Finding what success mean on the Internet

By Hanny Agustine

JAKARTA (JP): Two young men are currently traveling across the United States to seek the meaning of success and happiness. Along the way, they interview successful individuals and share the inspirations with people around the world through the Internet.

The project is being done by Brian Ardinger and his childhood friend Chris Moeller. Both are Americans who were fairly "successful" individuals living and working in Asia. Chris was on assignment designing CD-ROMs, websites and promotional pieces for a number of Asian businesses. Brian was a senior marketing consultant at a leading information technology advisory company, designing and implementing marketing research projects and custom consulting engagements for Fortune 500 technology companies.

But the men, both in their 30s, found that something was missing. Something kept telling them that there were other things to do, places to see, people to meet, lives to live and opportunities to investigate.

They began to question the meaning of success, happiness and the path people choose to reach these goals and the role of society. Some people take evening courses to get a master's degree because it is a "logical" step to getting a job promotion. Some others do a job they hate simply to earn more money. Many people give up their dream, fearing others would think they were crazy if they insisted on pursuing it.

Brian and Chris, being determined to seek the meaning of success and happiness, set up a project called Quest-4. They are equipped with digital cameras, mobile notebooks, a receiver, a full gas tank and a ton of support along the road from their friends, family and sponsors. Their mission is clear: to inspire people to take action to reach their highest potential by exploring the elements of success, happiness and personal achievement.

Now, you can go to www.quest-4.com to see the results. You will see how a crazy journey has been set up from California to New York. They interview many people, from those they find on the street to famous book writers; they stop and have breakfast at McDonalds, which becomes their mobile office where they update the site about the journey and send hundreds of picture of the city they're in and family they stay with. Indeed, many people provide them with housing and kitchens. The sponsors include Delorme, who supplied Quest-4 with its Street Atlas USA 4.0 software and Tripmate GPS receiver, and The Full Tank Club, who provides the team with gas.

Nov. 8 was their 134th day into the journey and they had plied 14,794 miles on the road, used 37 rolls of film and have been lost four times.

On the Our Journey page you can read the entire travel journal, itinerary and statistic in all states. You can see a bulk of photos. Those findings along the road are being published interactively in a website chronicle, as well as a book, which will be published after the trip. You will find interviews with successful people who have found happiness in what they do and who they are. You can also share your opinion, suggestions and thoughts on the Community page or support them by sending U$25 for a beautiful postcard of the city of your choice.

If you want to know the inspiration of success and happiness, go to the Insight and Inspiration page. You can read about how people face difficult periods before they become successful.

Happiness for businessman Reuben Troyer is "... not in a dollar form, an economic form. But... have peace and harmony in the family, the church and the community. Everyone is healthy."

Troyer, interviewed by Quest-4 on Sept. 3, 1998, was born and raised in the Amish community of Apple Creek, Ohio. Growing up on a farm, his father quickly saw his lack of success in farming and Troyer was allowed to attend a local vocational school part-time in the evenings to learn about repairing small engines.

He also worked in some small engine repair shops locally for experience, thus getting his start in the mechanical industry at the age of 14. He opened his own engine repair shop in 1981 repairing mainly small engines and lawn mowers.

Finally, his success led to the creation of his own catalog sales, offering tools to the plains communities across America. Reuben now has another store in Millerburg that is independently owned and 23 independent dealers. He finds satisfaction and happiness in his work and in his family the success it has helped him build.

On Aug. 13, Quest-4 interviewed Al Chartier, president and CEO of Midwest Industrial Tools. Chartier has no formal degree in accounting. With only small credits to go until graduation from New Mexico State University, he found his schooling cut short. Chartier, his wife, a child, US$22 in hand and a full tank of gas, packed up and moved to Phoenix to find work. Since then, he has done everything from being an apartment complex manager, salesman and accountant before he became a CEO (his current role).

Chartier's key to success is "You've got to be conscientious. You've got to have ethics and morals that are second to none. You can't have a huge ego. And you have to be hard working." And his advice for the young: "Surround yourself with people who are optimistic. Talk less and listen more. So you have to be willing to take sound advice from people who have been there and shut up and listen."

Another person interviewed by Quest-4 is Steve Roberts, a computer engineer, tech-nomad, and author of Computing across America. In the early 1980s, Roberts, whose hobby is microprocessor designing and worked for a company in Ohio doing writing and consulting for business, realized that he didn't want to be there. He wanted to become a nomad. He identified his passions for travel, adventure, romance, computers, electronics, communications and bicycling. He later found a way to blend them into a lifestyle. He built a computerized bicycle and started traveling full-time while writing full-time. Roberts became a tech-nomad. That's the way Roberts finds the meaning of success and happiness (his website is www.microship.com.).

You can read many other interesting stories from the journey of Brian and Chris on the Internet. It might inspire you to travel across Indonesia and do the same things.