YOU get to decide how you will spend your time. You get to say YES to things that make your heart ‘sing’ and NO to things that you don’t want.
How cool would it be to live a life that you didn’t need a vacation from?
There are always going to be things that you have to spend time on, but imagine having the choice of how you spend all the other days.
For many years I didn’t see Lifestyle Freedom as a possibility. Working as a real estate agent for 26 years I wasn’t sure when, or even if, I would be able to retire. As a Realtor I had no pension; my income was at the mercy of the real estate market. No matter how good my plan was I was always going to be at the mercy of other people and things out of my control (Mortgage Rates, Clients, Government just to mention a few).
When I had a good year I would set aside funds to cover my taxes and put money into savings. It didn’t take too many months of a ‘soft’ real estate market to see my savings account evaporate. No matter what the market was doing I still had bills to pay. I still had to pay to advertise my listings, entertain clients, and pay for my office expenses, cell phone, gas, and all my other general living expenses … whether or not there was a commission cheque on the horizon!
Many people would say that I could just rely on my husband. Nope. I’m independent and I like to have my own income!
I wasn’t looking for lifestyle freedom
I wasn’t looking for anything when a friend from the local Chamber of Commerce and I met to catch up over a glass of wine. She told me about her new side-gig and shared her products with me. I was very interested in trying the products and I fell in love with them … and the results I was seeing. I know that getting older is a privilege some don’t get to enjoy, however, just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you have to look it! After about 4 months, my friend invited me to take a look at the business behind her products. I wasn’t really looking for a side-gig however, it couldn’t hurt to take a look.
I quickly saw that this could be a way to take the financial pressure off. I loved the products and felt confident that I could share them with people and make extra money at the same time. Money that could help pay my regular monthly bills. I could do this in and around my real estate business without impacting it. So, having never done anything like this before, I took a leap of faith and said YES!
Fast forward 2 years. I had been taking care of my real estate business and enjoying my side-gig. When my real estate license renewal arrived in the mail, my side gig was fully paying all my bills. However, I was not feeling joy in real estate anymore. I was busy in my new side gig! I loved helping my real estate clients yet still my life and my career were at the beck and call of things beyond my control. Renewing my licence would be expensive and I didn’t think it was worth the unhappiness to renew it.
The reality and the potential of my side-gig began to land in my consciousness. If I chose to pursue this side-gig on more than a spare-time basis, I could create and work with an organization of like-minded people. I could have fun.
I saw that I could, with a little extra hustle and some determination, have something that I’d only dreamed about: Lifestyle Freedom. I would be free to choose to live where I want and work when I wanted, with people that I could choose. And I could show others how to do the same.
I chose to give up my real estate licence – handing off my book of business to a trusted colleague and I once again took a leap of faith and committed to being full time on my side-gig which of course now became the main event! I now enjoy life on my terms. I have the freedom to choose and to do what makes me happy.
What is your version of Lifestyle Freedom
Enjoying Lifestyle Freedom often means you have created residual income as a result of building a solid business over time, and you are now paid every month. In many cases you can create a legacy business that you can will to your family.
Your idea of Lifestyle Freedom may be very different to mine. I love to travel, work from the beach, take extended vacations to amazing places, eat in nice restaurants, enjoy good wine, spend time with my husband & family, and visit with friends. Your lifestyle freedom will look different.
- If you are approaching retirement, it could mean maintaining your current lifestyle by topping up your pension with your residual income.
- If you are a parent with young children, it could help you afford to be a stay-at-home-mom? How would it feel to never miss your child’s milestone moments or their school plays, concerts, or sporting events because you had to work?
- If you are a parent of older children, wouldn’t it be fantastic to never say “we can’t afford it” to your child when he or she asks to go on a school trip, play hockey, basketball, dance, skating or other enriching student activities?
- If you have a partner or spouse, imagine telling them they could reduce their hours at work and spend more time with you and your family, or even retire them completely?
Maybe for you, Lifestyle Freedom means you have the freedom to travel regularly, to enjoy new experiences.
How would it feel to increase your income to a point where you can make more significant contributions to your church or favourite charity, to participate in mission or philanthropy trips?
These are just examples. What would your version of lifestyle freedom look like?
NOW is the time to start looking at how you can earn more income and move you and your family towards your version of Lifestyle Freedom. Residual income, created from home in your spare time is the key to your future. It is your opportunity to work toward Lifestyle Freedom and living a life you don’t need a vacation from!
One of my favourite quotes is from Jeff Olson, Author of the Slight Edge:
“It is never too early to start, it is always too late to wait.”
If you want to learn more about my journey to Lifestyle Freedom please reach out. I am very happy to share!
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About Sue
Sue Coleman loves helping people discover the joy of working when, where, & with whom they choose; to help them build a business that has the potential to change their life as well as that of their family & community, in both big and small ways; and to discover the benefits of a portable career, the ‘magic’ of residual income and the absolute joy of lifestyle freedom. She has been married to Kevin for over 45 years, is the mother of two grown sons, and Nana to two awesome grandsons. She also loves to sing, play tennis and travel often. |