Expert in the Rough, Brian Monahan

Timothy Ferriss the author of “The 4-Hour Workweek” makes his case for and provides a blueprint for a luxury lifestyle with just 4 hours of work a week.

His book touts: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich.

Sounds good to me.

The Book also comes with a Warning:  DO NOT READ THIS BOOK UNLESS YOU WANT TO QUIT YOUR DAY JOB.

My goal for this article is not to share the “hows” of his book but to ask you to place a bet.

A bet to follow your dreams and live the unreasonable life you always wanted to live.

I can already see your arms folding, but do read on.

Ferris covers various concepts and strategies to creating a 4 hour work week which delivers his
results aforementioned.

All of his strategies have merit, most are eccentric and I will share my two favorite.

First you need to be unreasonable. Our entire economy is centered around trading time for money.   You would be silly to consider any other plan, but that is exactly why this book is so powerful.  So many of us have been misinformed about how to create wealth.  A job is not the only answer.  “Passive or Automated” income streams are ready and available.  The internet is the truly the golden egg.  FYI, the internet is just the vehicle, not the answer.

The second is start with the end in mind. If you build a business that revolves around trading time for money you are almost guaranteed you will not be able to convert it to a 4 hour work week model.  Don’t even start unless the model is created with 4 hours of work in mind.

Since I know most of the population is completely reasonable I have a reasonable challenge for you.

Most of you will not follow the concepts presented in the book and therefore will never get the opportunity
to experience true luxury lifestyle. 

Here is my request.

Buy Timothy Ferriss’ book.  Read it and embrace it.

Don’t quit your day job, don’t tell your boss you are going to work from home, don’t hire a virtual assistant for penny’s on the dollar american and don’t even think about taking any chances.

Now that I have made it completely safe for you, are you willing to wager 4 hours a week?

Do allocate 4 hours a week creating your 4-Hour Workweek business.  It’s only 4 hours give it a try.

Do you have the GUTS to take a 4 hour a week chance?

Oh wait, you are already taking a 40 hour plus chance, this will be easy!

Resources:

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

The Blog of Timothy Ferriss

Hopefully Natalie Golderg will update her classic book “Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within” to include and updated addendum on blogging.  Natalie, if you are out there, you can even have my post title if you follow through with this idea.

Throughout Ms. Goldberg’s book she constantly takes you back to the idea of writing daily.  This is a central theme I have heard from all writers.  I have been lucky enough to spend some time with some well known authors such as Jeffrey Gitomer and Matthew Kelly.  Both alluded to some form of daily writing method.  I personally have started and stopped over the years and often wondered if I had what it takes to write.

That leads to one of the other themes in her book.  Squelching the editor.  You cannot be the editor and the writer at the same time.  In fact if you can allow someone else to be the editor that is even better.  The way to overcome being the editor falls back on the concept of writing daily.  If you want to be a writer, then write.

Ms. Goldberg’s book’s focus is on writing poems, novels and memoirs which can be a distraction at times, if your writing focus is on knowledge, expertise and opinion.  With that in mind I encourage you to push through this book.  I started reading this book in April and just finished this weekend.  It is a good read, a few chapters at a time.  This allows for digestion of her concepts.  With some writing practice in between readings, you will notice a difference in your voice.

I must say, this book has had great impact on me, I have been looking for a topic to write about for nearly five years.   Ms. Goldberg’s tips, tweaks and inspirations are scattered within her book which has inspired me to launch two blogs in the last 4 months, including this one “Expert in the Rough.”

So, I offer a “LifeHack” for “Writing Down the Bones” instead of journaling with a pen and paper, I recommend creating a blog about your life’s passion.