I will show you the way to happiness and success. A thread dedicated to the downtrodden.

While many of us are drudging by in our day-to-day life, busily working long hours just to pay bills, others are enjoying a life that is significantly more leisurely and rewarding.

Many of us view these men and women with varying emotions that range from jealousy to inspiring awe, all the while trying to figure out how they did it. While some of these powerful individuals were born into a vast empire of wealth and stability, others were not so fortunate and had to claw their way to the top.

What are the secrets of these elite group of people, which have allowed them to open all of the right doors and make all of the right decisions?

Over the course of the material below I hope to reveal some of the ideas and concepts, which have literally turned rags to riches and allowed dreams to come true. I will not delude your mind with false promises of success, or make proclamations that hold no weight; I will simply share time tested concepts and ideas that the rich follow with great success.

What are you peddling?

You may be an office worker sitting in your cubicle. The fluorescent lights overhead are buzzing with electricity. The drone of the air conditioner lulls your mind. The computer screens slowly burn your eyes as your pour over a spreadsheet – desperately trying to find an error in your calculations.

You may be a fast food worker, dropping frozen patties of cow meat into a compression grill for the hungry masses to digest later. The hot grease popping on your arms as frozen french-fries are lowered into vegetable oil. You work busily through the day, just praying not to slip on the slick floor of the kitchen. You go home at night smelling like the food you cook, only to know you have to repeat the same process tomorrow.

You may be a nurse at a nursing home, helping people change clothes or cleaning them up from an uncontrollable bowel movement. You wheel Mr. Smith into the dining area to eat, only to have his wife yell at you for the bruises on his arm from a fall earlier in the day.

You may be that old woman, yelling at a nurse about her husband’s bruises. Only to go home after your visit to a cold and lonely house, reflecting on your life and watching it all crumble before your eyes. Your children have all moved off, and you are depressed. You go to work at a grocery store, only to stand on your feeble legs for eight hours a day as you scan frozen and canned foods. The money you make goes to medication, electricity, and water. You thank God that your mortgage is paid off so you have somewhere to stay. After all, Social Security can’t even begin to pay for your expenses.

Whether you are an office worker, a servant of a fast food chain, or a nurse – you are all selling something. You are all peddling something. The irony is that you probably have no idea what you are selling. None the less, you are selling something: Time.

You are peddling your time. Time is the precious commodity that each of you own, which the superrich and elite purchase at dirt cheap prices. Most of you are forced to work harder than hell, selling your time to your employer at minimum wage – because you aren’t educated enough or you are lacking in valuable skills that make your time worth more. This is not meant as an insult. This is the truth. Look deep within your heart and you will see that this is true. But this is only an inconvenience that can be changed later. So have hope for what tomorrow brings.

The elite are not selling the same product you are. As a matter of fact, most of you are considered an asset to the company more than a living human being. You are a tally in their spreadsheet. Is the amount of money they are paying you for your time yielding a greater reward or contributing to profit? If not – you are terminated.

The elite are literally selling your time for more than they are paying you for it, which brings us to our next point.


Leverage

Leverage is a very key term that must be understood to gain success. I find it is easier to describe all things in the form of energy. For our purposes here we will define leverage as:

Leverage: Gaining a greater energetic output than energetic input.

There are several different types of leverage. Since your main commodity that you are selling is time, and time is the equivalent to money, I will be discussing leveraged income. If we apply leveraged income to the definition of leverage above, we can deduce that leveraged income means that you will gain more energy(money/time) than you put into your venture.



Examples of Leveraged Income

A prime example of leveraged income is mini-storages. Upfront there is a vast amount of time spent organizing the construction and planning involved with a mini-storage. But once it is built, you will begin accumulating money, with very little of your time/money/energy spent. Basically it is a hands off money maker. No employees – just insurance and occasional maintenance. Once the mini-storage units are paid up, you are in the money.

Another example is writing. If you spend a great deal of your time writing a book, if it be an e-book or one that you seek to get published, the rewards are very worth it. Once the book is published you will begin receiving payment or royalties from your work without any further effort from you.



Result

Now that you have seen an example of leveraged income, you should now realize that the owner of a leveraged business has a vast amount of time on their hands. With that time, said person could discover other ways to develop a leveraged income – such as a car wash, or a business that they can hire people to run for them.

In the end you will have a vast money flow and income, with minimal input by your own hands, and A LOT OF TIME. Which as we all know is potential money for you.





Liberate Yourself From Distraction

This section is critical for you, the reader, to understand.

When you get off work you are tired. You are sleepy. You want to relax. You want entertainment.

Some of you may default to television, while others my turn to online games. This is a total waist of your time. Once you have gained liberation from your 9-5, then you may rest. But you are not going to attain liberation from your job or grind until you realize that your time is money. And the more time you waist on your television or MMO, the more you will suffer for it and remain a slave.

Many of you probably complain about not having enough money, time, etc. You are selling your time to the highest bidder, and robbing yourself of your liberation.

You must become more intelligent. Learn that you are trapped by your own devices and laziness.

Take the time to learn a trade, or skill to make your time more valuable. Write a book. Invest your time into researching venture capital to startup your own business.


Summary

Are your ingenuities enough to rise above?

Do you see now how much your time is really worth – how much you are worth?

You are a beautiful being – who doesn’t deserve to be treated as an asset.

Strive to rise. Strive to overcome. Use your mind, and push your will – and you will dwell in illumination.


With Love and good will,

~Matthew

many of us know this already but thank you for

1) Taking the time to put it in writing.
2) Putting it so well and eloquently

Trouble is that a large percentage of people (not all) who break out of their confinement turn into the very exploiters and oppressors that they have broken free from.
Great thread though.
S&F4U

Originally posted by HumansEh
many of us know this already but thank you for

1) Taking the time to put it in writing.
2) Putting it so well and eloquently

Trouble is that a large percentage of people (not all) who break out of their confinement turn into the very exploiters and oppressors that they have broken free from.
Great thread though.
S&F4U

Thank you for your compliment - it is much appriciated.

I felt the need to post this because I think some people may not know just how much their time is worth. Or the relationship between their time and money.

My main objective was to be an inspiration to those who are seeking answers for a way out - or needing a little bit of encouragement or hope in their life.

Originally posted by HumansEh
many of us know this already but thank you for

1) Taking the time to put it in writing.
2) Putting it so well and eloquently

Trouble is that a large percentage of people (not all) who break out of their confinement turn into the very exploiters and oppressors that they have broken free from.
Great thread though.
S&F4U

My thoughts exactly, many thanks to both of you on being concise. Being a person who has only seen the effects of being employed by others leads me to these conclusions you both mentioned.
@MentorsRiddle
In the past we have had working seasons and the rest of the time we have found ways to be productive for ourselves and our needs. Now we are busy most of the day working and in order to create more value for our time spend the rest on studying. Strange days when we have a technical society with a surplus of work yet that work is so concentrated on individuals who work overtime and are compensated with just enough to keep them coming back to work the next day. At the same time we have individuals who are unemployed and in need of money that sometimes find underemployment an option. Strange that we find ways to make the cost of manufacturing go down but the human work goes up? It would make sense that we should be working less since productivity is through the roof. HumansEh is right we are being exploited and creating a larger exploiter class is not the answer. You can't sustain this much longer, pretty soon it will be too expensive to be alive.
I want to get an MBA, but the company I want to make will increasingly create cheaper products to the consumer. Either pay better wages or employ more people for less hours. And if it makes it this far, become a real non-profit where the money we make and the costs of employment, research and development equal each other. Call me crazy but this is what the future will look like.
I feel like making a separate thread about this because I am serious about making this happen. Thoughts?

Originally posted by Emeraldous

Originally posted by HumansEh
many of us know this already but thank you for

1) Taking the time to put it in writing.
2) Putting it so well and eloquently

Trouble is that a large percentage of people (not all) who break out of their confinement turn into the very exploiters and oppressors that they have broken free from.
Great thread though.
S&F4U

My thoughts exactly, many thanks to both of you on being concise. Being a person who has only seen the effects of being employed by others leads me to these conclusions you both mentioned.
@MentorsRiddle
In the past we have had working seasons and the rest of the time we have found ways to be productive for ourselves and our needs. Now we are busy most of the day working and in order to create more value for our time spend the rest on studying. Strange days when we have a technical society with a surplus of work yet that work is so concentrated on individuals who work overtime and are compensated with just enough to keep them coming back to work the next day. At the same time we have individuals who are unemployed and in need of money that sometimes find underemployment an option. Strange that we find ways to make the cost of manufacturing go down but the human work goes up? It would make sense that we should be working less since productivity is through the roof. HumansEh is right we are being exploited and creating a larger exploiter class is not the answer. You can't sustain this much longer, pretty soon it will be too expensive to be alive.
I want to get an MBA, but the company I want to make will increasingly create cheaper products to the consumer. Either pay better wages or employ more people for less hours. And if it makes it this far, become a real non-profit where the money we make and the costs of employment, research and development equal each other. Call me crazy but this is what the future will look like.
I feel like making a separate thread about this because I am serious about making this happen. Thoughts?

I see the future as a grim thing.

If more people would realize their time is worth more, the future could change.

People need to realize how powerful they are.

They need a revolution of the mind.

I don't have much too add here right now. The OP has given me much to think about, though.

May I say, as someone for whom English is not their principal language, that I think the OP's is the best piece of writing I have seen on ATS since I came here ?

Thank you.

Originally posted by LeBombDiggity
I don't have much too add here right now. The OP has given me much to think about, though.

May I say, as someone for whom English is not their principal language, that I think the OP's is the best piece of writing I have seen on ATS since I came here ?

Thank you.

Thank you for your very kind compliment. I do not like to think of my self as vain, but that does boost my ego.

You are very welcome, and thank you for reading.

Blessings.

reply to post by MentorsRiddle


There is some truth to what you say, but obviously, it can't work for everyone. Without the" slaves" who would run the hypothetical mini storage? If everyone could do it, it wouldn't work for anyone. Also, not all endeavors are equal. I've been studying, playing, writing, and recording music for well over 20 years. I don't watch much tv at alland don't play games. Most of my spare time goes to music. I have never made a penny from it, but I put everything I've got into it. Everytime. If I had spent this much time fixing cars or studying engineering or something, im sure the monetary reward would have been much better, but that means I would have had to do something I wasn't interested in. That's not freedom either.

Originally posted by notquiteright
reply to post by MentorsRiddle

 

There is some truth to what you say, but obviously, it can't work for everyone. Without the" slaves" who would run the hypothetical mini storage? If everyone could do it, it wouldn't work for anyone. Also, not all endeavors are equal. I've been studying, playing, writing, and recording music for well over 20 years. I don't watch much tv at alland don't play games. Most of my spare time goes to music. I have never made a penny from it, but I put everything I've got into it. Everytime. If I had spent this much time fixing cars or studying engineering or something, im sure the monetary reward would have been much better, but that means I would have had to do something I wasn't interested in. That's not freedom either.

What is valuable to some, may not be as valuable to others. Especially self values, which others may not enjoy.

Great post.

Your example of writing as a leveraged income got me thinking though. Yes, the money can be helpful when you do it on the side like I do, but the most rewarding part is that I enjoy doing it and I always leave the desk a little more inelligent than I was when I first sat down.

Money is not the end all here. Being happy and satisfied with your life is.

Do I like what I do for a living? Yes. Do I like writing more? Yes. But what I do 9 to 5 pays the bills, which satisfies me. Writing is what makes me happy, keeps me level on an emotional front and makes me a little smarter in the process. It all works itself out in the end.

Do I wish I could make more money? Absolutely. We all do. But I'm not going to let it pre-occupy my thoughts either. To me, that would be the same thing as slaving away at a job I don't particularly like while wasting my "off-time" by doing things that aren't productive.

Don't get me wrong, my life could be better on a personal level and I am working on it. And that's the key right there I think. Always work to make your life a little better everyday. and in the process, if that ends up making you more money.....that's icing on the cake.

The OP is correct, its very good advice.

I still think people have to rise up and attack their oppressors before things are going to get any better, tho. Inner work is one thing, stoping people from exploiting you in the real world is something else.

on the mini-storage unit, you could hold fake "auctions" every month on empty units you didn't rent out by filling it with garbage and empty boxes like they do on that show storage wars.

Originally posted by randomname
on the mini-storage unit, you could hold fake "auctions" every month on empty units you didn't rent out by filling it with garbage and empty boxes like they do on that show storage wars.

That is a very celver idea - but not very honest

??? So your idea of "liberation" is making more money; is striving to become an elitist? Sorry, but these same people who you claim are 'so happy because their money allows them to have more leisure time', are the same people who are spending all that money on trying to become happy. Striving to make money for survival is one thing, but happiness is not found in making more money or becoming more successful, my friend. Sounds like you've been reading one of those, "100 ways to become a Millionare today!" books.

Sorry, but not really.

Originally posted by MentorsRiddle

You must become more intelligent. Learn that you are trapped by your own devices and laziness.

Take the time to learn a trade, or skill to make your time more valuable. Write a book. Invest your time into researching venture capital to startup your own business.

So basically this whole thread could be summarized with the above portion of your thread included here.

Not really earth-shattering. I think everyone KNOWS this already.

How about helping the down-trodden with advise on HOW to get these skills while juggling kids and daycare, and bills, and rent/mortgage, car expenses, insurance, food bill, energy bills, all while working three jobs and doing so with NO sleep day in and day out?

NOW, that will be a thread to really "help the down-trodden".

Originally posted by HangTheTraitors

Originally posted by MentorsRiddle

You must become more intelligent. Learn that you are trapped by your own devices and laziness.

Take the time to learn a trade, or skill to make your time more valuable. Write a book. Invest your time into researching venture capital to startup your own business.

So basically this whole thread could be summarized with the above portion of your thread included here.

Not really earth-shattering. I think everyone KNOWS this already.

How about helping the down-trodden with advise on HOW to get these skills while juggling kids and daycare, and bills, and rent/mortgage, car expenses, insurance, food bill, energy bills, all while working three jobs and doing so with NO sleep day in and day out?

NOW, that will be a thread to really "help the down-trodden".

edit on 23-3-2012 by HangTheTraitors because: (no reason given)

Exactly. That is another issue. Between work and having children, very little (if any) spare time remains for anything at all.

reply to post by notquiteright


As I have said above, my post were for those who have never thought about things from a certain perspective.

To answer your question - in time your pressure will fade. Then you can begin. The choices we have made in life can hurt us more than anything in the world.

You must ride the course of your decisions.

Originally posted by MentorsRiddle
reply to post by notquiteright

 

As I have said above, my post were for those who have never thought about things from a certain perspective.

To answer your question - in time your pressure will fade. Then you can begin. The choices we have made in life can hurt us more than anything in the world.

You must ride the course of your decisions.

I'm all for taking responsibility for ones actions/decisions, but some people had very bad and long term effect decisions made for them by parents. The OP is a nice thought, although a little fortune cookie-ish.

S&F

After about a year and a half of 60+ hour work weeks for others gain, I am dedicating the rest of the year to myself.
My hope is that I will be able to use my other outlets to keep the cash flow going...
nice advice and good wishes.
Thanks!

baka.