This digital era has given birth to new phenomena. One of them being the existence of small personal pyramids inside the system. You can work for yourself and break free from the pyramid. To do so, you need to break free from the mindset that confines you, because of the society you were born, raised, and educated.

One can change his or her mindset through different experiences over the years. One very good example of these experiences is how certain books can entirely change the way you think. While the best thing you can do, is reading these books1 yourself here I am sharing the lessons I have learned through them and that have played an important role in changing my mindset, pushing me into entrepreneurship, and eventually equipping me with the necessary tools to become financially independent. And let’s start with things you should start seeing differently:

1.The 8 to 5-day job was invented to give companies a sense of structure, but if you work for one, you pretty well know that you are not effectively working 9 hours/day. So what you thought it was your busy time, it can paradoxically be your lazy time. The most common form of laziness is staying busy. Filling your time with useless tasks that keep you “doing stuff” is highly inefficient. You should master the Pareto principle: Enhancing the 20% of your time that produces 80% of your financial outcome. The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule, states that for many phenomena 80% of the result comes from 20% of the effort. The principle has been named after Vilfredo Pareto—an Italian economist—who, back in 1895, noticed that about 80% of Italy’s land belonged to 20% of the country’s population. This principle is present in many fields and particularly present in business where 20% of efforts seem to yield 80% of results.

2.While you keep your daytime job, you should always be thinking about business or investment ideas. And when you think about investments keep in mind you should buy assets instead of liabilities. But first, you need to know the clear difference between the two. An asset puts money in your pocket. A liability takes money out of your pocket. Examples of assets: Cash, Investments, Inventory, Office equipment, Machinery, Real estate, Company-owned vehicles. Examples of liabilities: Bank debt, Mortgage debt, Money owed to suppliers, Wages owed, Taxes owed. Please note a common misconception: Your house and your car, are not an asset. The house you live in is not making any money, on the contrary, you are paying electricity, water, repair, and maintenance bills.”A new car loses nearly 25 percent of the price you pay for it the moment you drive it off the lot.” is an eye-opening quote from Robert Kiyosaki. Just think about it, the moment you drive away from the shop with your new car, if you suddenly decided you don’t like it anymore and want to resell, you would not find anyone willing to buy it for more Then 75% the value you bought it. Why would he or she pay the full price to you, when they can get it straight from the shop?

3.Never stop dreaming no matter how big or expensive your dreams are. Instead of flat-thinking “If I were rich….”, you should ask yourself “HOW can I afford this?”- This will promote thinking, excitement, initiatives.

4.The first obstacle holding you from pursuing your dreams or business ideas is being subjected to peer pressure. STOP letting anyone say or affect your thoughts on what should you own or do to be happy or to keep up with the society you live in. This is certainly difficult but just think about it. At the end of the day, you are on your own. Your dreams are the only ones that are there for you, don’t betray you, don’t disappoint you. Try to be a little selfish in this regard.

5.Master the art of dropping things and learn from failures. If you start something but quickly realize it is not going to work, don’t drag it around, just because you started it. It will cost you money, energy, and mental well-being. Drop it and move on.

6.Create a creative space, follow hobbies, and have experiences that trigger abstract and creative thought. Maybe you work long hours, and are also trying to make some extra income. You are short of time, but why are you doing all this? You deserve and NEED to have some alone time, to clear up your thoughts. Take a drink and go alone in a quiet place, a field, a river, the Cafe at the corner of the street if that works for you. Take a notebook and a pen, and write down your thoughts, your ideas. Even such a simple act can play a big role in the way you see your life. It can be enough for you to write down the right idea that will work for you. Look online for home office or simply office design ideas in coherence with feng shui. 2

One excellent example would be this:

7.Think big, work even bigger. Most people are average and have average ambitions. Aim high where competition is lower.

8.You should financially train yourself to recognize opportunities. Continuously ask “How can I make money out of this?” You have to switch your brain on scanning for unfulfilled needs.

Keep thinking and asking more from yourself. Write down your ideas and plan ahead. Try new things. You may fail many times, but just remember: You only have to succeed once.

  1. My favorites are ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ by Robert T. Kiyosaki, The 4-hour workweek by Tim Ferris, How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
  2. Feng shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy that seeks to find balance and harmony between elements. In design, it is about positioning different elements to optimize “Chi,” or energy. The term is comprised of two words: “feng,” meaning wind, and “Shui” meaning water. It emphasizes making the person(working in this case) open, positive, and fruitful while optimizing the flow of energy.