You know I haven’t really been that consistent in maintaining relationships unfortunately. Stuff always seem to happen, and I don’t have the time or energy to make the call or even an email. And pretty soon, friends become acquaintances, and acquaintances become strangers… I guess it comes down to 2 simple things, determination and organization. By determination, I mean be able to reach out to friends even when you don’t feel like it. And having organization means keeping track of the contact information and little details that shows you care.
So I challenge everyone including myself to start today and reach out to friends whom you haven’t been in contact for a while, and let them know that you still care…
It’s kind of funny. But ever since I was a kid living in China during the 80s, still a time when most of locals talked more about communism than capitalism, I knew that I wanted to be rich. And until I was in my early 20s, I thought of wealth in terms of the accumulation of money. But it was after reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad that I began to think of cashflow as the means for financial independence.
It’s actually a very simple formula. When your passive income, or money that flows in even when you don’t have to actively work, exceeds expense, then you are essentially financially independent. Of course how you build that passive income requires hard work, unless you win the lottery or get a generous inheritance. I had planned on 2 ways to achieve my dream, real estate & business startup, and originally planned to do the former. However, being rather conservative with money, I thought that the housing market was outrageously expensive, a bubble waiting to pop. So far, living in Seattle area, I’m still waiting for it to happen…
The other option is to build my own Internet publishing business. Having the experience in the industry in my previous jobs, I feel pretty confident about my success. But I still work like a manic to get if off the ground. It’s a risk that I willing to take for a better future.
It’s definitely different between starting a business and being an employee. Being an entrepreneur means that I really need to focus and build my business, because especially at the beginning, there isn’t a paycheck or any cash flow. So I have to rely on myself to motivate and kick my butt if I slack off.
I’ve found a few things to be helpful, 1) Write down everything that I want to do, 2) prioritize that list, 3) start working, and 4) remind myself to get the heck back to work if I get distracted.
It’s a good question and one that most employees have asked themselves as they toiled for often unsteady paychecks and mind-numbing work. It wasn’t openly discussed in school and certainly not at work. Instead the expectation to make a living is to get a job and earn an income. So most people do that. Work hard, get more responsibilities, which usually result in a lot more stress, but not necessarily a lot more pay. Then marriage and kids suddenly provide urgency to work even harder. But deep down most people feel like they’re going nowhere fast. Unless the managers are actually family or relatives, they aren’t going to look after the employees’ best interests. The obligation ends with the paycheck and occasional perks & bonuses to extract maximum productivity at minimum expense.
Instead the answer to financial freedom lies with starting your own business. Save enough money so that you don’t have to worry about bills for a certain period time. Think hard about what you want to accomplish, work out a plan and then build your business. It’s not for everyone. But if you happen to ask that question often enough, it just might be right choice for you. That’s what I did. As of the beginning of this month, I’m no longer an employee, but instead a business owner. And I love it! 
Someone once said “Have you build your castle in the clouds? Good. Now get started on the foundations!” Like all worthwile things in life, it takes a vision, goals, plans and execution to make them a reality. Whenever you’re thinking about something that you want. Don’t limit yourself. Instead think about how can I get it?