Reading: Rich Dad, Poor Dad

July 22, 2010 By Andrew Leave a Comment

I’ve borrowed my fathers copy of Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, and started reading it the other night.  I’m not sure how many others have read it, and those that have read whether they really benefited from it, however I suspect they have.

I’ve only read two (2) chapters so far, and they have been entertaining, and start telling the story of how he changed his thinking based upon the learning he gathered from his two (2) fathers, his rich dad, & his poor dad.

His story consists of his learnings from his two fathers.  The poor dad being the one who had a good education, and worked hard, while his rich dad was business orientated and made money work for him.

I personally found the book a very good read.  It has certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities, and that even though a person may be asset and cash rich, they can also be down to earth people who don’t like showing off their cash.  It is a different way of thinking, and I would love to get some other peoples opinions about their thoughts on the book, and what they gained from it.

Has reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad helped you change your thinking about business and generating an income?  Would you recommend it to others?

Filed Under: Reading

Habit Changing

May 21, 2010 By Andrew 3 Comments

As you may be aware, I am currently reading Steven R. Covey’s book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, and have been challenged to change my thinking of life, as well as trying to put these new teachings into my life to become a more effective person.

Certainly changing habits is quite difficult, I know that I am still learning how to do that, and there are certain tools out there that help you form a new habit.  HabitForge claims that if you do something daily for 21 consecutive days, it has become a habit.  I personally know that I have tried, and failed numerous times to use such a tool, I’ve only ever managed to get to about Day 5 before failing, primarily due to the weekend. The weekend certainly limits habits.

What I really need, and any person who is trying to form new habits, is to find someone to be accountable with.  Basically they will be the “HabitForge” in your life, rather than an email.  I know that with the email, is is much easier to click “yes” you have completed the task for the day, than it would be to lie to someone’s face or phone call.  I’m not saying that having an accountability partner means you won’t lie, I just find it much more difficult.

Having read the majority of the book, there are aspects of my life that I wish to change, and I need to find myself and accountability partner.  I will also subscribe to HabitForge, but I would also prefer a real person to keep me accountable.  If you feel you would be willing to provide that task, please leave a comment, use the contact form, or email me.

Filed Under: General

Reading: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

April 16, 2010 By Andrew 7 Comments

I recently bought the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic” by Stephen R. Covey.  I bought the book on more of a whim than making the decision a long thought out process. I actually think it was an excellent decision to purchase this book, and so far I haven’t regretted it.

Up until now, I have only completed the reading the chapter on the first habit, Proactivity, and already I have been challenged.  I haven’t fully implemented the challenges that it has setout, but I know that I have to do these things to achieve the results that I want to achieve.

I need to enlarge my Circle of Influence, rather than enlarge my Circle of Concern.  I need to stop letting things get to me that I can’t control.  I need to go out each day with a positive mental attitude, and stick with it all day.  These are just some of the things that I have learnt from reading Covey’s book.

I feel compelled to put the things I have learnt from Covey’s book into practice, however, because my current habits are focused differently, I have to change my thinking patterns, put the new habits into practice on a regular basis, preferably daily until they become second nature to me.  I agree with what Covey has to say, I now have to make a decision to follow what Covey has said.

That is partly what this blog is about, a way for me to remain accountable about the book, as well as share my experiences with each of you.

Filed Under: Reading

Starting My Business

April 7, 2010 By Andrew 15 Comments

Being a Civil Engineer, I can earn quite a significant amount of money through working a 40+ hour a week job. I’m certainly not a greedy person, but sometimes it feels as though the money I earn doesn’t quite cut it, and as such I am always on the lookout for ways to earn additional income.

I have been presented two opportunities for earning income outside of engineering, and both of them seem quite lucrative. Most people understand the essence of working for a week, and getting paid for that week, however these business opportunities, are somewhat different. They are more entrepreneurial, and not everyone has a sudden influx of cash. There are ways to earn money instantly through the business I am a part of, but the real income is earned over time.

At the moment I spend upto 5 hours a week working in this business, this is on top of my 9-to-5 job as an engineer, and these 5 hours are spent introducing this business opportunity to people, as well as offering them products if they aren’t interested in the business,  I also attend a variety of functions to help people understand this business as well.

This business opportunity doesn’t offer a ‘get rich quick’ scheme, I find that many of those scheme can’t deliver income anywhere near the money they claim you can earn. This business will start of slowly, and over time, as people are recruited to your team, you will see your supplementary income growing.

My main objective at the moment is to build a solid foundation on which my business will grow, as well as giving people the opportunity to earn an income for themselves through this business opportunity.

All people I know are looking for additional income, it is just a matter of whether they have been offered the opportunity, or they were ready to accept that opportunity when they initially heard it.

If you think that you would be willing to sacrifice 5-10 hours per week building a business for yourself, that will last a lifetime, feel free to contact me by email or phone.

Filed Under: Business

March 2010

April 1, 2010 By Andrew Leave a Comment

March of this year has been a mixed sort of month, much like any other month that I generally have. There are ups, and there are downs, and there are times that excite me, and times that depress me. I guess that is just life in general, and that is the way it will always be.

The Highs

Some of these might not sound like much, but they are achievements in the pathway of life and business, and must be achieved before much larger targets are achieved.

  • Mel’s friend Karna signed up to be an Amway Independent Business Owner;
  • Our Amway bonus cheque will be over $50 for the first time;
  • Attending the exciting Business Development Seminar with the BWW team.

The Lows

These are things I would love to avoid on a month by month basis, but occasionally they come up, and when they do we have to not let them knock us over.

  • Mis-communication with a client regarding a project;
  • Resurfacing of past projects unexpectedly;
  • Architects who don’t know how to say no to their clients.

I know some of these may not look good from a professional perspective, but these are just part of the facts of life, and we have to overcome these obstacles.

Filed Under: Wrap Up
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