The 4-Hour Work Week- Chapter 10

I finished chapter 10 this week. I sigh as I think about business and how life affects business. The 4-Hour Workweek is all about business so that you can live. I am defnitely doing more living but there is even more to do. This week's chapter is about testing the muse and I have definitely been testing mine.

 

I have learned a lot these past few months of being in business and have new model that is definitely more scalable and profitable. I am looking forward to the transition over the next few months.

 

When you are working in your business and getting things set up, ask yourself how you can make work easier. Work and business is important but so is each aspect of your life. I don't expect for things to be perfectly balanced but I do look for ways to make things more manageable across the board.

 

Unitl Next Time,

Kimmy B.

Where I'm at with The 4-Hour Work Week - Developing a Muse

I just started a wonderful book today called the Renaissance Mind (I don't advise it but I usually read two books at a time). The Renaissance Mind is for people who have many different interests and passions and need a framework for designing their lives and careers around the varying intrests.

 

This book is ideal for someone like me. I've stopped denying myself  the enjoyment if indulging in my interests. When it comes to muse creation, I've created a muse list if you will and am simply repeating the same steps for each muse. Some muses will remain hobbies while others will become income producers. This is the strategy that I've taken. I no longer have the knwaing "but I want to...) in the back of my mind because I am doing...or have plans to do.... in the futre.

 

I am at the point now with this process where I am not completely convinced that I'll be doing my standy job anymore. I've been supporting myself and funding my dreams by working as a security officer. While patiently waiting to receive my guard licence for NY, I've been wokring on my muse. I'm starting to generate enough icome that's making me question whether or not will pursue a guard job once the state finally processes my license.

It feels really great to be at this point in the process. I'm executing another income prodcuing project this week and am looking forward to seeing how everything goes. I'll be sure to blog about my results!

 

Kimmy B.

Outsourcing My Life - T4HWW

I am so happy. This week has been my most efficient week yet! I was able to get a lot done and received some payments from clients also. I have been transitioning into my new life on the East Cost for about two months. I am headed back to my evening job because I'm still a baby-entrepreneur but I did great this month. My first month out of the gate I profitted about $500 from my interent-based business. I'm happy and excited about the income I'm getting from my night job because I'll be able to put that money back into my business.

 

This week I read about Outsouring Your Life and hiring a Virtual Assistant or VA in the 4-Hour Workweek. I can say that I am at the point where I need an assistant and will be exploring this over the upcoming months. It's been really great learning how to master my own schedule and hack it to make it effctive and manageable on my own without an assistant. It's important that I know how to be effective so that I can guide my assistant and show him or her how to be effective as well. This has been an interesting chapert in my life.

Having an assistat is going to make my life easier and more profitable. I look forward to using the suggestions Tim Ferriss outlines in The 4-Hour Wokweek. I've also been told that Philipines are great for virtual assistants and am probably going to explore thiis or hiring someone here in the states when I employ an assistant.

If you have had any experiences with Virtual Assistants please share your experiences by commenting below.

 

Here's To Your Business Success!

Kimmy B.

Facebook & Local Marketing Consultant

Being Productive v. Being Effective, from the 4-Hour Workweek

Being Productive v. Being Effective from the 4-Hour Workweek

After reading about distractions and interruptions in the book this week, I considered all the things I have put in place since my initial listening of the first edition of the book:

-I have shifted to consciously focusing and acting on things that are important to my goals and day to day life. I don't spend hours rotting away in front of the t.v. like I used to. My life is so full of what actually matters now that I very easily go days without watching t.v. I used to work with the the t.v. on and now I find that it actually slows me down. I have 1-3 shows I watch during a season versus 1-3 for every night of the week.

I didn't make this shift over night, it was gradual. How badly do you want it? This is the question that helped me make this and other life-changing shifts.

-I've been experimenting with sleep. I know that 7 hours is all I need to feel rested and energized. I've also had to function on a lot less due to my work schedule in the past. This week I am implementing two 5 hour days (the minimum I need to function) to see if that will help me get more done. With commute, the dishes, meditation...life and everything that makes up my day, I'm able to actually get 3-4 core things done each day. This is great but I still have a more to do. Re-training my body to wake up early has been life changing. I used to be an 11 A.M. girl, not anymore. I usually get up between 6 and 7 now.

-I am also exploring my business model so that I can choose one that is less time consuming and more profitable. I think I've found a solution and will begin the shift over the next few weeks.

These are just a few things that I am already implementing or will be implementing over the upcoming weeks since this week's reading. I am so glad that I am taking the time to re-visit this book at this point in my journey because my perspective and focus are completely different than they were before.

Kimmy B.
Facebook & Local Marketing Consultant
www.TheLocalMarketingInsider.com

What I Am Doing To Make Money From Home

Concept from the 4-Hour Workweek- The Timing Is Never Right

I just wanted to share my responses to a few things that I read/listened to this week from The 4-Hour Work Week

Tim Ferriss says...

"Less is not laziness."- This is a concept that I have had trouble with because I love being engaged and involved in what I am doing. For me, the real question has been, if you're going to do this, are you happy? I'm not interested in having a completely hands-off business. I simply want multiple income channels that are flexible and allow me to create my own schedule. This is my definition of living life on my terms. That being said, I am exploring aspects of my life that can be outsourced or automated so that I can focus on the areas of my life that bring me joy. This is the reason why I am pursuing income channels that allow me to create my own schedule in the first place.

"The Timing Is Never Right"- Truer words were never spoken. I am moving to New York City on May 2nd. This has been a dream since childhood and I am happy to say that I am finally taking the plunge. One of the reasons why I didn't do it last year when I originally planned is because the timing wasn't right. I don't know how true that actually is but I do know that more opportunity is present in my life for this dream and that I am having a much easier time with accomplishing it than I was last year. By simply taking small action steps, I was able to shift the energy around this dream and make it a reality. In a few days I'll be creating this post in NYC (I am still in awe of this). There are plenty reasons why I could postpone the move because of "timing" but who cares. When is it "time" to actually take action? The only time that truly exists is now.

The concept of "the Positive Use of Free Time"-My whole life in New York is designed around this concept of doing what I want as opposed to doing what I am obligated to do. In terms of business, I find myself looking for opportunities that give me a certain element of freedom. What I want is flexibility. I want the ability to work as little or as much as I want to. I want a certain level of mobility and location independence. To me, the opportunities I am pursuing are fun (this is very important to me as well) but non-work related activities are also important. I see myself taking dance and music classes in addition to finally learning conversational Spanish during my "non-work" time. I see myself eating a lot and taking the city in. I am so excited!

The concept of "Eustress"-Tim Ferris defines this as, "stress that is helpful and the stimulus for growth." I have had to use this tool to make my move to NYC feasible and easy. I don't have time  to sit around watching television. There have been quite a few parts and pieces to focus on during this transition like where I'm going to live and which income channels I am going to pursue. It's been challenging because I'm interested in EVERYTHING I've had to use eustress to get myself  to focus on a few things versus the hundreds that my mind wants to explore. I still haven't found a cure for my wandering mind but I have learned to contain it. There's a book called the "Renaissance Mind" that is scheduled reading for May. It's for people who love to explore but need to remain productive at the same time. I'm hoping this will give me some ideals on how to better manage this trait. It's been a blessing because it's led me to people like Tim Ferriss but at the same time it can be a hindrance when it's time to actually get things done.

How has being "realistic" or "responsible" kept you from living the life you want?- Being "realistic" prevented me from realizing that I wanted to go into business for myself instead of work for someone else. Being realistic prevented me from moving to New York when I was 18. Being realistic has prevented me from living the life of my dreams and beginning the chapter that I am currently starting. I've found that it is not so much about being realistic as it about making the possible or "dream" a reality. I've taken practical steps to get to where I am at. This is a system that I am using to create success in all areas of my life and will be using for the rest of my life. It's hard to put in words, all I know is I will never tell myself that something isn't possible again. I will simply focus on what I can do to make it possible.

Warmth,
Kimmy B.
 

**Please note that I am listening to the audiobook and reading the hard cover edition. If something is a little different, it may be due to this reason.

Here's To Getting Out of My Own Way

If I don't make money or do what I need to do, I can't blame anyone else but me. I have made a vow not to opt in for month. Instead, I'll be opting out. No more download this and read that. It's time to apply, apply, apply. I have launched a business as a local marketing consultant. Another thing that I have done is chosen to select a specialization. I am specializing in Facebook promotion. Yes there will be a little video and a little seo thrown in the mix but I am primarily focusing on designing Facebook fan pages, content creation, and promotion for my clients.

I've decided to that I want to eventually build a practice around Real Estate agents. I just sent a quote to a perspective client in this niche. I am promoting myself and charging what I feel comfortable charging at the moment. Once I've built up my reputation in about six month's time I will increase my fees and expand my service offerings (by then I will have hired account managers).

My vision for my own personal lifestyle design includes having multiple streams of virtual income and living it up in New York City! I am moving to New York City on the 2nd and so far I have 3 clients. I'd say I'm doing pretty good so far!

Kimmy B.

facebook.com/LikeMissPositivity