Healthy Finances

Katharine Graham once said, “To love what you do and to feel that it matters – how could anything be more fun?” For many people, making enough money is stressful enough, without trying to figure out how they can also enjoy their work. If you’re already anxious about your income, it’s time to realize that you’re putting yourself at risk. You’re less likely to eat right, be active, or do things you enjoy. Whether you’re worried about paying your mortgage, or aren’t satisfied by the size of your nest egg, money is consuming your time and preventing you from creating a healthy mind and healthy body.

Being financially healthy means more than having the “right” amount of money in the bank. It means having a balanced life, pursuing your passions, and finding a way to use your gifts and talents in a career that earns you the money you desire.

To many of us, this sounds idealistic—but I’ve done it, and I believe you can as well. I call it being a Lifestyle Entrepreneur. Identify the lifestyle you want, based on your values, and then build your career around that. Put the vacations, exercise classes, and family dates on your calendar first! From there, you can build a business model in a way that supports your whole self.

“The secret of success is making your vacation your vocation,” according to Mark Twain. That’s what the 30-Day Challenge can help you do. We work with you to pinpoint your passions and goals, and then improve your life so they aren’t just pushed aside. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great (link to book on resources page), lays out the “Hedgehog Concept” where you can create the ideal business or successful company: 1) get clear on your passions, 2) identify your gifts and talents, and 3) create a business model that allows you to capitalize on both of those.

However, to achieve true freedom, you cannot be trapped into working for someone else (E = employee), or working for yourself (S = self employed) to the degree that you are the sole service provider and therefore the business really owns you. This is a lesson I learned from Robert Kiyosaki, who wrote Rich Dad, Poor Dad as well as the book that impacted my thinking on business models, Cashflow Quadrant (link to book on resources page). Once I realized I needed to free myself from being an employee, or even being self employed, I knew this wasn’t something I could figure out on my own.

The easiest way to learn something new is to watch someone who is successful at it. Watch, learn, be coachable, and then practice until it becomes second nature. This will take time. Healthy habits are not established overnight; you have to work at them until you are subconsciously competent.

The great thing about becoming competent is the ability to pay it forward and share your success so others can follow your lead. I work with over 2,000 health coaches, all making big impacts and earning great incomes, while keeping their lives in balance.

Complete this form for our next 30-Day Challenge. In the mean time, take our Free Goal Setting Workshop to make 2013 your best year ever! Assess yourself, your passions, and your drive. Maybe you need help finding or creating your ideal business model—that’s what I’ve specialized in for the past decade. You’ve got nothing to lose and lots to gain. You have the potential to organize your entire life around what is important to you. You can learn to focus your talent into one area and master it. You can manage your time to maximum benefit. And through it all, you can still make the income you want.