My goals - Meet Oleg

Before starting anything, every wannabe entrepreneur has to figure out what is it he wants to achieve. These goals have to be set in stone, and every single decision you make you should cross check with this goals. So, I suggest we play this little game called…

“Where do I see myself in 5 years?”

Don’t just answer this question, but write it down. When you get back to it in 5 years and see if time matched your expectations, you’ll learn a lot about yourself. So, here are my answers:

Financial independence

I don’t see myself owning a house, a nice car, having a million dollars, and such.
No, not that. I only see myself “financially independent”. But what does this actually mean? Do I want to retire early?

Well, not exactly. Being financially independent means that I can stop working any time (or, god forbid, if circumstances make me stop working at some point), and I will have a steady income to sustain my lifestyle for a long period of time. I will be able to retire early if I want, but this isn’t the goal. The goal is to stop thinking about money, stop being afraid of losing my job, stop being afraid of what the next day brings.

Living on my own schedule

Don’t get me wrong, I love to work. I love action. I am having a so much fun when I organize things and they work. I get sick of vacations very fast and I start thinking of work. But I hate when I have to work at someone else’s pace, on someone else’s schedule!

“The 4-Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss is the book everyone should read. It is exactly about me! It’s about escaping 9-5 work (8-5 in my case). I see myself able to plan my day the way I want, skip days if I need, work on even days of the week, or get a vacation when I want, not having to beg for it.

I love to spend time with my family. But how do I do it when all I can do on weekends is lie on the couch and sleep/watch Netflix because I’m so tired from the work week? The other thing is hobbies. I’m interested in a ton of things I don’t have time for! Having some spare time will allow me to pursue my hobbies and have a lot of fun in them!

Building a healthy lifestyle

Oh, this is a big one. Let’s be honest, I’m obese. Damn, I’m fat! I haven’t been in a gym in years. I haven’t run a half marathon in my life. Haven’t swum a mile. Haven’t climbed a cliff. Haven’t hiked a mountain. Haven’t jumped with a parachute. Haven’t dived or even snorkeled! I can go on and on, and it is that depressing.

I tend to tell myself this is because of my schedule. I am a night owl, and I have to get up early, and I have a little son, and so on and so on – and that’s “why” I can’t find time for physical activity. I have to put a stop to it, and I will.

It is that simple. I need to be healthy for my beautiful wife Mila and my wonderful son Ian, for so many years to come. There’s a lot of work to do, but I’ll get there!

Having great friends

When you move across the ocean you lose connections to all your friends. Another depressing fact about me: I haven’t got a lot of friends here in the US since I got here.

But I’m not lonely! It’s not that I need a group of people to entertain me. I don’t need to be entertained. In fact, I am a strong believer in the following saying: “If you are bored alone, you’re in a bad company!“. But I believe that having successful friends always makes you more successful as well! A chance to look up to someone who is smarter or more experienced than you can’t be overrated!

True! In 5 years I see myself spending most of my time with smart, successful, healthy people I am honored to be friends with!

And if we have some fun along the way, can you blame us?

Helping other people

This last, but not least of my goals, is very important. My entire life I loved to teach people, to help them – I love to explain and to teach and to see that person’s understanding or success with it is one of the best joys in my life!

Ideally, in five years I see myself influencing other people’s lives, helping people start their own businesses, achieving their own dreams. Actually, this is exactly why I started the blog. So I could share my journey, my findings, things I learn, and hopefully, help you along the way.