“Baz” is a 30-year-old man-child with the potential to become an adult – but no intention of doing so. He is a teacher by profession, but a nomadic wanderer in practice, always searching for the next challenge or adventure to learn from. He’s currently living his life the way that others decide – by asking strangers and friends – “What Should Baz Do?”
He changes location & career frequently but insists it is all worthwhile and with great purpose. The only long term constants are a will to explore the world, a healthy addiction to health, and a love of writing & (mis)adventure.
Want to know something else?
Click “show more” below or throw down your best Qs in the comments… Then check back in the FAQs (soon to be released)
Are you wondering “#WhatIsBazDoing…NOW?” – Editing this page actually. (Feel free to tell me where I’m going right or wrong)
Segments Still To Come:
Timeline section (horizontal/vertical lazy load?)
Baz’s Ecclectic Resume – Qualifications & Work Life So Far
Baz Growing Up – Where Does He Come From
Birth Of The What Should Baz Do Project
About The Site
IN A SENTENCE
For the next few years, I will seek out new challenges and experiences by letting friends, family, and anyone else who stumbles across this site, make life-altering decisions – BIG and small – about where I live and what to do there.
What Should Baz Do started out as a bit of a laugh in my mate’s kitchen in 2012. A laugh that sounded like a pretty decent social experiment, a reason to blog, and an over-the-top way of showing my younger cousins that there are more than two options after finishing High School.
The idea quickly developed into something much more than that. And it is now a project that has completely taken over my life – literally! 😀
The project combines some of my philosophical attitudes about life, a sense of responsibility to leave behind a positive impact, and an attempt to inspire life-long learners to question everything and lead interesting & extraordinary lives.
I have set “normal life” aside to become the living protagonist of a global adventure story decided by other people.
There are two types of decisions you can be a part of:
(1) THE BIG DECISIONS: including which country to live in, what to become, and what cause to support.
(2) THE SMALL DECISIONS (or “Mini Conundrums”): such as what style of moustache to grow, whether to learn Spanish or German, or what mini-challenges to complete along the way for charities or good causes.
This project is about exploring & testing the possibilities of life outside of our comfort zones – and leaving a positive impact as we do that.
The Nuts & Bolts: How It Really Works
PHASE 1: MAKING SUGGESTIONS
Phase 1 of this project is essentially a collective brainstorming exercise – where YOU design the next chapter of my life: where you think I should live & what I should do there.
After creating a shortlist of the best 10 ideas from PHASE 1, it is time to vote on which will be the ultimate winner, and therefore become the next chapter of my life.
When the voting ends, the decision is final. I’ll put all my energy toward achieving the life prescribed in the winning idea! – (Except for the energy used to share how it goes)
PHASE 1, 2, and 3 decide the big stuff – but you have more control than just the major life choice. There are many decisions to make on how I should best prepare my mind, body, and soul for what is to come. Plus you can inform some specific decisions along the way inside each chapter as well.
For however long this site exists there will be smaller decisions to make along the way – called “Mini Conundrums”. When there are crossroads – I may ask for your guidance. And before
This phase will run continuously. Mini Conundrums will pop up from time to time on Facebook, Twitter, & on the Blog (if they’re big enough)
You’ll be able to find all these Mini Conundrums on the “Tell Baz What To Do” tab also! 😀
Like many other travel blogs “What Should Baz Do?” is a way to keep in touch with friends and family back home in Australia, but it is also many other things. The interactive concept of having other people make the suggestions, and then ultimately decide many of my life decisions offers some pretty unique capabilities.
Being overseas, away from friends and family, one of the fundamental reasons for starting a blog is nearly always going to be a way of keeping in touch with loved ones back home: to remind them all I still exist; to ensure they know where I am around the globe; to share your triumphs; to hear and feel their support through any troubled times; and, of course, to gloat a little bit about the adventures I find myself on.
“You can have anything you want if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.”
― Abraham Lincoln
At some point or another, most people have been lucky enough to hear similar words to these, but how many people really heed this advice and strive to achieve something special, and how many settle into what is safe, what is expected, or what they feel they must do?
One of the main catalysts inspiring the concept of this website was the way a younger cousin had asked me for advice about his options following high school graduation. Society’s influence on my cousin’s understanding of what life is meant to be about, and the way this influence seems to stifle the dreamer in us, had left him with only two options – to go to university, or do an apprenticeship – neither of which he was all that keen on.
Life holds so much more possibility and promise than these typically expected milestones:
buying a house
and a car
securing a career
finding a wife
having a baby
paying the mortgage
and making enough money so you can retire and survive beyond your use by date.
Not that these ambitions aren’t admirable, and I’m not condemning them at all. I also don’t suggest that people should go the other way and become lazy burdens on society, or to ride the coat-tails of others through life. I’m only suggesting that if these standard ambitions don’t fill your cup, there is so much more to explore and experience in the world, and many more possible pathways to a successful, contributing, and fulfilling life than the simple choice of university or an apprenticeship.
Hopefully, by sharing my experiences and achieving whatever goals are set for me, I’ll inspire some young people to dream again and to lead fulfilling and meaningful lives – on their own terms.
I’ve been known to over-think things; change my mind; be indecisive, and play devil’s advocate during a discussion. However, my moral compass is generally calibrated pretty well, and I want to leave a positive impact around the world in my wake.
One of the key objectives of What Should Baz Do? is to raise awareness and funding for those in need.
This includes:
the ill;
the exploited;
existing charitable organisations;
and those without a voice – our animals and environment.
In the most direct way, I will be taking up a unique challenge for charity in each country I visit as suggested and decided by you guys n gals. But I will also attempt to draw attention to important issues, and support other worthwhile charitable or sustainable ideas.
What Should Baz Do is designed to have a positive impact on the world and to inspire others, but it also fulfils my interest in adventure, travel, and continual personal development by forcing me to:
explore the world
experience new people, places, and circumstances
learn new skills
and push physical boundaries
But, where to start? Have you ever felt like you wanted to do EVERYTHING… But had so many options – and so little time – that you become paralyzed by the decision?
“When faced with two equally tough choices, most people choose the third choice: to not choose.”
― Jarod Kintz
It is easy to say you will “seize the day” and “live life to the fullest”, but it is another thing entirely to actually live by these words and make it count.
Sometimes you need a nudge out of the nest before you can fly – I’m calling on all of you for my nudge. To remind me that…
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.”
― Theodore Roosevelt
I believe life is all about continually stepping outside of our comfort zone, learning, growing as a person, and experiencing as much of the world as we can for the short time we are here.
I think that we should work only to facilitate the ability to live and that too many people have it back to front. These people are actually “living to work” instead, having their occupations define who they are.
By meeting any challenge that is decided for me, the intension is to set an example to others that anything really is possible, rather than simply saying that it is.
And in doing so, I hope to inspire others to take steps in achieving things they have been led to believe are impossible, unsafe, or unreasonably risky.
About The Site