Hands up if you started your own business to create freedom in your life?
Freedom to:
→ work whatever hours you like.
→ work wherever you want.
→ make your own decisions.
→ follow your passion.
→ create your dream life.
Freedom from:
→ poor management.
→ office politics.
→ the daily commute.
→ time wasting meetings.
→ the constant fight about the office temperature.
Hands up if you found freedom?
Haha, yeah me neither.
I left a well paying graduate welfare job to start my own business.
For the last 3 years I’ve worked, on average, 50-60 hours per week. For many of those weeks, I didn’t take a day off.
I work harder than ever before, for a lot less money and next to no security.
It’s not all bad.
After all, I do have complete control of my time and location. I no longer have to deal with poor management (I’d be in trouble if I did), office politics, meetings or the daily commute. I still have the odd difficult conversation or a challenging client, but for the most part, I decide what work needs doing, and I get it done.
I’ve realised the mirage is made of money.
I wouldn’t call myself a successful business owner yet. While it’s lovely to have most of the freedom above, without financial freedom, the puzzle is incomplete. Yes, it’s fantastic being able to choose the hours I work, the tasks I complete and where I do those things. But I feel like they’re the freedoms we want in order to avoid what we hated as an employee.
When it comes to creating your dream life, the absolute necessity is financial freedom. On that basis, when I can make enough profit to thrive, I’ll confidently say I’ve built a successful business.
By thriving, I mean having enough income to:
→ survive (house, food, fuel, bills);
→ pursue my interests (gym, cycling, travel, eating out, musicals);
→ build an emergency fund (to cover vet bills, car repairs, lulls in income and other unexpected expenses); and
–> save for the future (to build my dream house).
Oh, and I wouldn’t mind an electric blue Ford Mustang while I’m at it.
My idea of success.
When I think of success, it’s having the finances to do the things I enjoy without worrying about how much I’m spending. I hate questioning whether we can afford to get takeaway for dinner, or wanting to go on holiday but feeling like we don’t have the cash.
Unfortunately, thus far, I haven’t found the freedom to create my dream life. Until I do, I think freedom will continue to feel like a mirage in a barren desert.
But I’m confident I will stumble upon my oasis. I’ve created all the other facets of freedom – work, time, location. As for financial freedom, it’s only a matter of time.
Want to build a successful business, without sacrificing your relationships, health, fitness, sleep & fun?
I wrote ‘The 10 commandments of a Healthy Entrepreneur’ as my guiding principles to ensure I never become an unhealthy entrepreneur again. I’d like to share them with you, so you don’t make the same mistakes.
Originally published at www.tarafitness.com.au