addition, if you want to make the most of its spaces, you will have to organize resealable furniture inside. A campervan/van is suitable for short holidays or people who are easily adaptable to confined spaces.

Van

Campering a van is the best option for those who love the outdoors but do not want to give up comfort. The van is in fact the most spacious vehicle and probably the most suitable to be rvatized. The most used vans are the Ford Transit, Volswagen Crafter, Mercedes Sprinter, Fiat Ducato and the Renault Master. This type of medium offers the great advantage of the height that allows you to stand on the inside. You can also arrange fixed spaces inside without necessarily opening and closing beds and tables every time you need them. A motorized van is the vehicle that comes closest to an RV for comfort and livability.

Step 2: Thermal/Insulation Insulation Insulation

If you want to campervan, thermal insulation is a must-do. In fact, insuring the medium is essential to maintain an acceptable temperature inside: warm in winter, cool in summer. Consider that during the night, especially in the mountains and in winter, the temperatures drop a lot and you could spend very cold nights. Just as in summer the heat could spread more easily.

Thermal insulation is done by applying a layer of insulation material of your choice to the walls and roof of the van:

The material you choose can be applied with this spray glue. Any empty spaces should then be filled with the expanded polyurethane foam. Once sprayed it will expand into the hole filling it.

At this first layer of insulation material to insulate your van you will have to overlay a layer of Reflectix.

If you want to simplify and speed up the process, while still maintaining high performance, you can use this product that replaces them all:

The Armaflex Sticker is a highly flexible and easy-to-apply insulation product. It resists steam (which can cause rust to the body) and has a very low thermal conductivity. It is able to insulate from temperatures of up to 125 degrees up to -50 degrees and for this reason it is also used in industrial plants.

In addition to the walls and roof, the floor must also be insulated. To do this you can use some sub-floor panels on which you will then lay the actual floor that we talk about in the next step.

Step 3: The Floor

To create your own motorhome van you will have to think about all the details of the interior. One of these is definitely the floor that is sometimes already present while other times it has to be realized. In this case you can choose a suitable material. The most popular is plywood and clearly also all those materials that are used in the construction sector for the construction of wooden houses. Once you have chosen the material you just have to cut a floor of the right size or several parts to join together and place it inside the van, above the insulation layer.

To make it even more functional than your camperized van, apply a PVC or vinyl adhesive to the floor. You can choose between infinite styles, fantasies and shades or opt for faux wood laminates and real parquet.

Step 4: Bed and Furniture

Built the base of your van Camperizzato you just have to insert the bed and the various furniture. These can also be folding to optimize spaces when not used. For example, the bed could be built to close and turn into a sofa during the day.

Attention, the Italian law stipulates that the structure of vehicles cannot be modified. If the category of your truck will remain car or truck (and you do not intend to make it a real camper, much more complicated) the furniture can not be fixed to the structure. So you have to opt for removable solutions.

Online there are ready-made campervan kits to be hooked to the floor or to be jammed. You can also make your own furniture tailored to a more personalized environment. If you are a lover of Van Life You can indulge in many ways to achieve the means of your dreams.

Camperizzare a van: the Law

In Italy it is not very easy to camperizzare a van because the law is unclear about it and generates a lot of confusion. Moreover, given the usual bureaucratic difficulties, it is difficult to find information and to find trained staff in this area. One thing is certain: the vehicles suitable for campervans are divided into two categories: car and truck. The vehicle category is marked in the registration book.

The car category is for transporting people. Whereas that truck is for transporting things. A Volkswagen 9 seater windowed will necessarily be categorized on the booklet as car. A Volkswagen Transporter 2 seats with a closed load compartment will necessarily be categorized as a truck.

The camper category is a separate category, defined in the booklet from the outset. Turning a truck or car into a camper in Italy is unfortunately impossible for a private person. Some companies take care of it because the procedures are long and extremely complicated.

Campering a Van to Norma

You have two options to drive a van under the law: turn the category into a motorhome (see above) or avoid fixed equipment to maintain the car or truck category. In fact, on a car or truck you can mount (via hooks or interlocking) removable furniture and absolutely not fixed. In this second case you can use the vehicle in a holiday vehicle easily without changing the category in the RV.

Being the trucks of the means used also and especially for commercial purpose, those who buy them is usually possessor of a VAT lot and can enjoy some tax advantages. For this reason the use of trucks (for commercial purposes) is regulated by law and you can not set up a camper on a commercial vehicle.

So if you want to camperizzare a truck to use for the holidays, you should not buy the vehicle as a commercial medium. In the registration phase you must specify on the booklet that the truck will be for its own use. In this way the vehicle can be used for personal purposes: holidays, travel, transport of own things, sports equipment, furniture, etc. Without incurring penalties.

Van Life Italy and Europe: the new trend

Posted on February 13, 2014 4 Comments

The Van Life in Italy and Europe, a concept that we hear about more and more often that makes its way between young and old. The new phenomenon is a trend and spreads rapidly. A dream for many but also a reality for some brave who have decided to undertake this lifestyle by abandoning the boredom of ordinary life.

Van Life: What is this new trend

Van Life means a nomadic and free lifestyle, completely untied from a fixed place. A van, an equipped van or a camper become a means to move and at the same time your own home. Potentially endless trips to the most beautiful places in the world and awakings with views of your choice. A life on holiday in short, for those who love to travel on the road. But especially for those who are not afraid to give up the security of a home and daily routine.

Often to allow this lifestyle is a digital nomad work or a seasonal job. Some instead have a passive annuity or the ability to find employment in the cities where they stop. In fact who lives the Van Life can work traveling (if and when needed) or not work at all while traveling. Those who choose this way of life move without haste from one place to another enjoying the beauties of the places without the limits imposed by time or budget. In fact, every stop can last as long as you want and it is mostly free, except for stops in equipped areas for a fee.

In America, Van Life has been a trend for a few years. In the United States and Canada more and more people decide to leave their apartment to travel full time. Young and old, adopting a free and flexible lifestyle, but above all minimalist. In fact, in order to live in the confined spaces of a van, it is necessary to carry with it only the necessary strait "renounding" to all that one does not really need.

Van Life in Italy and Europe

Hundreds of stories of who chose Van Life are spreading rapidly to Europe through blogs and social as Instagram and Facebook. So the concept of Van Life in Italy begins to take shape and arouse interest. A concept similar to owning or renting a camper for the holiday or for the weekend but at the same time profoundly different.

Van Life In fact is not a simple holiday but the decision to live in a camper or van for a medium-long or indefinite period. This lifestyle is still seen with skepticism and fear from the most. But it offers many advantages including in the first place the unquestionable freedom to always be on holiday where you want.

Italy offers numerous scenery and incredible scenery, from the sea to the Alps, which is worth exploring. Not to mention the neighboring countries like France, Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland with its beautiful mountains. Starting the Van Life in Italy and moving around Europe can be a great adventure.

Who are the Van Lifer

The Van Lifer are those who choose this lifestyle and simply live in campers or vans, moving where they prefer. The Van Lifer are almost always adventurous people who do not like the narrowness and monotony of an ordinary life. They run away from the flat routine of everyday life. They refuse to live a life of dissatisfaction preferring to these the absolute freedom and the contact with the nature.

This lifestyle is still criticized or seen with skepticism by the most. Most people consider it unthinkable or impractical to live in the van. For this only one who is outside the box and is able to go fearless against current can undertake this way of life.

Rent a Camper for holiday On The Road

Posted on February 13, 2014 4 Comments

Renting a camper, a van or a camperized van can be the ideal solution for those who love the freedom of travel on the road but do not have a suitable means. A flexible solution, quite simple and requiring zero management commitments throughout the year.

Rent a motorhome for the holidays

Those who love holidays on the road will have thought of it at least once in their life. How would it be to have a camper, a van or a camperized van for weekends and holidays? The idea is very tempting and if it were possible it would immediately open a thousand possible scenarios of alternative vacations, to the sea, to the lake, in the mountains… Everywhere.

But owning a vehicle as a camper or camperizing a van requires a fairly high investment. Unless you buy used vehicles older than 10 years or from 200,000 km or find a real opportunity. In addition to the cost of purchase and management you have to consider the time for maintenance and the availability of a safe place to keep it.

For this reason it is often easier and cheaper to rent a camper. There are several online solutions that allow you to do so, either through rental agencies and directly from other private companies that make their camper or van when unused.

How the Camper rental works

To rent a camper is sufficient in most cases indicate the days of withdrawal and delivery of the vehicle and the number of beds that you need. You can then choose a series of optional to have more or less comfort according to your needs.

At the time of booking confirmation is usually required to pay a deposit that will be returned to the return of the vehicle, obviously without damage. Usually are included in the price a maximum of kilometers over which you pay a few cents or euros per kilometer according to use.

How much does renting a Camper cost

The price for renting a camper varies according to the vehicle chosen and the number of seats: from €30 to over €100 per night. To get an idea of the overall cost of your holiday, you'll have to add gasoline spending to the place of your holiday.

At the end of the day, not bad considering the costs you should incur for the purchase and management of a camper or a van equipped. And also very good considering the cost of a hotel room that more or less prows around the same amount.

Let's face it, though… The freedom to move in a camper is not comparable to a hotel room. If you are tired of the usual trips out of the door of the weekend, your holiday on the road in camper will allow you to stay in the most scenic spots and wake up in the morning with the view that you like. What could be better?

How to become a digital nomad and work traveling

Posted on February 13, 2014 4 Comments

How to become a digital nomad and work traveling: a question that becomes increasingly frequent. Today to work just a computer and an Internet connection and independence from a fixed place is no longer a dream for a few.

How to become a digital nomad

If you're wondering how to become a digital nomad your dream is probably to turn the world continuing to do your job from anywhere. In fact, this is what distinguishes a digital nomad from the image of the common employee who runs every day to the same office or shop. The freedom to work just by opening your computer, anywhere.

The life of the digital nomad as it seems idyllic is a much more real dream than we are inclined to think. Today there are many people who no longer need to go to the office to do their job and provide services. Some large companies begin to allow their employees to work remotely, from home, one or more days a week.

Of course not all jobs lend themselves to location independence. Some more than others are suitable for the lifestyle of a digital nomad, more or less all those that can be performed by a computer.

What a job to do to become a digital nomad

Most digital nomads perform a digital memo job, then through the computer. The work of this type in an increasingly digitized world is now numerous. There is no shortage of opportunities especially for the new generations, to specialize in a working area in the digital field that involves the use of the computer.

The possibilities are endless and are at the wits of each and the ability to develop their own digital business. Here we list some of the most common jobs that the digital nomads do:

  • Journalist
  • Copywriter
  • Programmer
  • Web Designer
  • Chart
  • Virtual Assistant
  • Social media Manager
  • Digital Marketer
  • Blogger
  • Sales Infoproducts

Find work for digital nomads

There are many platforms to find remote work commissioned by people or companies seeking a freelancer able to offer specific services. For example the creation of a website, support in the management of social networks, graphics for business cards, development of apps and so on. These sites for digital nomads offer paid jobs at the project or now worked. The platforms for the most famous digital nomads are Freelancer.com and Upwork but there are many others.

In addition to the platforms there is also the possibility, clearly better, to create your own business. To do this we need a little more advanced skills in the field of digital marketing and undoubtedly even the (albeit minimal) entrepreneurial skills.

Remember that being a digital nomad still requires responsibility and commitment. In fact you have to be sure that you can continue to finance your travel and your stay with the use of the computer and the services offered remotely. In Another article we talked about how a digital nomad can work traveling.