Ian Asher's Unique "Business" Story: Selling Your Life. Ian Usher Who Sold His Unfortunate Life New Life After Auction

Do you want to fulfill your dreams, but do not know where to find the money for them? Ian Asher didn't know either. And then he thought of selling his life - all, entirely. She bored him to death anyway. And guess what, I sold it!

Like all normal people, Ian Asher dreamed of a happy family and an interesting job. Like many, alas, Asher had neither one nor the other.

Ian was almost 50. And he worked as a carpet salesman in a small shop in Australia (carpets did not bother Ian at all). And when his marriage (which, unlike the carpets, he worried about) finally fell apart, Ian plunged into a deep depression. Here in depression, full of hatred for himself and his life, he found the perfect way out. Sell ​​your unfortunate life on an online auction.

The "Life of Ian Asher" lot, which he posted on eBay, included his house with all the furniture and appliances, a car, a motorcycle, a jet ski, skydiving equipment, a workplace and acquaintance with all colleagues and friends. The description of the lot ended with the words: "My life is enough for me, I no longer need it." The starting price was $1.

A week later, by the end of the auction, Ian Asher's property was only his passport and the proceeds from the sale of life 305 thousand dollars.

“I always dreamed of adventure,” recalls Ian, “but in reality, it was dreary to work in one place without any special events. I decided to do everything I dreamed of.”

Ian Asher made a list of 100 goals and gave himself 100 weeks to achieve them. After that, he bought a plane ticket and flew to Dubai to reach his first goal - to go skiing under the scorching sun. For the next two years, Ian traveled non-stop: he ran with the bulls on a holiday in Spain, swam with white sharks in Africa, and in Japan with whales. He learned how to fly an airplane, walked along the Great Wall of China and saw with his own eyes all the largest waterfalls in the world. In London, Ian talked with his idol - entrepreneur Richard Branson. And in Hollywood, he starred in a small role in a movie. At the same time, he had to convince the producers for a long time that he was not thinking about an acting career, and was ready to act completely free of charge.

Two years and $270,000 later, Ian Asher found himself completing 93 of the 100 items on his list. On the remaining desires (for example, "learn to understand in a dream that you are sleeping" and "plunge to the bottom of the ocean to look at the Titanic"), Ian decided to spit. Instead, with the last 30 thousand, he bought himself a tiny abandoned island off the coast of Panama, built a house on it with his own hands and settled there. Much of the time he lives with his beloved woman, Moe, whom he met while dog sledding in Canada. Ian and Mo visit Canada periodically and recently founded a small publishing house there that publishes children's books. It is with the help of him that Ian is going to earn money: "I will never return to my usual job," he says.

Now, four years after the sale of his former life, 50-year-old Ian is absolutely happy. He has written several books and is now talking to producers about a possible Hollywood adaptation of his story. “I’m incredibly happy about that,” he says. “But you know, it’s even more amazing to me that sometimes strangers come up to me and tell me how my story changed their lives. They made their own lists of goals and live to achieve them. I think the world would look very cool if everyone pursued their goals."

What happened to the "old life" sold at auction? Asher knows nothing about it at all. But he hopes that his old life pleased the one who bought it.

Ian Asher is from Darlington; however, he lived with his wife far from home - in Perth, Western Australia (Perth, Western Australia). Ian and Laura lived in Australia for 6 years; alas, the marriage turned out to be extremely fragile - Laura left Ian, breaking his heart to smithereens. A failed marriage - and especially the difficulties associated with its dissolution - can literally destroy even the strongest nature. Ian Asher found a rather unusual way to forget about sorrows and find a new meaning in life - Ian ... sold his old life on eBay.

The car, the house, everything went up for auction, giving Asher enough cash. Almost immediately, Ian moved on to the second part of his plan - he went to travel the world and fulfill his desires. For two whole years, Usher diligently "lived to the fullest" - during this time he managed to see the world, learn how to fly a plane, star in a Hollywood film and personally meet Richard Branson (Richard Branson). In the course of his wanderings, Asher even found a new love; the vacant place in his heart was taken by the Canadian Moe. It was with Mo Yen Asher that he finally decided to settle down; for his new home, he also chose a rather unusual site. With the proceeds from the "sale of life" funds, Ian Asher managed to buy himself a real tropical island in the Caribbean Sea (Caribbean sea).

Of course, turning a wild island into a place suitable for life was not easy - Ian Asher personally built a house for himself and hollowed out several canoes. Regret Ash
eru did not have to; exotic fruits, sea food, beloved woman and bright sun - his life turned into a real paradise.

Five years have passed since the conclusion of the fateful deal; now Ian is back up for auction – and once again, Usher is putting up his own life as a lot. For some 160,000 pounds sterling - which is about half the cost of far from the most luxurious London house - anyone can go to Usher's personal island and forget about all the hardships of the life of an ordinary office clerk. The restless craving for wandering again calls Asher himself on the road - he has enjoyed the delights of a settled life to his heart's content and is now going to continue exploring the unusual corners of our planet. Of course, it will not be possible to sell the island right away - not everyone is able to quickly decide to change their life so radically; however, the example of Ian clearly demonstrates that the daredevil will not have to regret his decision.


When a family collapses at the age of 50 and work cannot be called a favorite, one gets the feeling that life has been lived in vain. That's how the story began Jena Ashera, a man famous for sold his life. No, he did not make a deal with the devil and did not even go into voluntary slavery. He put up for auction his own worthless (as it seemed to him) life, valuing the lot at $ 1. What came of it - read on.




Under the "Life of Ian Asher" lot, everything that the man owned at that time was put up for auction on eBay: a furnished house, a used car, a hydro and a motorcycle, in addition, intangible things were also sold - a workplace in a carpet store (this is where Ian worked ) and contacts of his friends. It is interesting that in just 7 days a buyer was found and bought the life of a daredevil for 350 thousand dollars.





Left with money and a passport in his pocket, Ian began to make plans for the future. There was nothing left to lose, and he went on a journey, promising himself that in the next 100 weeks he would do 100 incredible things. In fairness, it is worth noting that Ian managed to realize almost all of them. Of those that are still marked "in progress": diving to the sunken Titanic, trainings that allow you to have lucid dreams, searching for and meeting five namesakes, and being present at the birth of your own child.





By the way, the dream of becoming a father is not unreasonable. Ian was lucky in Canada to meet a woman with whom he has been living together for several years. Yen himself has tried a lot over the years. The Briton, who lived in Australia, began his journey in Dubai. Here he rode in a ski resort in multi-degree heat. After he visited different countries of the world, including London, Spain, Japan, China and many others. He made incredible dives under water and swam with whales, took to the skies on an airplane and skydived, participated in national festivals and even starred in a cameo in a Hollywood movie.





Having enjoyed his travels in full, he "settled" on one of the islands in the waters of Panama. He built a house here and lived a happy family life. By the way, the island cost about $ 30 thousand, not so much for the opportunity to make dreams come true! Asher now makes a living publishing children's books, and recently released an autobiography (which, among other things, has been translated into Russian). In addition, Disney bought from him the rights to film the story of his life for an impressive amount. Remembering the years that have passed since the fateful deal, Ian admits that he does not regret anything and feels boundless joy that he decided to take such a step!

Like all normal people, Ian Asher dreamed of a happy family and an interesting job. Like many, alas, Asher had neither one nor the other.

Ian was almost 50. And he worked as a carpet salesman in a small shop in Australia (carpets did not bother Ian at all). And when his marriage (which, unlike the carpets, he worried about) finally fell apart, Ian plunged into a deep depression. Here in depression, full of hatred for himself and his life, he found the perfect way out. Sell ​​your unfortunate life on an online auction.


The "Life of Ian Asher" lot, which he posted on eBay, included his house with all the furniture and appliances, a car, a motorcycle, a jet ski, skydiving equipment, a workplace and acquaintance with all colleagues and friends. The description of the lot ended with the words: "My life is enough for me, I no longer need it." The starting price was $1.

A week later, by the end of the auction, Ian Asher's property was only his passport and the proceeds from the sale of life 305 thousand dollars.


“I always dreamed of adventure,” recalls Ian, “but in reality, it was dreary to work in one place without any special events. I decided to do everything I dreamed of.”


Ian Asher made a list of 100 goals and gave himself 100 weeks to achieve them. After that, he bought a plane ticket and flew to Dubai to reach his first goal - to go skiing under the scorching sun. For the next two years, Ian traveled non-stop: he ran with the bulls on a holiday in Spain, swam with white sharks in Africa, and in Japan with whales. He learned how to fly an airplane, walked along the Great Wall of China and saw with his own eyes all the largest waterfalls in the world. In London, Ian talked with his idol - entrepreneur Richard Branson. And in Hollywood, he starred in a small role in a movie. At the same time, he had to convince the producers for a long time that he was not thinking about an acting career, and was ready to act completely free of charge.


Two years and $270,000 later, Ian Asher found himself completing 93 of the 100 items on his list. On the remaining desires (for example, "learn to understand in a dream that you are sleeping" and "plunge to the bottom of the ocean to look at the Titanic"), Ian decided to spit. Instead, with the last 30 thousand, he bought himself a tiny abandoned island off the coast of Panama, built a house on it with his own hands and settled there. Much of the time he lives with his beloved woman, Moe, whom he met while dog sledding in Canada. Ian and Mo visit Canada periodically and recently founded a small publishing house there that publishes children's books. It is with the help of him that Ian is going to earn money: "I will never return to my usual job," he says.


Now, four years after the sale of his former life, 50-year-old Ian is absolutely happy. He has written several books and is now talking to producers about a possible Hollywood adaptation of his story. “I’m incredibly happy about that,” he says. “But you know, it’s even more amazing to me that sometimes strangers come up to me and tell me how my story changed their lives. They made their own lists of goals and live to achieve them. I think the world would look very cool if everyone pursued their goals."

February 27, 2015, 08:20

Ian Asher was born in Darlington, UK. The mature life of the British took place quite far from his home - in the city of Perth, Western Australia. There he lived with his wife Laura, working in a small shop selling carpets. In his incomplete 50 years, Ian was terribly dissatisfied with his own life and dreamed of adventure and travel. Soon, his marriage, which lasted six years, also gave a crack - Laura left her husband, which broke his heart to smithereens. However, it was this last blow that was the reason that motivated him to change his life. And so, in 2008, a desperate man found a rather unusual way out of this situation - he decided to sell his failed life on the eBay online auction.

Ian Asher

The lot that really appeared on the online auction, which was called “ The life of Ian Asher ", included a house in Perth city with all appliances and furniture, a used Mazda car, a jet ski, a motorcycle, skydiving equipment, a workplace in a store and even getting to know all his friends and colleagues. The description of the lot put up for sale ended with a short phrase: “ I've had enough of my life, I don't need it anymore". With him, Ian wished to leave only a wallet, a passport and a few backpacks with personal belongings. He wanted to completely get rid of everything that would remind him of past failures.

The starting price of the lot was $1. A week later, the Briton had 305 thousand dollars from the sale of his life. According to Ian Asher, when the sale took place, he did not immediately understand what to do next, but he always had a dream to travel the world. Then the daredevil made a list of 100 extreme goals that he volunteered to carry out within 100 weeks.

« I always dreamed of adventure, - recalls Ian, - but in reality, I worked drearily in one place without any special events. I decided to do everything I dreamed of»

Shortly after compiling the list, he bought a ticket to Dubai and went to fulfill his first dream - to go downhill skiing under the scorching sun. For the next two years, he pursued his goals without interruption. One of Ian's most dangerous adventures is running with the bulls at a Spanish festival in Pamplona. According to the Briton, he saw a film dedicated to this bright festival as a child and promised himself to get to it. That is why it became one of the main desires on his list, although participating in this, according to him, was quite scary.

To Dubai

Usher cites his most exciting experience as a dive off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, where he was able to swim up close with the whales. The daredevil swam with white sharks in Africa, walked along the Great Wall of China, learned to fly a plane, skydived at night, enjoyed the beauty of all the largest waterfalls in the world and got himself an octopus as a pet.

Jump from the Artyubi Bridge

Aiguille du Midi

in Italy

In London, another dream came true - he managed to talk with his idol, the famous British entrepreneur Richard Branson . In Hollywood, Ian persuaded the producers to give him a small role in the film. At the same time, he convinced them for a long time that he would be filming completely free of charge and did not even think about an acting career.

Ian and Richard Branson 2009

In Cannes

Two years and $270,000 later, Ian Asher found himself completing 93 of the 100 items on his list. The remaining targets appear in the list with the mark “in progress”. Temporarily unfulfilled dreams include diving into the wreck of the Titanic, jumping a car from a pier into the water, meeting five Yen Ashers, learning to lucid dream, investing $50,000 in cancer research, and being present at the birth of your own child.

In Spain

In London

Asher is confident that all his dreams will come true, it's only a matter of time. Yen bought himself a small island off the coast of Panama and built a house there with his own hands. Life on the island completely satisfies him, after long months spent traveling, he can finally get some rest.


The island and the house of Jena

Ian's beloved woman, Mo (Maureen Boxa), a 38-year-old Canadian who learned about the brave Briton from the news, helped to completely heal the emotional wounds of Ian. In a letter she wrote to him, there was a proposal to add a dog sled competition in Canada to her wish list. Ian accepted her proposal, not even suspecting that this woman would become the love of his life. Most of the time, Mo lives with him on the island, sometimes they travel to Canada, where they recently founded a publishing house that publishes children's books. It is it that should become the main source of income, Usher is not going to return to his usual job. (Nothing lasts forever and since 2013 Ian has been dating Englishwoman Vanessa Anderson)

Yen and Mo


Ian and Vanessa

Many, like Ian, would like to live an interesting life and travel more, but it's all because of the fear of changing something and breaking ingrained habits. For some, only severe stress becomes a catalyst that can take you out of a half-asleep existence and force you to do some kind of non-standard act that radically changes your life, for example, apply for an annual multiple visa and travel around countries for a whole year, relying on luck and poor knowledge of the language. all this time, Ian kept a blog in which he described in detail all his achievements.

Christmas Island

Uluru in Australia

Very soon, he had a huge number of fans who were inspired by his story and changed their lives. One of the items on the wish list was " To write a book ". And indeed, at the end of his long journey, Usher finished his autobiographical book " life is sold ”, which has already become quite popular in the world today.

Such an unusual story could not but affect the interest of Hollywood filmmakers. The film rights to the adventures of Ian Asher were bought by Disney for $356,000. The Briton hopes that in the process of creating the film, he will act not only as a consultant, but also play a small role in it. In the near future, Ian plans only to fish, build a house and enjoy the sunsets on the ocean.

After the events that radically changed his life, he says that he never regretted the decision: “ The last few years have been the most amazing adventure of my life.". The Briton, who risked everything, admits that while he has something to do and he is absolutely happy, but everything can be, perhaps one day he will again have a desire to put his life up for sale. Ian Asher has become a very popular personality, inspiring many people to the same heroic deeds. As the Briton who risked everything says, the main thing is to take the first step, then it will be much easier.

In 2013, Yen returned to the auction - and once again, Usher puts his own life as a lot. For some 160,000 pounds sterling - which is about half the cost of far from the most luxurious London house - anyone can go to Usher's personal island and forget about all the hardships of the life of an ordinary office clerk. The restless craving for wandering again calls Asher himself on the road - he has enjoyed the delights of a settled life to his heart's content and is now going to continue exploring the unusual corners of our planet.


in China in December 2014

No one knows how things are today with the owner of the life Ian Asher bought in 2008, but the Briton himself hopes that his “old life” brought more happiness to the one who bought it than to himself.

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