4HWW - News = Beliefs You Must Think The Opposite Of

I just caught a little news this morning...ugh.. The main reason I am finding not to listen to the news if nothing else is quite simply. This is one of the easiest ways for you not to take on the beliefs of what society thinks is possible or correct. I heard a 'stocks and shares' expect say

Over the next 4 months things are going to be really tough. Given the number of people that watch this morning show, GMTV... (5,000,000)how many will have a financially difficult next 4 months? He was referring to interest rates, prices of X,Y,Z. Mortgages etc. Soon people will start coming down with flu and colds because we are told it is the flu season. Yet, if you jump on a plane and go to Australia..no flu, yet same month of year.

Therefore. If the majority of people are believing the above. Of course they will struggle. Thus, think the opposite and you'll get the opposite results. Yet how do you do that? Dare to think differently.

I've just reread my last post and there is something I just noticed. If I've written this what was I thinking of?

we are all infallible to new systems and ways of working. I'm not filling my void.

Who Wants The Best Cinema In The World?

We all posses the greatest results mechanism in the world...Us! Yes, that thing that daydreams on a daily basis, sends us off to far places. This is how to begin getting what you want.

See the END result. By that I mean. Imagine you have the best cinema screen inside your head. You are sitting in the most comfortable chair, eating pop corn etc. You see yourself on the large cinema screen doing, getting, having exactly what you want. The END result. I find it helps if you See the Result, Feel the Result, Hear the Result.

An Example

Supposing you want a house..I already have my car!

See yourself standing in the house? See - What is the flooring made of? .What colour are the walls? How big are the windows? What about the dining room. How many chairs? Is there anybody else there with you? Are you throwing a dinner party. What is the food you are eating? How big is your smile?

Feel - What does it feel like to have this house? If you want you can step into yourself and really get the feelings. I do this and then step out of my self and see myself again. What does it feel like to watch television, on that top of the range flat screen television? What does it feel like when you open the door and your mate is there and you feel great, because you are about to show him your house? What does super happiness feel like?

Audio - What does the music sound like from your top of the range sound system that you have installed? What is that sound coming from the perfect roast you have just lifted from your oven? What about the laughter from yourself and friends?

Me A Supercharger - It Is A 3 Way Thing

I have found the following really useful. Once or twice a day go over the above imagery of the end result of your goal.

Get some paper, some photographs, pictures of the end result. Put them all together. Hang the poster up somewhere you will see it everyday. Even on holidays. - Feel as you make it and gather the pictures, you should get really excited doing this. Hell you don't need a poster a diary works just as well, as does PC wallpaper. Some of you may know this as vision board.

Write about your goal as if you have already achieved it. Write it with a date and in the present tense i.e. I have... I feel.. I am.

Not only are you getting excited about what you want, you'll be doing multiple things in all you senses to achieve your goals. In the peripheral vision your mind will see what you want and work out ways for you to get what you want.

Where Is My Goal?

If your goal hasn't come about just yet. I find the following has helped me. Is the end result something that I really want? Not, friends, family..ME If yes..

It is on its way. You are just being tested as it is just around the corner waiting for you. Do you really want the goal?

Do you feel good when thinking about your end results? If so you are on the right track to getting what you want.

If the above seems like to much work....welcome to boredom and not getting what you want. It just isn't that important to you.

Happy Travels

A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - Motivational Medicine.

So here I find myself sat in my current office and day job bored and with 'nothing' to do. Yet in reality I've got much I could be doing towards MY goals, dreamlining targets etc. and yet I seem to have stalled. Lost/lack motivation. So I type this little ditty, since last time I was lacking motivation, I actually found writing for my blog was a great motivational cure. I'm hoping for the same this time around. I'm sure I've plenty I could be doing. Yet none I want to be doing. I've noticed my random website surfing has taken on a new lease of life today as has checking my personal emails more than twice a day. In some regards I think this is a good thing as it shows we are all infallible to new systems and ways of working. I'm not filling my void.

It has got me thinking about doing some form action everyday or every few days towards my goals. In the beginning of dreamlining, you have to state and do three actions over the next 48 hours. I've noticed with my previous goals that I have attained. Action towards what I've wanted has happened little and often.

Burning into Action

If my work building blew up and I had 10 days to get things going for me.PLC. Would I not kick things into action? Why is it that when you're not being pushed to complete and finish something that in actual fact will give you great pleasure and a new back account (TMI). Why do you just sit and procrastinate? Do the people in the office realise I'm doing very little?

You Can Be, Do and Have Anything - Facing the Fear

Having said that as part of my new and wanting working life style. I'm playing with ideas from the Secret, visualisation the end result and hearing what I am saying to myself. One of my goals is to work only 4 hours a week if that....lol and behold I think that is where I am already at! If not, pretty close. Although when I thought about working just 4 hours a week, I didn't necessarily realise it would be at my current place of work. I was more hoping (there is the killer word..hope, not expect!) to be on a beach..

So what do to next? What 3-6 things can I do next to achieve my dreamline target?

I now have back the magazine details for areas of interest to me. Here I stall. I think the ideas that I'm coming up with aren't actually that exciting and I don't know the details of how to create X,Y and Z product. Having said that, I don't know if people would want them. I've not tested the market. I was being put off by my own thoughts. I've been playing with my thoughts over the weekend.

Therefore I ask you

Do you know anybody who records, produces spoken word CDs?

Change my end result for my image of 4 hours work week. Hello Fiji Beach!.

As I write I've just thought of a very quick and easy way to achieve 'expert' status in one of my chosen fields...Oh this blogging is rather therapeutic.

Happy Travels

A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - Batching, Faxing and Asking For Advice

In learning the 4HWW process I'm applying as many of the principles that I can apart from outsourcing at the moment to my current work situation.

I've already batched my personal email. I am attempting to cut down on my frivolous web surfing. I've begun to take note of what I do, daily, weekly and monthly. To note I use pen/paper/notepad. I also have running a utility called TimeSnapper. I'm running this to see how much time I spend in applications etc. I'm wanting to batch more.

For as long as I can remember I've said, PCs are there to help. Automate, automate, automate. I'm not a programmer! Nevertheless I'm attempting to automate as much as possible. Yes, I know I could outsource it all. Yet, I'm working on the principle of learning what each task I do entails and how. If anybody knows of a good way i.e. diagraming quickly all the steps to complete a task, please let me know.

We have a help desk call logging system here at work. I'm sure it could be be automated or streamlined even more. I just can't picture the whole process and how to note it all down. After all, I want to go to my boss... I propose I suggest. I've asked my developers to add things to aid my reporting. What would take me maybe a few hours when I did it the first time, now take me 15 minutes if that. In addition, I've documented it so somebody else could do it. I think this is crucial. What if I'm not here etc? It is all so good preparation for a good on-line FAQ.

I'm creating templates for email subjects/topics that I seem to often send out. I'm looking through old calls to see if there are some common commonalities to them. For example do people ask for the same advice. Can many problems be resolved in a 1,2,3 step process. Can I produce an internal FAQ?

Asking For Help

Some of my clients are very successful 1-2 man bands who travel all over the world. In fact they seem to spend more time flying in the air than time on the ground. They haven't outsourced much if at all. When I've been on the phone to them. I've been asking who do they use for X, Y, Z. Any company recommendations etc. They are doing what I want to do i.e. travel and work...although less of the work.. So it makes sense to ask them. One such was for a fax to email provider. Obviously you don't want fax orders, unless you get somebody else to monitor and act upon them. Yet some communication may come about due to and with a fax. Banks etc. Therefore it helps to have a fax to email provider. Maybe a mail fulfilment house will also offer such a service?

My current company doesn't want to take up such a solution Instead I implemented blat to monitor our fax folder, which I was monitoring maybe 1-3 times a day. Now blat monitors the folder and emails an email account which I just monitor once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Now if we could all just agree on a fax template and I could then remove the junk faxes too.

Semi Outsource - Niche Finding.

I thought about outsourcing finding details of magazines in areas of my interests to narrow down my niche area. There is a website. Writers Market . Yet I understand this to be US centric. I thought about my first task for outsourcing to be create an account and get marketing rates and back issues sent to me. I think I'll still do this. I'll be having a fulfilment house there as well as in Europe. I was talking to somebody and mentioning this, I need something for the UK. They said there 'press department' has such a database. Let me know what you want and I'll get them to send on the details. So I produced my 1st Outsourcing email...happy days and for free. There is a 3 week waiting list for outsourcing on many that Tim recommended in his book. Although I'm liking YouManInIndia since they do more than business outscourcing. I'm thinking birthday flowers to Japan?

Happy Travels

A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - Money

Oh how I am beginning to love this subject. I am really getting into thinking about money, what it is and what it actually means to me. How to generate more. I seem to be hearing and picking up people's beliefs about money really easily at the moment. As I've said before if you just take what they say as fact, whether it is or is not. Isn't that how things turn out for people?

I've recently had another shift in my beliefs about the green,blue and red stuff thanks to Stuart Wilde's book. I was out and about over the weekend and I heard the following:

My quick research to begin your "shifting" about money is in red

There isn't enough

As a rough estimate the US has $7 trillion, the World bank more than $40 trillion - how much would you like?

Some people are smarter than others

Yes, maybe according to school standards and grades. Many of the super wealthy didn't finish school or university. Once you start working. You soon realise for many a job...your grades are useless. The sooner school teachers realise this the better.

There is scarcity

Same answer as the 1st point. If you think that, what are you focusing on???

There is not enough to go around.

Yes, much of the wealth is within less than 1% of a given population...yet how much money do you really want? Money after all is just energy, that is around you all the time. You use your credit card to book something on line. You don't see the money yet, it still get deducted from your account. Therefore if you think there is more than enough to go around, you can attract more into your account too.

Working for yourself to me means financial anxiety.

Ouch...if you think that, why go into business for yourself? There are many a self made millionaire. Tim Ferriss isn't doing too badly I bet.

For me I was just really pleased that I baulked at these and went phew..I think of something else, that is totally different. Yet I use to think of those and more. I know every now and then I have a doubt. Like when I'm looking at hotel prices in Tokyo. Yet, thankfully I seem to be able to pull myself up and out of that and into something that is far more financially positive. It did leave me wondering, don't people realise what they are saying. I know sometimes in my own experience that I don't . Then I do get an aha moment and I realise what I am saying. Although I don't always know how to change it..working on that.After all, if a phobia can be caused in a one time, split second event, why can't positive beliefs be got, held on to and lived? It's not important enough?

Happy Travels

A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - Emailing USB Helps On The Run

As part of the 4HWW elimination strategy. It is recommended that you check your email twice a day. As soon as I began reading about this on the web. I started doing it. The first thing I did was to remove my personal email accounts I had set up within my office email clients. I use both Lotus Notes and Outlook. Then I thought about what to do next. I've multiple email accounts: ISP, bought domains, various Internet web mail facilities. They all 'serve' a purpose, mostly email testing.

The Other Side

It has taken me a long time to move to the firefox web browser. I didn't see the point. MS, whether you like it or not, in some form or another provide many IT types with a direct or indirect income. I wasn't about to join the I hate MS club, just to appear cool. Here in my office, they adore firefox. I do now. If nothing else the extensions and the biggest plus it is portable ie carry it on a USB stick! Thus much smaller and lighter than a laptop. This makes it an ideal remote company owner's tool.

Have Email Will Run

I thought I'd give their email client another go too. This again I can add to my USB stick and take it with me where every I go. When travelling, I didn't find one Internet cafe, that didn't let you plug in all manner of camera, memory stick or other device. Yes, there are times when you'll want your laptop, but the USB stick is a great way forward. Check out PortableApps.com . There are many other utilities that you can add to your usb stick. Not least an SMTP service. I now don't have to worry about whose internet line I am using, I can send emails from 'my' SMTP server. Touch wood, I seem to still be able to email everybody. Nobody seems to be blocking me. Ultimate test with be Japan in Oct I guess.

Thunderbird, now collates all my personal email accounts into one. It has a built in SPAM filter, which gets better the more you train it. I've seen various solutions that Tim suggests, which I may investigate in time. At present I'm just not getting, that many emails let alone SPAM (fingers-crossed). Having said that the biggest advantage is you can unplug your usb stick from your PC. Therefore, forcing yourself to look only twice a day if that. The calendar still needs work..yet. I'm looking at other tools for a 'calendar' function. A big help has been the following site : lifehacker . They seem to have some very productive people on their site. Many small business/workers who work from home or remotely. There are great at finding tools and getting the most from firefox, thunderbird et al. to help you work remotely and productively.

But, I've Work Email Too

Well, I've set up a reminder as recommended, Are you being productive. Although sometimes I just laugh and go, not being productive at the moment. I've not set up a reminder or out of office agent to run, saying I'm not checking email twice a day. I just do it. If you don't answer you work email straight away, it seems to me people think you're in a meeting or something anyway. Oh and on the plus side, I use predominately Lotus Notes as my work email client, which just happens to be portable too!.If you're getting so many emails that you need to keep checking it all the time. You need to stop. What is really important? Or think of it this way. When you're away on holiday, the office still functions doesn't it. Ergo, most email isn't that crucial.

Other Low Information Stuff

I just ended up unplugging the television...problems solved. Therefore it is now harder to just flick it on.. Once you start travelling, you quickly forget about television and the news as much isn't appropriate for you anyway as you're a traveller. I still listen to audio books. I did when I was travelling the last time. In addition, it is a productive way to use my car journey into work. I now read fiction before I go to bed. Although if I wake up early. I'm still struggling with not turning on the laptop to randomly web surf. Getting better though.

Thankfully meetings don't happen too often and when they do, they are so dull..So here is to ending meetings. I also now only answer my own personal phone twice a day. I've changed my voice mail message. The only people to kick up a fuss...my parents. I just told them it was all about being productive at work. They seem to accept this. I'm still looking for other tasks to batch. That I don't do already.

Web Surfing News.

To curtail my random web surfing. I've found two firefox extension.WebStats . This just tells you where you're web surfing and how much time you are spending. In addition I use leechblock . This blocks websites for you, based on time of day. There are others. They just work for me. I can spend time just randomly web surfing, which is a big No, No to getting things done. These two just help me curtail it a little more.

Happy Travels

A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - DreamLining Ouch...Something Uncomfortable - How Much!?

So there I was using the Deamlining. Filling out the Dreamline spreadsheet as provided by Set Consulting. Happily going along until I had to put a monetary figure on my Havings, Beings, and Doings. When it all totalled up I was shocked at my TMI (target monthly imcome). I began saying to myself bloody hell. That is expensive..Then I thought hang on a second here. What are you thinking? Remember...your wish is my command etc. To cut it short. My TMI, give or take a few pennies difference is currently what I earn in a year. Then I remembered Doing the Unrealistic is Easier Than Doing the Realistic. One thing about the 4HWW is to push your comfort zone and boundaries. Yet, again, this realisation of a monetary figure will stop many people in there tracks. I then began to think, oh how I could have my beings, doings and havings cheaper. This I quickly threw out as to do it cheaper would not be doing it how I wanted to do it. I then thought, once I've done one of my Doings, Beings or Havings, great. I'll have done something that I really want to do. I can cross it off my Dreamline, yet I'll still be getting the money for my TMI! Therefore very quickly regaining what I've spent out.

If you hit a bumb or an uncomfortable feeling during all the processes. Write down the worst case scenario. What is the worst thing that could happen? Once you've defined that, the problem, doesn't quite seem so large.

What Am I Worth?

Then it really started to get me thinking. If a footballer (soccer) can earn.£676000 or a NBA star can earn $5.356 million. My TMI is certainly smaller. I am then certainly worth at least that much. I can achieve that. Do I, will I not provide as much to people as they do?

The TMI figure will stop many people from moving forward, because they believe they can't have it. If there is any other reason to carry on, it is to prove to myself and yourself that you and I can get it or do it and are worth that much at least! As somebody often says to me. No matter what you think you are, you are always more than that. Worse Case scenario..I sit in my current office and still get paid! Best Case...how do I choose just one option from my Dreamline 6 month list.?

Happy Travels

A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - Internet Down

Oh, how funny is this.

The last 4, and counting days. My current work office hasn't had any Internet connection. This for me has pointed out many things of office work. If the Internet is down, nothing gets down. People just stop. They forget about the pen, paper and telephone.Companies hemorrhage money as SLAs keel over. This to me screams you need to spread the risk.

This is where remote working, hosting, doing things less often has its advantages, surely. Nobody is use to you 'working' anyway and not expecting an immediate response. Disaster Recovery, connectivity becomes somebody else's issue. All your workers and you are on different Internet pipes in different time zones, therefore the company and work doesn't grind to a halt. After all the whole objective of the 4HWW is to remove you from the work equation and yet still generate plenty of income, no?

Was I Being Productive?

Me, I started mind mapping blog entries, did the cardinal sin of organising my email contact lists. Yes, I could outsource it..I did some exercises from Tim's book, took a backup of our firewall. I joked to the no. two boss that I'm only doing this so that I can work from the garden at home. The funny thing is he chimed in the first time, no Ibiza, I then said France. I thought I'd leave in Europe before I mention the US and Japan and for months at a time...maybe I should have continued? One of our senior 'consultants' piped in..NO CHANCE. Oh how I look forward to proving him wrong. Then again, he is the type that would give a hundred reasons why something would fail. He is not the person to have at the beginning of a project. He is however a critic to have once you have formulated a plan of action as he'll point oversights and holes. Maybe he should receive the first postcard?

I've implemented a different remote working solution to our current system. This is me being productive in my current environemt. In addition my firm is quite small. Therefore I am getting lots of exposure to using different software and companies that are for smaller businesses. After all being a remote boss, I may have many people working for me, yet not actually physically all in the same location or using the same equipment other than maybe email to communicate or physically belonging to my company.

The big boss, who seems to spend most of his time overseas has jumped on board and is using my solution. I've given information to the no.2 about incorporating Internet telephoning to our current antiquated system. Although it was not done in the I propose fashion as recommended by Tim.. That will come next after we have the debrief of the long Internet outage.

As a side note, Time recommended Gold Lantern Wifinder . You look pretty stupid carrying a laptop, knowing there is a hotspot somewhere, yet your laptop can't find it. After adding international shipping I opted for this item instead by Kensington. The UK price was pretty good.I was going to wait until I was off travelling again. The Internet outage has just hastened that decision. There were many a comment from my colleagues, what is the point..I didn't have the heart to tell them...Brazil.


Happy Travels.


A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - The Eyes Have It

In the 4HWW book there is an exercise about looking into people's eyes as you talk to them. This reminded me very much of my Germany Friends, who when we have a drink together, they get very offended that you don't look them in the eye when you toast. Something about 7 years bad sex. Now if that wasn't a good enough reason to look people in the eye, I don't know what would be.

I didn't realise how many times I look away from people. I think I often do it when I'm bored or have nothing more to say, yet, I've to sit and listen. Over the last two days I've made a conscious effort to talk and look at people when I am talking to them and listening to them.

Although It did make me think. This is one of the first exercises in the book. How many people have bought and read the book and haven't done even the first exercise?

Happy Travels

A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - Previous Experience - More Than I Thought.

Where do I currently fit in?

I've travelled for a year before. Australia,Fiji and Singapore. By myself...often the best way to do it I think. Therefore I know that I am able to travel and live out of a rucksack for a year. I would like to stay in a few more hotels or apartments. 8-12 bed dorms, get a little tiresome after a while. I've been able to come back, fit into the workplace. Pretty much pick up from where I left off. I've grown as a person because of my travels. I've been, seen and done some amazing things, yet the the best thing for me has to have been the great people that I've met and seen along the way. I am still in contact with many of them. This means European Weekend Trips...pleasure!

The downside... Each time I prepare, go away. I'm terribly excited. I just want more travelling. For me there is something exciting about going somewhere, seeing somebody. Each time I come back home. The travelling blues hit. Sometime maybe a month later or so..I just want to go somewhere else. This time though, perhaps for 3-6 months at a time, not the year.Yet, I want to travel when I want and how I want. Not have to work to some two week schedule.

I did work whilst travelling. Thankfully I had IT to fall back on. It certainly beats fruit picking! Somewhat more lucrative. Yet, now I want an automated cash flow machine. I don't want to be in the or an office and yet still have money coming in. This was the key missing component last time around. When you are travelling, many people, certainly the younger ones have to make a decision on a daily basis...trip somewhere or food? How they and many think 2 grand is going to last them a year, I just don't know. Does it last that long at home? Many don't realise the cost of accommodation. That can eat a large chunk of your pre saved travel cash. With an automated cash flow...this worry disappears.

My Friends Will Miss Me If I Go Away.

Sorry, no they won't. Or not as much as you think they will. Many actually are jealous of you for being brave enough to go travelling. They'll all say I wish I could do that..The fact is, they all can. They just don't want to. It isn't important enough for them. They'll give you all manner of reasons or excuses why not. Remember, Your Wish Is My Command. Therefore until they change what they say and think, they aren't going anywhere.

I Need My Entertainment

You'll get use to not having the TV, news, instant messenger, hell even the Internet and Email. If something is really important you just find out. The news comes to you. You'll begin checking email once a week maybe even less. Yes, there are still places that don't have the Internet. You'll be surprised at the amount of email you don't receive. Especially if you unsubscribe from your junk mailing list that you joined to access a website that you know longer use.

I would write up my travel stories with links to photographs etc. The length was something I'd have been proud to hand in as a college assignment. It went out to more and more people. At the last count 100+. How many replies did I get? Apart from my parents, even they were few. You could count on your two hands how many people would email you back in the year, forget after each mailing.

I sent out 30 ghastly kangaroo/koalas Christmas cards. They were cheap and tacky, yet Australian.What does that tell you? How many did I receive whilst at the other end of the world. 1. This is despite, before my departure, giving everybody email, mobile and postal contact options for the year.

Coming Home

This is where it all really kicks in. You have been to and done some amazing things. Your friends haven't. After the third saying "In Fiji, In Australia.." their eyes will glaze over, they will still talk about and go to the same places that you went to before you left to go travelling. This is when you begin to contemplate your next away day. Realising that actually it is all rather easy.

Meeting The New Rich (NR)

I met a New Rich, type in Exmouth, Australia, without realising it. His name was Paul. He had founded an IT company, and then upped sticks and left his office to let it run itself, and he was still getting paid for it. He was currently scuba diving, what seemed like the world. If he and others have done it, then so can I.

Business Employee

I've briefly had my own company, yet I was in effect the employee, not the owner. This is now going to change. Yet I've been exposed to the joys of accounting, law etc. Some things are worth outsourcing!

Happy Travels

A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week

4HWW - The Beginning

So to the next project...

After an unanimous decision. It was about time I began formalising and implementing the ideas of Tim Ferriss and the 4 Hour Work Week. I've gone though this book multiple times and said to myself. That is good.I wish..Can I? That combined with The Secret . Then surely anything is possible.

The main idea from The Secret that has hit me is the universe can only answer = your wish is my command. Over the past weekend, I seemed to be hearing beliefs on all sorts of topics from many different people. Even if you don't believe in the ideas of The Secret. If you just permit yourself to think on just one idea. That, how you say, talk and feel about things, then that is how things will appear to you, ie your wish is my command.

This brings me to my point that as I go through the book and do the exercises, things will come up. What will I notice, what will I be saying to myself? How will I deal with them? I seem to be really good at picking up on other people's beliefs, right now, what about mine? Ponder that and then ask "your wish is my command". Therefore, I should change my syntax and words. Thus, begin to say to myself I know, I can, I am beginning to hear my less than positive beliefs, so that I can alter them to be more positive or the change the results that I receive.

Or...if Tim and others can do the 4HWW, so can I.

Happy Travels

A

Technorati : 4 Hour Work Week