Every week I talk to people who are interested in making the move abroad for various reasons. Some are bored and tired of the corporate rat race; some are looking for love in all the right places. Others are disgusted with the state of economic affairs in the US and just looking for a new place to plant the residency flag.
With few exceptions though, they all face the same challenge – how to make money in a foreign land. There are certainly many other details to attend to, but ultimately you must first solve the problem of earning a living. The other issues tend to just work themselves out.
Exiting the rat race is just a ‘pie in the sky’ dream for many. They don’t understand there is more than one way to live your life.
They buy into the typical concept of; go to school, get your degree, get a good job, save 10% of your income, invest in mutual funds in your 401k, and retire in 40 years to a life of luxury. Sounds awesome don’t it?
Bullshit.
You don’t need to be one of the sheeple. Exit the rat race. Live the life you dreamed about as a kid. Just because your parents and teachers tell you it is a childish dream don’t mean there aren’t people out there living their life in exactly the way they chose.
Honestly, do you enjoy getting up at 6am then sitting in traffic for 45 minutes or more only to arrive at a job you hate for 8-10 hours, then drive 45 minutes home again? Do you really enjoy letting someone else raise your kids and miss out on the most precious moments? Your child won’t be 3 forever.
Or would you rather travel the world and live in exotic locations? Maybe you would prefer to buy some mountain land and live in a secluded cabin? Would you like to work from your laptop a few hours per week sitting in your beachfront condo in Thailand? Each of these can be options for you, but only if you learn to exit the rat race.
I am going to make 2 book recommendations for you today. The first one is written by a friend of mine, MJ. MJ listened to his parents and went to college like a good boy. But after college he refused to settle into the corporate life and instead began his entrepreneurial adventure.
With failure after failure he followed the teachings of many get-rich-quick gurus only to watch the years slip by with no success to show for the effort. At the same time his college buddies were moving on with their careers at insurance companies and banks; buying their first condos and leasing their BMW’s.
Finally MJ started a business that began slowly and then grew exponentially. I won’t tell you his life story, but to summarize he retired in his 30’s with millions and a passive annual income that most people wouldn’t earn in decades of slave…I mean wage labor.
The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime
I read the book on Kindle, but paperback is also available. I rarely recommend books, but this is one you should really put on your ‘to-read’ list.
The second book I want to recommend was also written by a friend of mine – Grandpa (he sticks with this because he really likes his privacy). This book is a very detailed how-to guide for creating business opportunities that can be taken advantage of from anywhere in the world.
More than just a how-to guide though, it offers very explicit examples of opportunities and even how and where to properly structure the business for income maximization and tax minimization. I have also read this book and use several of the ideas presented in my own business endeavors with great success.
Grandpa has a much different story than MJ, but like MJ his entrepreneurial journey did not start out on the golden brick road. I can tell you that Grandpa has lived in dozens of countries and travelled the world running his businesses over the years and has experienced tremendous financial success.
Of course this is one of the secrets of wealth – listening to those that have actually achieved success doing what they teach. There are many gurus out there who have written books and given seminars about how to get rich.
The problem is that we later find out they didn’t actually achieve wealth through the same methods they profess. Their wealth was accumulated by the sales of books and seminars. I can personally attest that MJ and Grandpa do not fall into that category.
This book is considerably more expensive than MJ’s book, but it is worth it. For someone who is serious about creating wealth and passive income streams, both of these books are a must read.
Portable Trades and Occupations
If you read my article last week, “Who Can Kiss Your A$$”, you will know 2 things:
- I hate PayPal and…
- In order to create true wealth you need to stop being egocentric and provide real value to the world
Each of these books addresses the same topic, but in its own unique way. I read Grandpa’s book awhile ago, but recently read MJ’s book and the similarities are not coincidental.
Both authors correctly state that in order to create wealth, you must provide real value to your customer base. Too often people are so money focused they forget that providing value is the only way to achieve your own dreams.
Like most entrepreneurs, I have also fallen into the egocentric trap of a money first mentality. This is essentially the typical job mentality as well. Most people who are out looking for a job have little concern for what they can offer to an employer. Their only concerns are; how much will I be paid, how much vacation time do I get, and what are my benefits.
This is poor thinking. If this is you, you are destined to live a life of poverty as a wage slave.
That’s ok too though. There are always entrepreneurs out there that need to hire sheeple for the mundane tasks while they live the life they dreamed of as a kid.
What were your dreams as a kid? Are you on the path to achieving those dreams? If not, I would encourage you to pick up the books mentioned above and learn the techniques and tools from those that have accomplished what you are seeking.
In a later newsletter we will discuss the how-to’s of setting up your own virtual office. Until next time, live well.
