Post: #26

(02-15-2015 07:04 PM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  That isn't what the OP asked. In any case, we can apply that type of logic to anything and everything. Why change at all if one is comfortable with their situation?

Growth teaches us much more than sitting around relaxing. You are focusing on the money, but the journey to becoming better than average leads to a lot more experiences and insights.

This site isn't for average men, yet that is your advice towards the OP's question.

The OP asked how he could become motivated to make more money. I offered a point of view that he shouldn't attempt to change his intrinsic level of monetary motivation, IF he's already happy with his current level of income and it allows him to lead a lifestyle he enjoys.

I'm not sure where you got that I was advocating "not changing at all" in all aspects of life. My advice wasn't 'be average'. My point is that focusing on money excessively is often a bad life goal. Especially if you're not naturally drawn to it. And that the OP shouldn't feel abnormal for not being hugely driven by money, that this life choice is far more normal in non-American regions.

My opinion is that the OP would be better off directing his energy towards things that DO interest him - considering he obviously has enough income to keep himself secure/satisfied financially. If he invests more of his free time into working instead of hobbies (or improving himself physically, socially - anything), when he doesn't need or want the money, then this is not an optimal life choice.

Post: #27

(02-15-2015 07:24 PM)zatara Wrote:  The OP asked how he could become motivated to make more money. I offered a point of view that he shouldn't attempt to change his intrinsic level of monetary motivation, IF he's already happy with his current level of income and it allows him to lead a lifestyle he enjoys.

I'm not sure where you got that I was advocating "not changing at all" in all aspects of life. My advice wasn't 'be average'. My point is that focusing on money excessively is often a bad life goal. Especially if you're not naturally drawn to it. And that the OP shouldn't feel abnormal for not being hugely driven by money, that this life choice is far more normal in non-American regions.

You talked about how average Europeans will cut back at work and spend time with family relaxing and I'm not suppose to think you are telling him to be average?

He obviously wants to make more money or he wouldn't have asked this question. It could be to feel secure or to increase his lifestyle or possibly a mixture of both.

Would you tell someone who wanted to build a better physique not to bother if he was happy with how he looked?

It doesn't make sense to me why anyone on this board would answer that way. We should be helping others push themselves outside of their typical comfort zone.

Quote:My opinion is that the OP would be better off directing his energy towards things that DO interest him - considering he obviously has enough income to keep himself secure/satisfied financially. If he invests more of his free time into working instead of hobbies (or improving himself physically, socially - anything), when he doesn't need or want the money, then this is not an optimal life choice.

That is what many of us already stated. I'm not sure if the average European work at places they dislike, but many of us do what we enjoy and make money doing so.

I would rather work and build something than worry about getting in my 30 hours so I can sit around the rest of the week. Spending 30 hours a week doing something I wasn't passionate about wouldn't be an ideal lifestyle choice. You need to enjoy the process if you want to stay motivated.

Post: #28

Quote:He obviously wants to make more money or he wouldn't have asked this question. It could be to feel secure or to increase his lifestyle or possibly a mixture of both.

Would you tell someone who wanted to build a better physique not to bother if he was happy with how he looked?

He's not asking how to make more money. He's asking how to want to make more money. In that light, zatara makes a valid point.

Reminds me of a Schopenhauer quote: Man can do what he wants but he cannot want what he wants.

Post: #29

(02-15-2015 07:55 PM)Peregrine Wrote:  

Quote:He obviously wants to make more money or he wouldn't have asked this question. It could be to feel secure or to increase his lifestyle or possibly a mixture of both.

Would you tell someone who wanted to build a better physique not to bother if he was happy with how he looked?

He's not asking how to make more money. He's asking how to want to make more money. In that light, zatara makes a valid point.

Reminds me of a Schopenhauer quote: Man can do what he wants but he cannot want what he wants.

I disagree, the end result is more money which is why he wants the motivation. By pointing that motivation to something else can lead him to the desire outcome.

Zatara said to just accept things are they are. I don't believe that is a good advice. If I did that I wouldn't have accomplished as much as I have in this life. To me, it sounds like justification to not do something. We have power to change our perceptions and through that our motivations.

Post: #30

(02-15-2015 07:39 PM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  You talked about how average Europeans will cut back at work and spend time with family relaxing and I'm not suppose to think you are telling him to be average?

He obviously wants to make more money or he wouldn't have asked this question. It could be to feel secure or to increase his lifestyle or possibly a mixture of both.

Would you tell someone who wanted to build a better physique not to bother if he was happy with how he looked?

It doesn't make sense to me why anyone on this board would answer that way. We should be helping others push themselves outside of their typical comfort zone.

That is what many of us already stated. I'm not sure if the average European work at places they dislike, but many of us do what we enjoy and make money doing so.

I would rather work and build something than worry about getting in my 30 hours so I can sit around the rest of the week. Spending 30 hours a week doing something I wasn't passionate about wouldn't be an ideal lifestyle choice. You need to enjoy the process if you want to stay motivated.

No, you (or rather the OP) would be supposed to take it as me illustrating that other cultures place different values on work/life balance - and this is something worth considering when questioning one's own attitude to work/life balance.

The OP isnt asking 'how do I make more money', hes saying he currently doesnt want to make more money and is asking "how do I motivate myself to WANT to make more money". Its very different.

The physicality equivalent is someone saying they only exercise 3 hours a week, but that they're fit enough to play a competitive sport they enjoy. And that women like their body. But they're wondering should they work out 10 hours a week instead. In which case, yeah, if someone said they were both happy and successful with they body I'd tell them to focus on other things with their time instead.

Life is unfortunately a zero sum game - hours you invest into one aspect of your life are hours you're taking away from others. Its a matter of most effectively focusing where you use your hours, to maximise your potential. Which in the OP's case may be on fitness, or on travel, or on women, or on family, or on friends etc etc - rather than work.

Post: #31

A good number of us are in the gym regularly so I'll put it like this:

You've just finished your workout. Once again, you've kept your promise to yourself that you were going to get into the gym and continue to improve your body. You're a beast. You're tired, but it's a good tired. You sit down on the bench and drink your usual Beverly Cookies and Cream protein shake. You're basking in the glow of another triumphant day, women are walking by and double-taking at your physique, realizing they've never had their body dominated by a man of your caliber.

An onlooker nearby notices the attention while you stare into space and sip away. He comes up to you. "Hey what's up, man? Great workout you had there". You reply, "Thanks, did you finish yours or are you about to start?" You ask, but it's not a serious question, you can tell this person has never done any work in the gym. "No, honestly, I've never worked out. I mean, I see how women look at you and how other men treat you. I want to be big and strong like you. I want those looks. I want that revelation and respect. But, I have to admit, even though I'm telling you I want it, I wouldn't really care about the extra attention. I mean, whether I'm ripped or I stay in the current shape I'm in, means no real difference to me. So I guess I ask, how can I want to put in the work you put in to get something that I don't really care about having, other than the fact that it might get me some things in life that I don't really have."

Would you sit down with this person and have a conversation about books he can read? Websites he can view? Meal plans to follow? Training plans to adhere to? Peptides, sarms, pro-hormones, etc. to take if he ever feels like he wants to exceed his plateau?

Would you take him seriously?

He hasn't even started to put in the work, because he doesn't actually have the desire to. He wants you to tell him how to want it.

You finish your shake and go on about your day.

Good luck dude.

Post: #32

(02-15-2015 08:09 PM)zatara Wrote:  No, you (or rather the OP) would be supposed to take it as me illustrating that other cultures place different values on work/life balance - and this is something worth considering when questioning one's own attitude to work/life balance.

The OP isnt asking 'how do I make more money', hes saying he currently doesnt want to make more money and is asking "how do I motivate myself to WANT to make more money". Its very different.

The physicality equivalent is someone saying they only exercise 3 hours a week, but that they're fit enough to play a competitive sport they enjoy. And that women like their body. But they're wondering should they work out 10 hours a week instead. In which case, yeah, if someone said they were both happy and successful with they body I'd tell them to focus on other things with their time instead.

Life is unfortunately a zero sum game - hours you invest into one aspect of your life are hours you're taking away from others. Its a matter of most effectively focusing where you use your hours, to maximise your potential. Which in the OP's case may be on fitness, or on travel, or on women - rather than work.

Yes, we only have so many hours in the day. That means working 30 hours or the minimum you can in order to enjoy relaxation and family time is wasted time. That is 30 hours per week wasted for what? 20+ years..

Like I said, I don't agree with that advice when the OP can simply figure out what motivates him and choose the one that can produce wealth.

The OP mentioned the future. He wants to be prepared, to be secure. You are missing out on that important part

I could paint all day long but that isn't going to make me much money. That is why I focus on building things people will pay me for. I still enjoy myself and make money doing so.

I also have scalability on my side because I chose to spend my hours doing the type of work that I can sell to millions of people for many years. This wasn't an accident. I purposely chose this because it would bring me more money.

Like I said, it's all about perception. If you perceive work as something bad, you will do your best to minimize that work so you can do what you want. All the OP has to do is find his motivation that can build wealth for him. No need to accept the status quo.

Post: #33

(02-15-2015 08:14 PM)jariel Wrote:  Would you take him seriously?

I've had a few pm's with Phoenix and it sounds more like he is trying to figure out things.

I took me a lot of trying different stuff to figure out what I wanted.

You got guys working in the oil sands living in what sounds like terrible places. No thanks, there are other ways to making money.

I used to contract and had to live in many different places. The pay was great but the constant traveling sucked after some time. I got into real estate and loved it. Got out before the crash. I wouldn't want to do that type of work now, but it helped me greatly with sales. Now, I sell my own products online.

I had to try many different things to figure out my lifestyle. In every case, I picked the one that I enjoyed and would make me the most money.

I can understand why he would ask this type of question and I suspect many other younger guys would be wondering the same thing.

Post: #34

Jariel, What do you do for a living?

Web Design, Copy writing, Blogging, Programming, Internet Marketing, writing eBooks & Dropshipping. These are just some avenues to go down for location independence. Try each one, find what you like, then start grinding at it. If you do not want to live in mediocrity for the rest of your life, then this should be enough to motivate you. It's what motivates me.

Post: #35

Delete

Post: #36

Lots of interesting ideas and opinions.

CaptainChardonnay - Useful story, cheers. I've thought of how to create a similar 'death ground strategy' for myself, but it would basically require me to recklessly blow through all my assets, and I cannot justify this. One thing I am going to try though is to start some kind of minor business, to get a taste of it. Perhaps if I see some independently earned dollars in an account, something which I've never done before, it could awaken any entrepreneurial spirit I have.

worldwidetraveler - Yes you're right, I need to think of money as an effect of producing something valuable. I have had an idea or two, based on something that interests me greatly, but I am currently restricted from executing the idea for several reasons, firstly that I no longer live in an English-speaking country, and can't speak the local language fluently yet.

jariel - That's actually a bad example in this case because I do work out, and I have fitness and body goals which are strong and fully motivated (I have ample experience and evidence that my physique is hurting my success with women). That man got ripped because he could see and feel the benefits that would come from it. That he would get what he wanted - more attention, respect, and girls. Money is different - there is simply no 'severe lack' or 'female rejection' stemming from my financial situation. I've never witnessed nor experienced any evidence that wealth is the way to more and better women. I have seen ample evidence that physique is.

zatara - The problem with your suggestion is that it will cause stagnation. If I simply accept my current level of comfort, in my mere twenties, I am basically just a blob. I want to push myself so that by the time I'm 35, I've actually built something, not just coasted, wasting valuable years chilling out. As I see it, unless I work on making money, I have nothing else to work on. My fitness goals are already being executed. My social goals have already been blitzed and I don't know where to take that next. I actually find hobbies repulsive because of time previously wasted on them in my youth when I should have been doing completely different things.

POASTER - Good idea with the 'hang out in upscale neighborhood' idea, will try.

memcpy - Yes I've read boldanddetermined. However he said he was already motivated to make money. He doesn't talk about how to create that motivation.

Also, I suspect that Alche is an attempt at passing the Turing test.

Post: #37

Yes passing tests helps me sleep at night.

Btw I'm pretty sure Jariels post was a metaphor for hard work and motivation. Does not have to relate to working out.

Everyone in this thread is giving you advice and information and some of it is really good, but are you actually going to take action with it? Asking in a forum how to get motivated is already starting off on the wrong foot. As far as I know there are no motivational speakers on this forum.

Post: #38

Who the hell are you? We know nothing about you and you're here throwing around your coach talk? Feel free to contribute some actual insight, or get your troll self out of my thread.

Post: #39

(02-16-2015 12:20 AM)CaptainChardonnay Wrote:  TLR put yourself in a position where you are so poor that you finally understand the value of money and its importance.

This is effectively what did it for me, i hit rock bottom financially after been careless with money and i couldn't even meet with friends or pay my phone bill, i had to ask my family for money.. and although they would happily offer it.. it killed me to be dependent on them because of my careless attitude with money in the past.

It's such an awful helpless feeling, you feel trapped and dependent on other's.. like a child. That fucked with me on a deep psychological level and i never want to experience that feeling again.

Yeah there's no logic in blowing through assets for this reason, i think your idea about a small business may offer the risk and reward potential to motivate you Phoenix. Although im yet to achieve it, i imagine earning money through something you created is a massive catalyst towards motivation.

Post: #40

No need to get irritated just because I do not have reps. If you wanted to know something about me you can just ask but like you said this is your thread. The problem is you are over complicating something that should be simple (but not easy) and looking for a simple how to guide. All it takes is the decision to make the change and sticking with it.

Don't think, feel! ~Bruce Lee

Anyway I won't say anymore. Have fun.

Post: #41

(02-15-2015 08:21 PM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  Yes, we only have so many hours in the day. That means working 30 hours or the minimum you can in order to enjoy relaxation and family time is wasted time. That is 30 hours per week wasted for what? 20+ years..
[snip for brevity]

I think you're falling slightly for the American fallacy that one needs to devote one's self to work excessively to 'do well'. Plenty of people work 35 hours a week while both enjoying their work and being lucratively financially rewarded. That is why its referred to as a work/life balance - its about finding the right level of balance where no one aspect of your life dominates all others.

The average American worker works 1700 hours per year, the average German worker works 1400 hours per year. At an American standard 40 hour work week thats almost 7 entire weeks of extra holiday time per year to devote to other activities. Yet Germany still has plenty of highly successful professionals with rewarding jobs. No matter how rewarding your job is its better for you as human to not have it dominate your life - the more other interests you have the more well rounded you'll be.

(02-16-2015 01:41 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  zatara - The problem with your suggestion is that it will cause stagnation. If I simply accept my current level of comfort, in my mere twenties, I am basically just a blob. I want to push myself so that by the time I'm 35, I've actually built something, not just coasted, wasting valuable years chilling out. As I see it, unless I work on making money, I have nothing else to work on. My fitness goals are already being executed. My social goals have already been blitzed and I don't know where to take that next. I actually find hobbies repulsive because of time previously wasted on them in my youth when I should have been doing completely different things.

It sounds like you are somewhat motivated to make more money so - if you aren't happy with your current financial status then you do have some motivation to make money, at some level. In which case your best avenue would be finding a money making venture that appeals to you, as a few others have outlined.

I do have a slightly hard time believing every other aspect of your life has been 'maxed out' as such though - until you find the right financial venture you might be wise to look into good ways to spend your time. If you're already happy physically and socially/romantically then work on improving yourself intellectually - learn a new language, learn some coding, read the great works of literature etc. There's no excuse to ever be bored (or to 'stagnate') when you've got most of the accumulated knowledge of humanity accessible at your fingertips on the internet.

Post: #42

(02-16-2015 07:11 AM)zatara Wrote:  

(02-15-2015 08:21 PM)worldwidetraveler Wrote:  Yes, we only have so many hours in the day. That means working 30 hours or the minimum you can in order to enjoy relaxation and family time is wasted time. That is 30 hours per week wasted for what? 20+ years..
[snip for brevity]

I think you're falling slightly for the American fallacy that one needs to devote one's self to work excessively to 'do well'. Plenty of people work 35 hours a week while both enjoying their work and being lucratively financially rewarded. That is why its referred to as a work/life balance - its about finding the right level of balance where no one aspect of your life dominates all others.

The average American worker works 1700 hours per year, the average German worker works 1400 hours per year. At an American standard 40 hour work week thats almost 7 entire weeks of extra holiday time per year to devote to other activities. Yet Germany still has plenty of highly successful professionals with rewarding jobs. No matter how rewarding your job is its better for you as human to not have it dominate your life - the more other interests you have the more well rounded you'll be.

I think you're falling for the European fallacy that you know what is better. If one wants to be average, your advice is golden.

Post: #43

(02-16-2015 07:11 AM)zatara Wrote:  It sounds like you are somewhat motivated to make more money so - if you aren't happy with your current financial status then you do have some motivation to make money, at some level. In which case your best avenue would be finding a money making venture that appeals to you, as a few others have outlined.

I do have a slightly hard time believing every other aspect of your life has been 'maxed out' as such though - until you find the right financial venture you might be wise to look into good ways to spend your time. If you're already happy physically and socially/romantically then work on improving yourself intellectually - learn a new language, learn some coding, read the great works of literature etc. There's no excuse to ever be bored (or to 'stagnate') when you've got most of the accumulated knowledge of humanity accessible at your fingertips on the internet.

To reiterate, my current finances are 'comfortable', I'm more concerned with them being the same when I'm 35. The other things don't "build". Your body reaches a peak, women come and go, networks and friends lose much of their usefulness if you move. Yes intellectual development "builds", but this one is truly maxed out (in terms of volume per day). I don't think I should refrain from increasing my desire for money, and only do so when compelled by dire financial straits.

Post: #44

There's a cool book called "What Motivates Me?" came out recently. Forget the authors.

Basic premise is you need to find your motivations - the drives that get you up in the morning, make you feel alive, inspire you - rather than the things you just enjoy or are good at. Motivations are distinct from strengths/passions.

Getting clear on your motivations helps you know what to look for in paths to income generation.

There's a test with the book that's pretty good at uncovering your motivators. Quite distinct from typical personality tests (Myers-Briggs etc)

Unfortunately the book is not massively actionable for business/self-employment. It's aimed at employees, and does give good advice on tweaking your corporate job so that it plays to more of your motivations.

For example, someone who loves "building cool stuff for people" may well be pretty "Service" oriented or "Recognition" oriented - if that's you then that kind of biz is probably something you'll have energy and motivation for and would get you up in the morning. Others might be more "Achievement" oriented, i.e. the love of stacking cash and buying the next big house or car is enough to get energised and working hard.

Anyway worth a read. "What Motivates Me?" is the title.

Post: #45

So following all this, I have been doing some contemplating and self-analysis.

One thing I have realized is that I am too frugal. I won't buy a new phone in spite of hating my current one, because of the cost. I am reluctant to buy a fast laptop, and instead settle for a basic one even though slow computers irritate me, just to save money. I will hum and haw about which hotel is the optimum value. I will wait for better deals instead of just taking what is available. I will refrain from exotic flights (e.g. Vladivostok from anywhere) because of the cost, and sometimes choose destinations based on a good deal. All of these things waste time, and do not make for optimum living. It is not 'living life to the fullest'.

I suspect this restrictive mindset comes from the fact that since I started working, all my money has come from fixed-salary jobs. No overtime, no real possibility of getting above-nominal raises, no spaces for promotion, no available jobs in other companies due to a pigeonholing mistake (though I did try and apply many times). Nothing I have ever done in my career has involved a link between my work output and my compensation (other than "don't get fired"). This has likely made me psychologically treat income as a 'quota', rather than something that can be controlled.

To dislodge myself from this, I intend to do the following simultaneously:
1. Become conscious of frugal actions and the wasted time and effort that result. Consciously spend more money in these situations.
2. Attempt various work and projects that yield effort or results linked compensation.

Number 1 should be straightforward. Number 2 however is a bit more difficult. I've been wracking my brain and writing down ideas. So far I have:
- Retail something online (the classic). Restricted because I currently have no room for stock.
- Find something on elance which I'm OK at and isn't the domain of Indian dudes with 80 prior jobs and praise in their record.
- Buy-improve-sell something (no idea what)
- Commission a translation of something I think people in a certain country might want to read, some kind of royalty deal with the original author
- A niche-topic website (difficult for me, since my mind is 'know everything' versus 'know X really well')
- An app (have a few ideas, currently learning development in android studio, can already program in several languages fluently)

Any other ideas? The faster (and smaller) the payoff, the better for my current purposes.

Post: #46

(02-17-2015 10:13 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  ...
One thing I have realized is that I am too frugal. I won't buy a new phone in spite of hating my current one, because of the cost. I am reluctant to buy a fast laptop, and instead settle for a basic one even though slow computers irritate me, just to save money. I will hum and haw about which hotel is the optimum value. I will wait for better deals instead of just taking what is available. I will refrain from exotic flights because of the cost, and sometimes choose destinations based on a good deal. All of these things waste time, and do not make for optimum living. It is not 'living life to the fullest'.

I suspect this restrictive mindset comes from the fact that since I started working, all my money has come from fixed-salary jobs. No overtime, no real possibility of getting above-nominal raises, no spaces for promotion, no available jobs in other companies due to a pigeonholing mistake (though I did try and apply many times). Nothing I have ever done in my career has involved a link between my work output and my compensation (other than "don't get fired"). This has likely made me psychologically treat income as a 'quota', rather than something that can be controlled.

To dislodge myself from this, I intend to do the following simultaneously:
1. Become conscious of frugal actions and the wasted time and effort that result. Consciously spend more money in these situations.
2. Attempt various work and projects that yield effort or results linked compensation.

Number 1 should be straightforward. Number 2 however is a bit more difficult. I've been wracking my brain and writing down ideas. So far I have:
- Retail something online (the classic). Restricted because I currently have no room for stock.
- Find something on elance which I'm OK at and isn't the domain of Indian dudes with 80 prior jobs and praise in their record.
- Buy-improve-sell something (no idea what)
- Commission a translation of something I think people in a certain country might want to read, some kind of royalty deal with the original author
- A niche-topic website (difficult for me, since my mind is 'know everything' versus 'know X really well')
- An app (have a few ideas, currently learning development in android studio, can already program in several languages fluently)

Any other ideas? The faster (and smaller) the payoff, the better for my current purposes.

Incredibly insightful. I can see my own life in much of this post. All these are great ideas, but be sure to differentiate goals (longer term intentions) and habits.

This post from Nemecine is in my signature, but I'll post it here for reference.

I'll try to add more. Habits create momentum. Momentum leads to goals.

I'll bring up working out because exercise and making money are very similar goals in life, but understand that working out is different than making money. Working out is more short-term, and more self-dependent.

You create a habit of going to the gym. Going to the gym leads to working out which, once the habit is formed, leads to feeling and looking better. That's the payoff. You can add goals and continue to improve, but the payoff is relatively short term. At worst you'll just feel better, at best you'll see physical gains. It's also self-dependent. You don't need to interact with anyone else to accomplish your goal.

Regarding making money, the payoff will most likely be more delayed and is dependent on other people to an extent.

What this means is when you've established a habit or habits with the intention of making money, keep in mind the *why* of your habits, otherwise, in a month or two you'll drop the habit because you aren't getting anything out of it.

Post: #47

Right now, I'm reading Think and Grow Rich and Crush It! (Gary Vaynerchuk). I'd recommend both books. In that order. TGR has the reputation of a life-changing book for a reason, and this is coming from a life-long cynic. It's like Tony Robbins, minus the feel-good pats on the back and excessive state-pumping on every page.

Don't fly through them. I'm reading maybe a chapter a day, marking them up, doing the brainstorming exercises suggested in TGR, etc. I'll read through TGR at least once more after I get through the whole thing.

Post: #48

(02-17-2015 10:13 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  So following all this, I have been doing some contemplating and self-analysis.

One thing I have realized is that I am too frugal. I won't buy a new phone in spite of hating my current one, because of the cost. I am reluctant to buy a fast laptop, and instead settle for a basic one even though slow computers irritate me, just to save money. I will hum and haw about which hotel is the optimum value. I will wait for better deals instead of just taking what is available. I will refrain from exotic flights (e.g. Vladivostok from anywhere) because of the cost, and sometimes choose destinations based on a good deal. All of these things waste time, and do not make for optimum living. It is not 'living life to the fullest'.

I suspect this restrictive mindset comes from the fact that since I started working, all my money has come from fixed-salary jobs. No overtime, no real possibility of getting above-nominal raises, no spaces for promotion, no available jobs in other companies due to a pigeonholing mistake (though I did try and apply many times). Nothing I have ever done in my career has involved a link between my work output and my compensation (other than "don't get fired"). This has likely made me psychologically treat income as a 'quota', rather than something that can be controlled.

To dislodge myself from this, I intend to do the following simultaneously:
1. Become conscious of frugal actions and the wasted time and effort that result. Consciously spend more money in these situations.
2. Attempt various work and projects that yield effort or results linked compensation.

Number 1 should be straightforward. Number 2 however is a bit more difficult. I've been wracking my brain and writing down ideas. So far I have:
- Retail something online (the classic). Restricted because I currently have no room for stock.
- Find something on elance which I'm OK at and isn't the domain of Indian dudes with 80 prior jobs and praise in their record.
- Buy-improve-sell something (no idea what)
- Commission a translation of something I think people in a certain country might want to read, some kind of royalty deal with the original author
- A niche-topic website (difficult for me, since my mind is 'know everything' versus 'know X really well')
- An app (have a few ideas, currently learning development in android studio, can already program in several languages fluently)

Any other ideas? The faster (and smaller) the payoff, the better for my current purposes.

1) Find out what you truly want to do, pick one thing and focus on that only. If your goal is location independence, find something that will allow that. Brokering web services or sell your app development expertise would be a good start. Focus on adding value like others have said, money will come organically. If you need further help finding what services to sell I have many "how to guides" on my computer from when I was in your exact situation and I would gladly send them to you.

2) Set specific goals regarding the services you plan to offer the marketplace and the success you plan to achieve. The science of getting rich or Think and Grow Rich are helpful with this stage. Both books can be found for free on the internet with enough googling. SOGR is my favourite of the two, both are easy reads.

3) Set up a corporation. I think this is the stage where the motivation will kick in and it won't be for the money. You will have a company, it will be your baby, you will want to see it succeed outside of just the monetary rewards. There are also financial and legal obligations every year which will a kick in the pants. If you want to be truly location independent, setting up an IBC or an offshore corporation in Hong Kong might be worth looking into.

4) You will need a decent website, if you are as smart as I think you are you should be able to handle this yourself. Wordpress is pretty easy with templates. Cheap hosting will suffice when starting out, unless you plan on doing e-commerce, the website will more or less be a way to paint yourself as a reputable business.

5) Next you will need to be able to accept money, Paypal is the go to merchant service. My advice to you in this area would be to diversify this in case Paypal arbitrarily decides to freeze your account. You will also need a business bank account of course. Your options will vary depending on where you open your corporation and whether or not you are an American Citizen (FATCA).

6) Get to work. This is the part where you actually have to add value to the marketplace and keep your customers happy. There are many ways of finding clients without spending money on advertising. I would be happy to help you with this once you get to this stage.

Motivation:
-The success of your company.
-Your financial and legal obligations.
-Obligations to your clients.
-Keeping your clients happy and coming back for more.
-Maintaining your reputation as a business owner and the reputation of your company.
-Freedom to live wherever and travel whenever you want.
-Providing a good life for your future family. (Decent house in a safe neighbourhood near good schools for your children).

There are a lot of things that will keep you motivated during the process that will organically cause an increase flow of money. Adding value is the focus, money is the result. Best of luck.

Post: #49

(02-17-2015 10:13 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  To dislodge myself from this, I intend to do the following simultaneously:
1. Become conscious of frugal actions and the wasted time and effort that result. Consciously spend more money in these situations.
2. Attempt various work and projects that yield effort or results linked compensation.

- An app (have a few ideas, currently learning development in android studio, can already program in several languages fluently)

1 and 2 are good.

#1 is a big one. Focus on making money rather than saving pennies. An extra hour building a product is worth exponentially more $ than searching 10 travel sites to save $50 on an airline ticket.

I don't know what your definition of fluent means. If you can program in several languages fluently (you rarely if ever have to look up documentation for syntax or examples and know how to implement solutions to most common problems in a variety of ways), then why can't you code a product that sells to people?

Also switching your mindset from know everything to being great at knowing one thing will help with making a product that will sell.

Post: #50

(02-17-2015 10:13 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  I won't buy a new phone in spite of hating my current one, because of the cost. I am reluctant to buy a fast laptop, and instead settle for a basic one even though slow computers irritate me, just to save money.

To dislodge myself from this, I intend to do the following simultaneously:
1. Become conscious of frugal actions and the wasted time and effort that result. Consciously spend more money in these situations.
2. Attempt various work and projects that yield effort or results linked compensation.

Number 1 should be straightforward. Number 2 however is a bit more difficult. I've been wracking my brain and writing down ideas. So far I have:
- Retail something online (the classic). Restricted because I currently have no room for stock.
- Find something on elance which I'm OK at and isn't the domain of Indian dudes with 80 prior jobs and praise in their record.
- Buy-improve-sell something (no idea what)
- Commission a translation of something I think people in a certain country might want to read, some kind of royalty deal with the original author
- A niche-topic website (difficult for me, since my mind is 'know everything' versus 'know X really well')
- An app (have a few ideas, currently learning development in android studio, can already program in several languages fluently)

Any other ideas? The faster (and smaller) the payoff, the better for my current purposes.

It sounds like you need to get this whole Time vs Money thing down.

I once was very frugal but then learned that I really just bought a whole lot of cheap shit that i didnt really need. Now that I have stripped down to a bare minimum I now invest more in things that are better quality and save me time. For example I bought myself a Macbook instead of battling with a PC trying to get recording software to work. I have saved probably 1000's of hours.

I know people who will waste 4 hours just to save themselves $40. Fuck that.

You are worried about blowing through your assets but the most valuable asset you have is you. You can make more money and the more you invest in yourself (courses, ebooks) with time and money the better you will become.

Sure you could go ahead and learn android dev, but would that time not be better spent developing an idea and outsource that to someone freeing you up to focus on the larger picture? If you have an idea for an app why not focus on your niche customer for that app?
What frustrates them? What do they need? How can you help them make more money and add value to their company?

Don't sell a product to everyone one, just sell a solution to someone. And charge them accordingly.

You seem like you are in an ok situation financially and it sounds like you are very much in a similar situation and mindset as myself.
I am considering my next move financially as I have some decent savings and a very well paying job with plenty of paid leave i need to take. I'm looking at taking some of that leave and moving to somewhere like Chiang Mai in Thailand to pursue a location independent lifestyle and career. Sure I will burn through my savings, but it will be at a slower pace than staying where i currently live and being that I am frugal as well in a way there will be the motivation from spending savings on expenses while at the same time surrounding myself with those who are in a similar situation or those are where i want to be career wise.