The 4-Hour Work Week: Myth or Potential Reality?

buck·et list

1. a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime.

Photo: Courtesy of Woody Hibbard via Flickr

Sadly, most people have not taken the time to give a second thought to what they really want out of life. We are too often caught up in the daily routines and necessary decisions for our physical survival, that we rarely stop and ask ourselves what it is we want rather than what we need to do.

Another issue that seems common is the fact that we don't even allow ourselves to dream about what we want out of life. What holds us back?

1. Fear of the unknown.
2. Fear of disappointment.
3. Fear of not being responsible enough.
4. Fear of letting others down.
5. Fear.
6. Fear.
7. Fear.

The 4-Hour Work Week: Myth or Reality?

Bestselling author Timothy Ferriss, has written this book with the intention of challenging the popular notion that we must work 80-hours a week in order to enjoy the fruits of our labor, for a mere 2-week (or less) vacation once a year.  Is this really all there is to life?

"People don't want be millionaires--they want to experience what they believe only millions can buy.  Ski chalets, butlers, and exotic travel often enter the picture.  Perhaps rubbling cocoa butter on your belly in a hammock while you listen to waves rhythmically lapping against the deck of your thatched-roof bungalow?  Sounds nice.

Photo: Courtesy of Amazon.com

"$1,000,000 in the bank isn't the fantasy.  The fantasy is the lifestyle of complete freedom it supposedly allows.  The question is then, How can one achieve the millionaire lifestyle of complete freedom without first having $1,000,000?"  ~Tim Ferriss

Of course, being the realists we are, our first inclination is to scoff at the idea that we'd ever be able to live outside of the only reality we know on a daily basis: work hard, work harder, and rest a little bit, only to work hard and harder again. 

While none of us can say for sure that we could literally cut our work load down to 4-hours a week, why not entertain the idea that others who were just like us have adopted some of these principles and have changed the direction of their personal and professional lives?

Just in case you're feeling a little bit inspired, click here to get some ideas for getting your own bucket list started.

In Case You Missed It: Check Out Greatest Salesman In The World: A Book You MUST Read!

The Yin and Yang of Business: Is Education All You Really Need To Succeed?

Are You Experiencing a Balanced Business Approach?  

Written by Mark H. McCormack, What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School, is an excellent reminder that spending thousands of dollars on a formal education is not necessarily a guarantee that a person is fully prepared to be at the top of their business game.    

He writes, "What this book is really about is "street smarts":  the ability to make active positive use of your instincts, insights, and perceptions.  To use them to get where you want to go, preferably by the shortest route, even if this means jumping some fences or going through a few back alleys."

While McCormack is definitely not criticizing those who have put forth the time, energy, and money to become educated, he is mainly addressing the issue of needing "street smarts" in terms of one's ability to read people on a deeper level in order to enhance and provide more opportunities for positive business experiences.

Whether it is a matter of closing a deal or asking for a raise, of motivating a sales force of 5,000 or negotiating one to one, business situations almost always come down to people situations.  And it is those executives with a finely tuned people sense, and an awareness of how to apply it, who invariably take the edge.

 So what is the point of this book?  McCormack says that while there's nothing wrong with Harvard's business school or the approach it takes, it simply cannot teach you how to read people and develop this skill in a way that will maximize your business transactions and experiences.

That is exactly what this book can teach you:  how to read people, how to influence their reading of you, and how to apply or customize both to any likely business situation.  

You are likely telling yourself one of these things:

1. This is baloney.  I have been doing business for years and there is nothing more for me to gain from another business book.  It's the economy that's to blame for my slump.  OR
2. I know I should evaluate where I could use improvement, but I'm just overwhelmed - I don't have time to make any changes right now.  OR
3. I know that I have either educated myself or have had a formal education, and while my experiences have always helped me to become wiser in my business, this may be the one area that's holding me back from improving my game.  It's worth at least checking into.

None of these responses is either wrong or right - only you can decipher where you are needing improvement in your business, whether it's a professional or personal development issue, and what it's worth to you to stop and evaluate at this point.  

What keeps YOU from choosing an area to improve in and focus on bettering your business?  Your comments are always welcome and appreciated!

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Your Daily Choices: Thoughtless or Purposeful?

You must weed your mind as you would weed your garden. ~Terri Guillemets

Seeds of Greatness, written by Denis Waitley, has inspired many to examine their personal and professional lives and ask:  What am I doing today that will determine my life tomorrow?  We make hundreds of thousands of choices every single day, but the question is whether they are thoughtless or purposeful.  

We are faced with life altering decisions on a daily basis, but most of us don’t realize it.  We believe our purpose is to put out fires and to work tirelessly to prevent new fires from erupting.  But if we take the time to evaluate the “seeds” we are sowing in the various aspects of our lives, then we open the door enough to peek at the future and what will “grow” from those seeds.  

To give you a glimpse into Waitley’s Seeds of Greatness, read on to see how his book is divided.

1. The Seed of Self-Esteem:  From Self-Love to Self-Worth
2. The Seed of Creativity:  Releasing Your Creative Energy
3. The Seed of Responsibility:  We Become What We Do
4. The Seed of Wisdom:  What it Means to Live Without Wax
5. The Seed of Purpose:  The Gold Mine in Your Goals
6. The Seed of Communication:  Reach Out and Touch Someone
7. The Seed of Faith:  The Power of Positive Believing
8. The Seed of Adaptability:  Turning Problems Into Opportunities
9. The Seed of Perseverance:  The Will to Win is Everything

There are areas in both personal and professional life that we are excellent at.  Maybe you have fostered your creativity in a way that you have found fulfilling.  Others may be excellent communicators, and have seen the positive results from practicing active listening and body language skills.  

But every person, no matter their circumstance of life, has areas of life which they are unwilling to look at.  Why?  If there are aspects of our personality or daily habits that are destructive to ourselves, others, our future, our business, then why wouldn't we be willing to look at them squarely and work on them?  

Do You Have What It Takes To Change?
We all have hang-ups to changing, and yet, the cycle continues: mismanaging finances, yelling when we don't get our way, trying to control others, worrying about the what-ifs instead of appreciating today.  Tony Schwartz, President and CEO of The Energy Project and author of "Be Excellent At Anything", wrote a blog post some time back on Six Keys To Changing Almost Anything.  He writes, 

In order to make change that lasts, we must rely less on our prefrontal cortex, and more on co-opting the primitive parts of our brain in which habits are formed.  Put simply, the more behaviors are ritualized and routinized — in the form of a deliberate practice — the less energy they require to launch, and the more they recur automatically.

His six keys to change include:

1. Be Highly Precise and Specific
2. Take on One New Challenge at a Time
3. Not Too Much, Not Too Little
4. What We Resist Persists
5. Competing Commitments
6. Keep the Faith 

What specific steps have you taken to incorporate change into your life?  We'd love to hear what has worked in your journey to improve your personal and/or business life.

You will also want to read the post on How To Stop Worrying and Start Living.

{Book 6} Required Entrepreneur Reading: How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

What has been your most meaningful lesson in learning how to work well with difficult people?  Or what changes have you made in yourself to become a person that is easy to work with?

Written in 1936, this book has sold over 15 million copies around the globe.  What has drawn millions to read a book by someone who is not only from a completely different era, but quite a few generations distant from us?  

Here’s a little snippet from the opening chapter, entitled “Nine Ways to Get The Most Out of This Book:"

“If you wish to get the most out of this book, there is one indispensable requirement, one essential infinitely more important than any other rule or technique.  Unless you have this one fundamental requisite, a thousand rules on how to study will avail little.  And if you do have this cardinal endowment, then you can achieve wonders without reading any suggestions for getting the most out of a book.  What is this magic requirement?  Just this:  a deep, driving desire to learn, a vigorous determination to increase your ability to deal with people.”(emphasis added)

What is the most foundational aspect of business?  Our ability to work with people in a mutually respectful manner, in a way that generates positive outcomes for all parties involved.  Dale Carnegie focuses on providing insightful strategies for you to connect and work with a variety of people and the challenges that often arise in such relationships.

The book is divided into the following major sections:

1. Fundamental Techniques in Handling PeopleSix Ways to Make People Like You
2. How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
3. Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

The beauty of this book is that these principles are not only useful and applicable to our business relationships, but also can be utilized in personal relationships.

What has been your most meaningful experience or lesson learned in knowing how to approach challenging people in a positive way?