How do I know what I desire?

[HCBailly]

I whole-heartedly agree with your comment. You seem to indicate that there is more to building wealth, and life in general, than making life easier for oneself and one’s family. In all the seminars I’ve attended, that’s all I was ever really taught as to being the purpose. If that’s not the case, then what is the point?

Thank you for your thoughts.

 

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[kimberland]

The fact that thousands of people enjoy them makes the hobby that much more rewarding for me.

You are correct in that my videos have no inherent value.

Does this make sense to you?
Thousands of people spend precious minutes of their day
watching your videos
and you feel they have no value?

Sounds like you not only don't value your own time
but you don't value others'.

 

[HCBailly]

My videos have no inherent value because people aren’t paying anything for them. It’s kind of like my college education. I was fortunate enough to have an inheritance to pay for it, as it was my parents’ wish. Sure, I worked hard at it, and graduated at the top of my class, but then proceeded to not use my degree for 5 years. Granted, the job market was terrible at the time, but I didn’t really pay anything for my education, so it had no value to me.

For a very long time, I had a deep resentment for my education, along with my building wealth ventures in each of the three asset classes. As you have observed, I still do. The only reason that is even remotely changing now, is because my education is actually doing something now.

 

[HCBailly]

It appears that you get your wish after all, Russ, albeit inadvertently. My main computer is down, and I’ll have to take it into the shop tomorrow, probably taking a couple days for them to fix. Almost all of my gaming material is on that computer, so that basically prevents me from playing them for a few days.

On a side note, I had thought about a couple former passions of mine that might serve the purpose you have all been talking about.

I used to play the flute when I was still in school. I was usually first chair, but still not good enough to become a full-time professional. One of the more satisfying moments in my life was when I played in a professional orchestra for the play “Oliverâ€. It was a lot of fun, but to continue onto other concerts and material, I would have had to really dedicate myself to it; as in, practicing 6 hours per day. The money was insignificant, and I needed to make a living, so I pursued my college degree, as my math skills paid several times more.

Another more active passion of mine was Shotokan karate. Again, I was fairly successful in it when I was young. Ultimately, I made it all the way up to green belt. As with the flute, it eventually got to a point where I had to fully dedicate myself to it or give it up. Since I felt the costs far outweighed the benefits, I quit.

Perhaps this might be a good time to reconsider those former passions of mine.

This brings me back to the purpose of building wealth. If I had financial freedom, I could fully dedicate myself to a real passion in life. I always thought that the purpose of building wealth was to create a “stress-free, no-drama lifeâ€, so that I could do whatever I wanted to do with my life (not that I know what that would be). By achieving financial freedom, I wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore, and wouldn’t have the problems that most people have in their lives (ie: health coverage).

Isn’t that the purpose of achieving financial freedom? If isn’t, then what is the point?

Thanks for the discussion.

 

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[kwerner]

On a side note, I had thought about a couple former passions of mine that might serve the purpose you have all been talking about.
...
Perhaps this might be a good time to reconsider those former passions of mine.

CONGRATULATIONS! :eusa_clap: Hopefully these hobbies are even more enjoyable the second time around for you.


As far as having more money, I heard Dennis Rodman once say something to the effect of "Money doesn't make you happy, it only gives you more of what you already have." and I believe that to be true.

I believe that if you have a great attitude, appreciate and enjoy life - having wealth creates more opportunities for you to appreciate and enjoy life, just in more extravagant ways :smug2:. On the other hand, if you feel that your life has a huge void and lack of meaning, wealth CAN (notice I'm not saying it "does") contribute to a person's ruination through trying to fill that void with the things that ultimately destroy men.

So, with that said, I wish you the best in your quest to find your JOY in life while creating your wealth.


And after some time, if you're still having trouble finding your joy, here's a clue:
Find a way to help or serve others.
If you put your mind to it, it might make you rich too!


Best of luck to you, brother!

 

[PEERless]

HC, you've been really forthcoming, and I don't think people are handling you as gently as they should be. You're asking for help, and that takes courage.
- Your tone does sound a bit depressed, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. Some people can pull out of depression with a lifestyle-change and a little more sunlight. Others respond better to therapy and a prescription. Consider you options, because big decisions cannot be made with a clouded mind.
- Take some online career counseling quizzes to discover your strengths, weaknesses, and some possible interests. Maybe a Meyers-Briggs test would reveal some helpful clues for you.

 

[HCBailly]

Thanks for your compassion, Peerless. I really appreciate how you and everyone are trying to help me in their own way.

I’m reminded of a couple quotes about making money, in reference to the fact that money cannot buy happiness. I don’t recall who said them.

“Having money solves problems that not having money causes.â€

“Money allows you do things that not having money prevents you from doing.â€

That epitomizes my beliefs in building wealth. Obviously, I know that money cannot buy my happiness, but it would certainly make life a whole lot easier. If that is not a correct desire, please let me know.

You are certainly right, in that, my desire for an easier life has limited my success. I always felt that I had to make the journey as enjoyable as possible too. Otherwise, I’m just trading time now for more time later, which doesn’t make logical sense.

On a side note, I took a career evaluation test when I was in high school. It was a huge multi-hour multiple choice test to determine your skills and interests. Most people in my class got at least 5 choices from the computer after the test. I got one choice returned to me:

Floral Designer.

Thanks for your help.

 

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[PEERless]

^ I got mortician or interior designer. High school career tests are bulls***! Get out your Google skills and find a good personality test that focuses on strengths and weaknesses.

 

[hakrjak]

Hey HC -:huh2:

I see zero mention of you interacting with the opposite sex in any of your posts. Are you married or in a relationship with a woman at all? If not, what's going on in that part of your life? Are you dissatisfied with having free time because you don't have anyone to share the time with?

I'm curious, because no girl I've ever dated / lived with would put up with me playing video games that often. haha Usually about 4-5 hours a week tops is the max they can handle.

Cheers,

- Hakrjak :cheers:

 

[HCBailly]

I am currently engaged to a woman who I’ve been with for over 7 years. She is one of the very very very few decent human beings that I have ever met. We have a very balanced relationship where we don’t control the other’s life. Plus, she understands that I don’t want to have children.

 

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[kurtyordy]

On a side note, I took a career evaluation test when I was in high school. It was a huge multi-hour multiple choice test to determine your skills and interests. Most people in my class got at least 5 choices from the computer after the test. I got one choice returned to me:

Floral Designer.
.

that could be a SNL skit right there, or at least a charlie brown strip.

^ I got mortician or interior designer. High school career tests are bulls***! Get out your Google skills and find a good personality test that focuses on strengths and weaknesses.

amen, most of these are worthless.

HC,

I think the reason I have always been drawn to your posts is I have been in the passion hunt as well. It is quite maddening. People tried to help by giving suggestions or asking questions that just left me more frustrated, and feeling more like a freak.

Why is it so difficult to find fulfillment? I also was a big time gamer. Gaming was an escape. I played the world domination games with the thinking that I was honing my skills as a mogul. In reality, I was just escaping reality.

So now I make my business decisions 90% on whether or not I enjoy the activity, in search of my passion. If I get into something I do not enjoy, I either outsource, or dump it and take a loss. No amount of money is worth misery.

The best thing I ever did was going back to working for a paycheck. Got the wolf from the door, and gave me the financial freedom I needed to explore.

I have taken many wrong turns along the way. One of which was feedyourfamilyfeedtheworld.com I thought my passion for the cause would overcome my lack of passion for the vehicle, I was wrong. So I hired someone to run it since I still believe in the cause.

Now I think I have found it. I launch at the end of this month.

The key is to keep trying stuff on a small scale until you find what really trips your trigger. This is what you fill in the game time with. This is how you change your life. The beauty of the internet is the it has lowered the entry point for many experiments.

From where I sit, it is clear the carpet thing is not your passion, so move on. dump or outsource and try again.

A wise man once to me, "A dog in the hunt don't know he got fleas." This is what finding your passion does. True passion will fulfill you regardless of the financial reward.

And for some, they are very fulfilled being 's' people. There is nothing wrong with this, this is what they enjoy even if it is designing floral arrangements.

 

[hakrjak]

Something still smells a little suspicious here to me. If you're truly working 40 hours, and working a business 20 hours, and playing video games another 40 hours -- this does not sound like a functional personal relationship you have with this woman. I asked my lady what she thought of this and she replied, "If I ever tell you to go play video games more often, it means I have another boyfriend!" haha... but seriously,

I'm not a licensed therapist, and don't think anyone here is -- so I'd suggest seeking some professional help on this one, instead of depending on the folks here to solve your personal happiness issues. We can definitely provide a lot of advice regarding financial issues, but when it comes to issues like why do I feel the need to play video games 40 hours a week, and issues about weight loss, overeating, personal depression, contentment with mediocrity, etc... etc... Not so much.

- Hakrjak :coffee:

 

[cmartin371]

I have to agree with hakr above.....After reading this thread all i see is someone who is afraid to commit and just looks for excuses not to do something. Stop asking why and just do something. With out doing there is no finding passion!

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Just look at the Google ads being served up in this thread for an unbiased perspective .....

• Lose Belly Fat
• 24 Hour Fitness, Fitness membership
• Addiction Counseling
• Affordable Meth Rehab

That sort of tells you what Google thinks .. addictions, laziness, and lack of motion.

There is your answer.

 

[PEERless]

^lolz!!!!!

 

[HCBailly]

You are absolutely right, Hakrjak. Thank you for bringing it up. This topic went off on a tangent about my personal life. I’ll try to bring it back into focus.

From your post, kurtyordy, it sounds like you’re saying that there is little purpose to building wealth, by itself. In other words, the only reason to build wealth is as a bi-product of doing something you enjoy doing. Do I understand you correctly?

Given my experience of taking action on building wealth, I’m pretty sure that I can say that it brings me no pleasure. To reiterate, the emotional cost to me of building wealth via any vehicle, far outweighs the emotional benefits, even if I were to succeed. If that means that I’m simply afraid to commit, then so be it.

To be honest, I don’t know what else I could do to commit. I poured my heart and soul into these methods of building wealth, and got no emotional benefits in return. It has only served to make me even more bitter and cynical about life, as well as putting me further in debt. Honestly, I’d be better off today, if I never learned about building wealth.

I suppose I’ve found what I was looking for. Basically, that building wealth serves no purpose for me. I’ll still keep working the business, simply because of the money. Most importantly, I’ve learned that I need to focus more on changing how I live my life, rather than how I make money. Of course, I’ll have to figure that out on my own.

On a side note, this is Day 4 of my computer break-down. As with getting the new job, I’m immensely surprised at the emotional results of not playing video games. The results are basically the same. Of course, I’m not happy about it, but I’m also not incredibly depressed without the games; though that could be because I know I’m going to get my computer back in a couple days. Granted, I really want to play again, but I’m not nearly as bored or depressed as I thought I would be. How interesting.

Thanks for your help everyone. If you care to discuss this further, you can, but I think that has resolved the issue.

 

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[memenode]

This thread brought me to this site, as I was searching for "how do I know if I desire".

I've read it, mostly, and here are a few thoughts that I had:

1. Turning something into a job doesn't necessarily take the fun out of it - IF that something is what you actually love to do. I no longer buy that distinction between "fun" and "work". Success comes when you merge the two.

2. From all that I've seen you say it seems to me that nothing other than gaming and then making those youtube videos really makes you happy. It kinda seems like there's a huge elephant in the room and you're not seeing it. Maybe your gaming thing actually IS the answer you're looking for. Don't take this for granted though, because it is still possible that it's just your comfort zone rather than your one definite passion, but it's something to consider. This brings me to the following point:

3. You say your videos don't have inherent value because you don't see a way to monetize them. The truth is, so long as people actually want to view your videos they do have value. "Money" is nothing but a measure of value, ANY kind of value. That you don't yet see a way to monetize it doesn't mean there isn't one. If there's a will there is a way. Desire it, decide you'll have it, believe in it, plan it, persist and you'll have it.

4. Provided it's true that gaming and gaming videos are your biggest passion I don't see why would turning it into a business make it so much less fun. I see an opportunity for just the opposite: merging fun and work.

5. Wealth is just about increasing your capacity. Money and material posessions are indeed a pretty dry thing. In and of itself it can't make you happy. But what it does is increase your capacity to do what does make you happy and make the kind of impact on the world which would make you very proud and happy about yourself. Make the mark.

Hope it helps a bit.

Cheers

 

[HCBailly]

Thanks for the positive post, memenode. It got me thinking about that stream of income again.

To elaborate, my “passion†for games is not limited to video games. They’re simply the most readily accessible. I used to go out to play cards with friends 2-3 times per week, and even traveled to tournaments all over the midwest. That was a lot of fun, but eventually became financially unwise.

Back to the YouTube idea, I created a topic awhile back about the subject. IIRC, most people suggested the idea of creating a website, and using adsense or some other means of generating income. I have no doubt that I could create a website and drive sufficient traffic to it, via my YouTube account. However, there are some challenges that stand in my way, based on the ways I could generate income:

1) I could generate income by selling something. The idea would be to have sponsors on my website, they click on it, buy something, and I get a cut of it. While this would generate the greatest ROI, it is conversely not very likely to succeed. Naturally, most people who would visit my website would be like me, and have extensive experience using the internet. So much so, that we tune out the banners. Anyone with a brain stem knows not to click on banners and buy something from it.

2) I could generate income via Pay Per Click. This generates far less income (pennies), but is more feasible. Currently, I just hit my personal benchmark of 1000 views per new video per day. Overall, my videos usually peak at 1500-2000 views, unless they’re something special. My most popular video is up to 150000 views. While this has a greater chance to succeed, I would need tens of thousands of clicks per day in order to generate a significant amount of income.

What is “significant� For me, my definition would be the minimum amount of income required to outweigh the cost of performing the activity. In this case, the cost is the time spent to develop the website and its content. While a lot of that it outweighed by the emotional pleasure I get from making the videos, I wouldn’t just create a website for free.

Based on my calculations, I would want my website to generate a net minimum of $600 per month (after taxes) for it to be worth it for me to build. Pay per clicks aren’t going to cover that at my current subscriber rate, nor do I believe that I can get people to buy things from my website. So how do I do it?

I had an interesting thought recently. Maybe it’s just hogwash, but I’ll lay it out for you. Someone mentioned the idea of having a sort of newsletter, or something that people would subscribe to and get emailed periodically. The original idea was to remind people of my website and support my sponsors.

What if I could somehow get $5 per year from my active subscribers? If I had 2000 people pay that amount per year, that would generate $10K per year, which should net the $600 per month after taxes. So the questions would then become, how do I get that amount out of my subscribers?

I have some ideas, but I honestly don’t think they would work. Obviously, people aren’t going to pay any amount of money for something when there are free alternatives available. This means that I really couldn’t charge people to watch my videos. I’ve heard of some websites with forums that charge people to post there, in order to weed out the spammers. However, I only really have about 50 people who actively post comments on my videos, so I highly doubt enough people would pay to join a forum on my website.

Some websites have banners, but allow people to pay a fee to get rid of them. This would also seem counter-productive, since people would get annoyed by either the banners or the necessity to pay a fee. I’ve subscribed to magazine-type websites in the past. They would have writers post daily articles about gaming topics, but have “premier†articles with all the really useful information, which requires a subscription to read.

Those are just some thoughts off the top of my head. I know what I would put on my website, but I don’t think people would be willing to pay $5 per year for it. After all, they’re just games.

 

[memenode]

1. I think people do click and buy from ads. How much just depends on how targeted ads of the site are to their interests. Extreme targeting will yield results. You could sell as an affiliate, subscriptions to various MMOPRG's like EVE, WoW, Vendetta Online (a great yet not well known one btw, tried it quite a while ago) etc. You could even do posts which encourage people to follow through. For instance, you could do a review of some space MMORPG's and at the end put affiliate links to a few of them. Your post might generate someone's interest in one and thus potential conversions.

So targetting is the key. Second thing is traffic, the more the better. Huge traffic tends to solve all problems. With a little targetting and even with not so good conversion rates, huge traffic can still get you significant earnings. Of course, I'm talking millions unique visitors a month...

2. PPC, like Cost Per Action (CPA or affiliate) is also all about targetting and traffic.

newsletter sounds like a good idea, so long as you don't overdo it. Like, once a month or once a week at most could do it.

What if I could somehow get $5 per year from my active subscribers? If I had 2000 people pay that amount per year, that would generate $10K per year, which should net the $600 per month after taxes. So the questions would then become, how do I get that amount out of my subscribers?

Grow the traffic of your site first. Once you have so much traffic that it becomes a respectable resource and a brand you can either move a portion of the content that was so far free into the subscription only OR add a completely new kind of content for the subscribers.

I think you could eventually get 2000 subscribers per year if your site has lots of traffic, great reputation and a brandable identity. People will want to associate with it then. It will be trendy. And you can then bait them more easily to pay such a small fee to gain additional access and services. You could perhaps at some point even partner with some game makers to offer discounts for their games only to your subscribers.

I have some ideas, but I honestly don’t think they would work.

Then they wont. You get what you think. If you didn't, read "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. It might transform your attitude and change your life, seriously.

He says that everything a mind can conceive it can achieve. So if you conceive failure even before you begin that's exactly what you'll get. Everything that has ever been created was once only a thought in someone's mind. I like to think of Neo from Matrix when I think about the amount of power we have beneath our skulls without even being aware of it. You can bend reality to your will, almost literally, because you are 100% in control over your mind and your mind in a very real sense interacts with reality around you. Thoughts lead to acts and acts lead to consequences which shape your circumstances, your reality.

Obviously, people aren’t going to pay any amount of money for something when there are free alternatives available.

Then you have TWO choices. Either make your videos that good, that desirable, that they will want to pay to see them or don't charge on it. Use it instead as your marketing material to grow your traffic and brand to the point at which you can do the things described above, earn more on PPC, CPA and then ultimately with subscriptions.

However, I only really have about 50 people who actively post comments on my videos, so I highly doubt enough people would pay to join a forum on my website.

You have 50 people commenting now (which is great btw), but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way forever. If you decide to pursue this idea and seriously make it succeed, you will make sure that number doubles, triples, quadriples etc.

Bottom line is, IF this is your passion and you have the desire to succeed doing that then you ought to learn to have faith in yourself and your ability to pull it out. Then success will come almost naturally. Your attitude would then make you receptive towards ideas and solutions which you might be missing out on today, because you're in a "I'll fail, why bother" mentality.

I again really recommend that book, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I think it might really help you find your answers, develop your dream and go for it. It's a philosophy of success that has apparently helped many succeed so far, and I mean really succeed (like, they're on a fastlane! ).

Cheers

 

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[kurtyordy]

From your post, kurtyordy, it sounds like you’re saying that there is little purpose to building wealth, by itself. In other words, the only reason to build wealth is as a bi-product of doing something you enjoy doing. Do I understand you correctly?

Yes that is the gist of what I was saying. For some the pursuit of wealth is the passion. For myself it is not. Wealth can be a byproduct of doing what you enjoy and doing it well.

Take gaming- the best at it do make money. Do you enjoy gaming enough to dedicate yourself to becoming good enough at it to make cash?

The Olympics is a great example as well. These folks love what they do, and have been doing it for years before the opportunity to cash in became available. But they still did it because they love it, and now many have gotten a payday.

That being said, not all passions can be monetized. If you have a passion for drinking:smx6:, I have yet to think of a way to monetize this. Or shopping for that matter.

However, where true passion lies, very little can stop you.

For example, basketball is one of my minor passions. I am not great at it, but I play with gusto. Now I could make the excuse that there is no way I could go pro because of my size 5'9", but then I have to remember Mugsy Bogues. So yes, if I dedicated myself to pursuing this passion, money would follow.

All that said, Find your passion, explore, leave no stone unturned.

The only true way to find out what you are passionate about it to keep on trying different things.

 

[Jill]

Wow, so much here.

I didn't notice your age, but I'm assuming that you're young. I don't mean that in a condescending way. I just know that as a group, those currently in their teens and twenties are largely un-inspired and bored nowadays. (Those subscribed to this forum are an obvious exception. I'm just painting with a broad stroke here). They've been coddled, soft and protected, and have never been forced to CREATE their own entertainment, because it's been served up to them by Cable, DVDs and Computers. I'm amazed when I look around our neighborhood which is FILLED with youngsters. No one plays outside anymore. Our 12-yr old mopes around for hours on end either watching TV or saying, "I'm bored". (Note: She's learned not to say this to me because I always have a list of things she can do to un-bore her!) </rant over>

IMHO, you need to do an exercise in Values Assessment. I recommend Tony Robbins' for starters. I don't recall which book, but you really can't go wrong with any of his materials. THEN you can figure out what makes you tick. What is it that makes you sit on the edge of your seat when you talk about it? What is it that you overhear in a conversation that makes you want to join in? What is it that you would sacrifice everything for? So far, all I've really heard you say you desire is "fun". To quote Zig Ziglar, "Life isn't alway fun, but it can be challenging, exciting and rewarding!" E.g. pumping iron: not fun, but the results can be very rewarding!

I once heard someone's definition of Hell as "Meeting up one day with the you that you might have been, had you lived up to your potential."

I sounds like you're very bright, creative, talented guy. Maybe somewhere in the recess of your mind, you're unhappy with yourself because you know that you aren't coming anywhere close to realizing your potential. Just a guess.

But start with determining what you value most.

In the meantime,
1) Leave your computer at the shop for an extra week, if you think you're strong enough, and
2) Sign up for a language class. Learn to speak a new language.
3) Have you ever traveled abroad? How do you know you have no desire, if you've never tried it? There's a much bigger world out there than your own backyard (or cyberspace).
4) Take tennis or (horseback) riding lessons.

I have other ideas about how to capitalize on your obvious passion for video games. But I think you need to deal with these other issues first. </tough love over>

Now go the middle of the room and sing a complete song as loud as you can, while dancing, and tell me if you could finish it without smiling and laughing a little! Try to look up at the ceiling and smile as ridiculously big as you can , during this whole time. It's almost impossible to stay depressed and bored while physically changing your "state". Do what these guys are doing for 30 seconds, and tell me you aren't at least a little more energized:


:great:

 

[HCBailly]

Thanks for the positive comments. I think I’m making progress here.

Do you enjoy gaming enough to dedicate yourself to becoming good enough at it to make cash?

I used to think so until June of last year. That was the first time I truly broke away from my gaming “addictionâ€, if only partially. For whatever reason, it suddenly occurred to me that the amount of effort that I put into my tournaments far outweighed the benefits of winning. Thus, I decided to become a casual gamer and play more for enjoyment than for the thrill of victory.

IMHO, you need to do an exercise in Values Assessment.

Before I was 18, I valued money more than time. I thought that if I had enough money, I would be happy. So I worked 40-50 hours per week at the grocery store while I was going to college.

Eventually, I was turned on to the concept of building wealth. The theory was that time is more valuable than money, because time is more scarce. By building wealth, I would have the time to do whatever I wanted to do with my life.

Only recently have I begun reconsidering my thought process on the subject of time. In my first year of being self-employed, I made over $100K. While I worked a lot on my business, I also had a lot of free time. Having more time, apparently, did not necessarily make me happier.

Now, I don’t know what I value, if anything.

Maybe somewhere in the recess of your mind, you're unhappy with yourself because you know that you aren't coming anywhere close to realizing your potential.

That’s the story of my life: “Doing everything by the book and still failing miserably.†Life has rarely, if ever, worked the way it was supposed to for me. I often say to myself, “I don’t care about riches, or fame, or power. All I want is for my life to work the way it is supposed to.â€

I don’t know where this is going, but I just thought I’d respond to those quotes.

 

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[Jill]

Now, I don’t know what I value, if anything.

If your actions are any indication, then I can tell you what you value: Things that are fun and easy (because they're more fun). But if you'd done the Values Assessment exercise, I think you'd find that you do have deeper core values than that.

That’s the story of my life: “Doing everything by the book and still failing miserably.” Life has rarely, if ever, worked the way it was supposed to for me. I often say to myself, “I don’t care about riches, or fame, or power. All I want is for my life to work the way it is supposed to.”

In the first place, I'm not sure where you get the "failing miserably" part? You went to college and got what is without question a very difficult degree in Electrical Engineering. You set out to be self-employed which resulted in a 6-figure income. You have a 7-year relationship with a woman you respect and admire, it seems. You took over the family business and are doing well enough - even with the new job - to have more than enough free time for your very time consuming hobby. Could it be that you're just being a bit "glass-half-empty"?

I don’t know where this is going, but I just thought I’d respond to those quotes.

Why don't you take some of the great advice that has been offered up by the other posters here before responding again. Take one positive action to create for yourself an excellent life. What have you done lately to improve yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially? You don't have to answer this. It's just a question that I think we should all ask ourselves on a daily basis. Spend the time that you would otherwise spending playing video games tomorrow to do something totally unexpected for someone else. (Mow the lawn of an elderly neighbor; go to a food pantry and ask if you can volunteer for a few hours, etc)

THEN go the middle of the room and start singing and dancing (why do I think you skipped that part yesterday?)

 

[memenode]

Heh, only you can decide how your life is supposed to work and then just make it work that way. Good advice by Jill above.

About wealth, again I think it's just a driver. You generate wealth by doing something you love and then you use wealth to achieve even greater goals than wealth itself, which you'd also love to achieve.

 

[HCBailly]

This time, I decided to take action and see the results before making another post.

Apparently, I exaggerated when I used the words “failing miserablyâ€. Put more accurately, I would have said “having yet to move closer to my goalsâ€. Financial freedom is the goal. I’m not going to justify why I’m a failure (which isn’t true), but the fact is that I’m farther away from achieving financial freedom now than I was when I was 18.

That said, these last two months may have been the most positively influential ones of my life. Several risks have paid off for me.

1) Getting the new carpet cleaning equipment. This was extremely risky on my part. There was no guarantee that my clients (or I) would be happy with it. I thought that my clients used me because I had the most powerful equipment on the market. As it turned out, I have yet to lose a single client, because my equipment is technically less powerful. I don’t know exactly why they don’t care, but I would speculate that all they care about is whether I make the carpet look just as good, and that it dries just as quickly. At the time, I had no idea whether it would work out, but it has totally paid off!

2) Getting the new, smaller van. This somewhat went hand-in-hand with getting the new equipment. Since the equipment is smaller, I didn’t need such a huge van. This more than doubled (possibly tripled) my fuel efficiency instantly. I was worried that clients would be shunned by a less-than-ultra-professional-looking van, but they don’t seem to care. What I also didn’t consider at first was also the cost of maintenance of the old equipment. No longer am I shelling out $500/month for maintenance on the huge van and/or equipment. Because my new equipment is much smaller, the worst thing that could ever go bad on it would cost less than $200. My van has about 20k miles on it, so I doubt much will go wrong on that any time soon.

3) Getting the new job. This is the biggest change of all. In the past, most of my carpet cleaning appointments have been in the mornings. Since I’m working the new job full time now, I can only schedule appointments in the late afternoon and on weekends. Nor can I answer the phone during the day, though I can check voice mail during lunch. I was sure that I would lose at least some clients. In the month of August, I had an average month, IN ADDITION to the income from my new job. Plus, I have several appointments lined up for September.

On a side note, I also performed a very interesting calculation regarding my business loan. With the new job, the earliest that I can pay off my loan is April 2009. Out of 5 total years, that leaves 3 years left on the loan. By that point, I will have paid 2/3 of the interest on the loan. Based on that, if I were to use all of my cash to pay off the loan, I would only save $6k of interest over the next three years. If I instead used that cash to pay off other high-interest debt (ie: my van loan), I would save $22k over the next three years, most of which is interest. Granted, the monthly payments on the business loan are high, but most of that is going towards the principal now, so I’m going to just pay it off over time instead.

I just thought I’d post some good news for a change.

By the way, I did the singing and dancing exercise. For some very strange reason, I’ve had the song “It’s Raining Men†stuck in my head lately. Apparently, I have a very warped mind.

 

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[Jill]

LOL. Good for you! Glad to hear your recognition of the good! Glad also to hear you went thru with my silly exercise. Made you giggle a little, didn't it?