My Inspirations: Tim Ferriss

There's not many books that I can say have honestly changed my life, perhaps only as many as I can count on one hand.  But without a doubt, 'The 4-Hour Work Week', by Tim Ferriss is definitely up there as one of the most important books I've ever read.  It opened my eyes to a whole new way to live life, the life of the 'new rich'.

Tim Ferriss is an author, entrepreneur, a cage fighter, a world record holder in tango dancing, a guest lecturer at Princeton University, an actor on a hit TV show in China, a breakdancer on MTV and countless other insane things.  His life alone is an inspiration, but in 'The 4-Hour Work Week' he tells you exactly how you can live your life as fully as he lives his.

His philosophy is simple, why would you work for someone else your whole life, making them rich, and saving what you can in a pension so that you can spend it when you're too old to do anything interesting with it?  When put like that, it seems obvious - but that is how most people spend their lives.  I for one do not intend on doing this at all.  It's a scary prospect to not conform, when that is simply 'the way it is' in many people's minds.  But it really doesn't have to be, and Tim Ferriss shows you how.

He talks about generating business systems which effectively run themselves, so that you can achieve freedom both financially and with your time.  His book is priceless, and I really couldn't recommend you buy it enough.  There's a reason why it was the NY Times #1 Bestseller.

He has now gone on to write a second book (yes, also a NY Times #1 Bestseller), called 'The 4-Hour Body'.  This book talks about the idea of 'hacking in to your body', getting the biggest results from the smallest efforts.  The tagline, 'An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman', kind of sums it up.  This book hasn't necessarily changed my life, but it is extremely interesting and useful!

Tim Ferris is definitely one of my biggest inspirations and anyone who has not tapped into his vast knowledge and advice, is missing out in a huge way.  So open your eyes and go and learn about the 'new rich'.

My Inspirations: Chris Guillebeau

From time to time I'm going to write a post about a person who has inspired me.  I fully recommend that you investigate these people, look at their website, buy their book - just learn about them because they have all had a huge impact on my life and my direction.

Today I'm going to be talking about Chris Guillebeau.  I made the decision to purchase Chris' book late last year based purely on the title, 'The Art of Non-Conformity'.  I hadn't heard about him before this, I just liked the concept of his book.  I read his book whilst on a road trip to the south of Spain in January this year, and I was glued to his unconventional perspectives and theories.  His views are both refreshing and useful, and I've taken his views on board and carry most of them around with me at all times.

Chris is a world traveler, who is now a full-time writer.  His goal in life is to try and visit every country in the world before he is 35, and to teach his unconventional methods of living and generating income to anyone who is willing to listen.  His blog is extremely successful, and he has many products that are fantastically innovative (many of which are free).

I've just finished his '279 Days to Overnight Success' eBook (which he gives away for FREE, yes - so go get it right now, at http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/overnight-success).  I read the eBook in research for this blog, and aim to implement many of his theories in the next few weeks.  It documents how to use social media to become a full-time writer, I suggest you read it if you're interested in blogging or writing in general.

I've learnt from Chris' writings to think outside the box, and not just simply accept the conformist ways that govern 99% of people on this planet.  It's good to take the path less traveled, it's good to step out of the crowd and wonder off in a different direction.