THE PLUMBER

 “How are you going to learn about wealth if you don’t know what it feels like?”

Wealth is all around us, but most of us are too busy looking for it to notice. And when we get close, we’re suddenly afraid to get wet.”

“Think it, ink it, do it, review it.” He turned around and picked up a spanner.

 “Learning is a game. Remember that.

Sure, plan your strokes on land, write it down, but then you’ve got to jump in and sink or swim. Then get back out and review what happened. Ask how you can improve. Then do it all over again. You’ll learn in no time.

Try to learn when you’re safe and dry, and you’re just kidding yourself.”

 “I became wealthy by becoming a better plumber.”

“About 40% of the monthly cashflow I draw out of my businesses covers my expenses, and the rest goes into investments. I also put 20% into my pet project, Water Generators.”

The plumber seemed to have a lot of clarity and focus.

 “It sounds like you became wealthy by being a better businessman, not a better plumber.”

The plumber laughed. “I have no passion for business. I have a passion for plumbing. I became a better plumber.”

 “I will elaborate.

 Plumbing comes naturally to me. I can solve plumbing problems. I love plumbing. When it came to money-making, management and other such business-like things I always lost interest. Bored me silly.”

“Then I decided to BE a better plumber. I took my passion and spread it to areas of my life that were important to me. Being wealthy was important, so when I looked at my wealth creation as a simple plumbing system, I took to it with a passion. It was fun! It’s got to be fun, son.”

 “Now, what I realized was, no matter how much money I was making, it was always disappearing.

This was my money tap, and all the money was going down the drain. I was spending it all, and as a bad plumber all I could think to do was to try and open the tap up further. It just meant more went down the drain.”

 “So as a better plumber, I diverted some of that money into savings. All that did was fill a bucket with water, but not much else. Then as an even better plumber, I diverted some of that money into investments. While my savings just sat in a bucket, my investments created new money taps. My money began to make money.”

“It soon became obvious to me that every drop spent never came back and every drop invested

and re-invested began to give me ever increasing returns. As a good plumber, I simply ensured that an ever-increasing percentage of my cashflow was going into investments. That meant investment in my businesses, in my people, and in myself. I began with 10% of my cashflow, and after three years that had grown to 40%, and after six years it was up to 60%.”

 “My money tap from my investments and businesses also outgrew my money tap from my own efforts.

So I could stop working in my business, and start working on it. Of course, none of that would have happened if I hadn’t decided to become a better plumber.”

 “How can I create a money tap with no money?”

“Very good. You start with another tap of something

more valuable than money.”

 “Time.

We all have the same time coming out of the time tap. Ironically, those who value money over their time will never become wealthy. Those who value their time over money, attract wealth in no time.”

Most of us do SPENDING instead of investing it.

“Now, 24 drops come out of this tap every day. If you spend that time on activities that do not add any value to your life other than to make you feel good temporarily or to pass the time, those are drops spent. They are gone and they ain’t ever coming back.”

 “Many people are happy to take a bunch of their drops and exchange them for money. That’s called a job.

It’s a straight swap. Many people will think they are investing time in growing their skills

and experience for the job, and they do end up getting more money for each drop.

But this is a false investment, because as soon as the exchange stops – as soon as you say there’s no more time to exchange or the company says there’s no more money to exchange – the pipe runs dry.

“So as a better plumber, I began to divert my time drops to high value use – to investments of time.

Every drop invested here gives me on going returns, for life! Because it is here that

your time creates new money taps AND creates new time taps!”

Richard interrupted, “But how do you know if you are spending time or investing time?”

“When you spend your time, you may have gotten something, but you haven’t built anything.

When you invest your time, you end that day or that week having built something that is lasting.

“When you invest your time in yourself, it is time invested on your health, on quality activities that enrich your life. New experiences and greater energy and vitality that make you stronger every day.”

 “When you invest in your learning, I’m not talking about learning how to DO better plumbing. I’m talking about learning how to BE a better plumber.

 Learn the strategies, habits and mindset of the wealthy - because it is a different mindset.”

“Learn how to change your level of focus and clarity.

Learn what your vision is. That’s real time investment.

 “When you invest in your network, you are creating and building your network of friends, peers and contacts.

The time you invest looking after your network will all return with interest. You never know when you will need the support of the people you know, and of the people that they know. Your influence is only as good as your network.”

“When you invest in your investments, which means your cash investments, property and your businesses, I’m not talking about spending time working in them.

I’m talking about investing your time in choosing your investments and creating your businesses, in building them.

Investing your time in selecting the right people, the right opportunities, the right products and

services – putting in the right plumbing system that will work for you. This time spent converts directly into new money taps. You turn your time into an on going source of new money.”

When you invest time in your investments, time isn’t money. Time is more than money.

When you invest time to learn how to choose better investments, that learning can be applied again and again for the rest of your life. It never goes away.

The return you get from each drop of time spent here is enormous. The time you spend translates into an on going stream of new money.”

The Plumber paused for effect, and then said “Show me how a man spends and invests his time, and I will show you his future.”

 Is the time and money spent on your vision an investment if you don’t get a return?

you already have the answer …..yes! YOU who is reading this