When I woke up on Wednesday morning, it was apparent that stomach flu had decided to pay a visit. Fortunately, it appeared to be the twenty-four hour variety and by midday on Thursday I was beginning to feel a bit friskier.

I also discovered that one of my telltale signs of illness is losing my desire to read. It was a horrifying discovery-especially since I'd just begun a new book that I adored.

Although I don't recall where I heard about it, I was smitten with Judith Fein's Life is a Trip: The Transformative Magic of Travel from the introduction. After spending twelve years as a Hollywood screenwriter, Fein had an experience which may sound familiar to you.

She writes, "Sounds glam, right? In fact, my experience was that it was a cutthroat, cruel, crazy biz designed to make a writer quake with insecurity and angst, and I felt as though my soul were being sucked out of me by an industrial vacuum cleaner."

Lucky for us, she left and now shares her experiences traveling the world with her photographer/videographer husband. "I have taken a vow," Fein says. "Never will I underestimate the power of anyone's dreams. Not even my own."

If you love great storytelling, do investigate further.

Life is a Trip 

For years, I've been telling participants in my Making a Living Without a Job seminars that the real gift of self-employment is that it gives you an excuse to be a lifelong learner. This is not a small gift.

A healthy curiosity not only makes for a more interesting life: it also helps us find solutions, connects us with lively people, expands our horizons, builds confidence and bestows all sorts of other positive advantages and assets.

While curiosity can be the passport to a wonderful life, I recently recalled the many times I'd been warned that it also was a major killer of cats.

These days, I prefer to listen to folks like Richard Branson who says, "Innovation is what you get when you get up from behind your desk and go and see where people and ideas lead you."

Often it can lead us into totally new environments. Although I know Sarah Novak and a writer and editor, I smiled when I saw her Facebook post last night. She said, "Tonight's creative play ... Metal etching at Bead Monkey! SO excited." I'm not even sure what metal etching involves, but it reminded me that the creative spirit loves to take up diverse challenges.

Even though information is at our fingertips, a mere mouse click away, it's important to remember that our learning can be enhanced by getting up and joining a roomful of people who share your curiosity.

After all, they're the folks who know that Oliver Goldsmith was right when he said, "There's an unspeakable pleasure attending the life of a voluntary student."

When the fall catalog arrived from UNLV Continuing Education, the cover boldly declared, "Never stop learning." It was surrounded by a circle of words (which are difficult to replicate linearly) that illustrated the path of the lifelong learner.

It reads: "I got my certificate in nonprofit management, then I brushed up on the benefits of social media and learned how to use an iPad, then I took a primer in special events planning."

I love working with folks who think Never Stop Learning makes a worthy motto.

My fall classes at UNLV were postponed, but I'll be back next weekend so you can still catch How To Support Your Wanderlust on Friday, November 15 and Making a Living Without a Job and Establish Yourself as an Expert on Saturday, November 16.

If you're ready to join a roomful of curious adults, you can get the scoop by clicking on this link: UNLV Continuing Education  

Buon Viaggio,

Barbara Winter