Archive for the ‘Focus’ tag
The Free World: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
I couldn’t help but read Dena’s guest post from yesterday and not want to put in my own two cents!
This past year has seen me discover that 6 years of study, work and all that jazz has amounted to me not particularly wanting to pursue my set career path (or a career path at all), income stream experiments, starting a company to launch a software product (coming very soon!) and also starting to write.
I’d like to look back on 2009 and say ‘that was the year that the penny dropped’ and the ball got set into motion.
We’re all leaders of the free world, but our own free world. You might enjoy your job, but each and every one of us ARE self employed, whether you like it or not you’re always going to have to look out for number one.
In taking your own baby steps into the free world you’re definitely doing the right thing! What have you got to lose? If you try and fail you’ll just be right back here, having been to yet another end of year work Christmas party, talking to the same people, about the same things. Alternatively you could be in an insane Christmas rush to get your latest product that you’ve created out the door to fill all of your Christmas orders, freelancing your arse off to meet your client’s deadlines or travelling around managing your own affairs? If your free world experiments don’t work you will always have the safety net of returning to work in early January to start it all again..
Focus is the Key
Focus is the derivative, having a goal or a purpose is the backbone. What do you want? What do you want to do? Travel? Run your own business? Get stinking rich? Why do you want to be rich? Keep asking yourself questions on your questions to find what you really want and strive for it. Focus on exactly what you want. In experimenting with new income streams and trial & error in general there are two theories out there: focus on each one individually, one at a time and give each experiment your full attention, or go hell for leather at everything all at once, see what you excel at and then target towards that. This year I’ve found that I’m the former: I’ve got a hundred ideas but a short attention span meaning I’m easily side-tracked, I’m adopting a more focused approach to one thing at a time.
Your Purpose
I’ve made a point of reading whatever I could on the work life balance, running your own show and escaping the 9-5. The one point that has stuck with me was by Jonathan Mead of Illuminated Mind, paraphrased: “Are you waking up and eating your three meals a day, not achieving anything in particular, floating through life?” and a follow up of “Finding your purpose & defining your goals is easy, what can’t you not do?” These two points infuriated me, they stuck with me and won’t go away, I can’t get rid of them or get them out of my head. When I’ve had a lazy week I do think “Well, time to get dinner ready, the third meal of the day…”
So what are you waking up for each & everyday?
Patience
I recently found out that most of America’s self made millionaires hit the ‘big time’ at the ripe old age of 57. 57 years old? The book I was reading went on to say that during the 20’s a person is busy experimenting (guilty) and switching from job to job, in the 30’s there’s the obligation to settle down and focus on a career, the 40’s is where the real ‘work experience’ kicks in and it’s not until the late forties and early 50’s that you have a break through that can provide real value. The point the author was trying to make was that you need life experience before you can add any real value to people’s day to day lives.
With this in mind I am going to take my foot of the pedal (only a bit!) in the coming year, keep reading & researching and be a bit more patient, here’s hoping my idea is just around the corner.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
I read Dena’s guest post and it struck a chord with me. It also reminded me that yesterday I found myself on a phone call with an Engineering Manager to follow up a job interview! We all want to lead our own Free World but I’ve learnt this year that it’s a process, until your lotto numbers come up you’re going to have to work, whether it’s for someone else or yourself, tickets to the Free World aren’t easy!
On the Tenth Day of Christmas – Baby Steps Into the Free World
Baby Steps into the Free World: How to Put Yourself First & Succeed
Hello readers of Leaders of the Free World! I’m Dena and I’m a big fan of this blog and of Andrew’s mission to free us all from the trenches of corporate slavery! I first fell in love with Andrew’s writing when I read his guest post, Corporate Fluff a few months back. As a former cubicle monkey and a current 9 to 5 monkey myself, I could relate to everything that he was saying. Bring down the man! Follow your passion! Focus on providing the maximum value to the end user and cut out the middle men! It all made perfect sense to me. I was leaping out of my chair. I was fired up and ready to make moves… and then the reality hit me.
I am tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, and I am not ready to make that leap.
Call it cowardly, call it what you will, but I’m just not ready. I am determined to pay down this debt. I am making enormous sacrifices, working hard, and even practicing the fine art of frugality. And one day soon, I will be ready to join the ranks of The Free World! But for now, I’m still doing the 9 to 5; but here’s the key, I’m doing it my way, having a decent time of it, and learning a hell of a lot along the way.
In this post, I will teach you how you can take baby steps into The Free World by putting yourself first, no matter what your circumstances. Follow these five steps and you will be on the quick path to the Free World.
1. Focus on the Positive
Focusing on the positive is the key to life. Seriously, if you can manage to shift your thought to focus on the positive things around you, you will succeed every single time. It’s really simple — focus on the negative and be miserable, depressed, and unsuccessful or — focus on the positive and be happy, fulfilled, and successful. Which one will you choose?
“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” —Mohandas Gandhi
No matter what your job is, there are good points about it. Whether you like it or not, the economy sucks right now. Approximately 195 million people around the world are unemployed and that statistic was taken before the economy took its recent nosedive. Whatever your job is, you are making money. Maybe you can afford to put food in your child’s mouth, maybe you can afford to put a shirt on your own back, maybe you can afford a lot of things and every time you start to complain, think about all of the people who can’t do those things. Think about the mother who can’t put food in her baby’s mouth or the man on the street, in the snow, who doesn’t have a shirt on his back. It’s harsh, but it’s true.
Aside from a paycheck, I know that there are a lot of other really good things about your job. Maybe it’s the view from the window on the second floor or the smile on the janitor’s face in the afternoon or maybe you are the janitor and it’s the steaming hot cup of coffee that you enjoy each morning at the start of your shift. Whatever it is, it’s there. You have to find it.
There are lots of little things to be grateful for, focus on those. …Or focus on the negatives and be miserable. You decide.
2. Never Accept Less Than You Deserve
My attitude toward life goes something like this: I am going to shine at every single thing that I do. I am going to work my ass off until I see positive results. When I fall, I am going to get back up—every, single, time. If you can honestly say that you take that approach in your own life, then you’d better be looking out for yourself along the way.
You’ve got to look out for yourself, because if you don’t do it, no one will. Some people will perceive your kindness and hard work ethic as a weakness. They will try to take advantage of you. The fact is that there are people who refuse to adopt a positive or fair attitude and they will remain miserable. They will try everything to drag you down with them. The key is to never let those people get to you. When they pop up, you keep moving. Pity them, show them kindness, but don’t ever stop on your path. Just keep going.
Take the steps to make sure that you are never taken advantage of. Keep track of your accomplishments, prove yourself, and excel at each task that you tackle. If you are working hard and giving it your all, make sure that you are being compensated & appreciated accordingly. If you are consistently giving 110% but never see the pay off, let it be known.
I recently went to my boss and asked for a substantial raise. I made sure that what I was asking for was legitimate, did my homework, and presented my case. I was scared as hell! But you can not imagine how gratifying it was to stand up for myself — even before I got a positive answer, I felt like a million bucks.
You’ve got to see the good in people but you’ve also got to be realistic. Make sure that you get what you deserve, nothing less.
3. Keep Your Eye on the Prize
Like I said above, I want to enter The Free World and I am getting closer everyday. I am experimenting with all sorts of liberating things lately — blogging, passive income, options trading, freelancing, etc. There are hundreds of paths to take in order to get where you want to be; but you’ve got to remember your goals.
Right now one of my main priorities is to pay down my student loan debt. Sometimes that means sacrifice. If I score a small freelance gig that generates some extra cash, I do not head to the shopping mall and I buy myself a new purse. I take that money and I apply it toward my debt!
The principle is simple. If you are doing something that is taking you further away from your goal — stop now! Every single thing that you do should take you one step closer to reaching your goal.
4. Know When to Take a Break
Whether you are close to the end of your journey to the Free World or just at the beginning, there’s something you’ve always got to remember: You Come First. You need to take time out of every single day for you. Whether that means a cup of coffee in the morning or an hour of yoga after work, you must take time to clear & focus your mind at least once a day, preferably more.
What makes you happy — Long, quiet walks? Blasting out your ear drums with your Ipod? Writing in a journal? Taking your kids to the park? Whatever it is, embrace it! Work is hard work. Life is hard work. We are all just trying to get by and if we forget to take the time out to do what we love, what centers & focuses us, then we stand no chance to accomplish our goals.
Whether your ambition is to be a globe-trotting blogger or the CEO of a Fortune 500, you must remember that You Come First. Too many people climb their way to the top only to suffer a massive heart attack at age 50, or to look back and discover that there was never an ounce of passion or love.
At the end of the day, there is a lot more to life than money, fortune, and fame. Practice living with intention and you will find the balance between a life of fulfillment and a life of success.
5. Don’t Ever Give Up
It is not going to be easy, but anything that is worth it in the end rarely is.
“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never.” —Sir Winston Churchill
You’ve got to keep a positive outlook, fight for yourself, stay focused, and know when to take a break. If you can keep those things at the front of your mind, then you will be on a sure path to success and your way to The Free World in no time at all. You are going to fall down, I can promise you that, but you are also going to get back up—every, single, time.
Remember that I am right here beside you, cheering you on!
~~~
Dena is an aspiring full-time blogger from Northern New Jersey, USA. Her passion/purpose in life is to infuse light & joy into the hearts of as many people as possible. She carries out this mission at her blog, Evolution. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.
The Fourth Day of Christmas – Who’s In Control?
Did you sit there as a kid watching Dan Aykroyd & Bill Murray catch ghosts and wonder how much their annual salary was, what their 401k (superannuation) fund was like or how many hours per day they worked? Me neither. I wanted to be a ghost buster because it looked like fun, plain and simple.
Where did it all go wrong? At what point did you go from wanting to be a fireman, a life guard, a deep sea diver or a pro surfer into giving in to being a corporate mule?
Focus
I recently read a great article by Ash at The Middle Finger Project that touched on the subject of working at McDonalds in your teens. Working at the Big M isn’t a bad thing, you’re focused and work equals money. You don’t work there because you have a passion for the Big Mac Secret Sauce* or that you really admire the hamburglar. Our first jobs are often the most care free, you go to work to make money to enjoy your spare time, seems quite simple but as we’ve moved on we’ve forgotten what money is ACTUALLY for. Now it’s for paying off our new plasma television, the new car we didn’t need or our credit cards.
Life moves on from being completely carefree and slowly but surely you acquire responsibility. With this responsibility of supporting yourself brings the need for an income, with the income comes the overtime and spending on life’s little luxuries. Before you know it, you and everyone other man and his dog are running along in the same never ending race.
Who’s in Control?
What would happen if we all quit work tomorrow? I love a good ‘conspiracy’ at any time of day, and one of my favourites that I’m always involved in is the whole ‘working, paying taxes and being in the governments ‘rat race’.
It goes like this: you go to school and you’re told to get a well paying job, you then head to university to get a qualification for said well paying job, you start work, pay tax, get a house, suffer the wrath of interest rate fluctuations, watch TV and soak up the media and are easily influenced and under control. Is there a way to step outside of the rat race? To run your own race? Maybe to not even run in the race at all?
What if you didn’t have to pay tax? Or if you could minimise your tax and build some wealth & assets? Maybe start up a few alternate income streams? Or you knew how money worked, how to acquire it and make it work for you? That’d be brilliant!
If only we were taught things like this? Say for example, in a…. school? Who benefits from our tax dollars, controls the school syllabus and has the final say on what we’re taught? It shouldn’t be too hard for you to figure out! 
So luckily we know all there is to know about plate tectonics, we learnt an obscure language that we’ll never need and we can calculate the circumference of the world. But we don’t know anything about how to handle our money, reduce our tax or stand on our own two feet?
Let’s forget money & control and reminisce about a simpler time: playing basketball all day, poking your tongue out, shaving your head bald, wishing you were black and insisting your were going to be Michael Jordan when you grew up.
P.S. *Big Mac Not-So-Secret Sauce = Mircale whip, sweet relish, french dressing, sugar, pepper & powdered onion (in case you were wondering)
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