The 4 Hour Work Week

[TechnoViking]

Originally Posted by 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.

You've identified one of the "holes" in the book, IMO. The author doesn't speak to those who actually like what they do or those who are passionate about their profession.

The assumption is you are passionate about something else, and the book encourages you to find a way to do that by getting out of the 9-5 routine.

[911Rob]

sorry I disagree Martin, Tim speaks about the gang that like their jobs often; although he does assume there's more to life than work. The book does get very heavy at times and I just blasted through those parts.... the how's and do's of shafting your boss/job; but after the first couple chapters, I was hooked enough to read through to the end. I loved all his referrals and website links and plan to check them all out too; I'm gonna read it with a highlite pen next, in a couple weeks.

good wake up call and if you have a job, then you're gonna be on the defensive big time; I for one have never had a job........ and I really can't understand why anyone would? ha, ha.

Slow day for me today....... all my peeps are working, wife's at dance class, I'm read out. Think I'll go tune up my plow truck as its running rough.

[911Rob]

Originally Posted by Langers

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

Happy to oblige there buddy;

He makes reference to the phrase W4W = work for works sake; which I think most people can be guilty of. He speaks of learning to "have fun" and "enjoy life".

He paints a number of lifestyle options which are awesome! He's an awesome dream builder and has a flair for life. The book is well written and easy to read.

He created a company that provided him with $40K/month and then found himself with money and time, but the lack of skills to enjoy it. He went through all kinds of personal mini-disasters trying to figure it out. He interviews tons of people and researches all kinds of stats about life, money, work and retirement.

Today his company earns $80K/month with 300 employees and he is an absentee owner. He enjoys life at its rawest sense imo. Kick boxing champ in China as a result of a bet; Tango dancing champ in Mexico; world traveller, etc.

He defines something that is very evident; the "New Rich" (NR), and there is definitely an NR out there. They dont necessarily have a million bucks, but they have a different kind of lifestyle with balance and ubundance. There truly has never been a better time to be alive... more lifestyle to be had today than any other time in the history of the world. (ad lib)

He covers New Rich, Enjoying Life, Mini-Retirement, Do things, be an owner, enjoy quality and quantity and cash flow.

He defines the job mentality as a deferred lifestyle leading no where fast. He interviews many that have taken this path, only to discover they were mis-lead. Something like the story about walking down the sandy beach in your thong at 80 years old..... not quite the dream picture?

He discovered that his US dollars goes 3x to 10x's as far in other Countries and shares all kinds of methods and strategies on the topic. He covers how our life provides options with the ability for us to choose; he also says we can make more money doing half..... that's been a battle cry for me for the past year too (Do half as much and make twice as much).

He tells the story of Dale Smith winning the Olympic Gold medal (LINK), a great story! He was Canadian, but our coaches ticked him off and he moved to Australia!

He shares many, many time saving strategies and techniques, all worthy of checking out. Recommends the following books to read; which helped him write this book.

1. Magic of thinking big
2. How to make millions with your ideas
3. Emyth revisited
4. Vagabonding
(says above are "MUST" reads)

5. Reducing material baggage
6. Less is more
7. the monk and the riddle
8. the 80/20 principal
9. Muse creation and business skills
10 Harvard case studies
11 This business has legs
12 Secret power of negotiating
13 Getting past no
14 Bargaining for advantage
15 Response magazine.com
16 Jordan Whitney Green Sheets (.com)
17 Small giants
18 Negotiating world travel
19 Transitions abroad (.com)

Nuff said, read the book; you'll get something very positive out of it I'm sure.
E. & O. E.

[epbrown]

Americans aren't the fattest nation on earth because we're overworked. Most anyone will tell you that about 50% of what you see in any field on the average day is non-productive output. The real issue is how you spend your free time, not your work time. We waste most of it on tv, the internet, and overeating and blame work because we don't have more to waste frittering on tv, the internet, and eating.; It's pretty much the same with money - we waste most of what we make, then claim we're underpaid. Everyone working 40 hours a week has more free time than any generation in human history. We can probably dig up such scroll in ancient Etruscan entitled "The 40 Hour Work Week - Make the Dream A Reality!"

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by Martin Smith

With hotter chicks?

Yeah, i suppose. More shallow, but probably hotter. And probably a lot more plasticized as well.

[serge944]

Originally Posted by epbrown

Americans aren't the fattest nation on earth because we're overworked. Most anyone will tell you that about 50% of what you see in any field on the average day is non-productive output. The real issue is how you spend your free time, not your work time. We waste most of it on tv, the internet, and overeating and blame work because we don't have more to waste frittering on tv, the internet, and eating.; It's pretty much the same with money - we waste most of what we make, then claim we're underpaid. Everyone working 40 hours a week has more free time than any generation in human history. We can probably dig up such scroll in ancient Etruscan entitled "The 40 Hour Work Week - Make the Dream A Reality!"

Anyone can sit at work for 40 hours a day, not do anything, and get paid. That's not the point at all.

Convince your boss that you don't need to be in the office, do whatever you want, and get paid. Now THATS $$$.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

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

And I know a 50+ year-old who made an easy 6-figures selling insurance who ditched that to wrench bikes. No biggee. He's happy (and happier).

Originally Posted by sammyg2

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.

You should write "I figure," not "Figure," because what you figure does not in any way stand for the mass working population who are dissatisfied with their profession. Very good professionals quit over many issues your blanket statement does not apply to.

Originally Posted by sammyg2

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.

Three decades in the same environment, huh? Yeah, I know city employees who've mown lawn for three decades. They're leaders in their field, too.

Originally Posted by sammyg2

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.

Yes, "IMO." We all need to remember that...

[campbellcj]

I've got a copy of the book sitting here (on my Kindle actually) but have no time to read it, LOL. I have a reading backlog perhaps 2 years long at this point.

In the last couple years I have realized that every day is a race against the clock. I'm trying to get better about focusing on the true priorities (ala Drucker) and delegating or ignoring the other stuff...

but it's hard! So here I am surfing PPOT again.

[m21sniper]

I like taking mid-day naps to the sound of my living room clock merrily ticking along.

[911Rob]

tick, tock, that's what makes the world go around.

A friend of mine in Calgary has been sponsoring this young athlete that was an Olympic hopeful; she is very dedicated to the sport of speed skating. Next weekend she'll be representing Canada in the World Sprint Championships in Obihiro, Japan and this Spring she'll be representing the Canadian Olympic Team! He just found out a couple days ago. Her name is Anastasia Bucsis.

My buddy (also a bizness partner) tells me she is one of the most inspirational people he's ever met with a real life lesson of "don't waste your life".

If you could do anything or be anything you ever wanted...... well then, do it.

Tick, Tock goes the clock

[m21sniper]

Everyone wastes their life.

Anyone that thinks their life amounts to a hill of beans is beyond delusional.

This entire planet could disappear tomorrow, and it would not make one iota of difference in the grand scheme of things.

Even if life had some meaning/purpose, which it doesn't, i'm pretty sure that speed-skating is not it.

[911Rob]

What I meant by what makes the world go round is that we all like and do different things. different strokes for different folks. So if your life makes you happy, then I'm happy fer ya.

maybe life has no purpose, but what it does have is the ability to give each of us joy and happiness if we know how to seek it and find it. My journey is really within and I've learned that I cant change others. I have become aware though that people are very defensive about their lives and their personal choices and it becomes difficult for me not to offend others by my own lifestyle choices. For the last 30 years I have been heavily goal orientated and at age 30 with a million bucks in the bank, I spread my goals over a balanced life that didn't just involve making money. Family, Health, Spiritual, Recreational, Finance, etc. I've been a student of life for the past 30 years.

Last night I was inspired to re-read the Magic of thinking BIG. (first pick of 4Hr Wk/Week author) Which I did. Tonight I'm almost through "Purple Cow"; I love collecting the data these types of books offer. I dont think there's such a thing as a wasted life and I'm sure that every person that ever walked this planet contributed someway, in fact, all living things contribute.

If a brand new, just appointed Olympic athlete doesnt inspire you, sobeit. Something must? Only you can make you happy and that should be your very first goal; be happy.

FWIW, I'm only here for the positive stuff. I like to contribute when I can and I love to read the many posts of others, yourself included. But if it gets heavy and negative, even for a second, it'll be off button time for me........ again.

What makes you the happiest Bill?

For me, it's being in the same room with my family. I love to sit and listen to my kids talk, I love to see their excitement and enthusiasm about life. I love to appreciate my wife and her beauty, inside and out. Life is good

[m21sniper]

Don't worry man, i was just messin' with ya a little.

Each man must follow his own heart. That's what we're both doing man. More power to both of us i say.

[Christien]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

Everyone wastes their life.

Anyone that thinks their life amounts to a hill of beans is beyond delusional.

This entire planet could disappear tomorrow, and it would not make one iota of difference in the grand scheme of things.

Even if life had some meaning/purpose, which it doesn't, i'm pretty sure that speed-skating is not it.

See, you're exactly right, that in the grand scheme of things in the universe our lives don't mean squat. But the flipside to your argument is that we may as well try to do as much as we can with what we've got, because all we have is this stuff around us, and it's a pretty cool thing to have around us. The world is what you make of it, and if that exists solely of your living room, you're missing out on a lot IMO. But like you said, whatever floats your boat. Some just prefer the ocean to the bathtub.