I’ve been showing Property X’s
downstairs apartment for the last three weeks. I have my choice between two sets of prospective
tenants and I… hmm, you know what? I’ll write that post next. Right now, I feel
it’s important to write about something else.
Last week was my first full week off
from the shipping depot job, as I recover from my “back surgery”. It felt
amazing. Every weekday I went to work at 6:30am, left at 2:30pm, and the rest
of the day was mine. I was able to set up more appointments to show Property
X’s vacant apartment. I would shovel snow, then come home and relax. It felt
good to feel what most people who work one job get to feel. Then came the
weekend.
This weekend marked the first time in
almost 5 years that I had Saturday and Sunday off to myself. Because I had to
spend the afternoons showing the vacant apartment, one would think that I’d be
bitching about it. But I’m not. It was AWESOME! I was supposed to sleep in but had too much energy and decided to wake up at 9am. I got to set my own schedule of
when I showed the vacant apartment. I had free time to drive around and look
for properties for sale, two of which I’m going to view on Wednesday. I had
this big smile on my face as I drove around listening to Bob Marley and Feist. This, I
said to myself, is exactly how I want my retirement to be like.
To me, retirement is not about sitting
around and doing nothing. Retirement is me creating my own schedule. It’s me
taking care of things when I want to. It's taking a vacation without having to ask permission. If I felt an appointment was too late, I’d
tell them to wait until Monday. I got to eat breakfast and watch cartoons. I
went to the supermarket and bought some groceries. But the biggest joy of all
was that there was no rush. I drove 30mph in the city and 60mph on the highway.
If this is what my retirement from paycheck work will feel like… if this is
what I’ve been working so hard for… then I must say that it feels worth it.
P.S.: I go back to the shipping depot on Saturday, and will no longer work Tuesdays there. Working only one job Monday through Thursday should definitely feel good, but I can't wait until I can quit that dumb job altogether!
The 4 Hour Work Week on CD by Tim Ferris can change your life in a very short time period. The book on CD is actually better than just getting the book. The tone and excitement in his voice helps to motivate you. It's not a self-help per se, but it is for anyone who is ambitious. You will accomplish your dreams quicker than you thought possible.
ReplyDeleteI had this CD set in my car and would listen whenever I was driving. I completely attribute those CDs to how I ended up driving around Europe for a 3 week vacation.
Here are some notes I took:
Chapter 3
1) Define your nightmare. What would be the permanent impact? Is is really permanent? How likely?
2) What are the steps could you take to repair the damage or get back on the upswing?
3) What are outcomes/benefits of more probable scenarios? Internal/external? Impact on scale of 1-10? How likely is it that I could produce a moderately positive outcome?
4) If I were fired from my job today what would I do to get my life under financial control? Imagine this scenario and run through questions 1-3 above.
5) What am I putting off out of fear? Usually what we most fear doing is what we most need to do. That phone call, that conversation.. Define worst case, accept it, and do it.
"A person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have. Resolve to do one thing every day that you fear."
6) What is it costing you to postpone action? Financially/emotionally/physically? Measure the etrocious cost of inaction. If you don't pursue those things that excite you, where will you be in 1-5-10 years? How will you feel having allowed 10 more years of your finite life to pass doing what you know will not fulfill you? Inaction is the greatest risk of all.
7) What are you waiting for? If you cannot answer this without resorting back to the previously rejected concept of good timing, the answer is simple: you are afraid...just like the rest of the world. Develop the most important habit of those who excel and enjoy doing so--action.
Chapter 4
"Doing the unrealistic is easier than doing the realistic. It's as easy as believing it can be done." Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. The fishing is best where the fewest go. There is less competition for bigger goals.
What is the opposite of happiness = boredom. Synonym for happiness = excitement. Opposite of love is indifference.
ADD = Adventure Deficit Disorder. Boredom is the enemy. Correcting course: get unrealistic!
Dreamlining. 1) goals shift from wants to steps, 2) goals have to be unrealistic to be effective, 3) activities when work is removed,
What would you do if there was no way you could fail? (1) Two timelines, 6 months and 12 months. Material things, being ___, and doing ___. Do not limit yourself. If something will improve your feelings of self-worth, put it down.
(2) Drawing a blank?
A) What would you do day-to-day if you had $10 million in the bank?
What would make you most excited to do each day? Place to visit? Something you always wanted to learn? What does being relate to living? Identify action that will show you have achieved it. Temporary holding spot for doing actions.
4) What are the 4 dreams that would change it all? Decide what the most important four are for the next 6 and 12 months. Calculate TMI for realize these dreams. Then add total monthly expenses times 1.3. Divide by 30 for TDI (Target Daily Income). For printable worksheets and calculators, www.fourhourworkweek.com. Even if numbers unrealistic, don't fret.
6) Determine steps for each of four dreams and take first step NOW. Define 3 steps, set actions, tomorrow complete before 11am, then day after. Each should be simple enough to in 5 minutes or less. The best first step is finding someone who has done it and asking for advice. Tomorrow becomes NEVER. Take the first step NOW.
Hmm... this looks like the medicine to my procrastination. I don't usually do these, but maybe I should start soon. Wait, if I say "soon", I think that's me putting it off. Guess I'll have to try it out tonight.
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