It also drives what we do not do.

People stay stuck in a dead job because they think it is the best they can get.

People also leave jobs and jump on to entrepreneurial bandwagon because they fear not making the best use of their life’s potential.

People do not say “I love you” because they fear being rejected.

People say “I love you” because they fear regretting – not saying it at the right time – for their entire life.

People spend plastic money like crazy because they fear getting old and regret not having fun while they could.

People also save fearing that they may not have enough when they get old.

People do not go out and travel to unknown places because they fear falling ill or being robbed.

People also go out and travel because they fear not exploring and seeing the world enough.

How are you using fear – to go out or stay at home? To take action or avoid taking action?

The bigger question – is fear the best emotion to be driven by or you’d be better driven by an emotion like hope or happiness?

Feel free to share what you think in comments.

Doesn't matter how much money it is, it's a lot-of-money!

Please note that it is not easy.

Will take some work and some changes in how you spend your time.

Some risk taking, not like jumping off a cliff, but some.

If you are curious about how to do it but are hard pressed for time – here is the info in brief. It takes the age old – POWER OF COMPOUNDING and applying it to your earnings. You also need to negotiate, communicate well, let go when things do not work out, “dig your well before you are thirsty”, take help, take care of yourself and HAVE FUN.

Yes you read it right having fun is at the core of it. And you CAN AND SHOULD have fun while you work and make money.

It does not need you to be an entrepreneur, you can be in a job and get started but somewhere along the path you may need to switch gears more on that below.

If you are the kind of person who is fine with these things read on. And most important – YOU SHOULD BE WILLING TO MAKE MORE MONEY. READY… GO NOW.

——————————————————————————

I had just lost my wallet.

I was in Hyderabad for work.

Went to my bank there and requested the branch manager and his colleague to help me get a cheque book.

They were generous and helped me get it.

While it was being done, we struck a conversation and started talking about work, dreams, and life.

At one point discussion drifted to making more money.

I thought I had some insights to share about making a lot of money in comparatively smaller time frame and doing it without selling your soul.

I penned my ideas in brief and emailed it to my banker friends.

While writing that email I realized that email did not tell it all.

So I sat down to elaborate it further and share how you can increase your income 60 times in 6 years.

For the naysayers – i will only say – to each its own.

For those who believe in hard work and taking big leap of faith, GOOD LUCK.

Once you believe that it can be done, you make a start.

Let us get into details.

First look and you may find it too much to tackle.

Break it and you will find it believable and workable.

At the core is power of compounding.

If you double your income every year for 6 years, you will earn 64 times of what you made last year (at the end of 6^th year).

If you made 25,000 USD during past year, you can grow it to 1.6 million in 6 year. (An Indian reader can look at making around 8 crores in 6 years if she made 12 lakhs during past year.)

If you are struggling to reach a basic earning level then you can skip reading this. I will share how to make your first 1000 USD in a job or small business.

Points to be noted before you dig deep.

- You will have to work for this.

- Your mileage may vary – you may get to 10 times your current earnings and also 100 times. Depends on how religiously you follow it.

- It is rare that you can do it in a job.  So be ready to get into garb of an entrepreneur. Quarter of a million in a job workable. 1 million plus in a job – possible but tough. (You may in a job right now but

- I will not talk about tricks but basics.

1. Negotiate

With your boss.

Best way to negotiate is to make a list of the good work that you have done for the company you work for. Share with your boss (person responsible for raise) on a monthly. Ask if she would like you to do anything else.

(Word of caution: Funny but true. Remember if you offer your ass, you will be screwed. So think about what you offer. Promise less, deliver more always.)

If you are in a job, talk to your boss and tell her that why your salary should be raised.

Before you do prepare well.

Make a list of all good things that you have done in the past.

Show how much direct revenue your work has brought to the company.

Show if your work has created a competitive advantage for your company.

Make an attempt to help your boss shine; because when you do that your boss will grow and when she grows. You will automatically grow if you have spent time on nurturing the relationship.

For negotiations there are tons of books out there. You need to buy (think of it as investment on yourself) and read. Look up on Amazon in negotiations category and buy top 3 books.

If you run a business, then up-sell your clients for a bigger purchase.

It becomes easier if you have helped their business grow with whatever you do.

Share new things with them and tell them ways to increase their revenues.

2. Learn to communicate well.

It starts with listening.

Whenever you sit in a client meeting – listen well enough to understand the inputs. Ask questions before you leave the meeting so that you have everything you know.

Also learn to speak and write well.

Same sentence shared in a fumbled voice will have less impact than when said with poise and confidence.

Write down your thoughts. This will help you improve your writing skills.

Keep working at it.

Same goes when you are sitting with your boss.

Understand what your boss tells you. Take notes and ask during the discussion if you missed something.

If your boss or client is a lousy communicator – insist on getting inputs in written form (via email).

This will help safeguard and make sure that you deliver on what is expected of you and some more.

When you do more than what is expected of you and create wow experiences for people who work with you, you create an aura that helps you grow and earn more.

3. Leave if it is not working.

It is important to know when to quit.

When you hit a dead end it is important to turn back and find another way.

If you are in a job and your target earning for next year is USD 100,000 and the total earning of your CEO is USD 100,000 there is no way you are going to earn more than that in short term.

In such a case, join a company where the CEO makes 1 million. You will have a good shot at making USD 100,000 there.

If you have a hard time finding the salary of CEO then talk to employees at your level of work and ask them how much you make. If you are lazy – then head to Glassdoor.com and check out the average salaries in an industry. And stop being lazy

I have talked about it earlier. Fire clients – who are a drag on your energy and time.

Work with people you enjoy.

Be courageous (and commonsensical).

4. Go hunting for new opportunities when times are good.

During old times hunters used to hunt when the weather was good. And save the kill for times when weather used to be rough.

If you do the same about work and life you will be.

Work out when you are still fit.

Look for opportunities when you still have one in hand.

Do not get settled in your cushy job or the safety net of your lifestyle business (if you want to earn more money). If you are ok with what you earn now then you should not be reading this post.

Do not eat when you are full.

But if you are in business scout for more clients when you already have many. Your confidence is high in such situations and you are on a roll. It is easy to signup new ones in such a situation.

Interview for a new job when you are already have one.

Do not wait for somebody to fire you or bad industry conditions to look out for a job. (Dig your well before you get thirsty. – Harvey MacKay)

5. Go where there is light.

If you want to grow, work in an industry which is on a growth path. In such a scenario you will always have an opportunity to grow and move.

Once you are a bit settled, get in pursuit of something that less people are working on right now.

My friend James Altucher used to charge more than ten thousand dollars for a 15 page website back when having a website was a novelty.

When you are early mover in an industry, you can charge a premium. (Not all early movers succeed but those who do make big gains. So it is a risk worth taking.)

6. Dream big but be reasonable.

It is ok to dream to make a million dollars, even if you make almost nothing right now.

Create a plan and get ready to work through it – through times tough and easy.

Stick through it and show up every day.

You will not have to walk on fire to achieve this but there may be some tough days in between.

7. Enrich yourself.

This is important in all situations.

More so, if you are stuck in an industry that is not sunrise. Take time to learn about new things – to enrich you and move ahead.

I started learning to code when it was not cool to do it, and started blogging when it was not mainstream. It has helped in ways I could never imagine.

Learn something new every 3 months. Think of what you enjoy and what are the opportunities are. Then go learn it. Focus on – less theory and more doing it yourself.

Check out resources like LYNDA.com if you want to learn a lot of new things sitting at home.

8. Hire support people for your home.

People spend a ton of time buying grocery, going to a drycleaner, fixing door knob and generally running errands. Hire help to get it done.

You can spend same time being with family 100%, reading a new book, working out.

This will help you enrich yourself and create a happy family. You will be at peace and will be able to give back to work and life.

This will turn into virtuous cycle of growth and satisfaction. A sure fire way to be happy (and make money).

9. Connect and help.

Connect with 4 new people every week. Great if they are from different background.

Connect 2 people (unknown to each other) and suggest how they can help each other. Do it 3 times a week. This will create positive karma and it will come back to you.

10. Take care of your well being.

A fit person is a productive person.

For God sake, do not be fit like the CEO who looked in great shape, and hit the treadmill every morning after barely sleeping for 4 hours every night. One fine morning he collapsed while working out on the treadmill never to get up again. He was 40.

Sleep well, eat well (not too much) and exercise regularly.

½ hour spent of your body – will make other 23½ fun and productive. Take time out to exercise.

Only a fool complains of not having any time for exercise, and needs to know that ½ hour spent on exercise will bring more clarity and higher energy levels.

You can do more in less time when you exercise.

11. Take off from work.

Do you come to work before everyone else does and you leave after everyone else leaves the workplace?

Then you suffer from time waster’s syndrome.( I just coined this term for people who are always at work and then they bring work home. This is a sure fire recipe to kill yourself and your relationships over a period of time)

Such an attitude and lifestyle makes you seen as who is available all the time.

You need to change this perception. This is done by adhering to a fixed work schedule.

A fixed work schedule (9 to 5) may not be fashionable – but it works wonders.

Arriving early is good but in that case finish your work, be super productive and leave early. If you work for a boss that needs you to stay back for long, you need to change your job.

Spend your evening working out, spending time with family and friends. Read, watch a new movie, go out for a concert or just sleep early so that your batteries are fully recharged for the next day.

Do not get into the habit of replying to emails really late in night. This will make people expect a response from you they send you late at night and also to those that they send you at night.

Take a look at 4×4 on ways to be more productive.

When you work to a fixed schedule and work smart – you can be more productive than average Joe by working on a fixed schedule.

Also take breaks – long ones if it works out. This will help people around your appreciate your presence.

Smart workers take breaks.

People miss you when you are not around. Nice people are missed even more. So be nice to those around you and take breaks.

A person worth missing is – one who leaves a mark and makes things work when she is around. Try and be that person and then take breaks.

Make people want more of you and then give it to them.

So these were 11 points to help you increase your income 60 times in 6 years.

Enough reading – get to doing.

BONUS TIP: This year, help 10 people increase their earning and create a better life. You can start by emailing this post to your friends.  Share on Facebook or twitter if you like. Stumble if that works for you.

Good for you as you create good karma and good life for yourself.

Thanks for spreading the word. I LOVE YOU.

If you liked this post, you should follow me.

Photo by Noah Wesley.

- Log on to Twitter or Facebook to add to or consume what your friends have been up to

- Engage in mindless gossip

- Waste time thinking about your goals, projects rather than doing something about it

- Move into a new project without finishing the one at hand

Think about your dreams and work that needs to be done.

Think about what have you done today that will take your closer to your dreams and finish what is important. If you have done nothing then do not log into Facebook, Twitter or Farmville and whatever your favorite time-kill is. Postpone it for a while. For a change, do without long hours of thinking and take action.

• If you do it today, you will end your day more satisfied.
• Do it for a month and be happy with your progress.
• Do it for a year, day after day; and you will be amazed by your accomplishments.

Take a chance and do it. You will not know until you put it in practice.

Finally, stop reading this blog NOW only then you will be able to focus on what is important.

Image Credits

bus-stuck-in-snow

When you start work on a project – there are 4 possible outcomes.

1. It turns out the way you want

2. It turns out better than you want

3. It does not turn out the way you want

4. It turns out worse than you want – meaning you are not able to finish it (Here are some ideas for finishing things you start)

When you finish it in line or better than your expectations then it is time to celebrate.

If it does not turn out the way you want then here is what you can do.

1. Accept.

Accept that it is over. There is no point being the mouse that goes back again and again to the same spot thinking that the piece of cheese is still there. If you are collaborating with someone then opt out graciously if required. If you are in a job and have been given a boot – no point bad mouthing people involved, if you can help it. Just move on.

2. Analyse.

When you do a project your strengths come to the fore so does areas where you need to improve. Ask why it didn’t work out the way it should have. Also think about what worked.

It is possible that you make some mistakes on the path. see and note what they were.

3. Look at options ahead.

Life does not end with a project – whatever small or big – not working out.

Look at your options. Are there opportunities that are already waiting for you and you did not pay attention to.

You may need to dig the well and find out a new opportunity. You may need to work on getting new clients, start work on new software or hunt for a new job.

Always keep in touch with interesting people that you meet during the course of the project.

4. Savour your learnings and find ways to leverage them.

Any failed project is not without learning. You will end up improving your collaboration skills, communication skills, writing, or speaking. You may make new connections or get insights about new areas.

During a recent project I interviewed entrepreneurs from different background and captured these interviews on video. Now I am using this experience to launch a new project.

5. Learn from your mistakes and take a vow not to repeat them.

One should learn from mistakes and not repeat them, and do not curse yourself for making them. If you go out on the road, you will find traffic. If you take on something big you will make mistakes. It is part of the game. So take on big things, make more mistakes, and make things happen.

6. Take a break and re-align your priorities.

It is good to take a small break – and do what you have been putting off – during the project. Go meet friends, spend time with family. Do what you love doing.

While you are working on anything keep building your platform – more so if opportunities come your way through your platform.

7. Celebrate.

This may sound counter intuitive but it makes sense to celebrate even when you make mistakes. If you become gloomy then you will not be not be able focus on things on hand.

If you think about it, life is made up of small things, projects – some will work, some will not. Then why bother too much.

Whatever be the case, try and be happy always and make celebration part of every day of your life. Then you will be able to live a fuller life. There is no other way it should be.

Photo Credits

People, who are just getting back from a holiday, will have a lot of catching up to do. They need to check on pending communications, put plans in actions, and wish people they know.

I hope you are refreshed after a long-short holiday and there is serenity all around you. You came back, got in the flow and already started shipping remarkable stuff. If this is the scenario then I am happy for you.

What if the scene is like this?

You came back from holiday, thinking about work that you have to do. As soon you reached your workspace you found tons of emails to respond to; a report that you need to work on; more pending work that you left incomplete rushing into holidays. There are also some calls that you need to return. There is a total of a week’s work to be finished in 2-3 days.

If this is case then not need to worry too much; explore ideas below and work it out.

1. Stop for a minute and realize that you cannot do all – email, phone, reports, meetings all at one go. This will help you be at ease.
2. Even if you enter office late do not head into email, facebook or your favorite social application first. If you are already logged in then disconnect.
3. Just pick a pen and make a note of 3-5 items to finish in the day.
4. Connect to the web, open email client and see if there are some action items there. Just take a look for 5 minutes, download any important input and then disconnect. This is just for the day you are back from holiday. For regular days stick to – no web till midday practice.  
5. Delegate tasks. If you are in a situation where work cannot be delegated then ask a friend to help who is comparatively relaxed.
6. Commit to stay off connectivity for next 4 hours and work on tasks from your list.
7. Work from urgent to important while tackling your task list.  On regular days stick to important 1^st and urgent later practice. Better finish one –most important task of the day within 3 hours of waking up.
8. Around lunchtime take a good 30 minutes break – go for a walk – return some calls (important) during these 30 minutes.
9. When you connect to web, set you status on chat as busy (if you use messenger at work)
10. Keep room for 5 short (2 to 5 minute) calls while you work on email, rest take them and suggest calling later.
11. If some work remains then sleep and start early for next couple of days. Stick to no web till midday practice.

Now as your work is settled let us move to bigger things.

I wish from the core that you do something remarkable; make an impact in 2011 and move ahead by leaps and bounds.

How to do it?

For starters, commit yourself to excellence for next 30 days. Focus on output and not on the hours that you spend working.

Do what you wanted to do last year or wanted to do always. Work towards it for next 30 days every day and do it the best you can – and before you know you would have made a great start to 2012.

Even if you did not review or plan in detail that is all ok. Just move in a more fluid way working on day to day basis in the direction of your dreams.

To a great start and continued success.

What do you have to say?

Image Credits

5 words for 2012

Every year I decide on 5 words as my guideposts.

In 2011, these 5 words were minimize, ship, love, act and help.

Life changes – with it perspectives and goals. My goals for 2012 are different than 2011 – so are my 5 words.

In 2012 the words that I plan to live by are – simplify, celebrate, new, move and scale.

Read on for details.

1. Simplify.

Simplify the way I live.

Simplify the way I run (and build) my business(es).

Opt for a distributed work model, that allows freedom for me and people I work with. Only work with customers and associates who are cool with this approach. To rest – say goodbye, love them still.

2. Celebrate

Celebrate each of 366 days in 2012.

I plan to do this;

By engaging in meaningful action.

And to enjoy everything I do. If I do not enjoy something, I don’t do it as simple as that.

It also includes doing nothing at times and enjoying such moments. I will begin with doing nothing for two full days every month and enjoy just lazing around.

By moving away from screen/s.

For our generation it is more important because we can be glued to our screens and still think that we are living life to the fullest.

With Facebook and Twitter to some degree, taking over the lives of normal people it is important to remind yourself that real life is lived outside cubicles and away from digital screens (laptop, mobile, iPad).

By asking one important question.

Am I happy? If the answer is negative, do what it takes to be joyful and centred.

By working less.

Work for lesser number of hours than I have been working in 2011.

I will do this by practicing 4 x 4 and working to a schedule.

I do not count writing as work – so less work will mean more writing for me.

I also plan to exit or not engage in businesses than require too much of my personal time to run.

3. New

Immerse in new experiences.

Do things that I have never done in my life before.

I have always done this. But this year I plan to take this to the next level. A start has already been made in this direction.

4. Move

Move to places – old and new, with a focus on having fun and sharing.

In sync with this – i am aiming for reasonable freedom from inbox. I plan to interact over email but spend less time on other channels. I made a start in this direction in December last year.

I will instead take time to meet new people and be totally present wherever I am.

5. Scale

Move on to bigger things in life.

Play with big ideas that can make an impact.

Think about big problems facing the world – hunger, disease, poverty.

Spend my time tackling bigger challenges.

Build bigger businesses than I have built before.

–

So my plan is to get up everyday –>

- live a simple life

- do work that I enjoy, ship what needs to be shipped

- take time to be more with people who matter in my life

- travel and  take time to meet new people as well

- do the new

- and work on big things.

I wish that 2012 is year that you live with a clear purpose.

Great if you get up, live life to the fullest, do work that matters and play. Do not keep play for tomorrow, keep it for today. Live each day of your life as a festival. It is your right and you can do it.

I am sharing this with you as friend. So keep checking as the year progresses, and feel free to kick my butt, if I get lazy and don’t do it. I mean it.

Image credits

• You have fun all through the year.
• You do work that makes you come alive.
• You scale the heights that you imagine for yourself and beyond.
• You get in the best shape of your life ever.
• You make a positive difference in the lives of those around.
• You celebrate everyday of your life like a festival.
• You live the life you want and live it to the fullest, not the way world wants you to live it.
• You leave the past behind and move ahead like a warrior.
• You find the balm for any of your scars from the past – in form of love or your own courage.
• You find the purpose of your life or at least get started by starting on a parallel path.
• You take care of yourself well.
• You learn to love yourself without thinking about your shortcomings.
• You see the light in others.
• You see the light within.
• You live a life free of pretences with the carefree abandon of a child.
• You smile more and spread happiness around.

*smiles*

Here is to a super fabulous 2012 for you and the world we live in.

Send your wishes to me in comments – or – better write what more you wish for yourself in 2012 and I will say amen to that.

You are already a star. Act like it.

HAPPY 2012!!!

Image credits

Goodbye 2011, loved every moment when we were together

Year 2011 started with a thank you note.

Over the year I wrote many posts – about contributing to a publishing revolution, serious, light, personal, long, short, simple, interviewed awesome people, helped create a really inspiring eBook.

Old makes way for new, and 2011 will make way for 2012 no matter what. Still this year will be part of our lives forever.

To celebrate the end of 2011, I am happy to share my learnings with you through what I think are top posts of 2011 on this blog.

1. What every young person should know

2. The Happiness Formula

3. Do you want to travel the world? Try this!

4. Read this before you attend next conference

5. Are you falling for the fancy?

6. Solve Big Problems for Big Gains

7. How to build a start-up as a student?

8. Future of education

9. 100 things I learned as an entrepreneur

10. How to triple your productivity in 1 day

11. How to shine like a star (the longest post on this blog and my favourite)

Want more goodness then check out old posts there are hundreds of them.

Before you move on to new year read this bonus post -

How to make 2012 your best year ever.

————

You can also follow me on Twitter.

Image Credits

Rocking on the stage of life

I do a fair bit of public speaking.

As I do more of it, I realize that life is like speaking or performing on a stage in many ways.

Let us take a closer look.

Preparation and nurturing

Before the audience sees the speaker on the stage there are a lots of things that go in the background. There is communication between the host and the speaker, confirmation about schedule, venue, and topic. Then there is travel.

A good speaker prepares well by reading, researching and rehearsing.

Today you are ready to make choices and perform on the stage of life. Before this, your parents and family were responsible for nurturing your being. Your nurturing began even earlier when you came to exist in your mother’s womb.

Performance time

Finally after this nurturing, background work and preparation, you – like a speaker – get on the stage to play your role, to deliver your talk, to mesmerise the world and find meaning.

During this performance you learn a great deal about yourself, move up or down based on the choices you make and also give value to those around. Just like a speaker when she is on stage.

Like on stage, you also experience emotions – joy, satisfaction, amazement,  fulfillment, bonding, also pain, sorrow, shame and despair at times.

A good speaker learns from mistakes and moves ahead to deliver even better talks. You also get a chance to get on the stage of life when you wake up every day. It is up to you to give your best shot at making each day of your life better than the last.

How to perform well on stage of life?

Now look at how one can sail through life well – like a speaker sails through a talk.

1. Observe and learn.

We need to observe and learn from those who have mastered the art of living the life well. My love for spiritually is not hidden from you. So much that I almost became a monk.  So I get inspired by great sages and also learn from the philosophers and entrepreneurs – old and new.

In old times this used to be first hand. Now this can be done online. You can start by reading the autobiographies of people who you admire.

2. Know Yourself.

Take time to know yourself – your pain points, your reasons of joy. Think about how you reached where you are.  A good way of doing it is to share what you find. This is what I am doing right now. Sharing with you – what I have learned through these words.

In the process you will find a part of yourself which is hidden from you. Of course there are finer way of doing it, but what I shared above is a good starting point. You can start it from where you are right now.

3. Treat your body and mind well.

Know that your body and mind is the most important instrument that you will ever have in this life. With this understanding, take care of it.

Do not get worked up but sleep enough and at right time (This is a lesson I need to learn as I sleep really late at night – but i’ll get there ).

Exercise to stay fit and sharp.

When you are in good shape and in right frame of mind – you can create things, come up with ideas and make these ideas worthwhile by nurturing them with consistent action.

A speaker takes care of her body and mind – so that when her time comes, she will sound and look good on stage.

4. Find your own reason to perform and live.

A good speaker does not choose her speaking topics – based on what others are speaking about. She speaks about topics that she really cares about.

You may come across speakers and freelance writers who will claim that they can write about or speak on any topic on the earth. They are right. But it is a pain to write or speak about something that you do not care about.

Similarly it is no fun to live doing what you do not like.

You will live your life to the fullest and live up to your true potential if you do what makes you come alive.

When you do that it is easy for you to give your best shot.

5. Avoid having too many moving parts.

On the stage of life and on speaking stage avoid having too many moving parts. Keep it simple. An experienced speaker can deliver her presentation without slides and lots of gadgets. For her the story and audience are at the core, everything else is secondary. In life learn to move ahead without lots of bells and whistles.

6. Learn to keep balance.

Understand the importance of keeping a balance between fixed and fluid elements in life. A speaker uses this to improvise when faced with unexpected situations – like when during her talk, power goes off. Use this when in life you face unexpected and unwanted situations.

7. Do not hold back, give your 100%!

When you give you get also. So when a speaker gets on the stage – she not only gives, she gets also – she not only shares, she learns also.

Similarly in life you do not live only for yourself. Sure, take care of yourself well. But think about those around. Help them grow.

8. Aim for oneness.

After many years of being on stage, a speaker tends to get one with the stage – a moment comes when the topic, stage, audience in the room and the speaker become one. Similarly if you live life well, you become one with it. You feel centred and connected with the core.

That is when the magic unfolds. In moments like these you experience joy and peace. Aim for this.

For now, happy rocking on the stage of life.

Image Credits

Do more of less (Focus).

Listen to your heart and do what makes you come alive.

Move your body.

Talk to those who care.

Let go of things, people, and thoughts – that pull you down.

Have fun, life is too short to spend living like a zombie.

Ask for help, if you need it.

Give when you can, if not anything then give love and your smile.

Do not wait for 1st Jan 2012 to start doing all these. Start today. “Early bird catches the worm” is true, at least in this case.

Joy and Peace. Happy New Year 2012.

Image credits