Knowing to let it go, When the smartest Business move is NOTHING..

There comes a time, when you see that things are starting to all encompass your day. Turn it off. Let the emailing for no reason stop. Think about how many times you send emails during a day that amount to anything? Do they give a return? OR are you really just sharing your thoughts and ideas with others that seem to be of no value to you.. But really, it takes away from the things that really do matter... Why should you check your email while your in the store? Is there really something that's that HOT a business deal in your life? Or maybe.. you should just let those emails go... Just stop answering them... STOP reading them.. Start making action, not reading about it..


"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.." -- Henry David Thoureau...

Low Fat information Diet - Practice it....

Is this not obvious? One of the major keys to success is not wasting time, and being focused. Almost one in the same. The main thing to learn, and take from this is, that reading a ton of advice columns and getting the up to the minute news on things is stealing from you. YOUR TIME. The single most important thing you have. TIME. I know, we all know that, so then practice it. Stop looking at so many Yahoo news stories.. You're not a day trader, stop checking the stock ticker every 18 seconds. THE MARKET MEANS NOTHING TO YOU. Trust me. It means nothing to ANYONE any more other then people that trade actively. Consuming useless information takes away from the one thing you're trying to achieve. Your goal.

lets just assume for a minute you have a day job, most of us do. Be HONEST with yourself. Maybe even write a log (that you keep PRIVATE) of the time you ACTUALLY spend working, vs. IMing friends, and reading useless things on Yahoo news that mean nothing or matter nothing to your life. Be honest.. I did this at my last job, and recently discussed it with a very close friend. It turns out, I was spending about 4 hours a DAY on Iming people, and reading things that were of no use to me at all.I was still able to get my job done. At least well enough to not get fired. So imagine. If I just stop wasting time on IM's, News or advice columns, holy moly.. Think on it.. I would either be the STAR employee and get a raise, or hey wait.. I could use THAT time, during the day for a goal of mine, that gets me outta the rat race. 4 hours a DAY..

Every night I got home and complained, "there's just not enough time in the day". I was one of those people asking for a 25th hour,,How lame..HOW LAME...

Try it.. Take the LOW FAT information diet, and you'll see. Pay attention to ONLY the things you need to, start letting the other stuff roll off you brain. There are only so many brain cells you have for memory that are still working up there, and only so many hours of LIFE.. Spend them wisely or at very least spend them on things you really WANT !

Parkinson's Law - Setting Goals that you WILL complete

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

There's no doubt in my mind that we are all such a victim of this. I know you have done the same thing as I have, and had a project feature creep, just because there was time. Making a mole hill into a MOUNTAIN, and then complaining about getting it done.

- Set your goals clear. CUT all the fat. Understand exactly what it is your trying to accomplish, and go for that. Leave only enough time to get that done. For example. If what your trying to do is contact a radio station and ask how you get your band on the radio, 2 hours TOPS. Don't set goals like, 2-3 days. It should take you no more then 30 minutes to locate the email and or phone numbers, write up something smart, and send it or call them. A little research up front to know what they look for. Maybe some comparative analyst of other artists? If you give yourself 2 days, what will you do? Something other then focus on the task at hand NO DOUBT.

- DO NOT SET more then 2 LARGE goals a day. There's just no way you'll focus on things that are to hard. You'll overwhelm yourself with things, and start to make excuses why you're not getting things done. At one point, this is the very Reason NOT to start things.

- Lists; MAKE THEM. Make no more then 4 hours a day worth of tasks. The rest.. SHUT DOWN THE COMPUTER.. GO OUTSIDE.. THINK.. There's NO bigger time sink then the computer... you can waste more time looking at things that you don't need and causing INFORMATION OVERLOAD.... THE NEXT BLOG... Learn it., UNDERSTAND it... STOP WASTING TIME SEARCHING FOR MEANINGLESS THINGS....TRACK YOUR TIME...

Effective not Efficient

No better lesson to learn. Is what your doing going to matter in the end result? Are the 17 things your multi-tasking on helping you really get where your trying to go? Or is a good portion of them busywork? I bet on the latter. We'll talk about multi-tasking later, but this usually results in doing nothing well and a bunch of things just ok. Focus and plan. Be effective in your mission. Just because you streamline something, or do it fast, does not mean it matters..

Evaluate your task !!!
Thinking is NOT wasting time, as a matter of a fact, it's saving time.

The bigger Goals are easier then the Small ones.

This is the simplest and strangest concept of all business models and ideas. lets talk fund raising. A million dollars is far easier to raise then $10,000. Why? Simple, the competition is so much less for the people asking for a million dollars, and the people you're no doubt asking have LARGE amounts of money. The goals are bigger and attract bigger fish. Every street corner has someone asking you to donate to something. Just 20 bucks.. Little red bucket and someone to help...

I will use a Rock band as an example. I recently was submitting a band CD for a review to magazines. I was using all the local mags. Hitting brick wall after brick wall. Thousands of bands a week are sending in their CD and Photo to the local small SF magazines. Those editors are buried and jaded to say the least. So I got the idea, lets think big. Try the Larger markets. One phone call to Rolling Stone, and I was in. Not sure the out come yet, but they answered the phone, something the SF weekly (who? exactly) would not do. RS was nice, polite, had a department that does exactly what I wanted, and was interested in talking with me. I could not believe it. To think, the impact of ONE article in Rolling Stone will be 2000 Times BIGGER then ANYTHING the SF weekly will EVER do for us, and it was that simple.

So it hit me like a ton of bricks. At 30 the world tells you to have a back up plan, to be realistic, etc. etc.. If you tell people you wanna build a CAR in your garage that will do 200mph from your own idea and with your own hands, and sell it for 600K.. They'll tell you, you're insane, and better have a back up plan. BUT, here's the interesting thing.. You know how many people are trying to BUILD that car? VERY VERY Few.. You know how many have a backup plan of working for a Porsche dealership? THOUSANDS.... It's really really eye opening when you learn to think big. Ask Big, and be confident. 99% of the world is HOPING for average and mediocrity. 1% is working for EXCELLENCE.. get the math? It's easier then you think.. THAT'S the brilliance.

Make your Money Make money -- not you making money for your money !!

One of the best concepts I've ever heard was the idea of making your dollar make you one more dollar. So, each time you spend a dollar, ask yourself is this dollar going to make me a dollar in return? Sometimes it's not so obvious. For instance, a well placed and productive business lunch will most certainly make you a dollar for dollar, and then some back. A can of soda pop, not so much.

- Concepts like Buying a home with a mortgage. This is the BIGGEST mistake a family can make.. Most people claim they're buying a house to secure their future. That's just WRONG and retarded logic. Plain and simple lack of financial literacy. When you finance a home for 400K, you will pay back about 1.2 mill all said and done. That's if you get a 30 year FIXED day ONE and NEVER refi.. Lets not even talk about maintenance.. need a roof? 30K gone. Carpets, TAXES, insurance??? NOW, NOW,, don't even start with that that LAME tax write off thing. That doesn't even come close. I could go on and on about this, but for the sake of the Blog and my day, think on this.
Spend money only when it will make you money. That is a creative question, but working for someone else only makes them rich. Working for yourself only makes you TIRED. YOUR MONEY working for you, makes you rested, happy and secure for the future. As the value the dollar changes and diminishes, your growth will go the other way. You will constantly be trading a dollar for the CURRENT dollar value.

Simple concepts: Don't finance a car. BUY ONE, your can AFFORD (maintenance is part of affording).RENT a house until you can pay cash for your home. THINK about spending on what you can afford. Live within your REAL means. Look for ways that your money makes you money..

Want an example? Of course you do, otherwise this is just another useless posting from someone that tells you nothing.

Example 1: The Stock Market. You do nothing for the gains. You invest and OTHERS do the work. RISK FREE? NEVER, NOTHING IS... Crossing the street is NOT risk free. You know what chances you have of be able to live in 2040 if you just keep your current dollars in your SAVINGS account. ZERO...!! FACT.. ZERRROOOO !!! FACT the fed post the current Dollar value and buying power in 30 years will aprx 10 cents... YOU SEE the MATH??? You better...

Example 2: Hard money loans: Lend private parties money.. Think you CAN'T Do it? This is how I personally started. Well, not started, I started buy cars at tow yards, cleaning them up and DOUBLING my money in a few days.. true story. More on that later.. HARD MONEY loans. I made my first one for 5k to a family that was in need. There was equity in there home, and they seemed very nice. Just hit hard times. Mom and Dad were smart driven people. I made 10K profit on that deal in just 2 years. Do that a few times a year.. I did nothing for that money.. I deposited the checks..

RISK: IN EVERYTHING. If someone tells you RISK free. THEY ARE LYING. You have no promise of ANYTHING. You have no idea you will wake up. FACT...!!! My Father worked for the SAME company for 32 years to wake up one day LAID OFF... DOORS CLOSE.. NO REASONS... GONE....

You think your JOB is secure? Stop reading these postings, and all finance books, your beyond help.. Go back to choose your own adventure and Harlequin.. Nothing I can do for you...

Look like what you want to be - and you will BE !!!!

Right smack dab in the beginning of the 4 hour work week, there's a section about making sure you feel good about yourself. Confidence to continue on your path. It's really true, I see it daily.
So I live in this snotty little area in the middle of the Bay Area. I have a scruffy look about me to say the least. I tend to keep my hair in some sorta Phou Hawk. Jeans are usually baggy and dragging, and all cut up on the bottom. Love me Converse shoes of color. You get the picture. Now, I have two cars. One is a lowered perfect condition Corvette convertible. Very nice ride to say the least. The other is a 1987 Toyota Corrola. I love this little car. Zippy, great on gas, SUPER easy to park and drive. Now, each morning I head to the local Peets coffee to get my morning coffee and interaction with PEOPLE, that are not inside a small little window in the right-hand corner of my screen, and they don't blink when they talk. As I pull up the over all response and FEELING is SOOOO completely different from car to car. With my image, when I get out of the Toyota people look at me as if I'm a complete loser. Which oddly makes me feel as such. I park next to the nice Benz, and the Porsche and just feel ill of myself. No confidence at ALL.. The number ONE rule of business is confidence. You must have CERTAINTY. Carry yourself with class, conviction and style. CERTAINTY.
Now- enter taking the Vette to coffee. I am instantly a hit. The older women find me nothing but interesting (trust me, I have reflective surfaces in my house, Depp is safe). People want to talk with me. I'm now interesting, and that breeds internal confidence. I FEEL like I have the answers, therefore I do. I have CERTAINTY.... Money meets money. Ideas meet ideas. If you want the answers to the business climate. Look like you fit in, and you'll meet others in that community. The Rich scoff at the poor, and would never talk to a poor person about there business. The speak with PEERS.. Looks as though you fit with them, or better, look like YOU ARE THE SHIT, and have answers THEY DON'T... Interest THEM in talking with you... THAT IS WHY.. you look like what you want !!!

Life will pay what you ask of it !!!

I was sitting wondering, what the hell is it I really want from all this. Time? Money? Both? Why is it I want the money? Happiness? Will I be happy with money? Things are cool. Like money doesn't make you have, but boats are really pretty damn fun. But, for how long. I used to say, I wanted money so I could have time. Now, I have TONS of time. 95% of my day is mine, and the part that's not, I am doing what I say I love. So whats the problem? I am not sure what I am asking of life. What is the fulfillment? What is it that will be the factor to make everything complete?

Have I ask of life what I REALLY want? I asked for time.. I GOT IT.. TONS OF IT... ALLLLL MINE.. Interesting. I don't think that was what I wanted. I wanted time to DO.....????

Ask and you shall receive... ASK SPECIFICALLY AND INTELLIGENTLY.


THINK !!!

Why I quit my last job..

Well, if we are to be honest, I didn't quit, I just stopped going. For weeks and no one said a thing. I didn't call in, no emails, nothing.. Then after a few weeks, they finally called me and asked if I was coming in.. no, no I dont think I want to. Work was really getting in the way of thinking. I know now that's the answer. Working will only make you poor enough to need to keep working. That's the plan of the bosses. You need to work, because you work.

The REAL difference between the Rich and the Poor - by rBarrett

So, as I sit and read more and more of this brilliant book for the second time, well I guess this is the NEW addition, but it's really the same with some coolio things added. It hit me like a ton of bricks. What the hell is really the difference between the rich and the poor? Is it the ideas they have? NOT A CHANCE, how many times have you gone to work for a company with some LAME ass idea, that you KNEW was going to fail and sure as shit it did. But they were a HUGE company and the owner or board members are RICH AS SHIT.. nice cars, houses, all that... what is it? Not the God damn idea... I think it's one SIMPLE thing... ACTION.. The rich are people that put ideas into action. They get an idea and then follow through. They get out there and find investors to give them money to try things. They make the ideas have a life.. Not some "Notebook business" ("trademark" Rbarret).. We, the poor, talk and talk and plan and plan. Nothing ever comes to action, nothing ever makes it past the opening line of, what are SHOULD do.....

ACTION.... NOT THE IDEAS !!! WE ARE ALL THE SAME.. IF YOU LIKE THE IDEA SO WILL 200K OTHER PEOPLE. $1.00 dollar from each, and we have a starting block... WE ARE ALL THE SAME.. people are people so why should it be...hehe...

Getting off the Wrong Train --

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -- Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize - winning Physicist.


I love looking at this in a time vs. money way. There is no doubt all we all want, is fun and happiness. So we seem to think that the way to all that is money. Money = Fun? When you ask almost anyone, the one thing they all seem to say they are looking for is more time.. Time cost almost nothing. Surroundings cost a lot. AKA, to live in Alamo is not cheap, to live in Thailand is CHEAP... to have Time is CHEAP. With Time comes thought, with thought comes time and money.

W4W...

What's the Goal?

Money making money, not US working for money.

What is the FIRST step we need to take to obtain this idea?