Galel.com ~ Galel FajardoPersonal Development, Business, and Marketing

One of the best business and lifestyle books that I’ve read is the The 4-Hour Workweekby Tim Ferriss.

If you’ve been around me any amount of time, this is a book that I love referring to. It is one of the catalysts for me to begin moving a larger percentage of my income streams to the Internet.

What readers need to understand is that The 4-Hour Workweek(4HWW) is not just a goal to attain, it’s a lifestyle. Author Tim Ferriss has adapted his lifestyle in a manner that allows him to be able to work remotely and outsource the majority of his work to Virtual Assistants on various parts of the world.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you must read this book. If you already have read it but continue with your old ways – read it again! If you’re like most, you must have a load of projects that are piling up and being neglected. Each day that passes is costing you money. Stop delaying, stop trying to be Superman – pass the work elsewhere. Go get yourself a Virtual Assistant at Get A Freelancer and start outsourcing.

I have outsourced the vast majority of my web development and search engine optimization even though it’s fun work for me to do. If you need web-related contractors, I recommend going to NamePros or DigitalPoint. You’re going to find talented people for fair wages.

One of the toughest parts of 4HWW has been the “low-information diet,” where you’re not supposed to be checking e-mail constantly, and you’re supposed to cut your news-viewing down to almost zero. As a news and political junkie, this is damn-near impossible for me. I’ve reduced my news reading to scanning The Drudge Report headlines, and signing up for Politico and CNN news alerts. At the end of the day, I can scan my Blackberry and look at any news items that came up. I also turned off the e-mail notification on my Blackberry. I am working on getting a regular schedule for checking e-mail, as right now I’m checking it “every once in a while.”

Tim Ferriss is a wealth of knowledge. One of my favorite posts on his blog is Relax Like A Pro: 5 Steps to Hacking Your Sleep. If you are an insomniac like me, you’ll find his tips helpful. I’ve done the 10-minute ice bath that he recommends, and it knocked me out so badly that I’ve been too scared to try it again. Check out the rest of Tim’s blog at: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog and follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tferriss.

I’d love to hear your feedback on the 4HWW and Tim’s Blog – I hope it makes you more productive and that you begin achieving your financial goals!

If the name Dr. Joseph Murphy sounds familiar, it’s because he is legendary for his book The Power of Your Subconscious Mind. This is a book purchase I made walking through Barnes and Noble’s “Personal Development” section next to all of the books by Napoleon Hill.

What intrigued me about this book was its focus on working on our subconscious mind – the fact that we are what we think. I also liked the fact that Dr. Murphy incorporated God into everything he taught, although I highlighted a few areas where I’d like to conduct more research. I think he took a few Bible verses out of context (that never happens, right?) to get his point across. Additionally, I think that Dr. Murphy overstates God’s desire for His children to prosper. Whether it’s my own limiting-beliefs or a lack of Biblical education on my part, I’m not sure. I’m going to do some more research before making a final judgement on what he says about God & prosperity.

I agreed with everything else that Dr. Murphy had to say about the subconscious mind, and really found several great pieces that I will refer back to often. Some notable passages:

• “Whatever we sow in our subconscious mind, we shall reap. If we sow thoughts of sickness, fear, resentment, and enmity, we shall reap these things.” (pg. 47)
• On uncertainty and doubt: “You must train your faculties of mind to look inwardly and to have faith in all things good, a joyous expectancy of the best, and to have a firm belief inscribed in your heart that Infinite Intelligence will lead you out of your difficulty and show you the way.” (pg. 57)
• On making sure that God is a part of every aspect of your life: “…stop once and for all separating the Spirit of God from the flesh and blood of the world.” (pg. 119)
• On allowing others’ negativity to affect your mind: “The average man does not own his own mind at all. It does not belong to him; it is oftentimes rules over by the rank superstitions of others.” (pg. 142)

Dr. Murphy gives powerful examples from his practice where people’s physical afflictions were being caused by deep-rooted psychological and emotional issues. While some of these examples seem “too good to be true” at times, I can definitely understand how emotional issues can manifest themselves physically.

This is a quick read, only 221 pages. It’s meant to be an “inspirational” book. There are chapter summaries in the event that you would like to go back at the end to recap, or for quick reference in the future. If you’re interested in the topic of personal development (as I am) you might find this an interesting read.