I happened to stumble upon some great news for anyone, including myself, who finds themselves categorized, in one form or another, as “different.” This revelation appeared before me in the form of a book called The 4 –Hour Workweek. Despite Author Timothy Ferriss’s similarly unconventional personality, he also happens to be a member of the “New Rich.” This quiet subculture, characterized by their ability to globe trot and enjoy an abundance of time and money, live a caliber of luxury beyond imagination. Ferriss, once underpaid and overworked, deciphered the “New Rich’s” methods and now earns $40,000 a month, working just 4 hours a week. The 4- Hour Workweek, a step-by- step how-to manual, demonstrates his perfected “lifestyle design” method. This alternative to the way we make a living may also revolutionize the way we live.
Through his own career suicides and extreme accomplishments, Ferriss gained a deeper understanding of success. This word has morphed into an ugly public façade that reeks of mass consumption. Its only purpose, to feed our emotional weaknesses, tricks us. For instance, if you make $100,000 “per year,” sacrificing 60 hours a week, you only actually earn about $10 an hour. And then, if you survive 35 years of this torture, you retire. But guess what? Due to inflation, the numbers don’t add up. Ferriss calls the “deferred retirement plan” a “bittersweet ending.”
Ferris’s answer to success’s trickery consists of a gradual and undeniable technique for escaping the mundane and distracting office environment. How could a boss deny doubling productivity? This remote work agreement frees up time in order to achieve real success, the actualization of dreams. One of Ferriss’s most unconventional ideas is to altogether quit your job, an excuse for mediocrity or a “bad habit.” He writes that “quitting is integral to winning.”
The 4-Hour Workweek’s tradition defying climax, consisting of a few simple steps, teaches you how to build an automated business structure in three phases. In just 4 to 6 weeks, Ferris thinks anyone can be on their way to embodying real success. The completely duplicateable method requires very little creativity. Just follow the steps.
The actual business plan’s last stage involves replacing yourself, your largest obstacle, with automation, permitting liberation. However, an excess of money and time, only the vehicles for your goals, will create a deep void within you. Ferris analogizes this switch in your working paradigm as going from triple espresso to decaf. He names the excessive combination “fertilizer for self doubt.” Although the workplace is filled with gossip, annoying email jokes, and bad coffee, we survive and thrive on the human interaction it provides us. The most difficult step, the one that does require creativity, not to mention strength, is replacing that social web. Otherwise, the mind will naturally focus on solving unproductive problems (a.k.a. depression). Creating another focus, besides “working for the sake of working,” combats this condition. Ferris also notes that it takes 2 to 3 months to unplug obsolete routines and become aware of just how much we distract ourselves with constant motion.
Through his own career suicides and extreme accomplishments, Ferriss gained a deeper understanding of success. This word has morphed into an ugly public façade that reeks of mass consumption. Its only purpose, to feed our emotional weaknesses, tricks us. For instance, if you make $100,000 “per year,” sacrificing 60 hours a week, you only actually earn about $10 an hour. And then, if you survive 35 years of this torture, you retire. But guess what? Due to inflation, the numbers don’t add up. Ferriss calls the “deferred retirement plan” a “bittersweet ending.”
Ferris’s answer to success’s trickery consists of a gradual and undeniable technique for escaping the mundane and distracting office environment. How could a boss deny doubling productivity? This remote work agreement frees up time in order to achieve real success, the actualization of dreams. One of Ferriss’s most unconventional ideas is to altogether quit your job, an excuse for mediocrity or a “bad habit.” He writes that “quitting is integral to winning.”
The 4-Hour Workweek’s tradition defying climax, consisting of a few simple steps, teaches you how to build an automated business structure in three phases. In just 4 to 6 weeks, Ferris thinks anyone can be on their way to embodying real success. The completely duplicateable method requires very little creativity. Just follow the steps.
The actual business plan’s last stage involves replacing yourself, your largest obstacle, with automation, permitting liberation. However, an excess of money and time, only the vehicles for your goals, will create a deep void within you. Ferris analogizes this switch in your working paradigm as going from triple espresso to decaf. He names the excessive combination “fertilizer for self doubt.” Although the workplace is filled with gossip, annoying email jokes, and bad coffee, we survive and thrive on the human interaction it provides us. The most difficult step, the one that does require creativity, not to mention strength, is replacing that social web. Otherwise, the mind will naturally focus on solving unproductive problems (a.k.a. depression). Creating another focus, besides “working for the sake of working,” combats this condition. Ferris also notes that it takes 2 to 3 months to unplug obsolete routines and become aware of just how much we distract ourselves with constant motion.
To fill the void, Ferris prescribes relocating, (gulp) namely to a foreign country. And this, my friends, is the part that scares me. He calls this foreign extended escapade an “anti-vacation,” a step outside of your comfort zone. This experience will mirror your own prejudices and weaknesses, making it that much easier to fix them. Ferris won’t even accept the single mother excuse against traveling. Like most of his crazy philosophy, he backs his facts up with a single mother of two who traveled for 5 months case study.
But the fun part happens when Ferris shows you exactly how to live like a rock star for cheap. He even goes so far as saying that “traveling around the world and having the time of your life can save you some serious money.” As usual, the book provides a step-by-step guide on how to accomplish this task.
I know. Many are thinking, “Living like a rock star, endless amounts of time and money, focusing on yourself…..” Yes, it does sound hedonistic, but don’t worry, the book proves, point-for-point, that this philosophy aims to reverse years of damage caused by mass consumption and stress, which made happiness a real chore. Ferris shows you how to use learning and service as the two components to happiness. I know, I’m repeating myself, but he provides all the resources.
Everyone should read this book, even if you have no interest in building a self automated business structure. The 4-Hour Workweek is a fun read, and I learned a little about myself too. Although I pride myself on being “different,” I am also full of self doubt. If we could live in a less stressful world, a happier world, think of the possibilities for not only saving lives and the environment. We could also put smiles on billions of faces.
But the fun part happens when Ferris shows you exactly how to live like a rock star for cheap. He even goes so far as saying that “traveling around the world and having the time of your life can save you some serious money.” As usual, the book provides a step-by-step guide on how to accomplish this task.
I know. Many are thinking, “Living like a rock star, endless amounts of time and money, focusing on yourself…..” Yes, it does sound hedonistic, but don’t worry, the book proves, point-for-point, that this philosophy aims to reverse years of damage caused by mass consumption and stress, which made happiness a real chore. Ferris shows you how to use learning and service as the two components to happiness. I know, I’m repeating myself, but he provides all the resources.
Everyone should read this book, even if you have no interest in building a self automated business structure. The 4-Hour Workweek is a fun read, and I learned a little about myself too. Although I pride myself on being “different,” I am also full of self doubt. If we could live in a less stressful world, a happier world, think of the possibilities for not only saving lives and the environment. We could also put smiles on billions of faces.
