Memorygirls - The Matrix Reloaded

Firewalker

Can someone tell me more about these people who paid their mortgage off in two years? All I can see is that she teaches yoga and he sells stove things.

On the other hand these do count as 'muses'.

FW

Firewalker

fantasia322 wrote: »

i really think this four hour working week thing, is more fantasy conjecture to get people to buy into it and spend time reading up on ways to achieve it, by all means buy the book, and if it works, great, but really its unrealistic, fantasy to make people feel inadequate about what they are alreay achieving.

Here, I believe, you are wrong on at least two counts. First, the book is not about really working four hours per week - I am prepared to bet all I have that Tim Ferriss works much longer than that. But it is about getting out of two things - working 60-80 hour weeks and thinking about input rather than results. Second, the tips shared in the book are applicable in several cases: a) knowledge workers and professionals; 2) people who look for income rather than career or jobs. Many of the people doing what is preached do internet type stuff and move with great skill in a very fluid market.

However, I can see that the basic consequence applies to everybody: to be able to work less and take regular breaks one has to increase the amount they earn per hour. Clare - this is where moving into the higher end of the market comes in - you can earn £80 in ten hours or in one hour. Tim, bless him, states the obvious - it is better if you do it in one hour. This does not mean that you should earn the same amount for the other nine as well - it is your choice and if £80 is enough one can rest.

And of course, buying the book is one of the objectives - otherwise Tim Ferriss himself will have a bit of an issue with life-style design. But: a large proportion of what he earns from his books goes to charity (access to education for people from disadvantaged backgrounds) and the product is good. In the 4Hour Work-week there is loads of practical information - problem is that it is applicable to the US.

Sorry for the long post but felt compelled to - because I will never believe that books like the 4Hour Work week demeen anything or make anyone feel inferior and inadequate. Quite the reverse - what it says is that anyone can have the life style they really want (and many of these guys do not go for riches of money but experience) if they learn how to be effective and efficient. If one is happy with what they have achieved, fine; if not there are always new ways to try.

Firewalker

fantasia322

FW, I admit to not having read this book, about the 4 hour working week. And I will concede to knowledge that is superior than mine, But where are how is a 4 hour working week ever going to be workable. The principle is grand. Amazing for the people that do manage to achieve it.

My minor observation is that for some people it is going from the sublime to the ridiculous, and for me personally it will never be achievable no matter now hard I work or desire to achieve it.

Time now for things to come out. I have trawled the halls of Acadaemia and have a degree in English, I have no wish to be a teacher, or a tutor or anything to do with children, I spent too long raising and tutoring my own 5 as a single mum so was exhausted.

But why do all these people come forth with all these principles about working weeks blah blah, because it worked for them does not mean it came easy, its all damn hard work.
And i believe in setting people up for success, but by trying to equal other peoples objectives then for me it meant failure. It is a personal thing, not getting at anyone else.

Edit to add What proportion of his books go to chariy and exactly which charity? Because that alone is no reason to buy them. Universities have charitable status because they receive income from trusts, revenue from the government. Anything that is 'funded' these days usually has charitable status for tax purposes, which defeats the purpose.

Memory_Girl

I think with "How To" books - the interesting thing is seeing how different people take different nuggets from the text - how they arrive at very different "Lightbulb Moments".

For me - reading T4HWW, was not about "I only want to work 4 hours" - but more about "I want the freedom to choose how to spend my time".

I realise that by the time I retire there will not be a state pension - and that if I want to have adventures - NOW is the time to be having them, and I want to figure out how to make that happen by thinking / doing something differently.

So - to take it to extremes - could I create a business that RUNS in 4 hours?? My target is to create an income stream that genereate 5K per annum.............. and do it fairly quickly. I accept that to CREATE the business I would need to spend more than 4 hours to do so.

So taking the seminars.

Looking at the whole of the market - I could decide to create a niche product, specialising in one small sector - in my case Families that want to work with their kids to give them the study skills for the future.

So I can contact my old college and come to an arrangement where they will make the professional video input for me in exchange for me creating a training video for their internal intranet. Actual cost to me - nothing.

Create a simple website that offers families "a product of 10 mini sessions a 40 page workbook and a 10 page quick start guide" - straight from the book. Make the payment automatic and the product deliverable by downloading - so there is very little administration needed.

Accept an offer of help from my "internet marketing" friend to create the marketing plan - and she will train one of the ladies in Singapore that she uses as support staff to do all the blog posting (a years worth writen in advance), message board networking etc. I employ Rita for 4 hours per week at a cost of $25 US - so $100 per month to do all the admin and website enquiry stuff.

I would need to generate 58 sales per year at £100 to cover all the costs and put £5000 in to my cashflow. I doubt it would take 4 hours to run a model like this.

With £5000 of cashflow per annum - I could let out my house (would cover all UK expenses) and live in , say, Thailand for a year with the kids........................ or I could create another revenue stream and we could live in SA, or create 5 and go around the world, or I could do it 25 times and "Pay off my mortage in 2 years":rotfl:

All of these things I once considered "pipedreams" - but by reading some books that have taken me out of my comfort zone......... well I am having a great time playing "what if??????"

As for today - more gardening and geting DS1 ready for going off on his bargain holiday. But I have something relly interesting to muse over - that's for sure.

MG

Firewalker

MG, this is very close to my understanding of the book. More importantly it is very much in line with my thinking - last year on my thread I was writing about creating passive income streams as the road to financial health (what is financial health to them everyone ought to decide).

Fantasia, how do you know what you can achieve? I always think that there is no way to know whether something works before one tries it. At the same time you don't have to try it Tim's way - you could do it the Matrix way. Just give us a shout and we'll be there.

Firewalker

Marru

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

I meant to say earlier Claire - if anyone ever makes a comment in your house like that again, I recommend saying "oh, I was a little worried about that, I've really been much too poorly to do anything about it, in fact, I could really do with a hand, you wouldn't mind would you?" And then hand a duster over

Can I nominate for a post of the week :T

And so happy for you that you are closer to your dream :j

Lara44 wrote: »

Also Crickett, the comment about your Dad made me think about my relationship with my Mum. She is critical and likes to dish out 'tough love'. It is only now I am starting to realise that these criticisms do not define me. Isn't it funny we allow other people to define us so much? In the case of my Mu, her criticism seems to be simply her way of being 'needed'. I need her, and she wants to be needed, but the way she responds is with criticism which builds a wall between us. These issues are hers and not mine. It still hurts, but I know my sisters and I, we are good girls, and we don't deserve tough love all the time. We are three blessings, and if I am lucky enough to have kids I will not pass on negative feelings to them.

I can highly recommend book called Toxic Parents by Susan Forward

MG - way to go with the decluttering - I definitely need a plan and a timescale as my clutter is realloy bringing me down and is holding me back

I find the book highly inspiring. I am not thinking that I could dublicate what he has done but it does help with determining where I am going and what my strenghts are.

clairewop

Good morning

Sun is shining its very warm here

Boys have helped me blitz the living and dining room, ds2 polished all the furniture, ds1 washed windows and sills, put away my jewellery stuff in cupboard, ds2 helped clean the windows, so its all looking spick and span here, so they are having a go on the ps3 before we start upstairs

Gammon joint is in the slowcooker, we are going to have gammon and salad for dinner, then I can use the rest of the gammon for sandwich meat if I use my electric meat slicer should get another meal out of it too.

have a load of washing on the line and the last load in the machine, just waiting for floors to dry before I go and get dressed. Then once upstairs is done shopping for dishwasher tablets and packed lunch stuff. Then the rest of the day is mine

Memory_Girl

JUst running through with a cup of tea - whew it's warm outside. (Don't often say that in Scotland)

DS1 is packing - Mum is supervising. Dad is on his way to give me a hand with the garden - so lunch is hummus, pitta, carrots, turnip and cucumber ( everyone can pick when they get hungry)

Just stripped down my hoover, cleaned and reassembled....... and do you know it actually now sooks up the dust!!!!!!!. So I have now put "clean the hoover" on my weekly housework routine.

Baby steps - LOL

MG

fantasia322

The Purple Hat.

Purple Hat
Age 3: She looks at herself and sees a Queen.
Age 8: She looks at herself and sees Cinderella.
Age 15: She looks at herself and sees an Ugly Sister (Mum I can’t go to school looking like this!)
Age 20: She looks at herself and sees “too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly”- but decides she’s going out anyway.
Age 30: She looks at herself and sees “too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly” – but decides she doesn’t have time to fix it, so she’s going out anyway.
Age 40: She looks at herself and sees “clean” and goes out anyway.
Age 50: She looks at herself and sees “I am” and goes wherever she wants to go.
Age 60: She looks at herself and reminds herself of all the people who can’t even see themselves in the mirror anymore. Goes out and conquers the world.
Age 70: She looks at herself & sees wisdom, laughter and ability, goes out and enjoys life.
Age 80: Doesn’t bother to look. Just puts on a purple hat and goes out to have fun with the world.
Maybe we should all grab that purple hat earlier.

I believe this was writted by Emmabombeck, not sure though.

But when I read it, I though, so true, I really do need to get out there :eek:

Cheery_Daff

That's lovely Fantasia I'm in my 30s - and yep, generally think 'I don't have time to fix it, I'm going out anyway'

I've just come across something buried somewhere in the depths of the internet that I thought I'd share with you. It's from a blog post here, from a woman who writes on the Simple-Green-Frugal-Co-op blog (don't know if you've come across it?)

Anyway, she said...

"If you are too busy concentrating on the things you really want to succeed at, whether that be designing knitting patterns, growing prize pumpkins, becoming financially independent, or becoming world Tetris champion, self sabotaging thoughts won't have room to take root. Life is too short to let the ghosts of everyone who has ever criticised you, called you names, told you you are incapable or made you feel that you can never ever be good enough, to rule your life. You can't gaze at your navel and the horizon at the same time; and I know which one is generally more worthy of study."

How very true!