A Four-Hour Work Week...Really?

After the 5th person told me about reading "The 4 Hour Work-Week" by Timothy Ferriss, I had to pick it up and see what the buzz was all about.

I mean, who wouldn't want to read all about how to work less, right?

The book is truly a paradigm-shift for most of us, especially those who truly love what they do.

Here is a quick overview of what I took away from the book (I either learned it or was reminded of a concept in a new way.)

• There is a source for "cheap" labor overseas that was only a rumor for me previously (Ferriss provides actual websites)
• Most entrepreneur's don't delegate because they think because they can do it better that they should keep the task. Ferriss points out the goal is really to free your time to focus on bigger and better things -- like your lifestyle!
• You must test your ideas before you invest countless hours and money building something you don't know if the world wants or will buy. He maps out a great testing strategy.
• The ruthless "task" cut-back process is fantastic. The addiction to email is the #1 contributor to unaccomplished goals!
• His story about getting rid of the 80% of the "time wasting, energy draining" clients was right up my alley. I also teach my clients this and it works!

Here is what I would offer to those who jump on the "4-Hour Workweek" bandwagon.

The truth is if you love your work, you will never want to work only 4 hours a week. My guess is Ferriss has huge ADD and never really had a calling. But his calling became to teach others how to simplify their approach to living their ideal lifestyle. The principles in this book are excellent if you apply them to your own world.

Remember, a formula only works for you if you know how to align it with your own values, priorities and needs. Take what works and leave the rest.

If you love the idea of building a team (and you should) you might want to check out www.virtualteambuildingtelebootcamp.com. It is the program I teach to help people truly master the necessary skills, mindset and habits of someone who has a virtual team.

As for the book, for less than the price of dinner you will definitely get a brand new take on how to work less! It's a great read and I highly recommend it.

How my Masterminds Get Me "Juiced"

Have you ever had one of those weeks that you felt like you were ready to give up? Maybe you felt the weight of the world on your shoulders, things aren't going so well, lots of challenges to deal with and you start to wonder why you do what you do?

That's how I was feeling early this month.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my work but hey, every relationship has it's ups and downs, right? I was definitly on the down swing. And I had two trips coming up and quite frankily , I was not that crazy about having to travel twice in one week.

But being the kind of person I am, I talked myself into my "coach" space, got my game face on, packed up and headed to the first of two of my mastermind retreats near the airport in Los Angeles, CA.

To kick off properly and really get reconnected to my purpose, Therese Skelly (the coach for the Business Accelerator Mastermind) and I got together on Sunday and attended Rev. Michael Beckwith's Agape church service. If you haven't had an opportunity, I highly suggest getting juiced up with Michael - talk about a mood change!

The Business Accelerator Mastermind

Michelle Dettman, Therese Skelly (the coach), Adam Hommey,
Mary Headley, Mary Kelso, Sheri Menelli, me, Stephanie Graziano.

The first two days were amazing. I watched these 6 people in the Business Accelerator Mastermind have their issues, doubts, frustrations and challenges melt away as the coaches and their mastermind partners (the rest of the group) brainstorm and sort out the fastest, most direct path to achieving their goals.

A few of the most powerful breakthroughs were:

1. Finding an easier path to the six-figure goal.
2. Realizing how "doing your own audio editing" was sucking up tons of time and commiting to give it to a professional.
3. Mapping out the "target audience" to make marketing message pop to attract lots of clients.
4. Identifying a new source of clients that were "right under our noses" and lining up an immediate gig.

Realizing that connecting with other brilliant business owners is essential to pushing yourself past comfort zones and achieving massive results!

This is just the tip of the ice berg...I'll share more in my next post from the Platinum Mastermind experience too.