I’m sadly finishing up my 10-day business offsite in Honolulu, Hawaii. It’s only about 50 degrees back home in San Francisco, which is disappointing given I’m paying 10% state income tax along with a boat load of property tax. States should adjust their tax rates based on the weather don’t you think? Otherwise, what’s the point of paying state income taxes and freezing your buns off? Crazy!
I swear you will be happier, less stressed, and live longer if you live in a warmer climate. I’m always so impressed by folks who live in Canada, the Midwest, and the Northeast. How do you guys even think with temperatures below freezing? Content on Financial Samurai would grind to a halt for four months a year if I lived in Manitoba!
As part of our company team building efforts, we spent two hours swimming and hiking each day. After each exercise session, we’d spend an equal amount of time strategizing on new business initiatives. During the middle of brainstorming one afternoon, we saw a fella climb up a coconut tree belonging to an ocean front mansion worth ~$20,000,000. Things got interesting.
Making The Effort
Take a look at this guy’s hustle! The tree must have been 80 feet tall.
We immediately recognized the teachable moment: If you want some coconuts, you’re going to have to climb the damn tree yourself. Nobody’s going to be willing to risk their life to get you something you want.
I’ve talked about this theme before in posts such as, If You Produce Nothing, How Do You Plan To Make Any Money?, and How To Blame Everybody But Yourself For Your Financial Mistakes to encourage folks to take ownership of their lives.
Instead of watching endless hours of TV and scrolling through useless fake news on Facebook, start producing something of your own. Don’t rely on your parents, your friends, or the government to take care of you. Develop an abundance mindset so you can not only take care of yourself, but other people as well.
All the sacrifice you make today will be well worth the effort sometime in the future.
Sometimes You Get Lucky Too
The man who climbed up the tree hacked off nine coconuts and several palm leaves. When he finally came down he waved me over. I guess he could tell I was mesmerized by his feat. I got out of the water to greet the guy and he immediately took out his machete to make a couple drinks for us!
I thanked him for his kindness and waddled out to the ocean to share the coconuts with my team. I guess sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time. For the next half hour we enjoyed drinking our fresh coconuts in the ocean. They were wonderful.
The final realization from this experience is that good things tend to happen if you put yourself out there for a long enough period of time. So many unforeseen and highly lucrative business opportunities arose this year because we kept on going. Everyday I’m so glad I just decided to start my site one summer afternoon back in 2009.
Feeling Hopeful
Business has finally slowed down as everybody begins to prepare for the holidays. I’m winding things down as well. It’s strange, but for the first time since I left my job in 2012 I’m feeling extremely hopeful about the future.
Related:
Why Start A Business? A Better Life Of Course
The Best Way To Travel For Free And Lower Your Taxable Income
If You Can Make It In Hawaii, You Can Make It Anywhere
Recommendation: Learn how to negotiate a severance so you can leave your job with money in your pocket with my book, How To Engineer Your Layoff: Make A Small Fortune By Saying Goodbye. A baby panda dies every time someone quits their job! I was able to negotiate a severance worth six years of living expenses, including receiving unemployment benefits. If you quit, you get nothing.
Updated for 2019 and beyond.
I just came back from my honeymoon in Maui and returned to 20 degree weather in DC. I don’t know how anyone get anything done in this weather. Also, we had our first snow of the season the day after we came back. *sigh*
“States should adjust their tax rates based on the weather…”
Being from MN, I am not sure what my taxes would be if weather were part of the calculation. Maybe they would pay me?
Honestly, MN should pay its residents to live there for 4 months a year. It’s the right thing to do.
“good things tend to happen if you put yourself out there for a long enough period of time.” Very motivating and a great reminder. The longer you keep at it the more likely good things will happen for you. Sometimes even way more than you expected.