Before we start, big news!
You may already have seen the email from Billy, but if you haven't:
On Monday, our off-grid community farm was officially granted residential planning permission for two families to live full-time on agricultural land in the UK for the next 3 years. As far as we know, this is the first permission of its kind granted in over a decade.
This wasn't luck or a loophole; we followed a proven pathway that's been available for years, demonstrating clearly that living legally on farmland is genuinely achievable.
We'll share more soon but for now, just know: It's possible.
Hello beautiful people,
Everyone wants to be wealthy (even if they say they don’t).
No, I’m not talking about:
-fancy clothes
-a luxury holiday home you can use for 2 weeks of the year
-kids that have a taste for Rolex’s
-a massive house that slowly poisons you as it disconnects you from nature.
That works for some people, and that's all well and good.
But I’m talking about real wealth:
-being able to wake up and choose what you do with your day
-being able to go to sleep peacefully before 9pm
-having access to nutritious food that isn’t full of microplastics and seed-oils
-raising children that never need to know what a Microsoft Teams is.
I want to build real wealth, and I’m guessing you do too.
So how do we get there?
Yes, you’ll need a nice pot of cash. But most importantly, you’ll have to use your resources intelligently. To do that, you need one thing.
I’m reading a book by Napoleon Hill, called “Think and Grow Rich”. While it does have a strong focus on money - and a number of billionaires have credited it for their success, including the current President of the United States - the principles the book outlines apply to any material outcome you want.
What’s the first thing it reveals?
Here’s what it doesn’t mention:
-jumping through all the hoops of an organisation you don’t resonate with, until finally you can afford to be stressed in a Tesla on your way back from the office at 9’oclock at night.
-piling up certifications and qualifications in something you’re not interested in until your title looks like a cat ran across your keyboard.
-following a life path defined for you by somebody else, hoping you’ll eventually end up somewhere you’ll be happy
Sadly for all the influencers, it doesn’t even mention a 3 hour morning routine with a cold plunge, an infrared sauna, a 30 minute walk, and a meal with 40g of protein (nor does it mention pouring my life savings into crypto unfortunately).
So what does it reveal is the "first step to riches"?
Cultivating your desire. Which, if you’d have told me that 5 years ago I would have laughed in your face. Sounds like a load of hippy-dippy bullshit does it not?
Hear me out.
The book opens with the story of Edwin C. Barnes, a man who desired more than anything else to become a business associate of Thomas Edison, the man who first commercialised the electric light bulb (very rich).
Barnes didn’t have a fancy education, nor did he have money - he couldn’t even cover the cost of his railroad fee! He did however, have a burning desire. That desire drove him to hitchhike on a freight train and present himself to Edison “with the appearance of a tramp” (he was actually homeless). This man burned all bridges behind him, moved across the country with nothing, in order to transform his desire into a reality.
But he didn’t do it on the vague desire of “getting rich”, he did it with a defined purpose, a clear vision.
He went on to amass multiple million dollars in partnership with Edison. I’ll link the full story down below.
If you’re going to achieve any material outcome, whether that’s being at the top of a corporate ladder, or more likely - literally anything else, you need a burning desire. And you can only develop that by cultivating a clear vision of what you actually want. The more clearly you know what you want, the greater this desire becomes.
Your vision serves three purposes:
- To drive your actions.
- To create alignment - to guide your decision, and create alignment with others that join you.
- To stop you wasting time and money pursuing the wrong jobs, places, and people. (Intelligent use of resources, to link back to the beginning)
It’s the difference between “I’m hungry” and “I want a rare, 450g gram succulent T-bone steak drenched in butter.” If I walked into the store with the first of those desires, I’d probably end up with a bag of Reese’s peanut butter cups (devil uses these to tempt me). With the other, I’d walk straight out and go to the nearest farm shop. Only one of them would bring me the outcome that I actually want.
It’s no coincidence that the first thing we do in our Path to Freedom framework is to help you define your vision.
“Psychologists have correctly said that “when one is truly ready for a thing, it puts in its appearance.” Barnes was ready for a business association with Edison; moreover, he was determined to remain ready until he got that which he was seeking…He had nothing to start with, except the capacity to know what he wanted, and the determination to stand by that desire until he realised it.”
A clear vision is what makes you truly ready.
I’ve wasted many years of my life (I’m 24, so that’s a good chunk) chasing things that weren’t aligned with me, just because I never bothered to figure out what exactly I wanted.
Nothing will be more helpful to you than a clear vision, and nothing will be more costly than not having one.
So if you want to build true wealth, take 10 minutes today and define a first draft of your vision. Your future self will thank you.
Thankfully, Billy’s put together a video that will help you get started.
Till next week.
To your freedom and independence,
Rob
Wild Minds Community
Here's the full story about Barnes and Edison 👇
Edwin C Barnes - Think and Grow Rich
PS. You may also like our previous newsletters:
