STOP READING THIS REVIEW GO BUY THE BOOK, SERIOUSLY! Okay, maybe I am a bit over inspired by this book, but WOW. After starting my Geek Guru Book Club, I have been reading about a book a week, some good, some bad, and some you have to blog about. The 4 hour work week is a book that I am not only blogging about, but have already reached out and got people who “may not read books” to order it and start reading. This books is very interesting and makes you rethink your life as well as all the possibilities.
Tim Ferriss is a very interesting person who graduated from Princeton, Gold medal at the Chinese kickboxing national chamption, and enjoys life. After picking up this book to read, I could hardly stop reading. He starts out with some interesting stories as well as introduces some of his lingo like New Rich. The New Rich are the new blood of money or (our?) generation, the x generation. Most 20somethings or even early 30somethings understand that working in a 7 by 7 cube from 9 to 5 (or later) is just dumb. There is always work and the idea of a worry free retirement is foolish. Do you really want to work hard for 40 years and then take retirement until you die, (if you don’t die sooner) or do you want to reward yourself along the way and enjoy the small riches in life. Yea, I am with answer b) enjoy myself along the way and live life to its fullest!
The 4 hour work week discusses how you do NOT need a Swiss bank account to take a 4 month vacation around the world. You can even do it cheaper then the cost of living right now! (YES RIGH NOW!) Buying a sail boat and sailing to Europe could be cheaper then continuing your life and living in your apartment.
One of the most interesting inspiring stories (p. 231) was about a Mexican fisherman. Here is a quick summary of the story. The Mexican fisherman, who is a great fisherman, he is able to get enough fish for his family and friends in just a couple of hours of work. A MBA (oh how I HATE MBAs!) sees this fisherman and how he can maximize profits and get a couple more boats into the water and bring in a large income by maximizing his fishing. The fisherman says to the MBA, and then what? The MBA says you could then sell the company as an IPO and make millions and buy anything you want, and the fisherman says an and then what? The MBA says you could retire and just fish for a couple of hours and enjoy life, the fisherman says I am already doing that.
Think about this, you could be enjoying the “retirement” life and be living your dream rather then trying to live a “foolish rich life”. This was a total eye opener for myself and makes me start to think about all the things I want to do in life and how I CAN be doing them. Money is always something you will be making and/or need to make, why not start living your dreams and taking risks.
One of the other tales I have learned is about risk. How you need to give up the fact that you might go broke or you could be in debt, but think about your dreams. If you never try you can never live them. Think about what is the worst thing that could happen and live your fear rather then fear it. I know I have started to do that and rethink how I should start to take risks and how I can make my life better.
One of the most inspiration quotes I read in this book was Steve Jobs during Stanford University Commencement 2005. The summary version (“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”) Understand that you need to do what you ENJOY and NOT something to MAKE MONEY! Money can always be made, it is just will you take a risk and live your dreams, or work and hate your life. So liberate your life and pickup this book. Please stop by again and check out the Geek Guru Book Club
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Don’t be knockin’ MBA’s, broham. We gots the investment capital you’re gon’ be needin’.