By now I suspect you’ve heard something about the absolute runaway best seller The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris. The book debuted this week at» #1 on the New York Times best seller list.

Tim appeared on my podcast a few months ago and we have the same literary agent, so I’ve followed this pretty closely.

The book’s promise has touched a nerve in the millions of people turning to the Internet and virtual work to build a lifestyle beyond the bounds of a cubicle or even the typical entrepreneur sweatshop.

But, I fear some people miss the real point of the book. It’s not really about the number of hours you work, although that’s part of the appeal of the title, it’s about what you do when you work them.

If I were to read the book literally I’d be in big trouble. See, I’ve got four daughters and somebody convinced them that they should get world-class educations, travel the planet and work to accomplish anything they want. (Some have also suggested that there would weddings, lots of weddings – I’m pushing for the whole equal treatment (payment) plan but my wife rolls her eyes every time I mention it.)

So my take on Tim’s work is this – it’s ok to work some multiplier of 4-hours every week if you love what you do. The message deep inside all the how to get free stuff is that you do so in order to enjoy the journey. If you love your work, the journey of your work, and that gets you where you want to go, gets you the things you want to share with your kids, then go for it. I know I’m a total geek about this but I look forward to turning my computer on every single day and that passion is my 4-hour workweek.

So, don’t worry about how much work, worry about how much joy you get from your work – all the rest is just math. Congrats Tim!