| Felix Dennis is one of the richest magazine | | | | road and you can gain enormous wealth", then a |
| publishers in England, and recently he has written a | | | | lot of us ' maybe already thinking about Self |
| book telling you how he did it. More importantly, | | | | Improvement and self employment - might say |
| he has written the book to show you how you | | | | "Show us how!" But if the guy adds, as a small |
| can do it too. Fair enough? You want to follow in | | | | afterthought, "And when you get there, you can |
| his footsteps? You want to go to be where he | | | | plant trees and compose poetry", how many of |
| is? Only one problem. He won't be there. He | | | | you would still buy a ticket and how many would |
| doesn't like where he is, and is taking all steps to | | | | leap off the train and start running - away? |
| leave the place. | | | | Worse, Felix admits in his tome that - actually, |
| In two ways. Firstly, he's spending a lot of his | | | | now he comes to think about it - if he had his |
| hard-earned fortune on a project that he thinks | | | | time again, he wouldn't bother going for the |
| will have lasting significance for the country. He's | | | | hundreds of millions that he has now. No, he would |
| planting a forest in the heart of England, a forest | | | | be sensible and stop at a manageable sum, say |
| of broad-leaved trees, which means native | | | | 40 or 50 million pounds. That, he says, would give |
| species. He is currently busy buying up land - | | | | him enough to pay the bills and maintain a |
| that's going to cost a hefty price - and employing | | | | comfortable life-style, while he pursues his |
| people to clear the land and put in saplings. Well, | | | | interests. Now, that's scary. This man is saying he |
| you say, that's going to cost millions. Yes, tens of | | | | would be quite happy with a tenth of what he has |
| millions. But don't worry, his total budget for the | | | | now. Or, to put it the other way round, he could |
| whole thing is in the hundreds of millions. It's going | | | | give away nine tenths of what he's got - which is |
| to take years ' most of the rest of his life, | | | | what he's doing - and still be happy! What kind of |
| probably ' and it will cost most of his pile. Still, he | | | | role model is that? |
| has no children to leave his wealth to, so why | | | | It reinforces one fact, perfectly. Most of us like |
| not? His plan is to leave his carefully assembled | | | | the idea of being rich without bothering to say |
| pile of pounds to the nation, in the form of a | | | | what that is. It's as though we know instinctively |
| mass of trees the residents can spend our future | | | | that ten thousand a year could be 'poor' and a |
| years in visiting and enjoying. | | | | hundred thousand a year may be 'rich', but we |
| That's his enjoyment. His second pleasure, | | | | haven't bothered being specific about definitions, |
| recently discovered, is writing poetry. Even now, | | | | (and we aren't too sure where we want to be on |
| while his business empire prospers, and appointed | | | | that scale anyway). When does poor become |
| managers oversee the smooth operation of his | | | | rich? Where is the transition state? Felix Dennis is |
| many ventures, he sits at home, (one of his | | | | doing us a favour here. He's saying that forty |
| homes, in Britain, the Caribbean or abroad) and | | | | million is enough. Get that into the bank and you |
| composes verse. That is his passion. To do that | | | | can pursue your passion, whether it's poetry, or |
| he needs a minimal amount of coin to subsidise his | | | | golf, composing symphonies or simply fishing. If |
| expenses. The majority can go into new wood | | | | you read his book you'll find out more, like how to |
| and lumber, seeds and blossoming leaves, without | | | | make hundreds of millions, but fifty would be his |
| hurting his other ambition. | | | | cut-off point today, he's suggesting, and |
| Now that's a problem - for us. You see, most of | | | | everything else is just a worry. |
| us would take pleasure in reading the great man's | | | | Now there's a lesson. Somehow, through a |
| book and learning about the highs and lows of | | | | combination of luck, persistence and hard work, |
| making money. We might feel a little envious, we | | | | Mr D. put together a business empire that spans |
| may even become a little inspired. Most of us | | | | the globe and tops the hundreds of millions mark. |
| could see the benefit in accumulating wealth. | | | | If he had to start again now, he'd plan it more. |
| However, and this is where a great big BUT | | | | He'd decide where he wanted to be, how much |
| comes into the picture, most of us wouldn't be | | | | he wanted to earn, work like hell - then stop. |
| capable of seeing the damn point of trees and | | | | Where would he be now? Under a palm tree, |
| verse. Well, let's be honest, I might, because I'm a | | | | writing lyrics. Substitute your own dream for that |
| writer, firstly, and secondly, I have a great | | | | last sentence and the former bit makes sense. |
| passion for alternative energy and looking for | | | | We don't all want the same outcome, but we all |
| ways to avoid the coming global environmental | | | | could benefit from reading the book and learning |
| crisis. But hey, that's me. What about the rest of | | | | the 'how' in order to build the pile that makes our |
| you? If Felix is really saying, "Follow me down this | | | | particular and personal dream possible. |