Get Money: 1. Quest For Filthy Lucre
If you want to make money, it’s time to stop making excuses (or stop reading this book right now and get back to the tired grind of the job world). Because what we’re gonna do is get results...
Money is the root of all evil, right? The fuck it is. It’s the system most of human society has got. We’ve had it a long time and it works pretty well despite being manipulated by criminals politicians. We can rail against capitalism. But that’ll keep us poor. To be a full-time activist, you either need to be born into money, or you need to draw welfare, and the latter will just put you in the thrall of the state, like it or not.
If we want money, we’re gonna have to go with the system we have. Accumulate as much cash and assets as we can. That way, we can do what the hell we want. Alright, some might decide to try and topple the system or save the bigger-dicked orangutan. That’s up to them. When you’ve got money, you can choose.
Me? Give me a Harley or top-end BMW and I’m happy. Yeah, I’m a petrol head. But mostly it’s about freedom. Being able to hit the road whenever I choose.
And you know what? The whole reason I got myself out of excruciating poverty and into making cash was the idea of freedom. Every dollar (pound, yen or ruble) is really a “freedom ticket.” Each one buys you an increment of freedom. The more freedom tickets you have, the more free time you have. It’s as simple as that.
What you do with that freedom is up to you. You might wanna kickback and relax; or you might opt to work more, and make even more cash. The point is, you have the choice.
“My most basic credo is: I never said freedom was cheap. And it ain’t. Never will be. It’s been the highest priced and most precious commodity in my life.”
Sonny Barger (b. 1938), founder of the Oakland, California, chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club
Without money, your options are always limited. Even travelling a hundred miles to the next city demands you have cash for fuel, or for a bus or train ticket. If you ain’t got the greenbacks you can’t do it. Long ago you could have walked; now you’d just get run down by some texting dumbass on the highway. But even had you walked, you’d need money for food to keep your energy up.
There’s no escaping it, you need filthy lucre to operate.
So how do you go about getting it? Well, the first key is to stop feeling sorry for yourself if you don’t have money. Why? Because it’s your own damn fault. You need to wake up, get some focus and get your life in order.
“Oh, but I had such a terrible childhood and that’s why I can’t make money,” you say. Excuses, baby, excuses. You gotta put your past behind you. Create a new self.
“But the time isn’t right,” you whine. No time is the right time. Get to it. The time is NOW!
There are endless excuses. Usually it’s down to sheer laziness, or wanting somebody to do it all for you. Which case you need to win the lottery. Good luck with that.
No, the key to money is deciding to get some, and meaning it. It’s will power, focus and determination. And not being afraid of failing – because you will fail. But that’s not a bad thing. You’re really just experimenting, throwing things out there to see what takes. Mostly things won’t take. Accept it and move on. Eventually you’ll hit on a winner.
But how do you get will power if your will is weak?
You strengthen will by getting on with stuff. Getting on, come what may. It’s like muscle building. You don’t feel like it a lot of the time. You think, oh, just one more doughnut and a coffee, then I’ll do it. And of course picking up a doughnut from your plate and putting it into your kisser is all the powerlifting you’ll do. But if you actually get down to it and lift weights, you’ll build muscle.
It’s the same with money. You dream up ideas – literally daydream. Then note them down. Make a plan and put it into action. You build and keep building. Over time – and after more than a few failures – you’ll make money.
“During your life, never stop dreaming. No one can take away your dreams.”
Tupac Shakur/2Pac (1971-1996), American rapper, writer, and actor
Naturally, there is the issue of time. You often hear people saying, “I don’t have the time, I’ve got a full-time job.” Or, “I’ve got kids and there’s just not enough hours in the day to build my own business.”
I could sympathize. After all, having a busy management job, and kissing all those asses, along with pandering to smarmy colleagues, does take time and is often stressful.
But I don’t sympathize. If you want to do a thing, you’ll do it. Truth is you don’t – do you? You’re just a dreamer. You prefer fantasizing about what it would be like to have your own business, money and freedom. You might even go to motivational seminars pitching the idea of being your own boss. You’ll get all fired up (having paid top-dollar for your ticket) and then you’ll drift back into doing nothing. Accepting the status quo of a job.
You’ll say you have to think about your security, and that of your kids, if you have them. Paying your mortgage. Blah, blah, blah.
Listen. If you want money you gonna have to take risks. You’re gonna have to pull your finger out and work on your own things at evenings and weekends. Fuck your plastic friends who come round for dinner and get through a gallon of wine with you on a Friday night. Or your dope-head pals toking on weed from morning to night.
They’re losers and they’re holding you back. Blow ‘em out. Hang out with people that actually do stuff. People you can learn from, and hopefully you’ll return the favor and bring them value too.
If you want to make money, it’s time to stop making excuses (or stop reading this book right now and get back to the tired grind of the job world). Because what we’re gonna do is get results. Might be small at first. But once you get something working, just a little bit of self-generated revenue coming in, you’ll get the hunger to make more. This will grow to sheer determination. Nothing will stand in your way. At that point you’ll have developed will power. And the filthy lucre will begin to flow in, and you’ll know, deep down, that making money is easy. You’ll have self-belief. And that will pay you dividends.
So come on, let’s get on the money bus and ride…
Mental Money Detector
The idea behind this exercise is to get you into the money mindset – plus it’s fun. Everyday thousands of coins and banknotes are lost. Few are ever found. Why? Because people don’t look for them! But you will. Each morning, for a week, decide that you’ll find lost money, whether it’s in the street, on public transport, in stores or coffee shops, or anywhere. Keep your eyes peeled, but also let your intuition direct you. You’ll be surprised how often you happen across lost cash. Mostly it’ll be lost coins. So doing this won’t make your rich. But it will get you into the habit of keeping your eyes (and mind) open for financial opportunities.