"So many fail because they don’t get started — they don’t go. They don’t overcome inertia. They don’t begin."
- W. Clement Stone
"Real World" Personal Strategy
Play a Bigger Game!
Alright, quick confession: I’m not very handy around the house.
In fact, I hardly know how to plug in a hammer. (Ba dum bum, ching!)
But I’ve embraced my all-thumbs ways, and have learned to see why this "deficiency" enables me to think bigger, and grow wealth for my family.
Look, admit that most things you cannot do (with apologies to the very "handy" among us): You probably aren’t going to redo the roof on your house. You likely don’t have a clue how to knock down a wall to open up the downstairs. If the potty stops working and the plunger and Drano don’t work, you’re calling the plumber. Likewise, you pay someone to work on your car because you either don’t know how to or you’d rather have a professional do it.
But one of the common messages which even the wealthiest among us find themselves adhering to is: "Do it yourself to save money." Don’t hire a maid, don’t go out to eat, don’t pay someone to do your yard. Do it yourself and save money.
Baloney.
I say: "Outsource everything so you can and focus on building your wealth!"
Oh, and it’s not only good for you, it’s good for the world economy. It’s called "comparative advantage" and it’s why you aren’t a landscaper. Or a plumber.
Some people have the time or the motivation to do things other people would outsource. I know plenty of men that just like to change their car’s oil. But I also know people too busy (and productive) to mow their own grass. So you have to decide what aspects of your life are worth outsourcing.
For families & mothers, there’s plenty that you perhaps shouldn’t outsource: raising your children, engaging with charities, loving your spouse (!). But there’s likely to be plenty of tasks which sap your energy, drain your productivity (in the home AND in your work pursuits) and can be successfully handled by an hourly earner.
Personally, I hope to make it possible that I’m so productive I have to outsource just about everything. Said differently, I want to just work, help clients and pay people to do just about everything else for me.
What about you? …