A lot of people tell us that they want to do what they love, but they can’t because of a lack of money. But when we dig down into it, money is rarely the problem. The issue is usually (1) a perception of how much it takes (too much) or how much they have (not enough), or (2) a fear of not knowing their financial reality if they take a leap from something they know, to something new.
The fact is, security as we know it has all but evaporated in the past few years. Jobs for life don’t exist any more. People are being made redundant left, right and centre from ‘professional careers’. Pension pots are shrinking, and the future is more uncertain than ever.
What if it was actually more secure to do your own thing? To take control of your time, of the way you earn money, of the people you spend time with, in where you live, and how you work?
Working for yourself isn’t for everyone, but just thinking of it as a possibility can open your mind to new ways of doing what you currently do.
What is appealing about working for yourself? Is it the flexibility? How about negotiating different working hours? Is it the lack of commute? How about negotiating to work remotely or two days a week? Is it the excitement of creating something from nothing, and using that to put food on the table? Then why not start something on the weekends, and give it a shot?
When you have your own business – whether as your full time focus or as a side project – you literally create your future. The power is in your hands.
And if you are terrified by the prospect of earning less doing something different, then why not take stock of what you actually have and need, and see if you can make different choices about how you spend that money?
For example, we love travelling, and I have a huge library of books, but we don’t have a car. We got rid of it as an experiment a couple of years ago and haven’t missed it. Every few months we hire one for a couple of days, but have saved thousands on road tax, petrol, maintenance etc, which has freed up more to spend on adventures and other things that make us come alive.
It doesn’t have to be as major as getting rid of your car. What if you cut your daily takeaway coffee, and put that towards a learning fund, to take a course in something new. Or spent that money intended for wine on a life-changing book? Instead of thinking of it as sacrifice, think of it as investment in the things that matter, and it suddenly becomes a whole lot easier. Scale that up and you might just find you have enough to start or grow your very own business.
This New Year, we challenge you to think about how you could change your spending habits this year in order to get closer to doing what you love? If you channeled your resources into a new business, what might that look or feel like? If you already have a business, how could you better use your resources to grow that business in a direction which supports what you love? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook or Twitter.
Getting richer – in every sense of the word – is a choice. And you have the power to make that choice.
Beth and team
PS If you haven’t yet downloaded our FREE New Year’s Revolution toolkit (5000+ people have!) then get yours here and begin today. And if you want to get into the habit of practicing gratitude, download our free ‘2015 Happy List’ here to start noticing and being grateful for the things that make you happy.
Look out for our musings on a ‘New Year, Braver You’, coming tomorrow.
Is money – or a fear around money – stopping you doing what you love? We can help. Join others just like you from around the world in the online experience of a lifetime, starting January 26. In the five week e-course Do What You Love you will get practical guidance, inspiring true stories, challenging exercises and powerful tools to help you get past your money fears and move forward with the life you want for yourself. It’s an amazing experience. Don’t miss it. Find out more and register here.
