You might be thinking, what exactly is this “place” and why am I here?   I will answer these questions in the next little while.  For now, allow me to introduce myself.  My real name is Chris Wong, however from this point on I will simply defer to the moniker, Chris Tba.  I have chosen this moniker since I am already listed as such on a number of social networking sites like Facebook, and second, it is much easier to market than a name shared by a thousand others.  So the question remains, what exactly am I selling?   Well, the short answer is; absolutely nothing.  For a more long-winded response, however, I encourage you to read on!

For starters, I am the creator, owner and webmaster of MyGreatLittlePlace.com.  I am a Canadian resident in the greater metropolitan Toronto area.  I am 28 years young, an aspiring entrepreneur, and have been known to skirt the lines of socially acceptable lifestyle behavior.  I am not perfect, nor do I wish to be, as such a connotation implies a state of being which is beyond practical or theoretical improvement.  If that is the case, then perfection is undesirable.  My goal is to keep learning, and in order to learn, I must fall down… 

A lot.

I believe that anything can be done so long as there is a desire to learn and achieve, be it running a 4 minute mile, starting and selling a multi-million dollar business, cooking a great eggs benedict, or becoming a Zen Master.  I know what you’re thinking.  I will master that eggs benedict someday!

Today, most people will wake up, struggle to get through their workday, will maybe pay off a bill or two, maybe rack up a few more bills, and find little time for rest as they prepare to do it all over again tomorrow.  This routine seems normal because everybody says so.  However, just as the old saying goes: saying so doesn’t make it so. 

I admit I used to fall under this category.  I was buried under heaps of debt with no relief in sight.  I lamented over it for months, not realizing that it was crippling me emotionally. 

“If only I could get a better job, then all of this would go away”  is what was running through my mind.  I didn’t realize it, but at the time I was associating all of my problems, both emotionally and financially, to external circumstances beyond my control.  Something was very wrong with this picture. I did not know what, until it hit me like a ton of bricks:

Get out of the Rat Race!!

I heard only stories about people leaving their day jobs to travel abroad, free of debt and worry, and living only with what was inside their carry-on.  To me, this seemed like an absurd fantasy that only rich people could afford.  However, I started thinking, what if that were me?  How can I overcome the mental blocks that have literally crippled my life, both socially and emotionally?  What steps can I take now that will align myself closer to my goals?

There is a growing want inside of me that is more than just simple curiosity.  More than just a need for a grossly inflated seven figure income (although that would be nice).  This shift in thinking has caused me to throw away instead of accumulate, create instead of consume, accept instead of argue, do now instead of later.  It is this desire that is quickly consuming my life.

This is where my story begins.

Evidently, this is also where you come in.

This site is all about you.  That’s right.  I built this site to find out what makes great people just like you, tick.

I take great pleasure in hearing what others have done in order to enhance their quality of life.  Contrary to popular belief, that to succeed in life, you do not need to be well known or have lots of money. 

There is a story of a man who spent months meditating on a park bench and was a much happier person because of it.  He quickly found joy in just being,  as the only thing that mattered was the present, which was devoid of time or thoughts.  He would eventually document all of his ideas in a book and a short while later, become a best selling author.

The above example is only one out of the million different methods “normal” people employ to enrich their lives every day.  I seek to snuff out these individuals and learn from their success.  To achieve in a chosen field takes courage, persistence and hard work.  However, to truly achieve, one must not only love what they do, but fully commit to it until it radiates with all of their being.

As I pick up new insights and ideas, I will continue to use this blog as a platform to raise awareness, and share with you my triumphs, as well as my trials and missteps along the way – the latter of which I am sure will happen.  I will also seek to enlist the help of those more enlightened to share in their wisdom so that we can all learn from our mistakes.

To quote actor John de Lancie (aka ‘Q’) from the Star Trek Next Generation series, I think this sums up my thoughts on the subject pretty accurately. Enjoy!

“You just don’t get it, do you, Jean-Luc? The trial never ends. We wanted to see if you had the ability to expand your mind and your horizons. And for one brief moment, you did. For that one fraction of a second, you were open to options you had never considered. *That* is the exploration that awaits you. Not mapping stars and studying nebulae, but charting the unknown possibilities of existence.”