Work Less, Live more. How does that sound to you?
Whether you own a business or not, I imagine that every single person listening right now would like to work fewer hours in their week, and have more time to do the things in life that are most important to them…….whether that be to spend time with your kids, your spouse, your friends, enjoying one of your hobbies like fishing or reading, or maybe even just sitting in front of the TV watching a movie that you've been wanting to watch but just haven't seemed to have the time.
Our lives are filled with these little tiny moments that make up our hours and days, but my view of the world says that we don't slow down to enjoy them NEARLY enough. We all get caught up in the hustle and bustle of "WORKING" that we forget to design our lives….meaning it takes a back seat.
Anyone with a dream of placing their lifestyle before their job or business is what I call an UNLEASHED ENTREPRENEUR (UE). Someone with the spirit and gumption to want a better life for themselves and their families.
To many people, this may sound like a counterintuitive approach, BUT, I'm here to tell you that you can still attain all the success you want, while still maintaining a perfect work/life balance.
Let me ask you a simple, but potentially life-transforming question…….If there was a way for you to work only 24 hours a week, and still get all of your work done, and then have the rest of your time to what you chose…..would you be interested in developing that thought process?
Good, I'm glad!
I've mentioned it before, but I want to dive in a little deeper to what I mean when I say the NEW 24/7 Lifestyle, and how you can implement the philosophy into your own life.
The old version referred to someone who seemed to work all the time, every day, weekends, holidays, while on vacation….hence the moniker 24/7.
My definition is 24 hours a week, 7 months a year….and everything I do has that thought smack dab in the middle of all my planning. I'm always looking for ways to improve my efficiencies, and stay focused on the prize….which is to create a lifestyle that is of MY choosing.
The bottom line is this: I want you to hand-craft the perfect life for yourself and your family, then work backwards and reverse-engineer your business to meet those goals. This show will be a blueprint on how you can do just that.
There's an entrepreneurial flame deep inside my soul, and I assume you have that same flame, that never goes out. It's the voice in my head and heart urging me on, even when there is silence. This voice constantly instills in us the desire to make a profound difference in the world for the people that I call my CORE: my family, closest friends, and employees.
We all have this CORE group at the center of our universe. It's what gives us a distinctive reason to get up each day and put on our boots.
You are hopefully brimming over with the desire to become the very best you possibly can be. There is an innate desire to reach for goals that seem unreachable. Some are lying just below the surface, but some have been deeply buried for so long, it will take time to dig them out.
Maybe it's that dream you have of someday starting your own online marketing business; you put it aside because of your kids, your job, or life's emergencies. Well, guess what? The stars will never line up completely, and there is never a better time than right now to jump in with both feet!
It's human nature to have something to gravitate to all the time and to keep striving for, but in today's world, it's easy to let our goals slowly slip into oblivion and become a distant memory if we aren't careful.
If someone asked us, we would readily acknowledge that we want life to be exciting, but some of us have gotten too comfortable and content sitting on the couch. We need a challenge, but only a few of us ever dare to follow our hearts.
Impassioned people put everything on the line to start their own businesses. However, the main reason is still that we have passion for what we do. The gardener who starts a nursery, the weekend BBQer who opens a restaurant, the woodworker who starts a cabinet shop, or the teacher who opens a daycare.
We all share a common passion for what we do. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to monetize your passion and turn it into an actual job or business. That is the American Dream at full strength!
In the old days, the word "entrepreneur" meant someone who owned their own business, plus other not-so-sexy innuendoes. It also meant someone who worked long hours, didn't spend enough time with his or her family, risked everything they had to accomplish their goals, and lived on the edge of insanity.
Today, a new breed of amazing folks is breaking the old molds, creating their own rules, and blazing innovative new trails to pursue and attain their dreams with gusto and determination. There is a big tidal wave that is quickly sweeping the business world and it's a philosophy that is flipping traditional business models on their heads.
These new UEs want to work less, play more, and redefine what it means to be a success.
They put their families and personal lifestyle choices first, then build their income blueprints based on these choices. This progressive trend exemplifies a reverse hierarchy of traditional business goal setting. It redefines what it means to have a successful brand.
To many traditional business owners, this type of thinking leads to doom and gloom. They wonder how a business can survive unless the ownership and management are willing to give up their souls to accomplish maximum profitability. They wonder how anyone can claim to be successful unless the business can scale to ten, one hundred, or one thousand employees and show doubling or tripling net profits year over year.
To a UE like myself, setting such outdated, outrageous goals today are secondary to attaining the satisfaction I get from spending time with my family, personal projects, and rewarding lifestyle activities.
In my case, if something doesn't help me to attain my ultimate lifestyle goals, I take a pass on it. I am constantly asked to sit on Boards of Directors for companies, encouraged sit in on meetings that have no relevance to my ultimate objectives, or encouraged to take on projects that will only "slow my roll" and not lead to a better life. I do my fair share of volunteering and give plenty to charities, but I do NOT want to be that guy that says yes to everything. I constantly must ask myself if the activity will help me achieve my ultimate goals.
Basically, if it's not a "HELL YES" then it must be a "BIG FAT NO!"
Your default answer to all new tasks or activities that require your attention must be "NO." End of discussion.
When I began thinking this way, I recalibrated the way that I approached creative problem solving and found innovative, out-of-the-box solutions. Sadly, most people have no reason to think like this unless they are faced with some sort of devastating event.
The goal of any successful UE is to find out how other businesses in your arena are operating, then don't do that! You want to run as fast as you can in the opposite direction and figure out ways to stand out in a crowded space. That is the sure-fire method of separating yourself from the rest of the pack.
I intentionally avoid replicating their structures, master marketing plans, and, most importantly, their systems. I've discovered this is one of the biggest killers of the entrepreneurial spirit because many systems are inefficient at best and self-destructive at worst. It kills many a dream.
Typically, many businesses are put together with the old-fashioned system of "business first, personal life last," which intrudes unforgivingly upon the business owners' lives.
Why would I want to bring on pain in replicating the way these things are done? Most traditional businesses run on the upside-down pyramid that says your business is at the top of the food chain, with your lifestyle towards the bottom. That just doesn't make sense to me whatsoever.
This inverse strategy keeps my mind focused on priorities I value, while also giving me a laser-focused approach to getting my work done quickly and efficiently. This is how a true UE approaches creating something new and exciting.
I'm decorated with honor badges of trial-and-error, setbacks, and victories, but I've always been a willing participant in the process.
Do you consider yourself as having an entrepreneurial spirit, regardless of whether you own a business? If you currently are a card-carrying member of the club, we are kindred spirits.
If not, maybe you know deep down that you are destined to become one of the chosen few.
I love Jeff Foxworthy and his "You Might Be A Redneck If" one-liners. They have become as American as apple pie and Chevrolet.
Well, you too might be an Unleashed Entrepreneur if:
If you answered yes to at least five of the above bullet points, I'm delighted to say that you are wired to be an Unleashed Entrepreneur, meaning we are cut from the same cloth!
If you answered yes to ten or more, you are officially a VIP member with a seat in the front row of life! Congratulations!
So what prevents us from pursuing this type of lifestyle?
Well, I believe the biggest killer of our motivation and passion is procrastination. This unfortunate malaise is caused by our misunderstanding that doing certain tasks will cause us some sort of pain.
Against that perceived pain, we must balance the enormous benefits.
Do any of these thoughts sound familiar?
What if that day never comes? No matter what your circumstances are in life, you will always come up with reasons why something can't be done. Instead, why not come up with one great reason why you should?
Procrastination can be the great robber of our time if we're not careful. Nothing will suck out the vigor for life faster than a good case of it. Show me a garage stuffed with "I'll get to it later" projects, and I'll show you a life that is not reaching its full potential. Nothing can stop a dream faster than our own laziness.
Well, today is the first day of the rest of your life! And You can begin now to take control and get back to that feeling of relevance and contentment.
Check out this piece of anonymous wisdom about procrastination:
They were going to be all that they wanted to be… tomorrow.
None would be braver or kinder than they… tomorrow.
A friend who was troubled and weary, they knew, would be glad of a lift— and needed it too.
On him they would call―see what they could do… tomorrow.
Each morning they stacked up the letters they'd write… tomorrow. The greatest of people they just might have been, the world would have opened its heart to them.
But, in fact, they passed on and faded from view, and all that they left when their living was through was a mountain of things, they intended to do… tomorrow.
I can't impress upon you enough that you must take action today. If you can't see yourself realizing the dream, you never will. Just when you're about ready to succeed, something will surely pull you back. If you feel overwhelmed, break it down and get started!
After all, you can't eat an elephant all at once, can you? Start breaking down the big things in your life into small, manageable tasks to eat one bite at a time.
Ah, but there's always tomorrow, right?
Now it's time for Cooking Corner With Mitche, where I share with you a tantalizing recipe that you can try at home this week. Today's recipe is Grilled Pork Loin with Rosemary Roasted Baby Red Potatoes. This recipe will get you outdoors, which is ALWAYS a good thing….
First step, as always, pour yourself a good cup of coffee, or some sort of adult beverage….or as my kids call it……Daddy water…..and start a pan on medium heat with a little olive oil. Mince up some of those garlic cloves that are sitting in your spice cabinet and add it to the frying pan…….I have a little secret for you………even if I give you a recipe for…………how to pour milk on cereal, I'm ALWAYS going to recommend that you put some fresh garlic in the oven to roast…. or in a pan……..Just because it makes the air smell so delicious!
Then, get your pork roast….and it doesn't matter how big…it all depends on how many people you are cooking for….and trim off a good amount of the fat cap that is on the outside. You don't want to take it all off, as that fat will add to your flavor during the cooking.
In a bowl, combine equal parts chili powder, cumin, paprika, granulated garlic, black pepper, and 2 parts salt….and if you like a little spice in your life….. you can give it a pinch or two cayenned pepper, or increase the amount of black pepper that you put it. All these ingredients can be adjusted up or down….depending on your preferences and what you have in the cupboard.
Once it's all mixed up and looking pretty, gently rub the mixture all over your pork loin. Turn the left side of your BBQ grill on high, but leave the right side completely off…. You'll see why in a minute……….and once it's all the way HOT, place your pork loin directly on the hottest part of the grill, and let it sit for about 2 minutes, then rotate. Continue to rotate every 2-3 minutes until you have a nice golden sear all over.
Then, transfer your roast over to the right side of the grill that is completely off. If you have a wireless thermometer, place the probe into the thickest part…..and close the lid tightly. This will make….kind of an inexpensive smoker out of your BBQ grill. Pretty slick, huh?
While your pork loin is enjoying the heat, cube up some baby red potatoes….don't spend time peeling, leave the skins on……they add vitamins and minerals to the potato, plus they add a wonderful flavor.
Put them into a large bowl, sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic…….and the secret ingredient…..fresh minced Rosemary that you got from your backyard or from the store. Turn your oven on 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until they are completely cooked…., Give them a turn about ½ way in.
When your pork loin has an internal temperature of 145, pull it off the grill, let it rest for about 5 minutes, slice it up in ¼ slabs, add the potatoes on the plate, and you are good to go!
Play with the recipe, add some ingredients, take some away………have some fun with it…….and Let me know how it turned out.
In our house, cooking is always a team sport with the kids participating sometimes just as much as us BIG kids. Make it a family activity where each person is in charge of something, turn on some music, and away you go! THESE…..are the finer things in life.
