Four Hour Work Week? Try 100.
One of Sebastian’s recent posts put me in a nostalgic mood.
The quote that stood out for me is the caption to the photo, I’m just gonna steal it from his blog :
You’re going to have to work while others are sleeping.
Some of you know I read the Four Hour Work Week and basically started my business the very next day. I still believe the book is pure genius. Before I read the book, I had the skills to start my own business, but I didn’t give myself permission to do so.
I encourage people to do an exercise that Ferriss advocates in the book: sit down and write out in precise detail exactly what you want in life. Do not write down what is realistic. Don’t qualify things. Just allow yourself 15 minutes to be a pure dreamer. There is plenty of time for reality later.
Once I was clear about what I wanted, I immediately strarted working almost non-stop to achieve my goals.
In other words, I read the Four Hour Work Week and immediately started working 100.
Here are some things I did:
I stopped going out with my friends.
I stopped partying on the weekends.
I hustled during my lunch break.
During my 2 hour commute, I listened to countless podcasts and audio books on SEO, SEM, Marketing, Business, Blogs, YOU NAME IT.
I took a very short jog upon returning home from work to jump start my system (but not long enough to tire myself out).
I worked on my business most nights after work, and every weekend day.
I started paying for a laundry service.
I stopped eating sugars and simple carbs to boost my energy.
I went to bed at 12:30AM and woke up at 6:13AM. <– the second number is seared in to my brain.
I stopped soliciting advice and seeking approval from people who were committed to the “old” version of myself. There were very few people who shared my vision and could support it in any constructive way. Very few people will give you the permission to be somebody new. In my experience, almost nobody.
I pushed our first container of goods out to our market even though we weren’t 100% ready.
There are a million factors that stand between you and what you want. How much loot you have, where you were born, how good you are at Photoshop, how smart you are, what kind of family you grew up in.
The good news is that there is only one that you can do anything about:
Work.
Let people bicker about how much work is really required.
Let them gossip about how much work so and so *really* does versus what they say they do.
Let people sit around and run the odds. “If I do x work, what are my chances…” “Is it really possible to work 4 hours a week?” (BTW, of course its possible!)
Let them scoff. Let them “discuss.”
You’ll be busy.
If you aren’t where you want to be, for whatever reason, you are in the fantastic position of only having one question to answer.
How hard are you willing to work to get there?
Let me take a stab at the answer:
Very, very hard. :)
Hi from San Diego!
Dan