Better Than College by Boles

Citation

Boles, Blake. Better Than College: How to Build a Successful Life Without a Four-Year Degree. 1st edition, Tells Peak Press, 2012.

Create your own nonprofit.

Organize a small conference.

Explore sustainable communities across the country.

Share your experiences in an online portfolio through:

Be engaged by your goals.

Be surrounded by a community who share your values.

THE ZTC STRATEGY

Build self-knowledge.

Give yourself assignments.

Create and share value.

Find support.

Market yourself.

How to use the ZTC strategy?

No need to follow the ZTC strategy in the order presented above.
To begin your self-directed journey, focus on the part of the ZTC strategy that you need most.

BUILD SELF-KNOWLEDGE

Where do you want to go in this world?

What’s important?

How will you contribute?

Virtually every experience is an opportunity to build self-knowledge.

Self-directed learners have a clear intention to step forward into growth as often as possible.

Draw upon the existing self-knowledge within you to begin your self-directed path.

3 questions to ask yourself

If you were going to die one year from today, what would you do differently?
If you had three years to create something that would change your world, how would you begin?
If you were forbidden from accumulating vast material wealth, how would you live differently?

If you were going to die one year from today, what would you do differently?

Would you visit an intriguing part of the world? Yeah. Perhaps Frome or Totnes.
Write a book? Definitely. But not much time. My autobiography or the worldview book I wanted to write.
Start a company? A small nonprofit or social enterprise will be enough.
Would you build (or repair) a certain relationship? Mama, Papa, Bernice, and Ate Mau are on top of the list.
Who would you spend your time with? Aside from family, the beautiful souls working in sustainable communities across the country, Ginhawa, etc.
Which long-deferred goals and dreams would you begin working on? Living sustainably. Traveling the country to meet people. Traveling the country to commune with nature. Helping people. Teaching people. Just being with a community.
What distractions would you cut from your life? Social media. Video games. TV series.

If you had three years to create something that would change your world, how would you begin?

Define “your world” (your neighborhood, a community of enthusiasts, a group whose cause you believe in, or strangers across the globe).
How could you positively impact these people within three years while also doing something that you love? -> (1) Travel the Philippines to meet them, document, share; (2) start a movement and community for gifting in the Philippines
Dream on a grander scale than you did for the previous question.
What kind of training and knowledge would you need to make this dream happen? -> (1) Establishing systems and habits
Whose mentorship could you seek?

Lifework/Livelihood components