Kevin Price, Editor at Large of The Times USA, Multi-Award winning author and journalist, and host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business show, has written a powerful book that explains to make “New Rich” books work for readers today.
Below is an excerpt from Kevin Price’s new book for The Times USA readers:
From Chapter 1
Life with the New Rich and Lifestyle Design
Tim Ferriss’s compelling book, The Four Hour Work Week does many things. It opens the reader’s mind to true, “possibility thinking,” brings new meaning to “thinking outside of the box,” and challenges every type of conventional wisdom that has held people back economically. One of my favorite concepts Ferriss introduced is the expression, “New Rich.” The book was first published in 2007, later updated and expanded in 2009. Ferriss is quick to note, however, that the book is not “revised.” Technology has changed drastically since the last update, and the information is less useful than it once was. However, with a little imagination, the reader can find new resources to replace the ones lost through mergers, acquisitions, and other changes that simply happen in business.
More importantly, new tools have been introduced to the marketplace that are even better than those in the book. In fact, I am sure the tools that are becoming available today are far beyond Ferriss’s imagination when he first wrote the book over a decade ago. In my opinion, the book should have an “annual edition.” Until that happens, Ferriss strongly suggests keeping up with all the changes by reading his Four Hour Work Week blog. This blog is a valuable resource. However, only a very small portion of the blog is devoted to updating the book. Instead, Ferriss loves to interview interesting people and discuss technology he has stumbled upon (which, often, is connected back to the book).
In the introduction to his blog, Ferriss describes the “New Rich” in very compelling terms. “For the first time, I’m going to tell you the real story. It involves a quiet subculture of people called the ‘New Rich’.”
“What does an igloo-dwelling millionaire do that a cubicle-dweller doesn’t? Follow an uncommon set of rules.” These rules are very important and autonomous. I have a whole set of rules that you will read about in this book that is different from those of Ferriss. Not better, just different. Some of my rules will be different than those you, the reader, will develop. Many of my rules can’t be replicated by most, and the same will be true with the rules you develop. For me, there is tremendous importance in the power of one person in the pursuit of the New Rich lifestyle.
“How does a lifelong blue-chip employee escape to travel the world for a month without his boss even noticing? He uses technology to hide the fact.” I would go on to say, “How does one do this without breaking the bank?” That will be covered in this book too. You will find Ferriss has no problem with being able to “hide the fact” of virtually everything in the quest of being among the New Rich, as long as it does no harm to others. Some will call this “moral flexibility” on Ferriss’s part, but it is really simply practical pragmatism that is crucial in making a New Rich life possible. I think most employers (including me), could not care less about when their staff completes tasks, as long as they are done in a timely matter. When people ask me what the first thing they should do in order to begin pursuing a New Rich lifestyle, my answer is, “How can you get out of the office?” That one step is shocking for most to hear, but is the kind of unconventional wisdom necessary to reach New Rich success. Use technology, don’t go to work, disappear from the office, and hide the fact you are doing such. Just do it.
“Gold is getting old. The New Rich (NR) are those who abandon the deferred-life plan and create luxury lifestyles in the present using the currency of the New Rich: time and mobility. This is an art and a science we will refer to as Lifestyle Design (LD).” No doubt! Because of the new technologies Ferriss is referring to, there is more competition in more areas than at any time in human history. My ability to go, round trip, from Houston to Washington DC for $46 is a direct result of the rapidly changing world in which we live. Thanks to AirBNB and other shared economy services, as well as the cheap air service I use (typically Spirit Airlines), it is typically more affordable to be wherever I want to be whenever I want to be there, rather than at home. So why not be where I want to be? The amount of travel I enjoy annually — just recently Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, New York City, Denver, DC, etc., could only be done by the mega-rich of the past. The possibilities today are unlimited, and as I write this there are others developing the next brilliant plan to make it possible for everyone to live like the super-rich of the past at a fraction of the cost.
“I’ve spent the last three years traveling among those who live in worlds currently beyond your imagination. Rather than hating reality, I’ll show you how to bend it to your will. It’s easier than it sounds. My journey from grossly overworked and severely underpaid office worker to member of the NR is at once stranger than fiction and — now that I’ve deciphered the code — simple to duplicate. There is a recipe.” On this (and in most things in his compelling book), Ferriss is absolutely right. There is a recipe, a unique formula with some slight variations to meet the objectives and goals of each person pursuing the life of the New Rich, but the major parts of them are the same. Joining the ranks of the New Rich is remarkably doable. The vast majority of the reasons people cannot achieve such prosperity or freedom are in one’s head, not in reality. Reality is what one makes it.
Over time I have evolved into a “time bender” myself, even though I did not realize that was happening until in retrospect. There were things in my business life that had to be done and that I did not want to do. I employed several tactics, some of them derived from books I have read and interviews I have had with business experts, and others I simply developed with my own imagination. Some of them were absolutely brilliant and improved the quality of my life. My business almost immediately and often profoundly improved. Other tactics were simply half-baked and had to be abandoned or risk harming my business. I became so discontent with my business and my life that I was willing to try anything to make things better. I will go into more detail on this later as I review what has and has not worked.
Want to learn more how to make books like Hour Hour Work Week and Rich Dad Poor Dad work for you? Order Kevin Price’s compelling, easy to read, and immediately implementable book today for the special price of only 99 cents.
