Hi guys. My name is Matias Andres, and I am a 38-year-old Chilean Swede living in Cambodia.
Last month, I accepted a part-time job at a local school because I needed the money to purchase a ticket to the US to meet my wife. I already have a demanding full-time job, and I still opted for an additional four hours to my workload, basically putting me to work between 8 AM to 10 PM, waking up even earlier to walk the dogs and get some reading in before work.
I took the job because I just couldn't see any other way of "easily" making the money I needed to buy the flight ticket and add to my savings to give something fun for my wife´s 30th birthday. Needless to say, that month SUCKED because I was not able to do anything else besides working and recovering after my long days. I enjoy long runs and exercise, but I couldn't do any of it because I was so wrecked at the end of the day. Unfortunately, I also went back to smoking and drinking, just to take the edge off my situation.
Funny enough, while working at the school, I met this 13-year-old who asked me many questions after he found out that I was a business owner. I own a retail shop selling combat sports equipment, and I am also the co-founder of a clothing brand, but neither makes enough money for me to quit my day job as a combat sports writer.
Yes, besides the above-mentioned, I also try to juggle these two businesses with whatever little time I have left, which is usually none. I am constantly exhausted and drained, and I very rarely have time to recover and/or spend time doing things that I enjoy, and when I do, I am constantly in my head feeling bad that I am not making money.
I live pretty comfortably, and I work with what used to be my passions (combat sports + writing), but I am just not happy thinking that this is it. I want to write fiction, but it's challenging to have the time or energy after long days, and I again get the feeling that it would be better if I wrote something that guaranteed me money instead of writing stories. Maybe I am just making up excuses.
Well. This kid asked me if I had read a couple of books. One was Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which I read and enjoyed quite a lot. The other was Millionaire Fastlane , which I had not heard about. The librarian overheard us and ordered a copy for me, and I started reading it the same day. Wow, what an experience.
I rarely have Aha! moments, but this book spoke to me. Especially since I've been grinding for so many years and trying to be a "good guy" by living frugally and saving as much as possible. Nobody that I know knows much about business or finance, so I've invested a year or two just trying to learn the basics, reading books like The Psychology of Money, Rich Dad Poor Dad, and I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi. Making budgets, looking into investments, and living even more frugally.
Even though I enjoyed them all, I still felt lost and demotivated. I already feel pretty old, I don't have a lot of savings, and after some stress-related health issues, my savings took a big hit.
I've reached a point where I want to start a new chapter in my life, where I bring value to the world, to my family, to my wife, and to myself. Even though I am at the top of my industry, and it's quite easy money, I feel like I am wasting my time and not providing any real value to anyone. The value point is important, since I constantly see "businesses" everywhere, but I realize now that it's all about "easy money" or something that I enjoy, and not considering the value to others and the market. It's just mental masturbation.
I am looking to learn. I am looking to listen. I am looking to try and fail, and I am looking to succeed in the long term by doing, not just thinking. I want to be surrounded by people who are like-minded, and are also looking to provide value.
Thank you for listening to my TED talk
Last month, I accepted a part-time job at a local school because I needed the money to purchase a ticket to the US to meet my wife. I already have a demanding full-time job, and I still opted for an additional four hours to my workload, basically putting me to work between 8 AM to 10 PM, waking up even earlier to walk the dogs and get some reading in before work.
I took the job because I just couldn't see any other way of "easily" making the money I needed to buy the flight ticket and add to my savings to give something fun for my wife´s 30th birthday. Needless to say, that month SUCKED because I was not able to do anything else besides working and recovering after my long days. I enjoy long runs and exercise, but I couldn't do any of it because I was so wrecked at the end of the day. Unfortunately, I also went back to smoking and drinking, just to take the edge off my situation.
Funny enough, while working at the school, I met this 13-year-old who asked me many questions after he found out that I was a business owner. I own a retail shop selling combat sports equipment, and I am also the co-founder of a clothing brand, but neither makes enough money for me to quit my day job as a combat sports writer.
Yes, besides the above-mentioned, I also try to juggle these two businesses with whatever little time I have left, which is usually none. I am constantly exhausted and drained, and I very rarely have time to recover and/or spend time doing things that I enjoy, and when I do, I am constantly in my head feeling bad that I am not making money.
I live pretty comfortably, and I work with what used to be my passions (combat sports + writing), but I am just not happy thinking that this is it. I want to write fiction, but it's challenging to have the time or energy after long days, and I again get the feeling that it would be better if I wrote something that guaranteed me money instead of writing stories. Maybe I am just making up excuses.
Well. This kid asked me if I had read a couple of books. One was Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which I read and enjoyed quite a lot. The other was Millionaire Fastlane , which I had not heard about. The librarian overheard us and ordered a copy for me, and I started reading it the same day. Wow, what an experience.
I rarely have Aha! moments, but this book spoke to me. Especially since I've been grinding for so many years and trying to be a "good guy" by living frugally and saving as much as possible. Nobody that I know knows much about business or finance, so I've invested a year or two just trying to learn the basics, reading books like The Psychology of Money, Rich Dad Poor Dad, and I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi. Making budgets, looking into investments, and living even more frugally.
Even though I enjoyed them all, I still felt lost and demotivated. I already feel pretty old, I don't have a lot of savings, and after some stress-related health issues, my savings took a big hit.
I've reached a point where I want to start a new chapter in my life, where I bring value to the world, to my family, to my wife, and to myself. Even though I am at the top of my industry, and it's quite easy money, I feel like I am wasting my time and not providing any real value to anyone. The value point is important, since I constantly see "businesses" everywhere, but I realize now that it's all about "easy money" or something that I enjoy, and not considering the value to others and the market. It's just mental masturbation.
I am looking to learn. I am looking to listen. I am looking to try and fail, and I am looking to succeed in the long term by doing, not just thinking. I want to be surrounded by people who are like-minded, and are also looking to provide value.
Thank you for listening to my TED talk
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