I wonder if the share price of Cadbury’s rocketed up over Christmas…?

I only ask, because it feels as though I’ve single-handedly eaten every tin of Roses from here to Glasgow.

Well, you’ve got to have a hobby haven’t you?

Still,now that Christmas has been and gone and my ready-made excuse for hoovering up food has disappeared, I’m back sitting in my office (all
three tons of me), and raring to go!

Well, sort of raring. Because let’s be honest… even though we make BIG promises this time of year and SAY we’ll do this and do that and really make a difference, it’s all too easy to do nothing and let time slip past you.

I mean, there’s always another chocolate to eat. Or TV programme to watch. Or magazine to read. Basically, there’s always something better
to do than roll up your sleeves and WORK!

But work is something you need to do. I know it’s a dirty word in a world that’s packed full of ludicrous biz opps claims and get-rich-quick rubbish, but do you REALLY think you’ll be better off come Christmas 2012 without putting any effort in?

Of course you don’t – because you’re not stupid.

So, let’s get fired up and make sure we BOTH push ahead in 2012…

Are you willing to be different – take the harder option – and get ahead this year?

A good friend of mine – Stuart Goldsmith – once put me straight on something. Actually he’s put me straight on many things, but as we
haven’t got three years to spare going through them all, I’ll just stick to this one…

A few years ago, I’d had a modicum of success. I’d released my first book, it was doing pretty well, and I was making some good money out of it.

I can’t remember the amount, but compared to a 9-5 wage it was brilliant, and made me FEEL rich.

But Stuart soon shot me down in flames – in a nice way of course. He said that just to reach a level where you’re financially independent, you need to go out and make yourself £3 million.

Errrrr!

I’ll give you a little time to pick yourself up off the floor and compose yourself. Because I was shocked when he told me this.

But he’s been through the rags to riches story himself and lived it. And he says that’s the minimum you need these days to live any kind of truly independent and successful life.

The £3 million is broken down like this:

• £1 million to break the chains of the wage slave. That should be enough to pay off your mortgage, pay the bills, and live reasonably well for a couple of years – IF you’re prudent.

• You then need another £1 million to soak up all the ‘look-at-me’ toys you’ll buy when you start to make it. Think this is nonsense? Well let me tell you, I’m doing pretty well these days, but I’ve nowhere near a million in the bank. And I’ve ALREADY bought a flash car and taken a few extravagant holidays. Trust me – when you find your niche and start making good money, you’ll blow some on stupid things. It’s hardwired into all of us.

• And the last million…? Well you’ll need that when you finally figure out what you want to do in life long-term. Maybe you’ll set up a classic car hiring company, or buy a B&B. Who knows? But when you’ve settled on your dream, it’ll cost you to set it up.

So that’s £3 million needed just to break even in life! Blimey! So what happens after that?

Simple. Once you’ve got all of the pesky financial goals out of the way, you’ll be truly free to develop as a person, to see how far you can push yourself, to see how much you can learn and do, and how far you can help and inspire others around you.

And that – my friend – is a life-long task. This whole ‘retire at 65′ mentality means nothing. I mean what will you DO? Do 10 hours gardening a day? Watch endless re-runs of Escape to The Country?

That’s not a life for someone of your caliber. That’s for someone who is stuck in a job they hate and is just counting down the days till someone pulls the plug on them.

But your future is different – IF you’ve got the balls (yes, you too ladies) to ‘be different’ now, get working, and find the niche that earns you more and helps you break free. Once you find that niche, you’ll be having too much fun to ‘retire’. You’ll develop, you’ll expand, you’ll try out NEW niches… but I doubt you’ll stop.

I mean, I can’t see myself hanging my keyboard up at 65. I might not be doing exactly the same as now, but I’ll ALWAYS be writing, and I’ll
ALWAYS be trying out new things.

Because I’ve torn free of the usual treadmill and am now treading a path I truly enjoy.

THAT’S what I want for you. And that’s what I’ll help you find. IF you have the backbone to take a stand and vow to ‘be different’ and break free of the ‘birth-school-work-death’ cycle.

Stop dreaming about retirement… start dreaming about working till the day you die, doing something you LOVE

I know it’s hard when you’re forced to leave the house at 7.00am and don’t get back till 7.00pm. I know the temptation is to flop in front
of the TV and do nothing. It’s the EASY option. But if you do that, day after day, you have to accept that life will NOT turn out the way you
dreamt it would.

You’ll be working for others for ever, earning less than you could, gaining little satisfaction, dreaming of retirement and hoping you’re left with enough to pay the bills.

Shoot me now!

But you CAN alter that future. Starting today. Look around this website and find THREE ideas that you’d like to try. Find out more about them. DO something that either rules them in or rules them out.

And don’t stop there. Check out other websites. See what other people are doing. Find something that fires you up, something that you might -
just might – be able to stick at.

Do it TODAY. Stop making excuses and start now…and make 2012 your best year by a mile.

No excuses – not this year…

Like I said – step one… go onto my website and find THREE things that you haven’t tried that appeal to you.

Find out more about them, and see how you could fit at least ONE of them into your working day.

YOU have to do this. No one’s going to knock on your door, tell you you’ve got brilliant ideas, and hand you over a big fat cheque. You’ve got to get out there and SHOW people how good you are, not TELL them.

So close this letter, take a look at my site, make a call or arrange a meeting… whatever it takes to move things on for you.

Don’t make excuses – just do it.

And make sure you don’t miss ANY of January’s issues of The Rich Life Letter – because I’ve got something lined up for you that could kick
start this year immediately.

I hinted about it just before Christmas – and in a week or two I’ll tell you ALL about it. So keep reading!

Cheers for now,

Lewis