People know me best for The Retirement Myth, the branding of “retirement” and economic influence by the government, large companies, and financial institutions to maximize profit off of us until we are no longer needed, generally around the age of 65.

Part of the conditioning that takes place in teaching people about money or lifestyle is that we have to defer time, money, and passion until we “one day” can live the life we have always wanted. The reality is 99 out of 100 people live a worse lifestyle by the age of 65 than they did ten, twenty, or thirty years earlier, according to the US Bureau Labor of Statistics. Statistically we are more likely to be dead broke or dead at 65 than to have lived (or still be living) the lifestyle we really want.

If you are in business or wanting to start a business, kudos to you. One of the most effective ways to generate the lifestyle you want is through business. It is a great vehicle to put you in personal control over time, money, and your passion. This in and of itself is key because most Americans are limited based on how “The Retirement Myth” is set up. If you are an employee, the government who writes the tax code rules also gets paid first from your paycheck. Large corporations control your economic timeline and when you can take vacation. Financial institutions lock up your money and if you need it, you get penalized or have to pay interest to use your own money.

So if you are a business owner or are looking into it, I HIGHLY encourage you to use it as a vehicle in obtaining the lifestyle you desire. It is an extremely important step in being able to align the key components of lifestyle: time, money, and passion. The common myths around business are that it is too risky, you need a formal education, or have to quite your career to begin one. These are simply conditioning factors used by The Retirement Myth.

If you want to have a business in the first place because you want the lifestyle you desire, you need a plan that has the right ingredients. This means you have ways of saving money so you can operate your business even during down times and to cover yourself personally. You’ll want to grow liquid assets in your business and personally and protect your income and assets. You’ll also want to think about a business that has a purpose you are passionate about, your BIG WHY. You can be fulfilled with something you are not passionate about, however happiness is circumstantial. Your time should be spent on something you love and can monetize.

Once you have financial stability and have identified your big why, you will be positioned to align time, money, and passion. This is where the challenge comes. We all need money to survive, just like we need food and water. One of the first challenges for many business owners living the lifestyle they want is that money becomes merely the sole focus. It is hard not to get stuck here, because sales are core to “surviving” and “growing” your business. But if your sales go up, all of a sudden you have the ability to reinvest into your business or pay yourself more personally. So as hard as money can be to make, this is actually the easier part.

Time is generally much more difficult for people and businesses to master. What happens is money and time become a dilemma if not designed right from the start. You make a lot of money and are great at what you do (the sales speak for themselves), but now you can’t go on vacation. If you do, the sales dive or you may go out of business. Are you confined to a location, or can you be anywhere in the world or asleep while your business is generating a growing revenue stream? If you run into the time and money dilemma, you run into a personal and business dilemma as well. Do you reinvest into the business so you can eventually do more personally or do you steadily take more salary (or through the business as tax write-offs) for your lifestyle objectives now?

For both the time and money dilemma and personal and business dilemma you need to think about systems, business operations that allow you to be anywhere in the world or asleep while you still make money! This is where the magic happens. There are several options. Some thoughts are having an online sales system or having a sales team. The bottom line is you are saving time while you are generating money! There are no wrong solutions as long as they generate money without you and are automated.

The last level to the lifestyle you want is optimizing it. There are a number of areas to consider. Once you have the infrastructure to align the ingredients of time, money, and passion, now you need to consistently identify each area you can make improvements in, keeping in mind to leverage what you can. This is where a full team of experts come in. Get a team that can master each aspect of your business. You make decisions but a great team that is great at what they do.

Congratulations on your journey to constantly living a lifestyle that aligns to the core of you. Life is a “get to,” not a “have to”. Please share with your friends and family that retirement is a myth. Start living your lifestyle today!

conorfrancis@gmail.com

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