Have you ever thought that there is more to life than this? That it’s supposed to be better and easier than this? That this isn’t how it’s supposed to be? So have I. I’m by no means an old grizzled man that’s tired of life. I’m don’t have 30 years of hard work behind me and regretting missing birthday parties. I’m not in my third marriage because I can’t seem to be satisfied by feeding off someone else’s happiness. No, I’m simply a person that can see that this is how most people think the world is and accepts what they think is the harsh reality. I have been trying to find a way to sidestep this and live my life the way I want to live it. This is why I’ve started reading The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss, a book that explains to you how to “Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich.”
Timothy Ferriss is an anomaly. He is what most people would call a person living a lifestyle that shouldn’t exist. He is an entrepreneur, author (duh), public speaker and self-proclaimed “Human Guinea pig.” He pushes the boundaries of the human society, looking for those missing gears that put otherwise stagnating lives in motion. He is a firm believer that life isn’t what society proclaims it to be. He has secretly been living a life that only millionaires would be able to have.
This is because most people look at living the same way humans have been looking at living for decades. You get a stable job with a stable income, you put in the hours, and you get out the rewards. This hasn’t changed for a quite some time. We accept this as normal because, unfortunately, it is. We don’t want to change too drastically because there’s a chance it’ll consume our financial safety. Change holds the largest risk to our comfort zones. For some people, change is an extremely uncomforting thought because it threatens their way of life. Their precious, comfortable way of life. The people that have been living the same life for the past couple of years or even decades are the people that need to read this book.
I am in no way one of those people. I realize that change is necessary and that happiness can’t be found sitting on a couch binging Game of Thrones for the fifth time. I am just a person that simply can’t accept the reality society is forcing down on me. I am just a person trying to prevent this sort of lifestyle taking over. I am in the perfect position to start this journey, learn from my mistakes and prevail.
A lot of people have told me that a lifestyle like this isn’t possible and that I should get my head out of the clouds. People including some of my friends, my family and professional comfort-zoners stuck in the same job, saving for retirement. They have told me that I should study for a job, find that job, work for the rest of my life and die. The reason? Because that’s just how the world works. If that doesn’t upset you then you are exactly the type of person that needs to read this book. Working hard will get you places, but working smart will get you much more.
I have only just started reading this book, currently starting with chapter 2, but the number of people that have set the advice of this book in motion and are now living a dream life are just too many for it not to be a coincidence. I fully intend to use this book to live the life I want to live. I fully intend to use this book to break societal illusions. I fully intend to use this book to say ‘I’m glad I did’ and not ‘If only I did’.
Why retire when most of your life is behind you?
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