A New Reality

I find myself in a brand new siutation. Last week I had the hours to build up my savings for travel. This week I don't. I've lost 8 teaching hours and have gone from being able to save a lot to just covering my costs.

When I heard the news, I felt depressed and panicky. I feared that I wouldn't make my saving targets and that either I would have to work longer to get there or I'll end up teaching English again after my travels.

Since then, I've reviewed the situation and am now happy that I have the extra time. I can still break even from teaching English and now I have more time to build up other sources of income. Despite having just 8 hours less, I figured that this reduction gives me an extra 12 hours per week (preparation time and gaps between classes). This is excellent.

I plan to use the extra time for;

Travel Writing - aim to do writing related work for two hours per day.
Photography - to increase my microstock portfolio and improve my images.
Photoshop - to see how I can use this to improve the performance of my photo stock.
Chinese - to do at least one listening exercise a day and be more outgoing with my Chinese.

I'm glad that I dealt with my fear and that my 'child' of an entrepreneur is growing up. Yes, there are problems in life but there are plenty more solutions to them. It's all part of growing.

Intro - Why I'm writing this blog

Perhaps it's a middle age crisis, the big FOUR OH is coming very soon, in fact too soon. This time next year I'll be there.

Perhaps, I haven't grown up and there's still some rebel left in me. I don't want my life and work to be a job that's 'OK'. I want more travel; I want to meet people doing radical things, who have new ideas and are working them; I want my own radical ideas to work and I want some of that entrepreneurial spirit -- like in 'the Dead Poet's Society' I want that 'cease the day mentality.

Am I too old for all this stuff, definitely not! Am I scared, definitely!

So I want to start living my life as I want it to be. I want freedom from work, which doesn't mean I don't want to work but I want to be doing my own work, something I can put my heart into.

I want to increase my passive income, which at present is vertically zero ($35 per month) to a point where I can travel or learn something new and not worry about money.

I want each day to be the most important day for me. At the moment, my mind drifts from fantasies to worries and is largely unproductive.

I've had always wanted this freedom but I haven't done much about it. Now I feel is the time to make changes. To do, instead of think and dream about it.

As this crisis sweeps my mind, I've turned to books and the internet for help.

So far I have read;

The Four Hour Working Week Tim Ferriss -- initial view, very attractive and some parts are very practical. I have stopped reading the news and this small change has saved me a lot of time. I haven't got my head about the 'muses' (businesses that generate cash but become fully automated) yet but it is something I would like to try. Outsourcing life, seems very radical to me, I didn't realise the extent this has gone, until I read FHWW.

I have partly read

E Myth Mastery - Michael E. Gerber

This book combines the Story of Sarah with the principles of Entrepreneurial ship. You have to read a bit to find out the practical tips. The story of Sarah adds an emotional dimension to the advice I guess.

Useful bits so far

Get use to being a leader - say it to yourself and notice how you feel. He gives this advice, as many people feel pompous or silly calling themselves 'leaders'.

Stopping - as the name suggests, this is literally stopping yourself when you're busy doing something and observing your thoughts. I found exercise this very interesting and insight. I'm not sure at the moment what to do with the observations.

Get your 'vision' sorted out first before starting a business plan.

Interesting website

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/01/07/the-power-of-less-leo-babauta-zen-habits/

This is not Tim Ferriss but it's on his website. An interesting approach to changing habits

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/04/30-days-to-success/

A bit about me.

I'm 39, male and working as an English Teacher in the Far East. I have dreams of being a photographer, travel writer and entrepreneur. I live with my girlfriend and we currently don't plan to have children.