Real-Estate-Investing.com Presents...Is the Four Hour Work Week Possible?

The Four Hour Workweek...if you have been trapped in Guantanamo Bay for the past three years, is a book that started a revolution amongst the Young Upwardly Mobile Mindset or YUMMy's. The thought process behind the book is that you can run a business on 4 hrs per week and travel the world full time.

At the time that I first read this book I bought into the plan hook line and sinker. I wanted to believe that it was true. I wanted to think that I could have my cake and eat it too. (make money and travel the world)

When I was 19 I bought the farm, the bridge and whatever else they were selling when someone pitched me Amway. I worked the 3-5 Year plan like there was no tomorrow for 2 years and in the end...drumroll please...spent MUCH more than I made and was working tremendous hours past my normal day job trying to get "freedom", as they say.

I watched people quit their jobs only to go back to work later on. I watched people stay in a business model that they had to feed money every week for more than ten years. I don't know about you...but that's just not good business sense.

I mention this for one reason.

Just like Amway, the majority of the people I talked with about the Four Hour Workweek were very skeptical, listened for a minute and then went back to their daily lives.

We've all heard the saying, "If it sounds too good to be true...it probably is."

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So now my second time around trying an entirely different mindset...one might ask, so what are the results so far?

The first thing I think I have to precaution people on is that IT IS NOT EASY!

The concepts are simple and if you follow a plan for setting things up, great, but it still will take a GREAT DEAL OF WORK to put a business model into place that brings you passive income so you can travel the world full time.

When I am having a particularly frustrating day setting something up or trying to understand how something works, I have to remind myself, "If it were really easy, everyone would do it."

That's the bad part.

Initially my goal was to be on the 4HWW. I found that I was not getting things done and I have quite a bit to bring to the market that simply cannot be done in 4hrs per week.

Those of you that have written a book know that it takes more than four-hours-per-week to write, publish and promote a book. I have done it and it literally consumes you.

I would like to setup the four hour workweek for everyone that wants it in their life but simply there is not enough time to do this for people, they have to do it for themselves.

Your current plan has you spending the next say 20-25 years working in the same city, trying to put money away so you can do what? I think if you answer honestly you will say something like, "Make some trips to Tahiti, visit China or retire in Costa Rica.

Lets say it took you FIVE YEARS to set yourself up on a plan that let you travel the world full-time and make mailbox money (or laptop money) while you are gone.

My work schedule has transformed into something other than the Four Hour Workweek. It's a much more tailored plan for me that seems to be keeping me happy. I like to call it a...

'Free-Forming Schedule'

Currently I work about 30hrs per week. I know I know, that's way too much. Here's the thing. My business is not developed as far as I would like to be.

A Tim Ferriss works MANY hours promoting his "Business Philosophy" for a simple reason, he is a revolutionary. Frankly, I am REALLY glad he does.

The trick is this. I have let go of all of my tie-downs that kept me a prisoner of my possessions here in the United States. No car payment, no house payment and no cell phone when I am traveling. I know that sounds absolutely crazy but humor me for one minute.

Do you know that feeling when you wake up on vacation and you hear birds chirping and the waves crashing outside your window. At that moment you don't have a care in the world as you turn over and snuggle with your honey for another hour or so.

Now imagine you could wake up like that every day for the rest of your life. That is my current life. No bills, no worries. The first of the month is just a signal to me that another month has started.

Today is Tuesday (I actually had to think about it) and I am sitting in my brothers million dollar house in Bellevue, WA (near Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Nintendo, Costco and oh yeah, Boeing). His wife is a kick ass real estate agent known as Eastside Lee at www.bellevue-real-estate.com

I mention this because he has two sons, Cameron(5) and Tristen(2). They are amazing boys, full of life and Tristen...full of mischief. I have the means to stay in a nice hotel and have done so many times when I come to visit but I prefer to stay in their spare bedroom so the boys can wake me up early in the morning when they get up.

I have been here since June 5th and today is July 22nd. I extended my trip three times while I have been here and my schedule truly is "Free-Forming" at this point. Once was for my brothers birthday, once for my mom's surgery and once for myself because the weather has been fantastic.

In case you are counting, that's 52 days that I will have been here. Before Bellevue I was in Miami for 10 days and before that Bogota for 56 days. I leave Friday for Miami for a week on my way back to Colombia.

If I had not listened to Tim Ferriss one year ago I would not be able to spend 52 days with my nephews, getting to know them much more than if I had two weeks on a traditional vacation.

Every day I work a little on something. But if something comes up that I would rather do (like batting practice for Cameron) I drop everything and go do that. Work should become more like a hobby than a job. You work on the items where you see results, and nothing else.

I am a very normal guy. I like movies at home with popcorn, bicycle rides through the city streets with friends and good food at fun (but not too fancy) places. I'm not trying to set the world on fire but I do want to enjoy the life that I have.

If a very normal guy like me (with slightly above average intelligence(like you)) then rest assured this lifestyle can be yours as well.

A public thank-you to Tim Ferriss and to all of the people out there creating technology products that make this lifestyle finally possible for average folks.

From Bellevue, WA

Matt Gerchow
www.real-estate-investing.com