It’s nothing but a myth and a fairytale.

Maybe I lost you already with my pessimism and you will leave right now. But if you believe that doing what you love will always result in making money, then you really should be reading blog posts from snake-oil salesmen and magic bean marketers. I know we would all like to believe that we can pursue our passions or the ideas we love and we could make a living doing it, but this just isn’t always the case. I’m not trying to burst bubbles but trying to help people not spend time chasing butterflies they will never catch. Lets talk reality for a few…

Do What People Want or Need and the Money Will Follow.

Businesses that actually make a profit provide a product or service of value to the customer. Please read that again. You have to create something that people desire. Maybe what you love to do DOES fulfill a need … or maybe it only satisfies your fancy. If it’s only for you then it’s very unlikely you will ever make a dime at it. If you aren’t concerned with generating an income then doing what you love should be reward enough.

I love to play Call to Duty on Xbox or read endless business books. I also love the idea of blogging about my ideas from the beach or skinny dipping in the ocean. Now, there is a chance that some people may want to pay me for doing what I love (if you are paying to watch me skinny dip please seek immediate counseling) but the reality is money will not likely follow these pursuits. This is where I believe we need to be prudent in making decisions that are sound and not filled in fantasy.

Is your passion or idea wanted?

You need to determine if what you are doing is wanted by other people. Collecting used gum or soda pop tabs may be fun but if there is only one other person in the world who shares your affinity for these items, you don’t have a market – you’ll just have a connection. On the other hand, if you love to draw doodles on a napkin and people keep asking you for them, then money could possibly be in the future for your skill.

Doing what you love is a great concept and I recommend that we all do something we love to do. Just don’t believe that the money will always follow. It might not. And if you are really counting on what you do to be your financial future, you must determine if there is a market or need for it otherwise you will only end up broke.

What do you think?

THE FINAL CALL. MAKING A DECISION.

In the last post I talked about the need to pick a racehorse to ride and to stick with until we cross the finish line. At some point you and I must make decisions affecting the race we are in. Your race – or life – looks entirely different from mine and your desires will also reflect that. You will have needs that you must fulfill and have to consider the big picture when making the “ALL-IN” decision. For me, it’s time to go for broke!

AND THE WINNER IS……BRANDING SHED!

Yeah, in some ways it shocks me too because most of the time we are taught to go for the decision that pleases us the most. We are led to believe that everything in this country should be about what we want and only our personal gratification should be considered. This is simply not true.

I have a responsibility to provide for my family and to pay off the debts I have foolishly incurred. I have the opportunity to provide jobs and training to others who need it. I can create a business built around integrity that provides amazing services to clients who have been sucker punched by others or who have been taken advantage of. And the business can be flexible enough to allow me to chase some of my other ventures as I see fit and have time. This can all be achieved through the Branding Shed.

Do I want to sit on the beach and drink margaritas while making online sales? Absolutely! Do I want to travel abroad and work from destinations that some people will only ever dream about? You bet I do! But the reality is that I can do this without trying to pursue the “typical idea” of what lifestyle design is thought to be and I can be happy with that.

WHAT IS HAPPINESS ANYWAYS?

When I started this series it was because I was personally searching. I was unhappy because of certain circumstances in my life and I wanted a piece of that LDS pie which is sold to us through blogs and websites. You know, the one with the beaches and endless time to do what you WANT. This may have seemed like the perfect piece of heaven, but you know what? I already have a slice.

It is awesome to want to be a rebel. It is thrilling and intoxicating in dismantling the status quo.

Sometimes we can do it right we are and in our current set up. Sometimes the happiness we hope to achieve by giving the finger to the man can be found by keeping our finger in our pocket. Many times the answers to the fulfillment we seek, begin first by searching from within. My solution has been in front of me all along but I let the ideals of the world overshadow that which I knew in my heart were false. Happiness, joy and contentment are here and now…not down the road when we reach our destination. Besides, the journey is NEVER over and the destination can change as we move through life.

You can have the lifestyle design you want here and now. It’s not a physical place; it’s a place in your mind that you can arrive at today. The question is, will you?

CHOOSING A RACE HORSE

If you are one of the people who desires to launch your own business and saying goodbye to the cubicle, chances are you already have a business idea you want to pursue. You likely have an understanding of your passions, strengths, talents, needs, and a rough plan on how to do it. And you may be extremely focused on creating or building the best ____________ (insert your idea). This is your vehicle or method for achieving your dream. But what if you are like me and you have a DOZEN ideas you want to complete? It’s funny because there are two sides of the spectrum; those who can’t grab any idea and run with it and those who see opportunity everywhere and try to grab them all! I am the later and it can be a curse.

A few years ago my brother in law, a very smart businessman and leader, gave me a gold nugget of advice. He said “just pick your race horse and ride it for all it’s worth. Don’t stop until you get to the finish line and don’t jump off unless it dies.” Choosing just one race horse is extreme hell for me but I know from experience that if I don’t focus, I won’t win.

THE CURRENT LINEUP

Going to the horse races to win that million dollar payoff and choosing the winning thoroughbred takes research, looking over the big picture, knowing the horse and just plain luck. At some point you also have to narrow down your options. I’m listing out the horses I feel can complete the entire race, as well a short analysis of each.

• Branding Shed: Proven and has a great track record. It’s a business I excel at and is the bread winner. But I am getting older and spending my entire days behind a computer is taking its toll. I have to build a team or be limited. Services are hard to scale but there are more pros than cons.
• WP Design Coach: Something I am passionate about and which can help a lot of people. It takes a lot of time to do with not much in immediate profit, yet it is also easily scalable and the long term benefits could be awesome – including residual income. There are also so many membership site options now and the market is getting full.
• Professional Blogger: I have several niche blog ideas and a few that I write at (including Wage Slave Rebel). I totally enjoy sharing my thoughts and experience, but I am not a very strong writer compared to my design and creative skills. Making a living just from your blog is also a long-shot , plus I think the blogging landscape has really changed. It may not be as viable as it used to be.
• Business/Life Coach and Professional Speaker: Out of all my ideas, this is the one that I am drawn to the most and the “dream” work I’d like to do – plus I’ve already been doing this on a small scale. I believe this would be the one place I could feel like no other opportunities would be worth looking at. But I also have to make a living and I’m not sure exactly how to do it in this realm.
• Other Ventures: There are a few other ideas I’ve been sitting on but I don’t think they are worth mentioning now as they aren’t likely to be the champion horse, though they could be a “sleeper”. Perhaps it’s best to pass those along to someone else who may be able to make them a winner.

IT’S THE FINAL CALL

The race is about to begin. At some point you have to step up to the window and place your final bet if you want a chance at #winning. If you want to win big, you go “All In” and leave it all on the table. Of course you can go small and diversify, but is this what you – and what I – really want to do?

• Do you prefer to play it safe and know that whatever decision you make won’t hugely affect your life?
• Do you go for broke and shoot for the big win regardless of the outcome?
• What would you place your bet on?

It’s that time in my life to step up to the window. What will be the outcome? Stay tuned for Session 8.

MAKING MONEY (OR MY DREAM IS ONLY A DREAM)

I am not independently wealthy, nor am I debt free. This means I have to do something to produce an income in order to live the vision I’ve set forth for myself. Remember … lifestyle design isn’t all about selling everything you own and moving to another country. Some of us will be called to do something as crazy as that and others of us will find the happiness right here in our current situation or career. It really depends on what you want out of your life.

I’ve already done preliminary work on writing down the vehicles that could take me where I want to go, as well as an inventory of talents I am skilled at. For those of you who have never done an assessment of your strengths or natural talents, I recommend taking reading Strength’s Finder 2.o and then taking the test. It’s a great resource.

TALENTS AND SKILLS TO MAKE AN INCOME

Everyone of us have natural abilities or talents we can use to make a living. Yours might be accounting, nursing, writing, consulting, making widgets, building homes or sports coaching. Mine are all tied into the creative arts or business related fields. This is my list:

• Design (print, web, logos and identities, t-shirts)
• Custom, Hand Drawn Artwork
• Speaking and Communicating
• Coaching or Mentoring
• Writing (at least I HOPE I am somewhat talented at this)
• Brand Development
• Marketing and Sales
• Business Development

The best thing is that all of these can be done by computer and Internet – and allow for the flexibility and travel I’ve previously mentioned. The challenge I face is deciding on which vehicles to choose because there are so many. I also know that the more options I have and try to pursue, the more likely of failure.

You may also have to make an honest evaluation of your skills or opportunities in order to pursue your own lifestyle design journey. What are you good at? Are you currently doing that for a living or do you wish you could do something else? Are you happy in your career or profession? Now is a really good time to determine that and if you do need to push for change.

WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL WAY TO MAKE A LIVING?

Your challenge and homework assignment is to visit the Strength’s Finder website or purchase the book so you can use it to help you on your journey. I also want you to answer these three questions:

1. Do I know what I am gifted or talented at? Write those down if you do or begin exploring.
2. Am I using these talents for the life I want to live? If not, why?
3. If I am not making a living with the things I am great at or passionate about, do I want to?

In my next session I hope to start speeding up the process a bit and listing out the vehicles I can take — and then begin eliminating some. After this has been achieved the strategies for those remaining will be a lot easier to work on.

THE OVERALL DREAM AND GOAL

I think for this session I have to revisit what I want to do and my values (sorry about the redundancy) as well as constructing a vision of how I see my daily life being lived out. From there I can begin to compartmentalize some of the tasks and ideas I need to complete to make the proper strategies. It will also be a daily reminder that keeps me pushing forward.

My lifestyle design will include traveling at least a total of three months of every year. I will create products and artwork that I can sell on my websites and I’ll also blog about my travels, entrepreneurship and dismantling the status quo. Time not working would be spent hanging with family or friends or conducting business/life coaching sessions for amazing people. Each day will be spent working or playing on things that I’m passionate about and be flexible according to whatever feels right.

Sounds like pipe dream right? But it’s not because some I am already doing and the other parts are going to happen soon!

BREAKING DOWN THE COMPONENTS

Now we would have to take the overall dream and start figuring out how we can find a way to do it. I have to admit that there are many moving parts and it may take a few days (or weeks) to get them lined out. Regardless, here is what I must start with because it’s the biggest piece of the puzzle – work.

HOW TO MAKE A LIVING

The first part of flexibility and travel is taken care of when it comes to my dreams. I can work from anywhere at anytime as long as I have a laptop and an Internet connection. This is definitely an awesome feeling and it works for the overall plan.  Unfortunately it might not work for you or be applicable to your situation. But then you may not want this either, so this is where your homework and self-discovery comes into play.

The second part is a little more difficult.  How can I make money online? What talents can I offer that will provide an income? How will I be able to pay for the lifestyle I want without being independently wealthy? These are all questions I honestly have to look at and answer. The reality is that I don’t have an unlimited amount of money to pursue my adventure. This is where many people get stopped dead in their tracks and a place where dreams can die. In the next session, I am going to open up and let my guard down in order to provide insight on my strategy.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

I want you to write down a short paragraph or two about how you want to spend your days and what exactly you would be doing. Tie it in with the first two sessions topics. When you are finished writing it down, put it in a place that you can see EVERY SINGLE DAY. This will be a very important reminder.