What it takes to FAIL!!!

Today’s post is from ETR’s, Leo Babauta, author of, The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential, in Business and in Life.  It’s about have all the great intentions of self-improvement, and falling on your face at the attempt.  I found it interesting.  If you’re out there trying to be all that you can be… you will too.

 

Enjoy!

by K. Wright

 

Why You Fail at Creating New Habits

By Leo Babauta

Before I learned how to change habits, I was stuck. I kept trying to change various habits -- running, eating healthier, waking earlier, getting out of debt, ending procrastination -- and I kept failing.
I got very good at failing, in fact.

Looking back on those days, given the power of retrospect, I now know that I did everything wrong. I was setting myself up for failure, and in failing often and not learning from those mistakes, I was learning to be good at failing. Failing became my habit.

And while I'm actually a fan of failing as a method for learning how to get better at something quickly, if you're not learning from your failures, it's not as useful. So in that spirit, I'd like to share what I've learned from my failures so that you might glean some useful information from my suffering.

How to Fail at Habits

I failed at creating new habits repeatedly. Here's what I did, and what most people also do:

 

1.       Take on multiple habits at once. We have lots of things we want to change, so we try to change them all at once. Of course, this spreads our focus and energy thin, so that we can't give our entire focus to any one habit. Habits are hard to change, and spreading yourself thin is a good way to make sure you fail.

2.      Bite off more than you can chew. Whether you do one habit or many at a time, try to do as much with each habit as possible, so that it takes up a lot of energy and seems really hard. Don't run for 5 minutes, try doing 30. That way it'll be a big chunk of your day that will get pushed to tomorrow when other urgent things come up, it will take a lot of your physical and mental energy, and it'll be something you dread doing because it's so difficult. Don't meditate for 5 minutes, meditate for 60. Do 90 minutes of yoga. Change your entire diet all at once. These are excellent ways to fail.

3.      Tackle habits you don't enjoy. Because habits should be something you do for moral reasons -- they're good for you! And so it doesn't matter if you hate them, and if you dread doing them after awhile, because you're going to be disciplined. That works extremely seldomly, so it's a great strategy.

4.      Keep it a secret. Don't tell anyone you're changing your habit. That way, if you mess up, it won't be embarrassing. This means that you secretly think you're going to mess up, which is another excellent way to fail.

5.      Jump right into it. Decide today to start running, and just do it! This way you are treating it as if it's nothing, and not a big commitment. You don't plan for obstacles, don't set up a support system, don't give yourself rewards, and treat the habit change as lightly as you do putting on your socks. And when you quit doing the habit, it will be no problem either.

6.      Don't worry about how others have succeeded. Why read the success stories of other people? You know better than them. You can do it without learning from them. That's what I used to think, at least.

7.      Don't motivate yourself. You don't need motivation if you have discipline. Discipline is something you have or don't have, but motivation is something you can actually do.

8.     Give yourself plenty of opportunities to give up. Trying to eat healthy? Have your cupboards and fridge filled with junk food, and have it surround you at work, and go to restaurants filled with fried foods and sugary sweets. You'll definitely have the discipline to ignore those.

The eight steps above are a sure-fire recipe for habit failure, and I recommend you try all of them if you're looking to fail. Of course, if you're looking to succeed, you might want to avoid them and possibly try the opposite.

Declaring Your Own Independence

ECS3 - by Kobina Wright



In the following Early to Rise (ETR) repost, copywriter, Steve Roller takes lessons from early American history to redefine the governing of his own life.  He lays out the steps he took so that maybe someone may follow and learn how to successfully govern their own.

 

Enjoy.

 

Your Declaration of Independence

By Steve Roller

"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you." - Thomas Jefferson

I'm a bit of a U.S. history buff.

I once stood in line for three hours to get a 30-second glimpse of the original Declaration of Independence at the National Archives in Washington D.C. I carry a pocket copy of the Declaration of Independence in my iPad case, and I can recite from memory the first 108 words of it.

Some of the most beautiful words in our country's history start with "When in the course of human events ... "

So what does one of the most important documents in U.S. and world history have to do with your career as a freelance copywriter?

Plenty.

You see, the colonists were fed up with Great Britain's control over their future. Things had been brewing for a while. First, the Stamp Act of 1765. Then the Boston Massacre. Later, the whole taxation without representation thing.

It all came to a head when the Second Constitutional Congress met in Philadelphia in early July, 1776.

You could call it the "defining moment" for the colonists.

July 4, 1776, changed the course of history forevermore.

What are you ready to kick to the curb?

Like the colonists, I believe each of us has a defining moment. That moment when we get fed up with the status quo and decide to do something about it once and for all.

It could be when you first make the decision to check out this idea of being a copywriter because your job is no longer fulfilling. Or further along when you make the leap to launch your full-time freelance business because you know if it doesn't happen now, it may never happen. Maybe you're an experienced pro and just need to redefine your niche (and bid good riddance to the old one that's no longer in demand).

No matter where you are in your journey or what your particular issue is, the exercise I'm going to describe for you in a minute will work.

The "Great Britain" I needed to separate myself from

Recently, I realized that I had been plodding along for about a year at a moderate pace. I was bringing in enough to pay all my bills and then some, and I had gotten to the point of equalling my most recent best year.

But then I hit an invisible ceiling. I think it was the idea that I was making as much as I used to, had gotten comfortable, and wasn't pushing myself like I did in the beginning.

On top of it, I was spending too much time with a client who wasn't overly profitable and hanging onto another client in an industry I didn't enjoy.

I was stuck in a rut, and I couldn't get past it.

Time for another declaration, like the one I made three years ago, stating that I would leave my job within six months.

I needed to declare my independence from the shackles of mediocrity, and I did.

I actually wrote out, in declaration form, that I was no longer going to wallow in the average income, modest lifestyle, and relative obscurity of a mid-level copywriter.

Enough of underpaying, demanding clients! Goodbye to all clients in the niche I hadn't chosen but fell into.

No more middle-of-the-road complacency. Time to bust out and move on to the next stage of my career!

It wasn't complicated to write out my declaration, and it didn't take me long.

On Walden Pond (kind of)

But first, I took three days off.

Grabbed some books, a journal, and headed for my brother's cabin in northern Wisconsin. Not quite a Thoreau experience - I had Wi-Fi, a stocked refrigerator, and a nonstop pot of coffee going. But a good head-clearing experience nonetheless.

I took a personal inventory, like I described in "What's on your Freedom Trail map?" Figured out where I've been, why I'm not satisfied, and where I'm going. When I emerged from the woods a few days later, I had crafted a one-page document suitable for framing (as long as no one else ever sees it).

And you know what?

Making that bold declaration served as a turning point! It's exactly what I needed to get the ball rolling. I wake up with a renewed sense of enthusiasm, I'm thrilled about focusing on a new niche, and I have prospects in the pipeline again.

Now, before I go further, let me tell you what this exercise is NOT. This isn't at all about ...

·         setting goals

·         writing down your goals

·         creating a mission or purpose statement (I've never been able to figure those out)

·         visualizing success

·         positive expectations

·         the Law of Attraction

None of those things. This is quicker, easier, and I believe, more effective in moving you in the direction of your dreams.

You won't instantly, magically hit all your goals. But it's a starting point, a catalyst to help you move forward.

A declaration, plain and simple

Your Declaration of Independence is simply declaring to the world that you are fed up with your current situation. Explaining why you've come to this boiling point ... what you're separating yourself from ... and why things are never going to be the same.

That's all.

Only, it's not really for the world.

This is one piece of copy that is for you.

Your simple 4-step action plan

The reason I love this exercise is because it packs a serious punch in a simple little document. I took three days because I needed a little vacation, but you can easily do it in three hours or less.

Here's the plan:

Step 1: Identify it.

Spend some time thinking about the chasm between where you are and where you should be.

·         What's been holding you back?

·         Why is it taking longer than you planned?

·         What challenges are proving difficult?

·         Who or what has gotten in your way?

·         What are you really getting annoyed with in your current situation?

·         Do you have any toxic people or things in your life that need to go?

Are you starting to get mad?! Good.

When you get frustrated with yourself and where you are right now, that's the starting point. Identify exactly what you're fed up with and what current connections you may need to break.

Step 2: Write it.

There's serious power in the sheer act of writing something down. More than writing down your goals (which I also advocate), this is making a bold declaration and making it official!

Here's a suggestion. If you want to have some fun with this, read the first two sentences and the last paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. You'll get an idea of what I'm talking about.

Mine starts out, "When in the course of my copywriting career, it becomes necessary to dissolve the unprofitable connections and habits I have developed, and to assume among the powers of the earth, my rightful place alongside rising copywriting greats like ... "

Craft some cool language that fits you. No one else has to ever see this, so don't worry about how it sounds.

Step 3: Frame it!

I'm serious. And put it in a place where you can see it from your desk. We're talking about a document that's going to help change the course of your career, right? Make it count!

I did this three years ago when I declared that my loyalty to King George III (my employer) would be ending soon. Somehow stating it and posting it made it real.

Step 4: Use it.

Let your bold declaration, whatever it is, change you.

First, you identify it. Then you write it out. Then you post it.

Now stake your claim on the new territory and move in.

What next?

Think of your Declaration of Independence as a starting point, a launching pad, not a goal to be achieved.

Let it be a daily reminder that you got to a point where you had to change course.

I can tell you this. When you've formally made a declaration, even just to yourself, things naturally start falling into place.

Then, in the words of Thomas Jefferson: ACT!

Marco Miani of Artistica Gallery



Marco Miani

Today on The Wrighter, we have the opportunity to hear from Marco Miani, owner of Artistica Art Gallery, in Denver, Colorado.  Learning about his background, it seems Miani’s “food” was destined to be about and around art.  Even the way he explains things seems to be an art…

 

Where are you from?

I am from Rome, Italy. Being born in a Country that is the cradle of Art has helped me a lot to appreciate any artistic expression and how Art can expand the mind and the soul of human beings.

Is there any particular event(s) that drew you to the art world?

My mother, who has always worked in the Art world, helped me approach artistic expressions since I was a kid. Then, when I was a teenager, during a trip to Amsterdam, I got the chance to visit the Van Gogh's Museum. A revelation, an explosion of colors, emotions, my mind started the expansion phase, the gift of Art. From that day Art is my “food." I couldn't live without it.


Still nature by artists of the School of Venice

Who is your favorite artist? Why?

Very difficult question. Every Artist brings something to this world and every person can react in a different way before an artwork. I could say Van Gogh, for his unique use of colors, his life, his genius. Monet, the perfection. Picasso, a modern genius. Masolino, the “inventor" of painting, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, master of Light. Too many, wonderful prophets of the “religion“ of Art.

Are you an artist yourself? If so, what medium and subject matters do you gravitate towards?

I am a very mediocre painter. Love vivid colors, impressions on canvas. Landscapes, trees, water. Oil or acrylic .

What is the most outrageous thing you've seen in the Gallery?
In my gallery? An interpretation of religious themes by a 80-year-old painter: striking colors, twisted bodies, outrageous facial expressions. Difficult to interpret, not for general audience, great effects, great paintings. I was definitely happy to display them. In other galleries? A completely dark painting, with a single white spot in the middle: the title was “The meaning of the world. “ Please, let's not call that Art.



The sea lover by ARi (Albino Ripani)

What are your interests outside of art?

Poetry, literature, good books , nature. Watching sports, to relax. Art, Art in every expression: music, paintings, sculpture, fashion, cooking, yes the Art of food, a celebration of life. Good cook here.

Art helps expand the mind and soul. It has been scientifically demonstrated that in those workplaces where Art is on display, the productivity of employees is much higher than that of those who work in Art-less environments. At the same time their stress level is much lower. At every level Art heals, cures, helps, improves. The best “medicine" in the world.

 

To visit Artistica Art Gallery online, go to: http://artisticaartgallery.com.

The Planning of a Journey

 

In less than two weeks I’ll be on my way to Thailand.  It’s a journey I’ll be taking alone which is both exhilarating and petrifying.

As writer, and producer, Joseph Michael Straczynski would say, “Find what scares you and do it.”

Last night I had a dream that I was in Thailand.  I don’t remember much, but I do remember the buildings and the roadways and the feeling in the dream – of being in awe that I was actually there.  Then it ventured off into some weirdo nonsense like dreams often do and I can’t make heads or tails of the rest of it.  I woke up thinking, Oh my God, I’m even dreaming of Thailand now.

I still have a lot of packing and planning to do, but when I get there, here is the plan:

From the time I get on the plane I want to document this journey.  However, there is a great possibility that I will have limited access to the internet, though I’m not exactly sure.

I will attempt to blog while I’m there, but if I’m unable to, I’ll collect the photos, stories and interviews and post them in a series when I get back.

If you’d like to contribute to the experience or if there is a particular aspect you’d like me to cover in the city of Chiang Mai, let me know.  If I’m able (and willing) I’ll cover it.  If I can’t, well… sorry…

And if by chance you’d be interested in helping to fund this trip, pick up one of my original paintings from Americafineart.org or Fineartamerica.com.  You can also send a donation through paypal to Likizo (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Enjoy your week!

Circus Terminal - Thailand

 PRESS RELEASE

 Circus Terminal THAILAND

Exhibition: 1 – 10 December 2012

 (Sangdee Gallery) 1 – 10
 
Exhibition Opening Event: Sat 1 Dec 6.30pm -11pm
Sangdee Gallery – CHIANG MAI www.sangdee.org
Curators: (Katie Hawker -Surface Arts UK)
(Chutima Kerdpitak (Nok), UK/Thailand)

54 Artists -17 different countries & Invited Thai Artists

Sam Clift - London, UK / Charlie W Phillips – Manchester, UK - Japan / MaryAnn McCarra - Fitzpatrick - NY, USA / Louise Schmid - Glasgow, UK / Jeff Roland - Eulmont, France / Tom McGill - NJ, USA / John McLaughlin - MI, USA / Noel Wong - Hong Kong / Christy Symington - London,UK / Miranda Sky - London, UK / Gareth Hughes - London, UK / Lynn Todd - Wellington, New Zealand / Pattree Chimnok - Chiang Mai, Thailand / Rinaldo Klas - Paramaribo, Suriname / Toro Manafov - Baku, Azerbaijan / Chris Czainski - Halifax, UK / Liz Parkinson - North Avoca NSW, Australia / Danni Higman - Manchester, UK / Dion Hitchings – Outsider Art Gallery - NJ, USA / Padungsak Kochsomrong - Chiang Mai, Thailand / Anna Luisa Dionello - London, UK / Ciara Foster - Dublin, Ireland / Erin Lee Benson - FL, USA / Katie Hawker- Surface Arts – Chiang Thailand - UK / Joshua Haycraft - BHBITB – Washington DC, USA / Paul Czainski - Halifax, UK / Gustav Glander - Barcelona, Spain / Josianne Ishikawa – Yamanashi, Japan - USA / Julia Sisi - Canarias, Spain / Seijin Park - Seoul, Korea-UK /

Chakkrit Chimnok - Chiang Mai, Thailand / Andrew Stahl - London, UK /Chutima Kerdpitak (Nok) – London, UK - Thailand / Werens (Ramon Puig) - Barcelona, Spain / François Nasica - Nice, France / Charles Auchincloss, Edward Kingsbury III, Edward Woltemate Jr., David "Big Dutch" Nally, Jim Bloom – Represented by Outsider Folk Art Gallery - PA, USA / Sheona Josiah – London, UK / Carlo Keshishian - London, UK / Ilya Scurovs – London, UK – Latvia / Clare Rosean – Chicago, USA / Kobina Wright – California, USA / Ascension Lorente Huguet – Kent, UK - Spain / Roberta Requena - Viña del Mar, Chile / Dan Casado - Canarias, Spain / Bert Schoonhoven – Amsterdam,The Netherlands / Marianne Aspairt – Metz, France / Stanley Artworth – Metz, France / Farad Ibrahimovic - Murau, Austria, Donna Kuhn – NM, USA, Soodie Whitaker, CA – USA, Pier Makanda, Kwa Zulu-Natal and counting........

Invited Thai Artists:

Padungsak Kochsomrong -  Pattree Chimnok - Chakkrit Chimnok - Dontree Siribunjongsak - Boonsong Rodthab - Set Ana - Sitthikan O Techadilok - Jamjuree Suktuy - Mahasamoot Aukkaradechosub - http://uncookedculture.com/#/circus-terminal-thai-artists/4569963970

Exhibition Opening Event: Sat 1 Dec 6.30pm -11pm
Sangdee Gallery – CHIANG MAI www.sangdee.org
Live Music from famous groups ‘Choosri’ / ‘Space 360’ / ‘Munin’
Live Performance by Boonsong Rodthab / Catherine Goodwin (UK)
FOOD by Mahasamoot Aukkaradechosub and Rasta Mama Bakery
DRINKS & more....!!!

Monday 3rd December- 6.30pm-8.30pm- Artist’s Presentation & Discussion on Collaboration:

Artist presentations of work from the exhibition and past work. Each artist will be given 20minuites each to talk. This will be chaired by Alex Soulsby and Po Garden. A ‘Blog-Interview’ by Kobina Wright - www.TheWrighterOnline.com will follow the presentations.

Friday 7th December 12.20pm until 3pm - PREM International School- Mini-Terminal, Creative Children’s Workshop:

The workshop will be led by Pattree and Chakkrit Chimnok, Kobina Wright, Catherine Goodwin and Erin Benson. It will follow the circus theme to include simple costume making such as masks or hats etc. from raw materials found within the school grounds, such as banana leaves. There will be 26 children; the aim of this workshop will be to make simple character costumes for a performance about jungle dance. All materials needed will be supplied by the school.

 Hodaoa - Anibo Flags

The Watch Space Penguin Village

Saturday 8th December- 2pm- Watch Space Penguin Village- Interactive Terminal, Hodaoa-Anibo Prayer Flags:

n interactive workshop led by Kobina Wright. Hodaoa-Anibo is a language Kobina created, inspired by her enslaved ancestors, the Prayer Flags inspired by the Tibetan prayer flags. The artist will work on a white cotton scroll which participants can contribute symbols of values held in high regard to humanity, such as love, freedom, happiness etc. and what it means to them, in whatever language the contributor chooses, along with any symbol they choose to represent their perspectives.

Live Performance

Sunday 9th December -7pm- Three Kings Monument:

Live public performance event showcasing the outcome from the collaboration by the international and local artists. To take place outside the Three Kings Monument at Walking Street Sunday Market.

 For more information about Circus Terminal THAILAND and upcoming Add-on Events can be followed at: http://uncookedculture.com/#/circus-terminal-thailand/4566756755

Find out more about Surface Arts, Circus Terminal THAILAND’s partner, and Katie Hawker at: http://www.surfacearts.co.uk

Circus Terminal WORLDWIDE

An ongoing International Exhibition/Collaborative Touring Project 2012-2013

UK.....SPAIN.....FRANCE..... THAILAND.....USA..... NETHERLANDS..... NEW ZEALAND.....JAPAN.....SURIMANE..... MYANMAR.....

 Anywhere our artists will lead this Circus Terminal to! Our route is being formed through online collaboration.

Circus Terminal will endeavor to turn the world’s individual components into one delicious cake that will celebrate the differences and similarities of all human beings and who they are through their art.

This is a radical ongoing project that brings together artists with highly varied backgrounds, irrespective of whether they have been to art school or not. Scheduled to depart from boundaries from all across the globe, the show will be gathering evidence of life journeys. Coming to your town soon, we aim to build new relations and spread the idea of artistic self-reliance. Local artists at each of our ‘Stops’ will be taking part.

'Circus Terminal WORLDWIDE' led by Chutima Kerdpitak (Nok).

Our ‘NEXT STOP’ will be held at ‘Studio B’ Philadelphia USA and led by Emily A. Branch.

Links:
http://www.facebook.com/CircusTerminalWorldwide
http://www.uncookedculture.com
http://www.surfacearts.co.uk

Pondering "Upon Pondering": Brooke Shaden's Work

"Upon Pondering" - Brooke Shaden

Currently, Brooke Shaden’s work is exhibited at the Joanne Artman Gallery in Laguna Beach.  Though much of Shaden’s work hypnotized me right away, I picked the above posted image titled, “Upon Pondering” to post.

Initially, I thought that what I was looking at were paintings.  I wasn’t.  I marveled at her creativity when I read the captions under multiple works that read, “Photo on paper.”  Photographs!  Just when I thought I could possibly compare her surrealism to the likes of Vladimir Kush…

What drew me to “Upon Pondering” is probably the same thing that draws me to Edgar Allen Poe; or Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events; and all things Tim Burton.  These shaped worlds allow visitors to drift into a dark and whimsical places, where ravens converse with the grieving, where a grown man can stalk children for their money, and a shy fellow can marry a corpse.   Meanwhile, a child-like curiosity and innocence remains somewhat intact.

This photo captures what looks to be a girl, skipping in a field.  She has lost her head as it has been plucked off her shoulders and floats somewhere within the clouds (we assume).  There is either a manic wind or a manic energy behind the skipping, thrashing the skirt to her dress about.  The washout of color suggests a somber intent just as the sepia filter suggests an aging of the image.  A troubled girl from another time – or perhaps an innocent child from a troubled time.

Shaden knows EXACTLY what she’s doing here to create the desired effect.  Her artist statement in part reads:

When I use a square frame, I hope that the viewer will forget that they are looking at a photograph and instead see an alternate reality, one that mixes painterly qualities with surrealism and fantasy. It is my goal in photography to make beautiful that which others find disturbing, to take a simple concept (be it birth, death, or something in between - life) and mold it into something complex and magnetic.

I explore death and surrealism through my photography in order to show that reality has intricate ties with fantasy. Our world is not so different than the disturbing worlds I create within my frames. I argue that my surrealistic images are even more representational of life because they contain feelings and emotions that resonate with the viewers. Sometimes life does not have to be photographed according to reality; instead, why not explore the depths of the mind and soul and reach for something deeper than the reality that plagues us and traps us daily.

My edited photographs are a far cry from the original image that comes out of the camera. I add texture to them to give a feeling of grime and age, thus giving the photographs a timeless feeling. I often play with the tones so that the subject is highlighted and the scenery falls away in to slight desaturation and abandonment. The real crux of my photography is portraiture; it is capturing the emotion of a single instance in a life.

There is a particular feeling to all of my photographs, one that touches on the juxtaposition of the real yet surreal, a fantasy and a dream yet riddled with reality.

To view more of Shaden’s work online, go to: http://www.joanneartmangallery.com/artists/brooke-shaden/#.  Also, you can visit her website at: http://brookeshaden.com/.

A Book, Advice and Other Things to Avoid

By Kobina Wright
 

There are countless times when I’ve looked at my life, wondering why I’m not further along.  Why, oh why have I spent hours and hours creating and presenting to the world my efforts, only to be vaguely acknowledged at best? 

But then…

Something slowly turns in my mind and when I begin to analyze all that I’ve created so far in my life, I come to the conclude that, if I had found myself early on, without struggle, without hardship, and with gobs of time, there is no way I would have written all the books I’ve written.  I only came up with the Hodaoa-Anibo language on my lunch break while working as a temp at a large corporate office. 

This essay I’ve reposted by Craig Ballantyne, I’ve come to understand, doesn’t apply to me.  Not really.  Though I envy folks with free time – it’s really just a fantasy in my head.  Not really intended for me to live out at this point in my life.  However, I’m posting it anyway, just in case it touches someone else.  We’re all looking for ways to enjoy our lives a little more.  Hopefully though, this essay could help you (or someone) avoid a snag on the way…

 

WARNING: The end of this essay gets a little repetative, but overall it's a good read.

Enjoy.

 

The Most Dangerous Book You Could Read

By Craig Ballantyne

 

This book is dangerous. It can literally destroy your ambition, one of the most important character traits you can have. Unfortunately, young people are the most common victims.

For example, this summer I was in Lithuania at the BlackSmith Camp teaching Liberty and Entrepreneurship to fifty young business leaders of tomorrow.

On the second morning of the camp, my friend Simon Black expressed some frustration. It turned out that a few of the attendees had been corrupted by this book.

I hope it hasn't tainted you too. So let's find out.

What I want you to do is to think back to when you first read this book and answer me this...

"How did you hope your life would change after reading it?"

"Did you really expect to achieve the literal results that the title promised you?"

If so, then you too have been seduced by...

The 4-Hour Work Week.

With the wrong perspective, it could be the most dangerous book in the world to your ambitions.

Back at the camp, a few students had revealed their diabolical plans to Simon. It went something like this...

"I'm going to use the 4-Hour Work Week system so I can surf all day, play X-box all night, and work as little as possible."

BUT LISTEN...

That's not what Tim Ferriss meant.

Nor is that the life he follows.

You know why?

Because a literal 4-hour work week is a life WITHOUT meaning.

Imagine this...

...you're a smart, energetic 22-year old kid. After reading the 4-Hour Work Week, you discover how to leverage or arbitrage your knowledge into a business. But then you take it too far and aim to make just enough money to get by while working just 4 hours per week.

Seven years come and go...then BOOM - you're 29 years old.

You stand on the cusp of 30...having accomplished NOTHING... because you've drowned your ambitions in a sea of mediocrity. All this because you were chasing the "minimalist lifestyle" and a bloody 48-minute work day.

Where is the honor in that? Where would you stand in your journey to change the world? How many years would you have "designed away" in your lifestyle experiments?

It would have been a waste of what could have been the most productive decade of their lives.

Now don't get me wrong, Tim's ideas are solid and can make your life easier and better - and will even benefit strangers living in far away places...

That said, I guarantee there's no Internet Independence reader working just 4 hours per week.

...And if you do only work 4 hours per week, you're either:

A) No longer a value adder to the world

Or

B) Unemployed and also not adding value to the world

So that's why The 4-Hour Work Week can be the most dangerous book you could ever read.

It should come with a WARNING label, one that says...

"Do NOT take this book title literally. If you do, you will waste your life. Instead, use these ideas wisely in order to generate MORE value to the world."

But the book spawned a movement - one that has taken on a life of its own - and has the potential to crush your dreams.

That's right, CRUSH your TRUE dreams rather than helping you achieve them.

This movement is stealing value from the world because too many people are looking for an excuse to do nothing - and to be proud of it.

The "Value Extractor Movement (VEM) will kill you.

It encourages VEMmers to work as little as possible all day - as if THAT were an honorable way of living.

It tells you to lock your talents up in a toolbox and keep them hidden from the world.

Its seductive siren call sings in your ear, "Forget all of the people you could be helping...work less...do less...BE LESS."

And worst of all:

"Expect something for nothing."

And that's wrong.

Flat out wrong.

Let me ask you something...

Do you know what happens to a lot of people when they retire?

What happens to them when they stop adding value to the world?

They die.

Inside and outside.

And being a part of the VEMmer movement will kill your soul and dreams, too.

A 4-hour work week might not seem like such a bad idea now...

...because of the struggles you're going through today. You feel like you'll never be able to enjoy a 40-hour work week, let alone one of only 4-hours.

Right now you feel like you're working or studying all the time in a hardscrabble existence...as you struggle to build your business...perhaps as you work two jobs...and as you worry about losing them.

That's why the 4-Hour Work Week sounds so seductive.

But you know what?

The way you are living, fighting, and working today is better.

Yours is the honorable way to live because you're finding a way to add value to the world.

So trust me...

...there will come a time when you breakthrough and achieve more success than you've ever dreamed of. And that's when it will be tempting to become complacent. To stop working so hard. To stop adding value.

One day it will be hard for you to resist that siren's call of the comfort zone.

When that day happens, after you've achieved more than you ever thought possible, I urge you to never give in, and never give up on making a bigger difference in the world.

Don't succumb to the selfish ideals of the VEMmers.

Resist the temptation, for...

"That which is most satisfying is that which is earned. Anything received free of charge is seldom valued. You can't get something for (from) nothing. The price is too high."
- Kekich Credo #38

That's one of my favorites.

A true principle by which to live your life.

Add value and get what you deserve.

Earn what you want.

Do not be ashamed, embarrassed, or discouraged to WORK for a living...to put in your time...and to sacrifice some leisure time in order to change the world.

Be proud of it.

Now more than ever the world needs people like YOU.

And you know what? I have a funny feeling the 4-Hour Work Week didn't get as popular as it did because those promoting it spent 48 minutes per day at work.

Right?

So listen...

If you're reading this, you're young and you have a lot of life left and a lot of love to give the world.

(And "young" refers to anyone under 70 years of age, in my opinion. That's how old my mom is and she's still adding value to the world by volunteering. Heck, she volunteers a heck of a lot more than just 4 hours per week.)

So change your mindset.

Stop thinking, "How little can I work? How much value can I EXTRACT from the world? How can I get something for nothing? How can I weasel my way out of the responsibility I have for using the amazing talents that I've been given?"

If you literally tried to work 4 hours per week, you'd be robbing the world of your talents, and robbing yourself of true satisfaction.

In 10 years from now, what type of person would look back and be proud of their decision to work just a few hours per week?

I doubt anyone would be satisfied with that...instead, you would look back on your (empty) life with regret and sadness.

Thinking that you failed.

That you failed to pursue your vision...and that you failed to accomplish your mission in life, the one that you were born to accomplish.

How would that feel?

What kind of "lifestyle design" would you have achieved?

An empty one, at best. A wasted one, at worst.

BUT...

The person that invests their life force and an honest work ethic into adding value will look back and be satisfied.

The person that focused externally on changing the lives of OTHERS rather than internally on sucking out value for themselves...that person would truly have the life well lived.

I encourage you to take a lesson from the REAL life of Tim Ferriss, rather than the misguided VEMmers spawned by the book.

Look at what he really does, and ask yourself...

"How can I leverage my time to add MORE value to the world? How can I connect with the right people? How can I do more, BE MORE, serve more, and educated more? How can I become a person of influence and a creator of value?"

The 4-hour Work Week is an important book - when used wisely.

It belongs up there with other must reads like Dan Kennedy's No-BS Time Management, Dan Sullivan's Unique Ability, and Michael Masterson's Reluctant Entreprenuer.

So I leave you with the TRUE definition of the 4-hour work week.

What you're going to do each week is to set aside an hour per day, at least 4 days per week, where you'll think about nothing but how you can add value to the world.

Heed this wisdom from a man that both Tim and I greatly respect:

"An hour of effective, precise, hard, disciplined - and integrated thinking can be worth a month of hard work. Thinking is the most difficult thing to do in business and in life. Empire builders spend hour-after-hour on mental work."
- Dave Kekich (Credo #44)

Empire builders don't believe in a 4-hour work week.

Value adders don't believe in extracting MORE for themselves in exchange for delivering as little as possible.

So take the Most Dangerous Book that you could read and turn it into one of the Most Powerful Tools on your success journey.

Quit with the idiotic "minimalist" living and return to "maximalist" value adding.

Become great. Live your life as a leader.

"The great leaders I've studied are all people whose energy and drive are directed outward. It's not about themselves. It's about something greater than themselves."
-Jim Collins

Break free from the "something for nothing" mindset. Break away from the selfish VEMmers.

Work hard.

Give more back to the world.

That is my challenge to you.