Money is taboo, but today it’s on my mind.
My dad says, “Money has an enormous psychological component. It has a fantasized reality.”
What he means is we often make assumptions about what money can do for us if we only had more of it. We think, “If I had more money, I would be happier.” Other thoughts look like this, “If only I had more money, I would… “
- Start my own business
- Live my real life— the one I was destined for
- Travel the world over
- Do whatever I want, when I want
The trouble is these thoughts imply you can’t start your own business, live your real life (Ummm, whose are life you living?), travel, do what you want, or be happy NOW. With this mindset, you are putting your life on hold until something else happens (i.e., you receive an inheritance, win the lotto, get a big promotion, etc.).
Like my dear ol’ dad, I much prefer the idea of taking control of my life now. Life and time are too precious to wait for an inheritance, a gift, a long-shot windfall, or a monthly distribution. Live your real life now.
Will things be more challenging if you start now? Perhaps. But what if it’s supposed to be challenging? What if living the life you are supposed to live takes hard work? What if starting a business from the ground up teaches you the lessons you need to grow into the next great version of yourself?
Accepting that living your purpose SHOULD be hard—and fully embracing the challenge—frees you up to FIGHT FOR IT. No more waiting on something or someone else, live your life NOW and GO FOR IT.
I started my business with just a few thousand dollars I had saved up to help me with expenses. I added in a whole lot of grit and determination. Would it have been easier to start my company if I had saved tens of thousands of dollars or received a large inheritance? Heck yes! I could have bankrolled a full-time team around me to help with the podcast production, design, copywriting, travel, and promotion. My business could have launched bigger and faster, that’s true.
But, instead, I learned how to produce my own podcast and create my own copy before I hired others to help me. In fairness, a friend created my website for me, and I paid her for it instead of doing it on my own. I love it, but knowing what I know now about my business, I already want to change it up. Had I learned how to do it myself, I would be able to make the changes now with little effort and expense.
I share this example of the benefits of doing things the hard way (on my own) and the problem with spending money on something I could have done myself. The scale of my business may be different than yours, but I think the point is the same. There are advantages of learning how to do the hard work yourself if that’s what is standing in your way.
Stop fantasizing about what life would be like “if only” and get started living it today.
P.S. If this way of thinking is a well-worn path in your mind, making the shift may be difficult, but I can assure you it is so worth it. Let me help you. Get a free consult call with me here, and let’s get you living your dreams now!
