Hello world.

This is a phrase that is typically used when a new software program is created and is being tested for the first time.

Therefore, I thought this is fitting because over the next 365 days, I am looking at writing a new program – for my life.

Why?  Well I am certainly tired of the pressures that a country like Australia (where I currently live) puts on individuals and small businesses alike and believe that my entrepreneurial mindset and drive is deserved elsewhere.   Somewhere that has a market multitudes bigger than here, somewhere where ideas can grow and are embraced, somewhere where 70% of income isn’t given back to the community pool just to be spent and wasted on useless initiatives.

Anyway to cut a long story short, I am ready for a complete life change.  No more grinding my teeth, no more hitting my head against a wall.  I will make 2014 will be a successful year and I hope to share my journey with you all.

My personal mission:  Achieve a million dollars (liquid) by 23:59:59 on December 31st 2014.  I know it may sound silly and very materialistic, but with money comes freedom and what better target to have.  You should always have to have a target to reach.

My ‘feelgood’ goal:  Give 10% of this to the Royal Children’s Hospital because I couldn’t even afford to give them my yearly $100 donation this year.

The purpose:  I want to spread my wings and achieve things I have never thought of achieving before.  Build things I thought I would never build.  In essence – do something more with my life and my capabilities.

Two years ago, I had grown a set of balls and taken the leap of putting down my keyboard and leaving the mundane 5 to 9 (not 9 to 5 like some would like to think!) hours of working for a large corpoRATe.  Sick of being just another number and having to ‘compete’ with other ‘cogs’ just to climb a ladder to nowhere, it just wasn’t for me.

So, with my long time friend and trusted business partner ‘J’, we decided to start a small Web Agency together in Melbourne.   Together, we had copped an initial financial hit as any new business venture does but we have certainly grown it into a nice little company with some pretty good clients.   We are certainly far from financial independence – in fact, we are still somewhat in debt but all this effort that has been put in so far certainly deserves another real shot and push.

Something we have discovered is that ‘running your own show’ is satisfying because everything you do, every decision you make, everything you build belong to YOU.  Not your boss, not the multi million you are working for, but YOU.  Finding a client, proving yourself you are the one and then seeing them smile – now that is awesome.  If we can achieve the positive finances to go hand in hand with this then that’s great.

However, achieving this in Australia is certainly proving itself to be difficult.  The tax laws are too tight, PAYG, GST, Insurances, LCT, Carbon Tax, TAX ON TAX and more – you very rarely see a positive bank balance.  When you do, the next PAYG or BAS  is due and it’s all negative again.  Nothing can grow in that sort of atmosphere.  It’s like planting a tree in the desert.  Every drop of rain goes into the ground and nothing goes to the tree.

Therefore, over the next 365 days – I strive to find a forest.  A forest with other like minded trees where we can all grow and prosper together.  Not just shrivel up and die in the desert.

Anyway, this is about it for now as I still have a lot to say – but I will leave this for subsequent blog entries throughout the year.

For now, I am going to get together a list of immediate things I need to get sorted out over the next couple of months and I aim to put these on my blog here.  Thinking off the top of my head, one of these will most likely include selling my house and starting the process of detaching myself from the ‘con’ I have been sold my whole life – property.  Yes, it does grow over time but by the looks of things, I will be 70 years old before I can enjoy anything related to it.

I don’t want to wait until I am 70 just to say start enjoying my life.

So – my journey starts now.

F

Available funds: $0 (actually negative)