Be a business owner, not a busyness owner.

When I flew to Eastern Washington to attend the most recent Who Let The Girls Out!? event, I met a girl who became a fast friend. While we were standing in line waiting to board, she complimented my shoes. Undoubtedly, that's the quickest way to befriend a woman. We went on to chat about work, family and life. She recommended I pick up "The 4-Hour Work Week" by Timothy Ferriss, but 'read it with a grain of salt'. That I did. It's a fairly extreme take on how to conduct your business and your life. I found it to be very interesting and it has made me start asking a lot of questions of myself as a business owner....and my sometime futile attempt not to become a busyness owner on top of it. Using the energy and motivation I have to make a difference rather than running around in circles. Being busy and being active are two very different things.

Here are just a few thought-provoking points straight from the book:

• Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.
• Are you better off than you were one year ago, one month ago, or one week ago?
• To enjoy life, you don't need fancy nonsense, but you do need to control your time and realize that most things just aren't as serious as you make them out to be.
• Define your nightmare. The absolute worst that could happen if you did what you are considering?
• What are you putting off out of fear?
• Usually, what we most fear doing is what we most need to do.
• What is it costing you - financially, emotionally and physically - to postpone action?
• What are you waiting for?
• The most important habit of those who excel and enjoy doing so: action.
• Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference. Being busy is a form of laziness - lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.