It doesn’t matter what type of government we are talking about, whatever its laws or economic policies are, there are two types of people in the economy: owners and laborers. Most of us are both; but the majority of the population makes very little from assets owned in comparison to the compensation received for labor. Most of us are laborers first, and owners second, if at all.
The modern Slacker isn’t lazy or making a political statement when he decides not to work for (a large company)....no, he or she has simply realized that as all systems of production become more efficient, he/she would rather profit directly from those efficiencies. The modern Slacker would rather be an owner than be a laborer. New Slacker Values It’s pretty simple really, we choose:
It’s really easy to say that you are not as materialistic as your neighbors, but it's a much different thing to live a minimalist lifestyle—one with few possessions. You can say that your family is more important than your job, but actually sacrificing work opportunities to raise your children full-time is a whole different thing. People will tell you that they don’t believe in living with debt, but those same folks carry car payments or credit card debt. And anyone can tell you that they follow their heart, but then live the exact same lifestyle that their family and friends do. The proof is in action, not talk. If you live by a strict schedule and firm plan, you aren’t free anymore—you start answering to, “the plan.” If you can’t learn to make it up as you go along, you’ve just traded your job and your mortgage for a new set of self-imposed obligations. That’s not freedom. Too many people don’t work hard to fulfill a particular purpose, but rather to escape a sense of purposelessness—the working and consuming itself becomes the purpose. Live on the Margin Everyone is continually receiving impulses that must be directed and controlled if one is to lead a successful life.
That is the reason why a person must control the movements of his eyes, feet, fingers, etc.; this is another reason why it is important to control his breathing. The slow, deep, prolonged exhalations are of wonderful value. They steady the circulation, the heart action, muscles and nerves of the mind. If the heart flutters, the circulation is not regular, and when the lung action is uneven, the mind becomes unsteady and not fit for concentration. This is why controlled breathing is very important as a foundation for physical health. You must not only concentrate your mind, but also the action of the eyes, ears and fingers. Each of these contain miniature minds that are controlled by the master engineer. You will develop much quicker if you thoroughly realize this. Be careful of your desires, make a mental picture of what you want and set your will to this until it materializes. Never allow yourself to drift without helm or rudder. Know what you want to do, and strive with all your might to do it, and you will succeed. Feel that you can accomplish anything you undertake. Many undertake to do things, but feel when they start they are going to fail and usually they do. I will give an illustration. A man goes to a store for an article. The clerk says, "I am sorry, we have not it." But the man that is determined to get that thing inquires if he doesn't know where he can get it. Again receiving an unsatisfactory answer the determined buyer consults the manager and finally he finds where the article can be bought. That is the whole secret of concentrating on getting what you want. And, remember, your soul is a center of all-power, and you can accomplish what you will to. "I'll find a way or make one!" is the spirit that wins. Don't waste your mental powers in wishes. Don't dissipate your energies by trying to satisfy every whim. Concentrate on doing something really worth while. The man that sticks to something is not the man that fails. "Power to him who power exerts."—Emerson. The Power of Concentration What is a professional, anyway?
A professional is someone who can keep working at a high level of effort and ethics, no matter what is going on—for good or ill—around him or inside him. A professional shows up every day. A professional plays hurt. A professional takes neither success nor failure personally. In the end, for me, it comes down to the work itself. A pro gets younger and more innocent as he or she ascends through the levels. It’s a paradox. We get salty and cynical, but we creep closer, too, to the wonder. You have to or you can’t keep going. Any other motivation will burn you out. You develop a practice, and the practice gets simpler and less self-oriented over time. We rise through the levels of professionalism by a process of surrender. We surrender to our gift, whatever that may be. Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind (The 99U Book Series) Concentration means success, because you are better able to govern yourself and centralize your mind5/20/2014
When the self-regulating faculties are not developed the impulses, appetites, emotions and passions have full swing to do as they please and the mind becomes impulsive, restless, emotional and irregular in its action. This is what makes mental concentration poor.
The person that is feeble-minded cannot concentrate his mind, because of lack of will. The mind that cannot center itself on a special subject, or thought, is weak; also the mind that cannot draw itself from a subject or thought is weak. But the person that can center his mind on any problem, no matter what it is, and remove any unharmonious impressions has strength of mind. Concentration, first, last and all the time, means strength of mind. A concentrated mind pays attention to thoughts, words, acts and plans. The person who allows his mind to roam at will will never accomplish a great deal in the world. He wastes his energies. If you work, think, talk and act aimlessly, and allow your brain to wander from your subject to foreign fields, you will not be able to concentrate. You concentrate at the moment when you say, "I want to, I can, I will." Concentration of the mind can only be developed by watching yourself closely. Start out in the morning and see how self-poised you can remain all day. At times take an inventory of your actions during the day and see if you have kept your determination. If not, see that you do tomorrow. Never be in too much of a hurry; and, remember, the more you improve your concentration, the greater are your possibilities. Concentration means success, because you are better able to govern yourself and centralize your mind; you become more in earnest in what you do and this almost invariably improves your chances for success. The muscles, bones, ligaments, feet, hands and nerves, etc., are agents for carrying out the mandates of the mind. The best way to understand it is to compare it with the discharge of a gun. If the gun goes off when you want it to, it accomplishes the purpose, but if it goes off before you are ready for it, you will not only waste ammunition, but it is also likely to do some damage. That is just what most persons do. They allow their energy to explode, thus not only wasting it but endangering others. They waste their power, their magnetism and so injure their chance of success. When you are uncertain whether you should do something or not, just think whether by doing it you will grow or deteriorate, and act accordingly. The Power of Concentration "Social" intelligence consists of two components, both equally important to master.
First, there is what we shall call specific knowledge of human nature—namely the ability to read people, to get a feel for how they see the world, and to understand their individuality. Second, there is the general knowledge of human nature, which means accumulating an understanding of the overall patterns of human behavior that transcend us as individuals, including some of the darker qualities we often disregard. Mastery by Robert Greene "If you would enjoy real freedom, you must be the slave of Philosophy."
The primary indication, to my thinking, of a well-ordered mind is a man's ability to remain in one place and linger in his own company. You must linger among a limited number of master thinkers, and digest their works, if you would derive ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind. Everywhere means nowhere. Our motto,1 as you know, is "Live according to Nature"; but it is quite contrary to nature to torture the body, to hate unlaboured elegance, to be dirty on purpose, to eat food that is not only plain, but disgusting and forbidding. 5. Just as it is a sign of luxury to seek out dainties, so it is madness to avoid that which is customary and can be purchased at no great price. Philosophy calls for plain living, but not for penance; and we may perfectly well be plain and neat at the same time. This is the mean of which I approve; our life should observe a happy medium between the ways of a sage and the ways of the world at large; all men should admire it, but they should understand it also. Associate with those who will make a better man of you. Welcome those whom you yourself can improve. The process is mutual; for men learn while they teach. Seneca: Letters from a Stoic (and Biography) [Annotated] Most of the time, independent thought and first-person analysis are worth more than blind faith in any “expert” opinion, and that’s the case in every area of life. In our experience, the keys to success in any endeavor, whether we are talking about trading or quitting your job and untying your dock lines to sail across vast oceans—or whatever—it all boils down to this:
We aren’t satisfied risking X in hopes of making a fraction of X. Instead we want to risk X for the potential of receiving 2X or 5X or 10X. We want to leverage our assets to increase our reward disproportionately to the risks we are taking. Every dollar and every cent can be used in one of two ways:
Wealthy people use a small percentage of their net worth to live on. Living on less changes everything My philosophy is that when life puts a fork in the road the riskier choice is most often the most rewarding. To reach where you want to be in life, it's highly unlikely that a series of simple risk-free choices will lead you where you want to go. When you owe money to someone, whether a bank, corporation, or an individual, they own you and the rights to the fruits of your labor (your production) until that debt is repaid. If you’re in that small minority who owns their house outright, doesn’t carry any debt and has cash in the bank—we know what you’re saying to yourself right now: I don’t owe anything to anyone, so I’m free. Sure you are. What about income tax? Sales tax? Property tax? You will still owe those, no matter what. If you choose not to pay the IRS for long enough, they’ll take that house and haul you off to jail. There is also inflation to consider. The Federal Reserve puts more and more money into circulation every year, making your cash worth less and less all the time. That means that unless your assets appreciate faster than the rate of inflation, they are worth less and less all the time, too. So you can see that no matter what your net worth is and no matter how little debt you have, you are continually swimming upstream as debt, tax obligation, and inflation eat away at your assets. The most important and pervasive reason the American Dream has become more dream and less reality is a fundamental lack of real value creation. Live on the Margin Be Disciplined
Remember: We are not just talking about money here. This refers to being successful in all areas of life—and to do so, you will not be able to compromise this thing called discipline. Discipline is an orderly, prescribed conduct that will get you what you want—and it's a requirement for 10X players. Unfortunately, most peoples' disciplines look more like bad habits instead of the—admittedly uncomfortable—10X actions they should be taking over and over again. Discipline is what you use to complete any activity until the activity—regardless of how uncomfortable—becomes your normal operating procedure. In order to ever attain and keep success, you must determine which habits are constructive—and discipline both yourself and your group (see point 28) to do those things over and over again. If you find you do not have all of the previously mentioned success traits and habits—or you see yourself having most or some of them most of the time but occasionally fall off a bit—no worries. I would expect that most of the people reading this don't consistently display every single one of these qualities all the time. Become aware of what the list is, keep it close to you, and make a new commitment to making these techniques part of who you are rather than merely something you “do.” Although I don't personally operate in the success column 100 percent of the time, I do make efforts to ensure that I spend most of my time doing what successful people do. None of the things on this list is a superhuman quality. Every single one is attainable. Don't use just one or two of the techniques. Start thinking and operating with them, and they will become a part of you. Use them all. Now means now—not a minute from now. Start with first things first; make your initial list of goals, then a list of actions that will propel you in that direction. Then—without overthinking it—start taking those actions. A few things to keep in mind as you start: 1. Do not reduce your goals as you write them. 2. Do not get lost in the details of how to accomplish them at this point. 3. Ask yourself, “What actions can I take today to move me toward these goals?” 4. Take whatever actions you come up with—regardless of what they are or how you feel. 5. Do not prematurely value the outcome of your actions. 6. Go back each day and review the list. Remember: Successful people embrace fear and discomfort! The goal has to be more valuable than the risk—or you have determined the wrong target. Successful people commit first and figure the rest out later The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure The right mindset can take you everywhere and anywhere. The trouble is, people have a hard time letting go of what they ‘should’ be doing, based on what society dictates. In general, society thinks you should have the fancy office, the house, the car and the mortgage and payments to go along with these things. You should spend all your time working your ass off to earn money so that you can spend it on getting more things. The truth is, we don’t need to live in a material world. Sorry Madonna, we just don’t. The burden of being weighed down by the debt you’ve incurred from buying the material possessions you really don’t need is a heavy one and something you can do without.
The solution? Own less crap. Having a minimalist outlook on life is one of the most freeing things ever and it’s great for your wallet. Becoming Minimalist “After a conversation with my neighbor on Memorial Day 2008, my family and I decided to become minimalist and intentionally live with fewer possessions. We immediately cleared the clutter from our home and life. As a result, we found a valuable new way to life, centered on our most important values. It has been a journey of discovering that abundant life is actually found in owning less. And it still ranks as one of the best decisions we’ve ever made with our life.” ~ Joshua Becker, excerpt from Becoming Minimalist. The Suitcase Entrepreneur: Create freedom in business and adventure in life |
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