Shine With Grace

Won’t you earn more if you drop your 9 to 9 job and focus on trading stocks?

Well, hm…  I think, yes. 

And you said you’re feeling exhausted to meet the professional as well as the other commitments, including your family and your study and your start-up now under planning?

Well, hm…  Yes.

So, you intend to climb the corporate ladder and become the CFO of XXX (a multi-national) one day?

Well, hm…  No, not exactly. 

Then, why are you going to work?

If I stay home trading stocks I would end up having too much free time and I don’t want to past time by reading the newspaper.

… …

Above is the part of the conversation I had with one of my best friends some days ago.  He is an accountant by training and he’s really good at making money in the stock market.  (BTW he’s also a subscriber-by-default of this blog, so he’ll be reading this sooner or later…  (To my friend:  Please don’t get angry for my repeating our discussion here (and “using” you as a sample).  Promise to buy you drink OK?!))

I fell speechless for awhile and ended up recommended him to read Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich.  Not trying to tell a story to sell anything  Just that this conversation makes me think about a couple of issues that have been discussed in the book:

• W4W- Tim Ferriss mentioned that many people go to work for work’s sake (W4W).  I don’t dare to put my friend into this category right away, but, it’s worth while for us to dig into the topic deeper.  My opinion is: if you love your job and you get real meaning from it -  Great!  But, if you’re working simply because you can’t think of better things to do, then, you may wish to take some time to review your options.  And a 9-5 is a norm, but not the only option.
• What stops you?- Why are you where you are now?  Not necessarily true but possible is that this place is safe!  If you grumble a lot about your job but are not even logging-in the monster.com or selling some stuff on ebay (or whatever), one of the possibilities is you are afraid of change.  It is pretty scary but may not be as bad as you think either.  Just that you won’t know if you don’t step out start with  doing some research and testing.   
• What about boredom? -“Isn’t more time what we’re after? Isn’t that what this book is all about?  No, not at all.  Too much free time is no more than fertilizer for self-doubt and assorted mental tail-chasing.  Subtracting the bad does not create the good.  It leaves a vacuum.  Decreasing income-driven work isn’t the end goal.   Living more - and becoming more - is.” ~ Tim Ferriss  And this comes down to the core:  What do you want from your life (And have you given any conscious thought to it?)?   I think it’s all about awareness.  Do stay in your job or do something totally different - make a conscious decision - just don’t operate in an auto-pilot mode. 

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• Wealth, Success, Happiness
• Obsessed With Busyness
• A Half Conscious Life?
• Work Smart - And You Don’t Need To Work That Hard   

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