I’m going to share with you the best piece of advice that I’ve received, and it’s what motivates me to keep striving for success. There’s a lot more to learn, but this is the quote that drives me:

“I’d rather live for a few years like most people won’t, to live the rest of my life like most people can’t.”

I heard this quote from a very wealthy presenter in my Entrepreneurship Lecture Series class back at school. It’s probably the one thing that I remember most from my five years in college (certainly not the things from my engineering classes).

Unlike most, I plan on keeping my living expenses as low as possible. It’s far too easy to let your spending habits inflate to the level of your income.

Unlike most, I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to capitalize on in order to increase my income. It’s really easy to become complacent once you’ve landed a “good job” instead of trying to continually push yourself to become better and better.

Unlike most, I’m looking for investments that will provide cash for me to live on. It’s easy to take your paycheck and look for the new car you always wanted, or take the vacation you say you deserve.

I could go on, but there’s a pattern here. I’m not advocating a lifestyle of deprivation, but one of carefully considered priorities. I can be just as happy on a picnic with my wife or watching a movie at home with her as I could be at an upscale restaurant or in a movie theater. I find happiness in spending time with those around me that I care about. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing. It’s the time that matters. That’s why “I’d rather live for a few years like most people won’t”. I want to secure for myself what most people can’t have. And that’s “time freedom”.

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