The Lazy Man's Guide to

Laziness....

Here's a poem I found, written by a Chinese poet who lived over a thousand years ago....

I HAVE got patronage, but am too lazy to use it;
I have got land, but am too lazy to farm it.
My house leaks; I am too lazy to mend it.
My clothes are torn; I am too lazy to darn them.
I have got wine, but am too lazy to drink;
So it's just the same as if my cellar were empty.
I have got a harp, but am too lazy to play;
So it's just the same as if it had no strings.
My wife tells me there is no more bread in the house;
I want to bake, but am too lazy to grind.
My friends and relatives write me long letters;
I should like to read them, but they're such a bother to open.

This is the first part of a poem called "Lazy Man's Song", by Li Po.

I'm lazy too, I must admit. I enjoy the TV, I enjoy playing computer games. I love to go to a cafe with a friend or two and talk about interesting stuff.

But to succeed, you need to sacrifice something.... You need to use up some of your free time, or use up some of your money (usually a bit of both). Unless you're willing to sacrifice, you can't be a financial success (unless you happen to be born into a wealthy family).

Money doesn't grow on ________. You can't get something for ________.

Even those who tell you that you can get something for nothing, worked hard to be in the position where they could get something for "nothing"!

Robert Kiyosaki likes to bust these myths.... While it's true that you CAN make money from pure investment (for example), you still have to "sacrifice" some of your time to learn how to do it!

Li Po (the poet who wrote the poem above) was famous - he became one of China's most famous poets.... But at least he wasn't too lazy to write poetry. :)

I think when you keep in mind that you usually have to "sacrifice" something to succeed - it's easier to work hard to achieve what you want!

- Dien Rice