2 Years.....and counting !!

                                                       

This week, we completed 2 years of the launch of our first book "From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom". Since the launch, it has been an amazingly satisfying journey in which thousands of lives have been positively impacted.

The feedback from all of you during the last 2 years, via one-one sessions, seminars, blogs, social media, Whats-App and emails has been extremely overwhelming and has been one of the key reasons that has kept us motivated to scale newer heights. 
Here is a glimpse of what all we were able to achieve with your support in these 2 years...

The journey is long, but beautiful and worth every moment, when all of us are together....Read on...

She made her little contribution...Have you?

So often, we are faced with situations in life where our contribution to change things around us seem just so little, so tiny that it seems like a waste of effort. Again, it is about how we look at it. A different perspective can change things around, and give us the motivation, desire and the energy to continue to seek change.

How important it is to formally track your monthly expenses?

I overlooked monthly expense tracking for 10 years of my earning life, and am still paying a heavy price. Simple things have immense power. You may decide to ignore them at your own peril.

Credit Cards Vs Debit Cards

On the journey towards financial freedom, i strictly recommended in my book (From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom) that Debit Card is the only way for a freedom seeker. Credit Card will always lead you to spend more, even if you manage to stay out of its debt trap. At the same time, many readers came back to me asking how do we have a win-win wherein we can en cash the benefits of both the credit cards and debit cards... Read on...

5 Simple Questions you must answer (Video+)

After the webinar on 1st March 2014, which got people ruffled out of their comfort zones, this new video is creating ripples across the minds of hundreds of freedom seekers. 

This video will push you to THINK about answering 5 of the simplest, yet un answered questions of your life.

Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF)

For risk-averse investors who want to invest for their retirement, Public Provident Fund (PPF) seems to be a good choice. But considering there is a limit on the maximum amount that you can deposit in your PPF account every year, and that inflation will certainly undo part of your wealth creation effort, you need other options to augment your savings.

When will you start living your life?

The book is now gaining momentum and is now giving the first symptoms that it can very well be a best seller this year. But irrespective of how much the book sells, here is the part i like the most about the growing word of mouth. 

Amazon, Flipkart, URead run out of stock !! , Amazing Reviews for RR2FF Book

The book (RR2FF) is selling like hot cakes... amazing feedback....hundreds of registered users...so many that i am counseling.......and the sales is just a number.

Talking about numbers, Amazon, Flipkart, URead have run out of stock !! It may not be good news for the readers who want to buy the book but it is a wonderful one for the author, when a book runs out of stock at the largest retailer in the world (Amazon) and also the largest retailer (arguably) in India (Flipkart) !! 

Book now available for sale on Amazon - Kindle and Paperback editions

Ah !!

It doesn't get better than this...my vision of reaching out to as many freedom seekers as possible across the globe gets a big boost as the book is now available at Amazon. Not only that, the book is now available in both the editions - the standard paperback edition and the much awaited e book edition - the Kindle edition.

I am humbled by your feedback -THANK YOU

During the pre-launch of the book "From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom", i was circulating copies of the book to some renowned personalities and known contacts in my network so that i could get some feedback and reviews. The response was overwhelming. 

But what has truly humbled me is the response from all those "unknown" and "young" readers who are not obliged to send me any review comments, whom i do not know and who have no reason to write an email to me.

Dreams grow bigger : The Book (Rat Race to Financial Freedom) Launch mega experience

Dreams do come true... and this was one dream which i had been chasing for some time - launch of my maiden book. It has been more than 3 years since i started on this venture which finally culminated in the launch of "From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom". For sure, me and my family had a very proud and fulfilling day on 10th May 2013.

It was a jam packed and interactive audience, an inspiring chief guest speech, a supportive publisher, a first time author and GOD who made this day very special for me.

Mark your evening : Friday, 10th May 2013

Mark this evening in your calendar - Friday, the 10th of May 2013.

For what you are going to witness this evening is ultra special.

You are going to witness how a common man can break the shackles of the arrogant and stubborn rat race and achieve something that only 1% of the world's human population has ever done - Financial Freedom.

Welcome to the official book launch of "From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom" at Landmark, Gurgaon.

I Dare to Dream

John F Kennedy once said: "We need men who can dream of things that never were." 

I dared to dream.

- When everyone laughed at me being overweight as a teenager, i dared to dream to be the fittest around.

- When my school teachers and classmates made fun of me for failing in Class 9, i dared to dream to be a Gold medalist at my Engineering University.

Pre-Ordering now available for "From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom"

Are you all set to beat the rat race?

Do you have the guts to chase your dreams?

Are you ready to create a second stream of income for yourself?

Do you have the belief that you can be wealthy, really wealthy..within this life span?

Do you think that any common person can be financially free?

If you wish for any of the above but are not sure how to achieve these goals, this book is just the right starting point for you.

My maiden book's pre-launch..patience pays big time.

Robert H. Schuller once said, 

Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.

How true. There were times when it was the easiest thing to lose patience with persistent delays in the launch of my book (From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom), when most of my friend circle inquired about another "new date" that i wish to propose for the launch of my maiden book attempt. There was a stage when i started appreciating even my friends, for having the patience to keep coming back to me and asking for a new date for book launch. 

Ah !! things have changed since then !!

The Power of Simplicity

"Simple" has immense power.

Doesn't the above quote look too simple? Yes, it is. But why do we need to complicate it if it conveys the message that we want to convey. Most of us, in life, either ignore or undermine the power that simple things can bring. We either believe that such simple things cannot bring success, else everyone would have achieved it or we get satisfaction out of complicating things for ourselves.

Get your Life Vitals right - Mission, Goals and Strategy

We have been talking about the need and importance of a mission, goal and strategy to achieve anything meaningful in many of our earlier posts. I call these 3 elements as vitals of our life. Having understood the purpose of these vitals, let us now focus on how to go about creating these vitals for our own life.

My article in Outlook Money (Journey to Financial Freedom)

Efforts, done with the right intent, and done long enough, do get noticed. The key is to keep doing the efforts, and never ever give up.

I am learning all this in a very different way. Dealing with the publishing of any article in a reputed magazine or a book from a reputed publisher is never easy. Patience is the key in all such cases. A lot of my friends are keen to know the launch date of my book. For all of them, i have to plead three things : patience, patience and lots of patience. The publishing industry is very different from whichever other industry we work in.

While the book (From The Rat Race to Financial Freedom) launch may take some more time, below are the snapshots of my article on Financial Freedom that got published in the 30th October issue of Outlook Money Magazine (Page 68). 

For those who may not be aware of this magazine, it is the No. 1 Personal Finance magazine in India.

So, while you keep patience for the book launch, here is a drop from the ocean :

Cheers

Manoj Arora

Always carry a book with you

According to one of the biggest surveys carried out in US, where data was taken from all across the globe, an average human being is likely to spend 4 years commuting to and from workplace, 3 years opening junk emails, and another 6 years in one or the other queue (whether online or physical), waiting for his or her turn. This accrues to a startling 13 years of your life !!

Now, assuming that an average individuals life span is 80 years, half of which (ie 40 years) goes in doing mandatory activities of life like sleeping etc, what it effectively means is that you are spending approximately 1/3rd of your life (13 out of available 40 productive years) in an absolutely unproductive manner. When i first heard this, i was shocked. Later on, i realized that this is not surprising at all. It has been a known fact since ages that success lies within knowing such finer aspects of life, which goes unnoticed by any average human being. 

We learnt a great deal about success from such "smaller" things in life in one of our earlier posts - Big Things Will Happen By Doing Little Things Right

Given these startling facts, one of the simplest and yet the most powerful time management strategies that you can implement is to always carry your favorite book with you - whether it is a hard copy or a soft copy in your favorite palm top or MP3 player. While others are waiting in line or in traffic and complaining, you are hooked to the wisest knowledge available from across the globe and directly feeding your brain with the best of the ideas possible.

Abraham Lincoln once said : 

Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all.

That is so true. Just imagine what kind of ideas books can give you. I have an habit of always keeping one book in my bag just for that extra unproductive time. I always have some MP3 audio books or motivational speeches in my mobile, which i listen to while commuting to and from office. 

They already had a huge impact on my life. While i was going through my journey of financial freedom, i read 500+ books in less than 2 years (almost a book every day). I cannot explain you enough, the value this habit of book reading added to my journey. It is something difficult to explain but i can relate that these books helped in each phase of my journey starting from keeping my momentum going, to giving me new ideas, to even inspiring me to write a book of my own (From Rat Race to Financial Freedom). These repositories of wisdom helped me every time i was in a fix. Almost everything that i achieved in this journey is courtesy these books that i read. If you ever happen to visit my house, i would be delighted to show you a drawing room full of books. I still feel, i need more. 

As goes a famous old saying :

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.

Yet, i hardly see many people in the habit of reading good books after completing their formal education. On the other hand, all it takes is one great idea from a great book to transform your life or reshape your character.  How successful you are in your life will not be determined by how hard you work but how great you think. And what can be a better source of ideas and thinking pattern than a book well written. The person you will be 5 years from now will be determined by two primary factors: the people you associate yourself with & the books you read.

I remember playing badminton when i was 10 years old. I was just an average player. But whenever i used to get a chance to play with someone who was superior (in badminton skills) to me, i would always come up with those special smashes and drop shots that would make myself feel proud of my game. What changed when playing with a more skilled player? I was the same, my knowledge about the game was the same. It is just that i was now involved with someone better than me. This involvement just uplifted my entire game. It is precisely the same thing that happens when you read books from the greatest minds all across the globe. You will see your thinking and idea generation capacity just gets a face lift, and you start rising to a whole new level of wisdom.

Many of the wisest and most knowledgeable greats of this planet are ready to share their depth of knowledge and experience with you, through their books. Why would you not seize this opportunity? It is all up to you to reach out to the next book in your nearest book store and make a difference to your own life.

Nothing can do what a book can do. Lifts you out of your life... to a whole new world, whole new perspective. A book is like a dream you're borrowing from a friend.

Happy Reading

Cheers

Manoj Arora

14 ways to know if you are stuck in the rat-race and 1 way to come out

Many of my friends and colleagues understand that they should not be in a Rat Race for the rest of their lives. But in most cases, confusion harbingers clarity. How would any of them know whether they are on the right path in their life or they are also a part of this dreaded and mindless rat race?

The irony is that most of them are in the rat race and don't even know this. If i tell them the fact on the face, no one is going to believe me. On the other hand, i am also shirking my duty as a friend if i am not letting them know that they are a part of this vicious circle which has no end. I want that they should have a fair opportunity to come out of this race. They will keep running throughout their life and in the end would not achieve anything substantial to be proud of. They ought to take decisions and do something different in their lives else the time is running out for them. They can make an impact on this world, it is just that they need to wake up to the fact that they are also a victim of how we were brought up in our society. They need to take charge of their lives before it is too late.

Faced with this dilemma, i thought of giving a list of symptoms of being stuck in a Rat Race. How do i know these symptoms? I have been through each one of them at some point in my life, and so i have a first hand experience. These symptoms will help anyone find out whether they are also running this meaningless race. So, here we go..

If you face one or more of the following situations in your personal or professional life, you are very likely running a Rat Race - a race which may not yield anything worthwhile in the end in spite of all the hard work you are putting in.

1. You work long hours at a job you are not truly passionate about.

You may have friends at your workplace, you may be able to work through your day happily but do you truly get charged up by thinking about what you do at your job everyday? Does each morning bring excitement to you when you think about your work? There is a very simple way to find out whether you are truly passionate about your work or not. Assume for a moment that you do not have any financial worries in your life. Would you still opt to go to your workplace everyday even if it does not pay you anything ? If the answer is No, then you are surely a victim of this social setup which trains you to be a rat in this rat race. You better try and find a mission of your life. You are working hard but you do not know where you are headed. It is just like driving a car at a great speed but don't know where to go. It is like paying any game with no target in mind, which would ensure victory. What will happen if you keep doing what you are doing today? You life will end up in frustration and you will not achieve anything meaningful. You will only regret at the end of your life.

2. You hate traffic.

You are one of those who spend at least an hour commuting to and from office. I often hear my colleagues cribbing about it, but they wont do anything other than cribbing. They never start thinking about what they can do to change the situation. They are all driven by situations.

3. You worry about the next day at office.

At the end of the day, you do not fancy cooking. You just want to have a drink or have a dinner and go to bed, because you have a planned set of activities for the next day. Your mind is planning for the next day as you go to bed. You have stopped finding happiness in smaller things in life.

4. Hobbies !! What are they?

You used to have a few hobbies, which you feel, are a thing of the past. You may say that you would revive them some day but nothing is going to change unless you change what you do on an everyday basis.  If you look at the last few years, you have just gone busier by the day. The competition at your workplace just got a little more, as you climbed a few corporate ladders. To climb further, it needs more of your time and energy. With all this, who has the time to pursue the old hobbies, which you have come to believe are only a children's forte.

5. You have stopped finding happiness in smaller things.

With all the hours that you and your spouse work, you have forgotten the habit of doing things together. The joy of making a meal together, the joy of watching the TV together, the joy of playing with the kids together, the joy of just chatting and spending time together - all these do not seem to have a great value in your life anymore.

6. The children are more a burden than joy.

Kids want your time, not the jazzy toys. They can happily play with a broken and a shabby toy if you are ready to spend your time with them. Instead, we go the other way. We do not have time for them though we have money and are ready to buy a new fancy toy for them. Sad, doesn't work that way at all. The equation just needs to be reversed.

7. You feel that you are becoming more and more alienated from your family.

Family vacations, once or twice a year, is the only family time you spend with the joy, assuming you do not carry your office mobile or laptop with you during the vacation. You deserve the same joy everyday in your life.

8. You believe in TGIF.

TGIF (Thank God Its Friday) has become synonymous to your Freedom today. The excitement,  energy and bliss that you get on Friday evening are some of the traits of what a financially free person experiences everyday in life. How good would that life be?

9. Your weekend just flies by.

Come the weekend, by the time you have fixed the dripping tap, cleaned the messy areas of your house, done the grocery shopping, watched the TV soaps, caught up on washing and ironing, dealt with the paperwork in preparedness for Monday morning's presentation at your workplace, your weekend has gone. As it happens every week, it turned out to be an anti climax. You have to now wait for the weekend once again for another 5 days.

10. You are always connected.

There is no escape either on the weekdays or the weekends from some thread at your workplace because the new technology ensures that you can be intruded in any part of the world at any time of the day or the night.

11. You never have enough money.

You earn good money but it never seems to be quite enough. There is always something extra to buy - for your spouse, for your kid or for your house. The bills just drill a bigger hole in your pocket every month. You are always waiting for the next salary credit in your bank account. Perhaps, if you changed jobs or got the promotion or worked something extra, it would have helped you meet your expenses. Sad, but you know that this change is not going to help. It has not helped till now and is not likely to work in future also.

12. You have a lifestyle (disease).

Though long working hours have brought in a nice car, a nice house and a nice overall lifestyle, it is very likely to also bring stress, and with it , all the lifestyle diseases. It has helped you stay ahead of your friends, both in lifestyle and lifestyle diseases.

13. You don't know how to effectively deal with the money you earn.

You are earning a lot, but you are not dealing with what you are earning. You always seem to be short of time to think on how to invest and manage your money wisely. Sad but true, you leave your family and your health to earn money but do not know what to do with the money you earned. Isn't it sad and ironical ?

14. Your gadgets are more a stress than help.

You have accrued a lot of modern gadgets, with the assumption that would at least bring some comfort to your life, if not happiness. They definitely did bring excitement for some time. But as your greed for the latest gadget went spiraling up, you see yourself spend most of your weekend time dealing with these gadgets and the issues that come with them.

Now, if you sit back and think through all of the above points, you might feel like you are on a hamster treadmill. You are running hard, very hard, just to stay at the same place. 

It is not necessary that you are experiencing all the above traits, but even if you are experiencing a few of them, you are a part of this race, which is self defeating.

You can continue to stay in this race as long as you want. It is a very comfortable zone, because you have got used to it. You can spend your entire life in this because that is what you see the colleagues around you doing. But in case you want your life to have a some meaning and do not want to regret at the end of your life, you need to come out of this race.

Financial Freedom provides one such way to come out of this race. I have shared my learning during my journey from rat race to financial freedom in a book with the same title. You will have to chart your own path and walk your own journey. You have to face your own challenges and you have to find your own ways to deal with your situations. But you can definitely reap the benefits from what i experienced and documented in the book.

Key is to take a decision and take the first step. Rest will follow. I wish you all the best

Cheers

Manoj Arora