Sean Williams’ Blog

Everybody has desires and ambitions.

Some people stifle them, while others acknowledge and work towards them.

If you have no goals you are like a ship without a rudder… you will be pushed along by the ocean currents… never really sure where you will end up.

So it is important to have goals. Both small ones and Big ones.
I read somewhere - “fulfillment is deciding what you truly want and then going after it”

But here’s an important question… why do we need to feel fulfilled ?

Why do we want to achieve our ambitions? Why do we have goals? What do we want the things we want?

For example… I have a desire to own a house in the South Island - near the ski fields. I want to be financially independant so that I never have to worry about money again. I want to have a family. I want to do philanthropic work with my free time.

But what do all these things ultimately mean to me?

What I’m trying to say is that it isn’t actually the material things or the experiences you want.

It’s how they make you feel .

Why do people want to win Lotto? Because they know how incredible they’ll feel  if they hit the jackpot. Being a millionaire won’t make you happy. It’s the opportunities associated with being a millionaire that get you excited.

Anything we do… is guided by to main forces: The desire to avoid paid and the desire to gain pleasure.
Every single decision we make in our lives is directed by those two things… believe it or not.. it’s true.

There is a quote I once read from Buddha, it said:
There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way. 

Look at people who seemingly have it all… lets take Britney Spears or Paris Hilton for example. Both are alcoholics. Both are running themselves into the ground.

Why do people get drunk? That’s right… to lose their inhibitions and feel  good.

But wait… wouldn’t someone such as Britney Spears already feel good? I mean she has everything doesn’t she? She’s rich. She has millions upon millions of adoring fans the world over. She has everything. Or maybe she doesn’t?

Maybe she’s still not truly happy. Why? How could someone that successful still not be happy?

There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.

Some people spend their entire lives in the pursuit of happiness. It eludes them. They never quite find it. What they didn’t realise is that they had it in them the entire time.

The same could be said about us. We live in a developed nation. We have so much that the majority of the rest of the world would give anything to have.

Just take a look here: http://www.globalrichlist.com/

Hopefully that puts a new perspective on things.

So how do you get what you really want? Because it’s not the cars, or the houses, or the luxury holidays, or the great job, or the partner you desire or the [insert material-thing here] that you truly want.. you just want to be happy.

So start being happy. It’s that simple. Think of the things you are grateful for first. And the rest will come.

Many years ago Tony Robbins asked Warren Buffet - “What is the real secret to great Wealth?”

And Warren Buffet simply said: Gratitude.

Wow I bet you looked twice when you saw the latest title to my blog…

But alas, it isn’t what you think.

I’ve decided on a light-hearted blog tonight after having another interesting day on the job as a Computer Technician.

For some of you, it may even serve as very educational blog and might make you think twice about your activities online.

As a certified Geek, I do home visits and help people fix their computers. Nine times out of ten, they are virus related. There are of course other things that come up too, but by and large the biggest complaints are viruses.

It may interest you to know that the reason many people get viruses in the first place is because they begin by browsing a certain website, and suddenly a banner or box comes up on the page somewhere saying ‘you’re computer has been infected with a virus - click here to remove’ or something to that extent.

What most people don’t realise is that banner you have just clicked on is actually the start of your problems. In most cases you don’t have anything wrong in the first place.. but the ad tells you otherwise. So you follow the ad’s recommendation to download a ‘free cleaner’ which will perform an exorcism on your computer and rid it of the evil presence.

Sadly - that very download is the virus itself!!

Clever on the part of the people who make the viruses and spyware.. but not so cool if you’re on the receiving end.

And I always comfort people by saying that ‘hey, you weren’t to know’… which by and large is true.

But the real kicker is where these banner ads usually appear. You may have heard the old saying ‘if you lie down with dogs - you’ll wake up with fleas’…

Well think about that in regards to your surfing activities for a second.

If you’re having trouble reading between the lines - I’ll give you a really big hint. If you browse ‘adult’ themed sites - you will encounter many of these banner ads. Some sites are so nasty that they actually hijack your internet browser and give you very little choice over whether you will be contracting a Virtual STD or not…

So bottom line, think hard before you jump on the Internet.
When you lie down with dogs… you will wake up with fleas.
When you browse adult-themed sites, you could potentially contract a virtual STD.. otherwise known as spyware and viruses.

But hey … either way it doesn’t bother me because these very people keep me in business.

I have no fear of a recession. Because as long as people have:

a) a computer
b) people using the computer

There are going to be demands for computer assistance.. so fuck the recession.. it aint going to happen man. Not for me.

Besides… a recession is a natural part of any healthy economy.

If you talk to wise people, they will point out all the opportunities that will come to light in a recesssion.
However the pessimists will only see doom and gloom.

It comes down to your philosophy, not the economy.

One of my mentors once said to me: We have only 4000 weeks to live.

Think about it… 4000 divided by 52 weeks in a year works out at 76 years (the average age for Kiwis).

Now, how fast does a week go by sometimes? Pretty crazy to think about eh.

If you’re like me, you will have a greater appreciation for your time and how you make best use of it on a day to day basis. Recently I have found myself spinning my wheels a little bit and not making a lot of progress in our business.

This is directly due to a lack of action. Yes, I’m busy. But I haven’t been overly productive. You can quite easily be busy without getting much done. At least the stuff that matters.

It all comes back to that 80/20 rule that I have mentioned before. That rule states 20% of the work you do produces 80% of the results… and 80% of the work produces only 20% of the results… Well guess which one I have been focusing on lately…

But I had a reality check yesterday, and have got back off the fence and starting taking productive action once again. One thing that has benefited me greatly is having a business partner who keeps you in check. And you can keep them in check.

If you are on your own… it is often very difficult to keep yourself motivated.

Here’s something else to ponder… why is it that we’re willing to work our butts off for a boss / employer… while we generally aren’t willing to work anywhere near as hard for ourselves? Crazy huh… You’d think it would be the opposite. You really need to make the transition from employee to entrepeneur in your own mind. Until then you will struggle.

I am making that transition slowly but surely. I can feel the progress.

Remember.. It’s not about the actual attainment of your goals and dreams - it’s the person you become on the way there.

This really puts things in perspective…

I had to watch it twice just to let it all sink in. Very inspiring.

I think we need to pay closer attention to babies and kids sometimes…

I’m not talking about watching them when they’re near a swimming pool or some other obvious hazard.

What I’m talking about is how they see life. The lenses they look through. How they don’t take things too seriously…

There is a lesson in there… because us adults seem to take life way too seriously sometimes.

First, watch this:

Now just watching that video put a smile on my face. You can’t help laughing at it… something so simple… but you did.

Think back to the last time you were feeling stressed, burnt out and unhappy. I’d wager a bet that you felt at least one of those things within the last few days.

Maybe if you had taken a moment for yourself, and just sat back and found something in your life that made you smile. It doesn’t have to be big… just something simple…

If you found one small thing, it would have made you realise what life is all about.

It’s the little things… remember that.

Progress always involves risk; you can’t steal second
base and keep your foot on first.
-Frederick Wilcox

I had a reality check today.

It came amongst a day of standing around doing a sweet load of nothing. There was the incessant beeping of our alarm that has been going off since I started in July (8 months ago), but to this day hasn’t been fixed because there are idiots in charge.

And then there were the usual ‘office politics’ which I despise because all it really is a bunch of adults acting like five-year-olds who throw their toys around when something doesn’t go their way.

Then there was the fact that if you’re a minute late and/or early from your break, the world is apparently coming to an end.

And that as they say is just the tip of the iceberg.

I took a J.O.B. (Just Over Broke) last year to keep myself afloat while I built a business up. I have come to realise that my time is almost up there. The J.O.B. has begun to be more of a dead weight than anything now. The more time I spend there, the more I have to be around people who are completely resigned to their situation… not believing they can achieve anything great. That plus earning a s*** wage, about 1% of what I’m truly worth to the world.

I am on the edge of breaking through with our business Things are starting to happen rather fast and it is all very exciting.

Realistically, can I afford to leave my job right now?

No, not really.

But then being ‘realistic’ my whole life was only leading me down a path of mediocrity - a path that I vowed not to keep following a couple of years back.

So it’s time to start being unrealistic. I love that quote that I started this post with. I flicked open one of my many books to find it, and I think it sums up my current situation perfectly.

It’s time to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’. I am going to jump off the cliff and build my parachute on the way down. Until I make this step, I am going to keep living from week to week, not moving forward fast enough (if at all). I know once I make the leap it will make me step up my game. I have been making progress, but it is only about 20% of my potential.

It is time to do this full on, once and for all. No mucking around.

With one clear goal in sight:

Financial independence through a prosperous business and investments, so that I have time for my friends and family, freedom, all the toys I ever wanted, never having to worry about money ever again, and a chance to contribute back to the world in a big way.

I am willing to do whatever it takes to live out my dreams.

We come by this way but once. We can either tiptoe
through life and hope that we get to death without
being too badly bruised or we can live a full, complete
life achieving our goals and realizing our wildest dreams.
-Bob Proctor 

It’s time to hand in my resignation…

It was 1994. I was sitting outside my primary school classroom, eating my lunch when one of my good friends slipped an 8-track tape of Supergroove into the cassette player. I remember munching away on my peanut butter sandwich kindly provided by Mum - to the beat of ‘Your White Shirt’.

From there my love of Supergroove grew.. and I did end up buying the cassette of ‘Traction’. At the time, the CD version was a big expense.. so cassette was a better option, and given I had a funky little cassette walkman.. it wasn’t a tough decision.

Well I remember wanting to see them when I was 10 years old, but I never really had the opportunity and was a bit young for the crowds I guess… Then, a few years later the group disbanded… much to my disappointment.

Come 2008… Machines aren’t our masters yet… but I DID get to see Supergroove!!! And it was an exceptional concert. Despite several really large sound glitches - i.e. no speakers… they managed to keep the crowd pumping. I’d gladly pay to see them again… many times over. It really was very, very good. Did I mention how good it was? Yes..

I feel like a huge weight has lifted off my shoulders… I have finally seen Supergroove live… something I have been wanting to do for a loooong time… and despite the large amount of anticipation.. it still lived up to all expectations.

Roll on the Foo Fighters in May!

One of my mentors sent me this blog by Oprah Winfrey today, and I thought it was good enough to share with everyone.

This was not written by me, and I give credit where credit is due. You can find more wisdom from this fantastic lady here: OprahWinfrey.com

Now, enjoy the post…

I’ve always had a great relationship with money, even when I barely had any to relate to. I never feared not having it and never obsessed about what I had.

Like everyone else, I can remember every salary I ever made. I suppose we remember because a salary helps define the value of our service—and, unfortunately, for some people the value they place on themselves.

I first realized I was not my salary when I was 15 and making 50 cents an hour babysitting Mrs. Ashberry’s rowdy kids and cleaning up after she pulled nearly every outfit from her closet every time she got dressed. Her bedroom always looked like the end-of-the-day, last-call sale at Macy’s, with shoes and brightly colored necklaces and dresses everywhere. Just before flitting out the door (without leaving any info as to where she was going or how she could be reached in case of emergency), she’d say, “Oh, by the way, dear, would you mind tidying up things a bit?”

Well, yes, of course I did mind, and the first time I “tidied up,” I did such a great job, I thought surely she’d pay me extra when she saw how I cleaned not only her room but the kids’ rooms, too.

She never did. So I moved on and found a job that would pay me more—a job where I thought my efforts would be appreciated. There was a five-and-dime whose name I’ve forgotten not far from my father’s store. I got hired there for $1.50 an hour. My job was to keep things straight, stock shelves, fold socks, etc. I wasn’t allowed to work the cash register or speak to customers. I hated it. Two hours in, I found myself counting the hours to lunch. Then how much longer before I was off for the day.

At 15, I knew in my soul this was no way to live or make money. I was bored beyond anything I’ve ever felt before or since. I wasn’t allowed to go near the cash register or talk to customers. So after three days, I quit and went to work in my father’s store for no salary.

I didn’t like working there, either, but at least I could talk to people and not feel like my spirit was being drained by the hour. Still, I knew that no matter how much my father wanted it to be, that store would not be a part of my future life.

By the time I was 17, I was working in radio, making $100 a week. I would have done it for free. And that’s when I made my peace with money. I decided that no matter what job I ever did, I wanted that same feeling I got when I first started in radio—the feeling of I love this so much, even if you didn’t pay me I’d show up every day, on time and happy to be here. I recognized then what I know now for sure: If you can get paid for doing what you love, every paycheck is a bonus.

For me, money has always been about an energy exchange, following the law of cause and effect. I give my energy to the work and in exchange am rewarded with a different form of energy—money. This in turn lets me acquire, create, and build other forms of energy, from the necessities of food and shelter to material possessions that enhance the quality of life to endeavors that help others reach their fullest potential.

All these many years later, I still know I am not my income. I am not the lifestyle my income can afford me.

I let money serve its purpose. But I don’t live to serve money.

I think that’s why we have such a beautiful relationship.

Oprah Winfrey

It dawned on me recently just how important it is to surround myself with people who I wish to become like.

Take a look at the five people you spend the most time with.
How much does each person earn? Now work out the average.

I’ll bet my first child (a little way off yet) that you earn within 15% of that average. Why is this?

You’ve probably heard the sayings…

If you hang around criminals, you’ll eventually become a criminal.
If you hang around drug addicts, you’ll eventually become a drug addict.
If you hang around depressed, sad, whining people you will become the same.

But… There are two sides to this coin…

If you hang around happy cheerful people, you will in turn be happy and cheerful.
And if you spend 95% of your time around wealthy, self-made millionaires - eventually it’s going to happen for you.

The thing is, if you want to change your reality - you MUST hang around people who have what you want, but you don’t have just yet. What this will do is drive you to achieve more. It will make you uncomfortable, in a good way. It will force you to look at YOUR situation, and then theirs, and say ‘if they can have it, then so can I’. And as long as you continue to spend time with these people, eventually your existing self-image will snap and become congruent with your new environment.

Many of us have had experiences where we have had a ‘taste’ of what a luxurious life may look like. To the wealthy and prosperous - it is an every day reality for them.

I can think of about five people that I know well, and they know me by first name that earn over $1,000,000 per year. These are some of the nicest, most genuine people I’ve ever met. They have vision, clarity and focus. They know what they want out of life. It is my intention from now on to begin spending a LOT more time with these people.

In the book ‘Think & Grow Rich’ by Napolean Hill, he discusses the concept of a ‘Mastermind’ group. He fully understood the power of the mastermind group. Every single self-made millionaire I know surrounded themselves with high quality people. Do you think they would have become millionaires if they had spent most of their time around poor people? I don’t think so.

Some people find this concept hard to swallow, and say that they don’t want to ditch their friends just because they are poor, middle class or whatever. This isn’t what I’m suggesting. I have friends from many different backgrounds… some are rich, some are poor, some are middle-class. And they are my friends, my family.. And I am so grateful to have everyone of them in my life.

And I would never wish to cut any of them out, because each and every person I know adds a new perspective, a new way of looking at life - and there is nothing more valuable. It is my responsiblity to ‘filter’ what I listen to, build beliefs in and implement into my own life. You have to be selective.

Just like the saying ‘You Are What You Eat’, the same goes for your external reality. Whatever you feed your mind, you will ultimately become.

In early January I found another book that took my interest.  I had actually read about it previously - and it sounded interesting.  But I hadn’t seen it in a NZ bookstore until recently.

The book “The Four Hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferriss has fast become one of my favourites thus far.  It is a favourite because I can relate to the author very well. He is always a younger guy, and speaks to me more I guess.

Tim himself earns roughly $40,000 per month, with about 4 Hours of work per week.  But he wasn’t always in this position - there was a time when he was a highly overworked corporate drone.. working looonggg hours.. sure, he was getting paid well - but because he had no time, he wasn’t enjoying his life.

I had so many paradigm shifts after I had read Tim’s book for the first time, as I still refer back to it regularly to revise certain points. Some of the main things I enjoyed reading were:

The difference between ‘relative’ and ‘new’ wealth.

Relative work says he who earns $80,000 is wealthier than the chap who earns $40,000.

However new wealth suggests a different way to measure.

Lets say the cap who earns $80,000 per month works 80 hour weeks, while the chap who earns $40,000 per month only works 10 hours per week.

Sure - not as bigger income, but more free time to enjoy the money with. Therefore making it almost infinitely more powerful than if you have no time.

Tim also shared the concept of the ‘Pareto Principle’ or the 80/20 rule. The Pareto principle simply states that 80% of the results are achieved by 20% of the labour. And conversely 20% of the results are achieved by 80% of the labour. Tim suggests either trimming that fatty  80% of labour - still leaving you with the lion’s share of results - but also a whole lot more time. Or if you simply must keep doing the 80% - delegate it to somone else, again to free your time.

Yet ANOTHER thing that really struck me was Tim’s concept of ‘Work for Work’s sake’ (W4W). We have been conditioned to believe that it is normal and expected of you that you work a full, hearty 40-50 hour week at a job. You should be there from around 9am till 5pm each day of the week.

This is where the problem comes in…

What happens on any given day - is that if you complete all your important (read result-bearing) tasks by lets say 11am, you then have to find work to fill in the rest of the day… whether it is actually of any practical use or not. This is what Tim calls W4W. It’s doing work just for the sake of keeping busy. Why the heck would you want to do that!!

There really is a whole lot more to the book.. and I highly recommend you check it out. Here is the link to Tim’s website: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com

Until next time…