The 4 Hour Work Week

[dd74]

This book, from what I can understand, makes a lot of sense. To me, it more represents a way of thinking and existing, than a tangible lifestyle.

Life and work should be about balance; which I am learning the hard way as my current position as a managing editor for a monthly newspaper is completely and utterly doing me in.

I'm thinking of giving the whole profession up, denying existence of my Master's degree, and going to work in a bicycle shop.

Because it's all about balance.

[M.D. Holloway]

Thats the story of America - why do you think we have such opportunities for Mexicans to work here? Tyhey ain't cashing in, el jefe is.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by McLovin

I'm very curious about this mindset, in many ways I admire it (because it is so foreign to me and seems so dashing and carefree).

How do you intend to live when you are 70 or 80? Same question I asked Rick. Do you just intend to keep working until you drop dead? If so, do you really see yourself repo'ing cars when you are 80, or what other job?

I don't even know that i will ever make it to 70 or 80. What i do know however, is that i am here now.

I am healthy now. When i'm 70 or 80 i might not even remember my name, or be some drooling Alzheimer addled invalid. So now is when i'm going to enjoy my free time. Now is when i'm going to spend the fruits of my labor.

Not some day 40 years from now that may very well never come.

For "retirement" i'll have a social security check and whatever state care the gov't throws at us(by then the US will probably be full on socialist, so i may actually want for very little), plus my VA benefits, and a very modest 401k, etc. If i need more coin i can work part time in some little guard shack listening to Phillies games on the radio. I know plenty of old fellas that work, and they say that they prefer it that way. It gives them something to do with themselves. Which is interesting in and of itself, because IMO most "workaholics" WON'T retire when they're 65 anyway, they'll work themselves literally to death. That's what workaholics do.

But back to me...65 might never come. Fk, 41 might never come....

So i live life for now. For today. For next week or next month, but i never plan out farther than a year, and rarely even that far.

I don't have a lot of money, but i don't care about money. Again, i care about time....and i have more of it than anyone i know. And i'm happy. Happier than most i know, despite- again- not having much money (I'm on fixed income right now on workers comp).

Anyway, some will look at me and say "In 30 years your life will be ****." And maybe so, but today i have more time than 10 full time working men my age combined. Now...while i'm still young. I have time for women, for hobbies, for TV, for the internet. I can do whatever i want, whenever i want.

How can you ever put a price on that?

The truth is that i've been semi-retired since the day i ETS'd from the US Army some 2 decades ago.

I have a V-8 Porsche "super car", a decent daily driver car, plenty of zombie guns, a computer, an Xbox360, and a bevy of women at my call. I'm liking my formula for life so far. Honestly, though i am what many here would consider "poor," the reality is that i live better than the King of England did just a mere 150 years ago.

I can live with that.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I guess my ace in the hole is my folks' house. They're retired and rich. If I outlive them and inherit their estate, even splitting it with my sister and paying off the gov't., I could retire tomorrow on that investment income. Of course, I'm not planning my life around that. But it is a possibility.

Same here. My dad is what i consider quite rich. If he died i'd get probably about a quarter million out of it. Not that i ever want to collect it....but it is the truth.

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally Posted by dd74

... in a bicycle shop. Because it's all about balance.

Well played use of the word!

Newspapers are not for everyone - stress junkies more like it. I bet there are aspects of your job you like. Any way to re-focus on those to achieve balance?

[TechnoViking]

So the book is more than just "live for the day", although that is an important component.

The idea is, keep your job, your 401K, and get the fk out of the office where you are dying a "slow death of mediocraty". Keep your job, and do something else with the remaining hours you're not wasting.

FWIW, I'm already half-way there: I work from a home office, and I consider myself lucky to have that freedom. I've worked in the cubicle farm, and I can promise you it takes a fraction of 40 hours to do the average corporate job, once you're good at it. (We waste a lot of our lives in worthless meetings, etc.)

But I want more money, so now what? Go back to the office (makes me want to put a gun to my head) and climb the ladder, or do something else with my "free" time?

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Martin Smith

FWIW, I'm already half-way there: I work from a home office, and I consider myself lucky to have that freedom. I've worked in the cubicle farm, and I can promise you it takes a fraction of 40 hours to do the average corporate job, once you're good at it. (We waste a lot of our lives in worthless meetings, etc.)

But I want more money, so now what? Go back to the office (makes me want to put a gun to my head) and climb the ladder, or do something else with my "free" time?

I have also given a lot of thought to taking on a second full-time, work-from-home job. As long as I were doing it in totally different industry, I could probably keep both jobs a secret from the other one. But I haven't found the right gig yet. I did see an ad on Craigslist a while back for a German document translator, which would have paid $40 per hour. But it required the person to be a member of the DC bar and to work in their DC law office. I emailed the lady, told her I could do that job in my sleep from home and did she know any lawyers I could hire for $40 per hour? No response.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by dd74

going to work in a bicycle shop.

Sounds great! Are those jobs available?

[911Rob]

Yeah, I mentioned it in another thread and I'm currently about 3/4's way through it. I love it and I'd HIGHLY recommend it too.

I only grabbed it because I liked the title, a concept that I introduced to myself in my early 40's, only it was a 30Hr work week; ha, ha.

Try not to read the book from a defensive angle, but instead from an angle that you may be able to get something from it. We do tend to defend our life patterns, as I found myself thinking along the same lines while reading it; but the book has opened me up to many new and exciting conversations about business and lifestyle choices. Most of Tim's concepts are spot on imo.

If I can read a book and get one thing out of it, then I'm ecstatic! This book has given me many new concepts to think about and an awesome amount of info that I've learned too. Tim gives actual websites, quotes and contact info and substantiates everything he says. It is very well presented, imo again.

In fact, over our morning coffee today I asked my wife, "What would we be doing right now today if money was no object." She replied, "What do you mean no object, how much are you talkin about?" I said, " Ten Million cash in the bank." She said, "We'd be getting ready to take a ski run from our mountain side ski chalet I guess." ha, ha. And we WILL.......

LINK: The 4-Hour Workweek and Timothy Ferriss for more info.

Definitely one of Rob's picks for 2010 must reads!
I also recommend Robert Kiyosaki's newest book, "Conspiracy of the Rich".... oooh, it's good That will twist a few heads for sure!

As for our lifestyles; I believe 110% that it's Lifestyle by Design, our design. We all get to choose what we want. If you look at something and say NO that wont happen, then NO it wont. If you look at something and say YES, then it will. I really appreciate authors like Tim Ferris and his book is outstanding. BTW, he was making $80K a month when he wrote it, so it wasn't just for the money imo.

Better get back to work......... ha, ha.
Enjoy the book, thanks for posting Martin.

Here's the books I've read in Nov/December, 2009:
Business Striped Bare by Richard Branson
Excuses Be Gone, By Dr. Wayne Dyer
The Four Things a Service Business Must Get Right - Harvard Review by Frances Freil
How to Create Your LIfe by Dr. Wayne Dyer
How to Get What You Want by Zig Ziglar
Learn to Remember Names by Tony Wrighton
Living Without Limits by Dr. Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra
Asset Protection 101 by J.J. Childers (Trump U)
Too Small to Ignore by Dr. Wess Stafford
Living your Bliss by Dr. Wayne Dyer
Making Your Thoughts Work For You by Dr. Wayne Dyer and Byron Katie
Conspiracy of the Rich by Robert Kiyosaki
The Success Principals by Jack Canfield
The Vortex by Esther Hicks

Current Reading List:
The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
The REAL Book of Real Estate by Robert Kiyosaki (text book)
The Astonishing Power of Emotions by Esther Hicks
The Shack by Wm. Paul Young
Screw It, Let's Do It by Richard Branson
The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott
Real Estate Investing in Canada by Don R. Campbell (re-read 4x)
Pelican PPOT - Interesting Daily Reads, ha, ha.

Waiting patiently to be read in my in-box for reading:
Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins (re-read)
Inspiration by Dr. Wayne Dyer
The Law of Attraction by Esther Hicks (re-read)
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by being Remarkable by Seth Godin
The Sales Advantage by Dale Carnegie
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill (re-read 5x)
21 Great Ways to Become a Sales Superstar by Brian Tracy
25 Ways to Win With People by Dr. John C. Maxwell (one of my favorite authors!)

I know it seems excessive, but I love to read and it's my "at home" reading season; I'm lucky if I read one book in the summer months at the cabin. Also the Dr. Dyer books are for my spiritual feed, which has taken on a personal taste that he satisfies for me very much; not necessarily for everyone though?

I also took a speed reading course about 20 years ago, which I'd recommend to everyone. Tim gives a speed read method in his book too btw.

Well as Sniper says.... Enough of me talking about me, why dont you talk about me for a while now? Ha, ha.

Sit down and design your life guys, it works!
You can trust Rob, can't you?

[m21sniper]

If i had 10 mil i'd be doing the same thing i'm doing right now, i'd just be doing it in a nicer house on a nicer computer.

LOL.

[RPKESQ]

I concur completely with 911Rob.

I have always charted my own course. I never followed the crowd. In HS instead of the expense of a POS "muscle" car, I had faster motorcycles and money in the bank for travel. In college I studied what interested me, not what I thought could be money makers. I have enjoyed life 99% of the time because I always did what I wanted to. Not what others wanted or expected me to do. I take good care of my family and friends, but that does not require a life of slavery.

Life is short and then you die. Live it like it means something.

[m21sniper]

Why do i find it somewhat disturbing that you and i have similar philosophies on life in many respects?

In most ways, you are the anti-me. But once in a while you really surprise me with your thought process.

[911Rob]

who? me?

fwiw, I think you're a cool guy and I enjoy reading your posts. Your full of Bullsht, but a cool guy. ha, ha.

[m21sniper]

Nah, the frenchman.

I like you a lot, even if you are full of cuddly lovin feel good silliness.

[TechnoViking]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

If i had 10 mil i'd be doing the same thing i'm doing right now, i'd just be doing it in a nicer house on a nicer computer.

LOL.

With hotter chicks?

[911Rob]

Just finished the book; excellent read!

not much going on here, guess I'll go start another one..........
Cheers

PS
He finishes the final chapter with 17 books that he recommends for reading and that he used for research; of the 17 I've only read 2, so I'll be getting onto that list now too.

[serge944]

The main point to take away from this book is not to try to copy him hoping for success and endless free time. The book is merely to encourage you - to inspire you - to take action in your life. People often get into ruts and they never get themselves out.

"Tomorrow is never."

I enjoyed the book.

[Langers]

Take four and multiply by twenty and you have my minimum work week. So no time to read. Any Cliff's notes?

[sammyg2]

I worked in a bicycle shop, when I was a teenager.

II figure that most of the time if a person hates his job he's probably not very good at it. Mediocrity is an individual issue and not a job description.

My job is a PITA but I really like working because I'm good at it. I like being good at something, being the go-to guy, being looked up to and respected as a leader in my field and an SME. Don't care if that sounds arrogant, it's true. It took me almost 3 decades to get there.

IMO pretending that doing nothing or doing very little is better than working and growing and striving to be the best you can be is a little misguided and hopefully something that can be overcome with maturity.
It smacks of giving up and failure.

[Christien]

Originally Posted by Martin Smith

"New Rich" can/will be defined as those who free themselves from the 9-5 routine. Someone making $40K per year who is free to chase their dreams may be more "rich" than someone who makes $400K and is a slave to the office.

Or how about the idea that the traditional "deferred life" plan (save enough money doing something you don't like so that you can stop doing it forever and do something you do like in retirement) is a fools game?

These two modes of thinking are both grand-slam home-runs, IMO. Time is absolutely the most valuable asset you can ever have, own and bank, because you can use it to do anything you want, limited only by your imagination and budget. Money will not set you free unless you use it to buy time, then to fill that time with what you want.

So in that sense, I agree with what Sniper's saying. However, I think filling that time with nothing more than hobbies, TV and video games is just a waste. Christ, you could do that from prison. Life gets enriched by enriching yourself, whether that's through family and emotional ties to other people, intellectual pursuits, the arts, travel, and yes, to lesser extent, leisure activities like hobbies and games. And the single most important thing you need for that is time.

It's the truly lucky among us whose work careers contribute to this enrichment.