Most adults spend way too much time living life on autopilot. We go to work, come home, mow the lawn, eat dinner, pay bills, and time just slips away. But those who live extraordinary lives never let life take them somewhere they don’t want to go. They remain in complete control of the cockpit at all times.
Those of us held hostage by our fear of change eventually slide into a fog of mediocrity that becomes comfortable, familiar and safe. Years can go by – often unnoticed – until its much too late. Then one day you wake up and scream, “is that all there is?”
For 29-year old Timothy Ferris, that day came pretty early in life – but the difference is he splashed some cold water on his face and made a u-turn. In his new book which is netting lots of debate, “The 4-hour Workweek:: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich.”
Tim lays out his escape plan out that is based on the realities of today’s global workforce and the capabilities of anyone to do anything…. from anywhere. See, he, like many of us, simply got caught up this never-ending rat-race – car payments, increasing mortgages, and a lifestyle to maintain. But rather than take it lying down, he looked into his future and <b> just said NO. </b> <br>
The 4-Hour Work Week is an easy read that I bought for my husband but ended up spending my Saturday reading it in one setting. While “accomplished” brainiac academics and insecure corporate drones will poo-poo his premise, methods and recommendations, I must admit I really liked it. Certainly not everyone has the ability to do what he suggests (which is basically outsource your day-job to someone in India (details provided), find something else to do that makes revenue without you having to do much (like sell a product on the Internet and again outsource every aspect of it) and then you are free to travel the world uninhibited… or to write that great novel you’ve been putting off.
Ok I’m oversimplifying it – and I know it sounds absurd now – but I could sense the author’s belief in this, his passion for it if you will – with every page. He believes in this – and you don’t have to. That’s ok with him. And that is enough for me. At a minimum, it’s a brilliant commentary on our over-informed, rat-race culture and the sad realization many people are having when they go to work every day for 10 years and then realize their health is shot, their kids barely know their name, and they can’t remember who they used to be be before Corporate America sucked the life out of them. Maybe its not the only book you read… but I definitely recommend it in your stack.
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