Biking West to write a book & reset
Donation protected
This GoFundMe will help support gear and food for my trip. I am living off donations and the kindness of people. I am avoiding having to get food stamps. To donate directly to the people of Nepal please go to my other GoFundMe at: www.gofundme.com/nepalneedshelp
If you have any questions/concerns please directly message me either through facebook or my email [email redacted] Thank you.
"Normality is a paved road: it's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it"
Hello my name is Shagun and I am a writer, creative, athlete, musician, eagle scout, brother, son, college graduate, theta chi brother, friend, employee, volunteer, entrepreneur, yogi, human being and student of life.
On June 28, 2015 I am going to defer my college loans for a year and I plan to embark on one of the toughest tasks I will ever have attempted in my life, to bike to the Pacific Ocean from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. I will be completing a month long intensive 8 hours a day Yoga Teacher Training on June 27th and the next day I plan to journey west.
My major city pit-stops will be St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Flagstaff, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angelos, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.
Things going against me: Going against the wind, going through Kansas during tornado season, The Rocky Mountains, Deserts, food foraging and weather.
I have always been a dreamer and wanted to help others. I plan on writing a book about my life in college and the year after college up until I finish my bike ride. I plan to camp and live mostly off the land.
I haves sobered up August 26, 2014. Throughout my college career I battled addiction and depression, trying to find a way to feel good while being institutionalized. I tried to distract myself from my depression by developing addictive habits. Depression in college being left untreated leads to more alcoholics and substance abusers. The quote, "You're not an alcoholic until after college" is a popular quote in college, and unfortunately a realistic one for many. "Suicide is the leading cause of death for college students, and alcohol related death follows."
My vision is to write a book that will help college graduates get past post-graduation depression, relate to people and help guide them towards finding what they internally really want. I hope to give inspiration to all the dreamers in this world we live in, and everyone dreams.
A few books that will help me write this book: Flow, Creativity,Happier,The Organized Mind, A Whole New Mind, The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains, The Pilgrimage, Into the Wild, and Illusions. I will be relating these references and many more references with my own experiences, to make a solid connection with the audience.
I graduated from the University of Illinois in December of 2013, and studied Communication. I had a concentration on Motivation and RST (Recreation, Sport and Tourism). I took it upon myself to get enrolled in classes that would broaden my perspective of the world, rather than what looked good to corporate business jobs. I took classes such as: Emergence of Life, Society and Leisure, Argumentation and The Rhetorics of Athletics: Its Significance for Self-Fulfillment
I have written over 160 papers throughout my college career and I have 27 published newspaper articles.
So the reason why I am here is because I do not own a bike, The picture above with me as a child is one of the last bikes I remember ever owning. I had one in middle school for a year then it got stolen. I've picked up longboarding since then.
I was told by experienced experts that a touring bike would be necessary for me. I do not have a usable tent that is weatherproof either. I also do not have any usable camping equiptment or gear. I need panniers or a trailer. I need backup equiptment for my bike as well (tires, pump, etc). I also would like to have at least have some backup money incase anything were to happen, (flat tire, medical bill, quarters for pay-phones). I need to get a compass because I will not have any GPS device. I will also need an outdoorsman watch to measure barometer for weather. It would be great to get a go pro to document the ride. A camera to take pictures of whatever I find. I will need a solar panel to charge my Ipod. I will need a voice recorder.
I truly believe in quotes, as they inspire me fully. They are short and sweet, with a million emotions in just a few words. The quote I have always used in my life to get by the tough times is, "Life is Beautiful." Anyone that donates anything, their name will be put in my book under the "acknowledgments" section. Now if you donate $25, please include your name, city, state and a quote that has inspired you throughout your life. I will put it in my book as gratitude for your donation. To the people who donate $50, please put your name, city, state and quote. Also message me your address and I will mail you a book when I am done. For the people that that donate $75 or more, please put your name, city, state, quote, and message me your address so I can send you two copies of the book with a personal thank you note, one for you and one for a friend.
"Happiness only real when shared"-Into the WIld
"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself"- Alan Alda
"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional"-Buddha
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for - and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool - for love - for your dreams - for the adventure of being alive.
-Oriah Mountain Dreamer
$25- Name and Life Quote in book
$50- Name, Life Quote in book and a Copy of the Book
$75- Name, Life Quote in book, Two Copies of the Book to share and a Thank You Note.
Any gear, help or useful material donated will be accounted for and will be rightfully matched up with these monetary amounts.
If you have any questions/concerns please directly message me either through facebook or my email [email redacted] Thank you.
"Normality is a paved road: it's comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it"
Hello my name is Shagun and I am a writer, creative, athlete, musician, eagle scout, brother, son, college graduate, theta chi brother, friend, employee, volunteer, entrepreneur, yogi, human being and student of life.
On June 28, 2015 I am going to defer my college loans for a year and I plan to embark on one of the toughest tasks I will ever have attempted in my life, to bike to the Pacific Ocean from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. I will be completing a month long intensive 8 hours a day Yoga Teacher Training on June 27th and the next day I plan to journey west.
My major city pit-stops will be St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Flagstaff, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angelos, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.
Things going against me: Going against the wind, going through Kansas during tornado season, The Rocky Mountains, Deserts, food foraging and weather.
I have always been a dreamer and wanted to help others. I plan on writing a book about my life in college and the year after college up until I finish my bike ride. I plan to camp and live mostly off the land.
I haves sobered up August 26, 2014. Throughout my college career I battled addiction and depression, trying to find a way to feel good while being institutionalized. I tried to distract myself from my depression by developing addictive habits. Depression in college being left untreated leads to more alcoholics and substance abusers. The quote, "You're not an alcoholic until after college" is a popular quote in college, and unfortunately a realistic one for many. "Suicide is the leading cause of death for college students, and alcohol related death follows."
My vision is to write a book that will help college graduates get past post-graduation depression, relate to people and help guide them towards finding what they internally really want. I hope to give inspiration to all the dreamers in this world we live in, and everyone dreams.
A few books that will help me write this book: Flow, Creativity,Happier,The Organized Mind, A Whole New Mind, The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains, The Pilgrimage, Into the Wild, and Illusions. I will be relating these references and many more references with my own experiences, to make a solid connection with the audience.
I graduated from the University of Illinois in December of 2013, and studied Communication. I had a concentration on Motivation and RST (Recreation, Sport and Tourism). I took it upon myself to get enrolled in classes that would broaden my perspective of the world, rather than what looked good to corporate business jobs. I took classes such as: Emergence of Life, Society and Leisure, Argumentation and The Rhetorics of Athletics: Its Significance for Self-Fulfillment
I have written over 160 papers throughout my college career and I have 27 published newspaper articles.
So the reason why I am here is because I do not own a bike, The picture above with me as a child is one of the last bikes I remember ever owning. I had one in middle school for a year then it got stolen. I've picked up longboarding since then.
I was told by experienced experts that a touring bike would be necessary for me. I do not have a usable tent that is weatherproof either. I also do not have any usable camping equiptment or gear. I need panniers or a trailer. I need backup equiptment for my bike as well (tires, pump, etc). I also would like to have at least have some backup money incase anything were to happen, (flat tire, medical bill, quarters for pay-phones). I need to get a compass because I will not have any GPS device. I will also need an outdoorsman watch to measure barometer for weather. It would be great to get a go pro to document the ride. A camera to take pictures of whatever I find. I will need a solar panel to charge my Ipod. I will need a voice recorder.
I truly believe in quotes, as they inspire me fully. They are short and sweet, with a million emotions in just a few words. The quote I have always used in my life to get by the tough times is, "Life is Beautiful." Anyone that donates anything, their name will be put in my book under the "acknowledgments" section. Now if you donate $25, please include your name, city, state and a quote that has inspired you throughout your life. I will put it in my book as gratitude for your donation. To the people who donate $50, please put your name, city, state and quote. Also message me your address and I will mail you a book when I am done. For the people that that donate $75 or more, please put your name, city, state, quote, and message me your address so I can send you two copies of the book with a personal thank you note, one for you and one for a friend.
"Happiness only real when shared"-Into the WIld
"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself"- Alan Alda
"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional"-Buddha
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for - and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool - for love - for your dreams - for the adventure of being alive.
-Oriah Mountain Dreamer
$25- Name and Life Quote in book
$50- Name, Life Quote in book and a Copy of the Book
$75- Name, Life Quote in book, Two Copies of the Book to share and a Thank You Note.
Any gear, help or useful material donated will be accounted for and will be rightfully matched up with these monetary amounts.
Organizer
Shagun Kumar Pradhan
Organizer
Urbana, IL