The sage Zenrin once said "If you wish to know the road up the mountain, ask the person who goes back and forth on it."

Sound advice, but are you following it?

If you're like most people, probably not. So who's advice do you listen to?

** Your next door neighbor

** Your barber or hairdresser

** Your mechanic

The list is endless. You get excited about starting your own business and the doom and gloom crowd takes pleasure in stomping on your dreams.

Before you listen to them, ask yourself one question. Have they been where you want to go?

Probably not.

So who's advice should you listen to? The men and women who've traveled the mountain.

One man who traveled the mountain and amassed a fortune in the process, was J. Paul Getty.

In his autobiography Getty lists rules for creating wealth.

What do you think was Mr. Getty's number one rule for getting rich?

You must have your own business. He didn't say get a good job.

The same skills you use to make money for your boss, could be better applied to creating wealth for you.

There's an old cartoon that brings the point home even clearer.

A father is asking his son, "Wow, wouldn't you love to be a football player and make all that money?"

The little boy smiles and says, "Daddy, I'd rather be the guy that can afford to pay the whole team."

The next time you're excited, keep your own council and remember the words of Ben Franklin.

"Keep Thy Shop and Thy Shop Will Keep Thee."

Dare to dream. Be your own boss.