101%

Sometimes i see myself not acting at full speed, like i am some weakling, too tired to move, too stressed to think. I have my plan, i know what i need to do, but it is only a intellectual creation. I need to go further, in order to achieve success faster. I need unlimited energy, the kind of energy that is hidden behind massive motivation. And i realized, in order to have more energy, to be motivated, i need to bring emotion in my life, i need to remember how much i want, how much i need my freedom. And then i feel the familiar rush, the adrenaline kicking in, and that feeling that everything is possible.

As i was teached, Emotion = E+motion, emotion is energy in motion. It is the fuel that will bring you fastest to your goal, it is the little extra that is pushing you towards your purpose. Remember, when you are not giving it all, reconsider your point. Change your state of mind, change your brain and you will change your life.

Why I keep going?

I cannot wait this end of the month. Everything is shifting so fast around me, and i am unable to see myself where i should be one year from now. But i know this, wherever i will be, from the point of view of my financial independence journey, it will be even more amazing than today. 

Until then, i am living in the today's day, enjoying my life. The power of now. The present. It is something that could make us to live surrounded by awe. Life, by itself, is a miracle, and then even our perspective of work will change dramatically. Because at the end of the road, we see our goal, and then, when it is achieved, we will mark this in our existence as a victory, the focal point where we turned our destiny around, and we started to life a life full of fulfillment and happiness. 

Time, time and time again

I always said that the best think money can buy is not freedom, it is time, When we are financially free we are not spending our time on a job we like or not, we can do what we choose to do. So, it is freedom, but it is also time. Nothing to say, i am following my passions even now, but between work, hobbies and me time, there are days where all that is left is only time to sleep. And I sometimes tend to use it , and diminish my sleep with one hour or two if it is needed by circumstances. And i know it is not a good choice, but i really want to finish this, or that, and I trick myself into using my sleeping time for other stuff. This is one of my strongest motivation on my early retirement journey, to get enough time for me to do all that i like, and find enough of it to go and read for one hour in the park.

Keep dreaming, but the plan is set.

Have a nice weekend!
G.

Working on self-control

Trying to retire very early, or to achieve financial freedom, you will often hear references to stoics, Seneca, self control and other stuff related to this.

How to resist temptation, how to get that elusive self control that will help me to reach my goals faster than i am thinking?

You want to find out? Let's start together on this journey. First i will underline the importance of intrinsic motivation versus extrinsic motivation. If you rely on some external help, the probability to fail is higher. After this, you will need to act, to plan and stick to your plan, day by day, even if the results are not there at the beginning. To withstand to some emotional discomfort now for greater rewards later.

Adopt a set of exercises and routines to gain self control. Sleep is the most important, i would say. Set a sleeping schedule and follow it. You can also use the habit of making the bed right after you wake up. For more about making the bed habit research just google search. You will be surprised when you will read the benefits. Learn how to meditate. A lot of successful people said to me that meditation helped them to grow. Find a kind of meditation that you enjoy, and do it daily. No need to do it for hours, even 15 minutes after you wake up or before to go to sleep will give you tremendous advantage. Or maybe you are the experimental type. If meditation is not something you enjoy, try lucid dreaming as a hobby. Plan your life. Plan your month. Do not plan your day. Some researchers find that is more effective to have directions of action instead of to do lists. You can experiment here to see what work better for you. If you have some gigantic task, change it in 100 smaller ones. If you read 20 pages daily, you will still read around 30 books per year. If you write 50 pages every day, you can write a 500 pages book every 10 days. Right? Books are important, the real ones, where you can feel the pages. They have an important role in creating new inter-neuronal path and bla bla bla, giving you an edge versus Kindle like. Is about your senses, seeing versus seeing, tactile sensation, smell and so. Real books make you smarter. There is a research about this too.

Take care of yourself. Train your body to be in shape, Check what you eat, Cut extra-refined stuff, white sugar (did you tried honey, agave or maple syrup?), too much salt, heavy, fatty meat or whatever is creating you problems. Cold showers for a change, or fasting for 1-2-3 days, in order to surpass yourself and change your perspectives. You can gain a boosted immunity and more as a result.

This is a mere suggestion, you can find your own way to improve yourself and to control your excesses. I will appreciate if you can write me about your ways of doing this. Any help is well received.

Good luck and see you soon.
G.

Why you need self-control? Here you got 7 reasons.

1. You become mentally stronger.
2. You become the best imperfect version of yourself.
3. More healthy.
4. More wealthy.
5. You get things done (ability of doing).
6. More control over your urges (habits change and creation).
7. You will increase your willpower.

Random thoughts

What i read nowadays?

1. A mindset lesson from T. H. Eker. Click here
2. New side hustle. Did you ever dreamed to become a computer geek? Learn to code and pay what you want for it. Click here. Only until 1.12.2015. Almost free. One dollar per language, thanks to Project Hope.
3. Some quote that stuck in my mind: ,“Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.” (Ayn Rand)
4. Today dilemma: As i need to invest some money at the end of December, should i just buy some Bitcoin, as just reached the low point, or not? (The good news here is that finally Visa did something to facilitate the use of Bitcoin - click here. The bad news is that the card is available only in US.)

Why do you want to become financial independent?

It is a 'freedom from' or a 'freedom to'? Think about your motivation. And listen to this interesting podcast to find more about. That all for today.

See you soon
G.

Victory

Seems that i had a big bunch of expenses this month, but i also saved quite well. And as a personal achievement, i just invested half of my planned holiday expenses in a short term project, thinking that i will just take the money if i needed. Seems that i am so driven to achieve my financial independence, that i managed to use only half of my holiday expenses, doing all that i wanted to do, and i still got half of the money in my accounts.
Conclusion: It is always room for improvement. Funny enough, when i went to my holiday, i was worried i could not have enough money.

P.S. 20% of unexpected expenses, also covered from my 50% of the initial sum. Clap-clap!

P.S.II  If you are quite bored and want to listen something funny (and maybe learn something new) you got one link here, working for the next 6 days.