Ryan McLean : Slightly Unconventional

What Do I Want To Do With My Life?

I was at work today (at the chemist) and some how we got talking about high school and the marks we got. In my final year I got a UAI of 94.65, which is very good (it means I’m smart) and the girls at work were saying I could do anything.

Trying to sound the least amount of cocky possible I know that I am very smart. If I wanted to I could do physics, psychology, pharmacy, Scientology, or any other kind of ology that needs a big brain and a fancy degree. But my response to the girls was that I am already doing what I want to be doing.

At heart I am a family man through and through. Instead of using my smarts (at this point in time) to get a degree and make a lot of money I am using my smarts to do exactly what I want to do, that is, starting a family.

Also, on the money side of things, I am using my smarts as an entrepreneur. I really enjoy starting businesses. Sure, I am not amazing at it yet…but I am learning heaps and constantly growing smart and smarter (and slowly earning more and more money from it). Currently I am freelance writing and copywriting full time. With the writing and working at the chemist I am earning decent money, not amazing but decent.

Why Don’t You Get A Career?

A lot of people ask (and if they don’t ask they wonder) why I haven’t gone and got myself a career. Because I easily could, I could go to uni and do almost any uni course I wanted and I could study to be something and then launch a good solid career and earn a bucket load of money (if I had to do this I would become a psychologist and they earn loads). Some might think I am scared, or maybe I am lazy, or maybe I am just odd.

The reason I do business is because it is a game, there is a huge element of fun to it. It is fun trying new things and new ways to make money, it is fun trying to turn an idea into a viable business, it is fun waking up (like I did this morning) and reading an email telling me I just earned $50 in my sleep.

I could do a career, but the element of the game isn’t there. I look at the old fart businessmen like Rupert Murdoch, Mr “Westfield Shopping Town”, James Packer and the other Billionaires and I can see they are in their element. Some are in their 70’s and 80’s and charging on. They don’t work for money, when you have 5 Billion to your name making more money isn’t a top priority. They do it because this is their fun, this is their game. That is where I can see myself when I am 70.

So in answer to the question “What Do I Want To Do With My Life?” the answer is three fold

1. Be a Family Man and have a bus load of kids and be an awesome dad and raise an awesome family. There is nothing more important than this.

2. Be a businessman and entrepreneur. Start businesses, build businesses, run businesses and sell businesses. Business is the game and money is how you keep score.

3. Ministry. I am a christian and serving God is extremely important to me. I want to use my skills as a family man and entrepreneur to impact my community and make a positive impact. How positive an impact do you think you could make with $5 Billion?

I wonder what you want to do with your life.


See all posts »

Subscribe: rss | email | twitter | +