Guillebeau - The happiness of pursuit: finding the quest that will bring happiness to your life

Chris Guillebeau is a rare combination of sage and adventurer, and The Happiness of Pursuit is both a distillation of his wisdom and a demonstration of hisand otherspassion for the questing life. The passion Chris chronicles is infectious, and it becomes even more so as we read about life-focusing action delivering deep meaning. Even if you prefer never to leave your armchair, this book will inspire you to take a beautiful voyageone that can be either physical or mental as you chase the thrill of steady accomplishment.

S USAN C AIN , Quiet Revolution co-founder and New York Times bestselling author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Cant Stop Talking

If you like complacency and mediocrity, do not read this book. Its dangerously inspiring. It will make you want to do amazing things with your life. You may not end up visiting every country on earth or directing a global protest from the top of a tree (I certainly wont), but Chris made me want to dive into an adventure. The Happiness of Pursuit is a how-to guide for avoiding a boring life.

A. J. J ACOBS , New York Times bestselling author of The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Biblically

The Happiness of Pursuit is smart, honest, and dangerous. Why dangerous? Because it is as practical as it is inspiring. You wont just be daydreaming about your questyoull be packing for it!

B REN B ROWN , PhD, LMSW, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Daring Greatly

Its not easy to dream bigand its not easy to turn that dream into reality. The brilliant Chris Guillebeau provides the essential blueprint for those of us for whom The Happiness of Pursuitsuch as Chriss successful quest to visit every country in the worldis a key part of the pursuit of happiness.

G RETCHEN R UBIN , New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project

The incredible quests Chris Guillebeau explores in The Happiness of Pursuit, including his own to visit every country, left me feeling exhausted. Of course, as a person who works from home, I limit my quests most days to taking a shower. Bottom line: these stories are inspiringand very, very entertaining.

J OEL S TEIN , columnist for Time magazine and author of Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity

Passion is the quickest route to joythe kind that gets your heart beating and your soul smiling. It involves committing to something bigger than yourself, taking risks, trusting; theres no passion in your comfort zone. Guillebeaus route to happiness is taking on a questsomething that will get you up in the morning, impatient to begin your day. His stories, biographies, observations, and personal insights will get you thinking about a greater purpose. And theres a lot of how-to in here. If youve been wondering what its all about? this book could change your life.

R ITA G OLDEN G ELMAN , author of Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World

When a quest is a journey or a sought-after goal, it can be satisfying, fun, even paradigm shifting. But when a quest begins with an inner yearning and transforms into a calling, it becomes medicine for the soul, and this changes everything. The Happiness of Pursuit is an invitation to listen to the part of oneself that craves purpose. It says, Hey! Wake up! Your unique adventure awaits you.

L ISSA R ANKIN , MD, New York Times bestselling author of Mind Over Medicine

Chris Guillebeau doesnt want you to settle for a life thats just a routine. He thinks it should be an adventure. His advice on how to design and achieve your own transformative quest is invaluableand, even better, his enthusiasm is infectious.

K EN J ENNINGS , record-setting Jeopardy! champion and New York Times bestselling author of Maphead

Go ahead and admit it: Youve got a dream in you, something you want to fulfill, a quest that perhaps you havent yet shared with anyone. Chris Guillebeauwho, by the way, has completed his own quest of visiting every country in the entire worldhas written the book that should be your very first stop .

E RIN M C H UGH , author of One Good Deed: 365 Days of Trying to Be Just a Little Bit Better

Chris Guillebeau is a true Renaissance Man. In The Happiness of Pursuit he shows us how the power of a quest can transform lives. Adventure comes in many forms, but having the courage to pursue ones true calling is what defines a life worth living. Guillebeau inspires readers to do just that, no matter whom they are or where their passions lie. This is a must-read for anyone seeking that spark of insight that will ignite the inner fire.

D EAN K ARNAZES , acclaimed endurance athlete and New York Times bestselling author

As someone who walked almost every block in New York City121,000 of themI can really relate to this wonderful book. Guillebeaus stories of the incredible challenges that people set for themselves and meet are perspective altering and even inspiring. Most of all, they teach us that life occurs but once and that we can, if we try our hardest, make the most of it.

W ILLIAM H ELMREICH , author of The New York Nobody Knows: Walking 6,000 Miles in the City

Also by Chris Guillebeau

Born for This

The $100 Startup

The Art of Non-Conformity

Copyright 2014 by Chris Guillebeau
Excerpt for Born for This copyright 2016 by Chris Guillebeau

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

Harmony Books is a registered trademark, and the Circle colophon is a trademark of Random House LLC.

Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, in 2014.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available upon request.

ISBN 9780385348843
eBook ISBN 9780385348850

Illustration on by Nicholas Felton
Illustration on by Mike Rohde
Cover design by Pete Garceau
Cover photograph by Ryan McVay/Getty Images

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I.
Beginnings

I t was nearly one a.m. when I stepped off a plane and stumbled into the international airport in Dakar, Senegal.

Id been here many times before, but it always took a moment to regain my bearings. Everywhere I turned, a different guy offered to help with my bagsa series of offers I didnt need, since I always travel lightbut the persistent porters were hard to turn down. A shouting match erupted between two of the men. I knew what the stakes were: Whoever served as my escort would be eligible for the tip.

I picked out one of the porters at random and followed him to a small alcove above the shouting crowd. A couple of plastic chairs were nailed to the floor. Here, he told me in French. You can stay here and sleep. I looked at the chairs, paid off the guy, and set up camp for what I knew would be a long night.