I just finished chatting on Skype with another SFM member. Our conversation covered a couple of things which I think are worth Sharing: 

1.The power of masterminding with others on the same path

2.The madness of the 9-5 regime.

Our chat today was a great example of the first. We originally wanted to help each other out with a couple of specifics - I wanted to get some help with marketing on Youtube. He has done more of this than I have so far. He wanted some tips on making videos - which I’ve done more of than he has. 

Being able to connect this way when you work from home (or anywhere) is  one of the best things about the community based style of SFM. 

We also had an enjoyable, general chin wag and a few laughs - Business has to be fun too after all ! 

On the 9-5 thing: My friend has completed a PHD recently and went straight into a 9-5 in the the oil and gas industry. He hated it and took the bold step of chucking the job when he discovered SFM. 

He just realised it was a better use of his intelligence, skills and that it would give him a much better chance of reaching his life goals. 

I’m from a corporate background within the audio visual industry. I didn’t exactly hate it but I yearned for something more and I sure hated the hours. In the end the decision was made for me when like many of my colleagues, I was laid off. 

But both of us agreed that the idea of your results, successes and achievements being in direct proportion to the number of hours spent working - exchanging time for money - is nonsense. 

That becomes very clear when you get into to the online world. Often your best results come in when you’re asleep or not actually working. They are the result of work you did when you were feeling ultra inspired, energetic and focussed. 

Sometimes those results come in weeks or months later.

So the idea of attempting to churn out work day in and day out from 9-5 is really nonsense. The times during those endless hours that you are really “in your flame” are few and far between.

In our modern times it’s much more sensible to work smarter. To work on your financial intelligence as Robert Kiyosaki says.

“Jobs are stupid” - as Stuart Ross says. 

In the 9-5 model you just grind it out for a “guaranteed” paycheck every month - even though that probably won’t change much year on year. (and could disappear at any time depending on the economy or on advances in technology which could make your job obsolete) 

In the online world you work smarter. You work when you are “in your flame” - when your at your best. You work on yourself to make those times even better and maybe a little more often.

The point is that it’s NOT about sitting in front of computer all day, day in and day out. In the internet world that’s just not necessary or good. 

Some times it’s just not a work day - and that is fine. When you have websites, advertising, videos, blogs and social media working for you - whether you are around or not - You need to and are able to switch off when you need to. 

Both my friend and I remember living for Friday nights when we were 9-5 ers. We both remember heading straight to the pub on those Friday nights with work mates and sinking far too many drinks. 

We remember waking up on Saturday afternoons, hungover and with pockets full of small change. 

Of course we were both younger then and nowadays we’d far rather spend that money on investing in ourselves whether that be training, personal development or something that will help grow our online businesses. 

One final point. My friend is now extremely passionate about reaching out to young people who are thinking of heading in to further education when they leave school as he did. 

He wants to encourage them to look at alternatives - What is the point he says, in spending more years and a ton of money in order to get a 9-5 job in an industry that probably won’t exist 5 or 10 years from now? 

Much better to invest in a real world education that will equip them with cast iron, modern skills that will enable them to be financially independent for the foreseeable future. 

I agree - and we both agree that SFM is the best way to get there - He’s got a PHD after all - he IS the sharpest tool in the box! 

This is where you need to be! 

See you later