10 Years of Success

At times I take stock of my accomplishments, just to remind myself of what I can possibly accomplish in the future.

With the last decade coming to an end in a few days, it's appropriate for me to what I have accomplished in the last 10 years.

Personal Accomplishments and Adventure:

• Continued another 10 years of freedom to work either at my favorite coffee places or at home.


• Have traveled to New York, Las Vegas, Istanbul, and London in the last year.


• Finanally purchased the diggs that I have lived in for over 30 years. Despite purchasing the half-duplex for $325,000 with a down payment of $163,000 in 2007 at the height of the market, I will have it fully paid off by April 2011.


• Have continued to make an average of 4 trips a year to Vancouver, which I consider my second home.

Business Accomplishments

• Wrote How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, which was rejected by over 35 Canadian, American, and British publishers. After self-publishing the book, I have earned a little over $405,000 in pretax profit from the book, which has now sold over 110,000 copies and has been published in 9 langauges.


• Wrote half of The Lazy Person's Guide to Success, quit at that point, and almost didn't finish it. I eventually finished the book which has been published in about 10 languages and has sold over 85,000 copies worldwide.


• Wrote Career Success Without a Real Job (called Real Success Without a Real Job in its original version).


• Just completed my new book The Joy of Being Retired: 365 Reasons Why Retirement Rocks (and Work Sucks!), which should make me tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. If it doesn't I will use is as a Promotional Giveaway.


• Wrote and self-published 101 Really Important Things You Already Know, But Keep Forgetting


• Negotiated at least 70 more book deals for a total of over 107 book deals around the world.


• Had over 5 years where my pre-tax income was $100,000 a year. Not to bad given that I work 4 or 5 hours a day at my favorite coffee place and don't have to deal with corporate life.

I have also started over 25 websites including:

• The Friendship Cafe by Ernie Zelinski


• The Retirement Cafe by Ernie Zelinski


• The Money Café by Ernie J. Zelinski


• Sensationally Creative and Innovative


• Fun Things to Do at Work


• The Retirement Quotes Café


• Retirement Speeches on Squidoo


• Free Retirement Letters on Squidoo


• Retirement Poems on Squidoo
  
• The Best Places to Retire in the World on Squidoo


• Career Change on Squidoo


• My 101 Successes in Life


• Retirement Quotes on Squidoo
  

Here is the car I intend to purchase for Ernie Zelinski in 2010 as a reward for his accomplishments: