Not a million dollars--a certain kind of ingenuity, discipline, and proactivity the most people seem to lack

Original: http://ryanwaggoner.com/2010/12/you-dont-really-want-a-million-dollars/a Certain kind of ingenuity, discipline, And proactivity that most people seem to lack

This morning, I is feeling a little stir-crazy from being cooped on my office, so I decided to stretch my legs and go The Cornerstore down the street. I got a bag of chips and while paying, asked the guy behind the counter how he was doing. He responded with a heavy sigh and said "tired, man. I need a million dollars and I need to travel. Things is bad right now, man. " He made a tired half-joke about what maybe he ' d win the lottery scratcher this week.

He didn ' t offer no more info and I didn ' t want to pry, so I told him this I hoped things would pick up for him, paid for My chips, and left. Walking home, I couldn ' t shake a feeling of sadness about the conversation. I know what it feels to has the life kick your in the teeth, and feel like you just need to get away from everything. How many times has I thought to myself "If only I had a million dollars." However, I ' ve come to realize that the wishful desire to has an arbitrarily large amount of money is a reflection of lazy thinking.

That sounds harsh, I know. Don ' t get me wrong:i sympathize with the This guy and I'm not trying to being dismissive of his situation. and I don ' t even know what he situation is; Maybe he really does need a million dollars for medical bills or something. But I doubt it. What's more likely was that he's just down in his luck, struggling through a rough time, and sees a large pile of cash as T He solution.

In the 4-hour work Week, Tim Ferriss talks on the investment banker friend who is working hours a Week for A big payoff in ten years, when he ' d is making several million dollars per year. When Tim asked what he ' d does with all the money when he got it, the his response is "take a trips to Thailand."

The sadness of this answer is profound; Too many people has come to believe that it'll cost them millions to really live the life they want. How many people does know who wish they had a million dollars? Probably more than you think. But the sad part is, most people don ' t even want a million dollars; They want the things they think a million dollars can buy.

The biggest thing on that list:freedom.

But freedom doesn ' t cost a million dollars. You can-change, learn-to-live on your-income, save money, travel on almost nothing, live abroad, follow your dreams. The world was full of more and more possibilities every day. More and more people is discovering freedom and opportunity beyond what they really thought was possible. Gary Vaynerchuk does a fantastic job of detailing these opportunities in Crush it!.

I spent months traveling around southeast Asia on a shoestring budget. I work for myself, when I want, where I-want, on-I-Want, and I ' m not-wealthy by any stretch. Ironically, I ' ve seen huge increases in my earned income, passive income, and net worth in the three years since I took th e risk of breaking free and trying to create the life I want instead of waiting for it to come to me.

Here's the reality:if you ' re isn't the type of person who can create freedom without a million dollars and you probably aren ' t The kind of person who would get a million dollars. Because both take a certain kind of ingenuity, discipline, and proactivity the most people seem to lack.

If you ' re really interested in knowing what's the journey looks like, check out Crush it! and the 4-hour work W Eek. You might don't find everything in these books to being useful to your situation, but I guarantee it would spark some curiosity and new ideas in your, no matter who is. I think I ' ll give a copy of each to the guy around the corner next time I see him.

Not a million dollars--a certain kind of ingenuity, discipline, and proactivity the most people seem to lack