Kia Ora guys and welcome back to another post from Maori Millionaire. Our Maori Millionaire whanau is growing and it's awesome to see. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll have seen our korero and discussions on the relationship between university and wealth. There was a general consensus that university is not required in order to build wealth. It's interesting to me because society begs year 13's to go to University and you're deemed as 'lesser' or not as 'academic' by choosing not to. But, the interesting thing about this is that there are so many different 'successful' people who did not go to University! Bill gates for one did not go to university yet he has published many top tier books, businesses, and ideas. Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook dropped out of HARVARD... Steve Jobs (creator of Apple), Alicia Keys (do I even need to say what she does?) - these people didn't go to college / University. So, why are there so many successful people who did not go to university? Why is it that with this knowledge we still encourage youth to go to university? Why are we manipulating and pressuring teens in to forking out sometimes 5 or 6 digit student loans for a degree in something which they aren't even really sure if they want to pursue?
I ask myself these questions all the time. Ironically, I'm writing this blog post from my uni dorm. I'm studying a Bachelor of Laws. Despite my knowledge that university will not create wealth, I'm not here for just wealth. I'm here because in order to change the system, you need to understand it.
What relevance does any of this have to the book 'Your Money or Your Life'? I'll explain...
You can purchase the book here: https://amzn.to/3u8ta5u ( Disclaimer: I receive a commission if you purchase the book through this link).
Page 3 has this quote which rings true for me and other people I've talked to about this:
Even though some people really like their jobs, very few of us can say with honesty that our work lives are perfect.
The chapter goes on to discuss the idea that 'We aren't making a living, We are making a Dying'.
For so many working people, however, from people who love their work to those who barely tolerate their jobs, there seems to be no real choice between their money and their lives. What they do for money dominates their waking hours, and life is what can be fit in to the scant remaining time.
My response to this is that YES! YES! YES! Full time work, 9:00am - 5:00pm leaves you the night and 2 days a week for you. And, that's if you're not exhausted from the 9-5. Whilst working full time in the summer, I found exactly this. You have no time to go to the bank because you are at work. The 2 days off each week - the bank is closed. It's crazy because I spent 4 odd months working full time and seeing how adults operate, some for 40 odd years... I had to be ultra organized just to make sure my washing was being done, floor was being vacuumed. 'Is this life?' I often thought... Like is this what I'm destined for? Being busy 24/7, working 9-5, tired 5-9?
It's crazy to think that this lifestyle is normalized worldwide. But, it's obvious it isn't working for so many people. Why? Just take a minute and google 'health problems on the rise' 'mental health problems killing adults'... Monday mornings or Sunday nights is the most common time for heart attacks to occur due to the stress of the working week starting, again. September 1 has the highest rate of suicides in Asia as this is when their exam results come out. People are literally dying because of the social norms which we feel obliged to obey.
Aaaaand, what do we have to show for it? For all this work? For busting our ass at these jobs we so desperately need? A house? Most times not, many 9-5 workers can't even afford to purchase their own home. They're busting their ass at work and can't even buy a home to call their own.
But hey, at least we have the weekend right!! 2 days a week which we can live it up, sleep in, chill, finally get to the washing that's been sitting around...
No!!
No!!
No!!
No! - A thousand times over. I'm not keen for that. I want more for this life, for my kids, for my whanau, for us, for people. We weren't put on this earth to just hustle. We weren't put here to go to school for 13 years, uni for 3 more, then work for 40 years until you retire at 65. Add some kids in, a marriage that may or may not fail. Travel once a year, visit family around the same frequency... Then, live off your pension and kiwi saver for the last 20 odd years before you 'die peacefully at home'.
Why can't we change the social norms and start LIVING?
Your Money or Your Life talks exactly about this.
YMOYL (Your Money or Your Life) is NOT:
a get rich quick scheme. good things take time.
A pyramid scheme. This book isn't selling you a 'Become a millionaire in just 6 weeks' course.
A scam.
It is:
A book to get those cogs turning. Get you thinking about what shit means.
I have the book. I love it. Buy yours here:
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