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Revised book review: 4 Hour Workweek

Stuart — Fri, 21 May 2010 04:23:34 +0000

On March 3rd I reviewed the book The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.

I was not very kind to the author. I’ve been following his blog and now that I know who he is it seems like he pops everywhere.

Now that I’ve had some time to let the book sink in I can definitely say that Tim has won me over as a fan of his philosophy and, if given the opportunity and despite my earlier comments, I’d buy him a beer.

Hanging out

Stuart — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:49:26 +0000

Friend and I hanging out at Altitude during a Padres game.

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Places to See

Stuart — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:03:21 +0000

I like it when places I’ve been show up in my “Places to See”. Sometimes it’s the little things in life.

New Hampshire

Stuart — Thu, 06 May 2010 15:34:28 +0000

Always do your best

Stuart — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:56:11 +0000

One of the The Four Agreements is “Always Do Your Best”. That is a guidepost for future blog posts. Reading my past posts my writing has much room for improvement.

National Money Hole

Stuart — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:18:31 +0000

Sometimes The Onion is pretty funny.

In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

Vacation in Italy

Stuart — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:10:49 +0000

So…I went to Italy. It was the best time ever.

St. Peter’s Basilica blew my mind. I am still in awe. Next was the Statue of David. You can’t get your head around how amazing a statue can be until you see it in person.

But my favorite thing was Venice. Yes, Venice. There is no place like Venice and unfortunately it may not be around for much longer.

I almost didn’t go because I was too wrapped up in my own trivial drama. I am so glad I got my head on straight and made it happen.

Books: 4 Hour Work Week

Stuart — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:57:58 +0000

The 4 Hour Work Week was an interesting read. The author, Tim Ferriss, proclaims to run his business in just 4 hours a week, take multiple mini retirements and to have completely automated his income.

I like his writing style. It is somewhat in your face. At the same time I think I wouldn't like Tim in person. That's a weird comment, but I kept getting that feeling while reading. I enjoyed the book, don't know that I would enjoy the author's company over a beer.

The first part of the book covers his philosophy, some background and a fair amount of boasting. The second (and boring part for me) covers how to make your own business automated. Interesting, but nothing ground breaking.

What I did like was the challenge to not live your entire life in a cubicle. The world is a big place. Don't work for 20 years then rely on retirement. Take time off now (he was doing up to six month or longer "retirements").

I support that idea. Travel now. Why wait? Perfect timing for me as I leave in less than 2 days for ITALY!!

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El Camino for breakfast

Stuart — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:16:13 +0000

Download now or watch on posterous

IMG_0127.MOV (798 KB)

Duck!

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Business of Happiness

Stuart — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:13:26 +0000

I just finished reading

The Business of Happiness

by Ted Leonsis. I recommend it! Check out the website to get some background on the author and book.

To summarize, Ted grew up in Brooklyn the son of immigrant parents. Through hard work and fortunate timing he was very successful at a young age. But he wasn't happy. A near death experience opened his eyes to his second chance at life and he decided to dedicate himself to being happy.

Ted's theory is to not confuse being successful with being happy. He was successful, but not happy. Ted theorizes that successful people are not happy because they are successful, they are successful because they are happy.

Ted is an interesting guy. He's done a lot! His insights into his time as Chairman at AOL gave me new found respect for that company. His story shows that hard work does pay off, but that there's more to life than just achieving financial and professional goals.

After his near death experience, Ted creates a "list". 101 and things he wanted to do before he dies. He admits many items did not generate happiness (own a Ferrari), but that he created the list at 28 and he's been faithful on following through. The fact that he did follow through on his list when given an opportunity to achieve one of his goals fortuitously protected a large portion of his wealth during the dot com bust.

The book is broken in two parts. The first part is mostly autobiographical. An interesting read. The second half the author breaks down the six things he believes creates happiness.

This was a good and quick read. I recommend it!

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