Because I care about you, I have some real truths to tell you about freedom that might make you a bit uncomfortable.

A lot of people want to sell you a dream of easy and predictable formulas for success. But the reality is that true freedom is not an accident and it’s not easy.

Freedom must be seized, earned and cultivated. One day at a time, for a very long time.

And if you want to be self employed, doing something that matters to you while living a life of freedom…

Then you really have two choices:

• You can follow the old path of inconsistency, false starts, wrecked dreams and wasted energy.

OR

• You can embark on a new path of waking up with focus and clarity every single day, where each action builds momentum and progress.

The first path is like running in circles. The second is an elevator to the top.

So today I want to offer you something that is 100% aligned with the second path.

Again, sorry to be brutally honest, but what I’m going to offer you will require a LOT of commitment. If you’re not ready for that, you’re welcome to close this tab in your browser and go back to browsing Facebook.

If you are ready, though, read on.

The 365 Days to Freedom Project is simple: You get one mission every day sent to your inbox for an entire year.

• Each mission moves you forward and builds momentum.
• You wake up with clarity on exactly what you need to do next to grow your business and reclaim your freedom.

If you want to be one of the few that defies the statistics and stops the endless false starts, you can join us here:

Click here to learn about the 365 habit.

Okay, now for the REAL dirt (and embarrassing truth about why I created this). Ugh, here we go.

I got sick and tired of all the “what ifs” and somedays in my life. So that’s why I really created the 365 Project.

In my starry-eyed entrepreneurial fantasy days, I kept getting plagued with the almost syndrome.

• I almost contacted a blogger I respected and asked for help.
• I almost started built a product I believed could succeed.
• I almost did a lot of other things.
• But almost got me absolutely nowhere.

It took me a while to be completely honest about it, but when it really came down to it…

I just wasn’t committed enough.

I just didn’t want it bad enough. I thought I did. But I still wasn’t fully and completely committed.

There wasn’t an endless fire burning in my heart. It wasn’t a goal that wasn’t burning a hole in my brain.

In short, there was no urgency.

But when I finally decided that “this will happen and it’s just a matter of time,” something shifted dramatically.

I was willing to do whatever it takes.

And of course, my results changed dramatically. I was able to quit my job in less than a year and make a full-time living from my blog.

So if YOU want to reclaim your freedom, you really just need two things:

1. Serious, urgent, whatever it takes commitment. <– I can’t give you this. Sorry.
2. A habit of focusing on small missions that grow your business, every single day. <– I’ve got you covered here.

Fortunately, the second thing I can help you with.

Click here to learn about the 365 habit.

(FYI: I’ve made this incredibly accessible and ridiculously simple for you to make happen.)

What the 365 program does best is address the two major problems with most other business education:

• Lack of consistency. Most programs stop before you’re able to actually get your business of the ground. Statistically it takes about one year building your blog before it’s making consistent income. That’s what the 365 gives you.
• No bias for action. A lot of business education is heavy on the theory and falls short on the implementation. The 365 is completely the opposite. I only give you actionable missions you can complete that day.

Registration closes on Sunday at 11:59pm Pacific to gather feedback and improve the training. No exceptions.

If you know that you want to work for yourself, make an impact on the world, and live a life of freedom, this will help you.

FYI: There is no pressure to join today. This is either right for you or it isn’t. But registration will close Sunday.

Click here to learn more about the 365 Days to Freedom Project

What’s the biggest risk of every beginning entrepreneur? Not consistently focusing on only the few key activities that grow your business.

I’m not talking about things that “build your brand” or “increase awareness.” I’m talking about the nitty gritty daily tasks that generate growth, subscribers and sales.

So the big risk is not having a daily practice or habit that compels you to do the hard work of growing your business.

In this video, I share with you my personal practice that helps me stay focused and create predictable streams of income in my business:

When you’re done watching the video, make sure you subscribe below and I’ll share with you the details on how to get early access to the 365 program.

One more thing… Do you have a friend that is always struggling to get their business off the ground and out of the liftoff stage? Do them a favor by sharing this video with them.

What’s the greatest predictor of success among aspiring entrepreneurs?

That’s easy: Unwavering, undeterrable commitment.

At the heart of every great achievement, movement or masterpiece this world has seen is a spirit of uncompromising devotion.

Over and over you see this. People that are willing to do whatever it take. No Plan B, no room for compromise.

Are you hungry for the power and peace that comes from this level of commitment?

If you are, read on. I’m going to tell you how to get there, and how to slay the three dragons that stand to deter you from your quest.

First, I want to remind you that you have this power within you already. You don’t need to seek it elsewhere.

Just remember a time in your past when you knew, no matter what, that you were going to see your goal through to the end. It wasn’t a “maybe” or a “nice to daydream about” kind of endeavor.

You had a commitment to your objective deep within your bones. And because of that, you were able to give yourself completely.

Maybe it was learning to play guitar so you could impress your girlfriend, mastering riding your bike with no hands, or climbing the Willow tree in your friend’s backyard.

You knew that no matter what deterred you, no matter what obstacles attempted to thwart your efforts, you were going to get there.

There was no other outcome possible.

Now, let’s explore how to reclaim this power and harness it toward your goal of building a successful freedom business.

I’ve worked with thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs, and I can see right away who’s most likely to succeed and who’s doomed to flounder incessantly, trapped on a merry-go-round of false starts and failed investments.

And it always comes down to who’s more committed and who wants it so badly that nothing can possibly stop them. It might take them years, or decades, but they will get there.

The beauty and power of undeterrable commitment is that it will always overcome…

• Lack of time and money.
• Lack of support from family or peers.
• And lack of amazing ideas.

Because if you’re truly, wholly committed, you will find and create all of these things somehow, someway.

Of course, everyone loves to talk about how one habit, trait or skill makes entrepreneurs successful. The reality is that many things contribute to the success of every great work. But without unshakeable commitment, none of those are possible.

So the question then becomes, how does one cultivate this level of commitment, and what gets in the way of it?

There are three beasts you must slay on the road of trials if you want to win the boon and power that comes with unshakeable commitment.

• Trial #1: Fear of your own greatness and owning your value
• Trial #2: Lack of depth to your purpose
• Trial #3: Not immersing yourself completely

Let’s venture deeper onto the path and begin our journey.

Trial #2: Cultivating an unquenchably deep purpose

If your purpose does not have enough depth to it, it won’t be able to fuel your action in a deeply inspiring way.

Your purpose should make you excited, energized and should include a healthy dose of Holy shit, I don’t know if I can really do this.

To accomplish this, you need a purpose that makes your spine tingle with nervousness, causes your heart to beat just a little faster and your palms to moisten with sweat.

For example, my deep purpose is to liberate others into freedom and love. My chosen expression of that purpose — and how I earn a livelihood — is to change the world of work, to create a movement where work centered in joy and purpose becomes the default, rather than the exception.

This excites me, drives me, and makes me feel slightly terrified (okay, maybe really terrified).

But it’s that living at the edge that makes me committed to this work. If I’m not on my own leading edge, I quickly get bored and lose interest. My purpose needs to be big enough to totally engulf me.

So does yours.

Action: Take the time to ask yourself “What’s a mission I could organize my life around that I could truly be proud of?”

What’s something that you believe in and means something to you at a deep, core level you could devote your life to?

The final act: Commitment must be renewed

A common mistake of naive adventurers is thinking that commitment is something that happens once at the beginning of the journey.

This is false.

Commitment to your purpose is a living, breathing energy that must be continually renewed. Neglect it even for a few days, and it will begin to wither.

So the next step is to commit to your purpose every day and take actions that demonstrate your commitment.

It’s within these actions that you prove your commitment. Words mean nothing without real demonstration of your commitment. (Share)

In the next installment in this series I’m going to share with you my personal practice for renewing my commitment every day, and the framework I use to take meaningful actions that further my purpose.

This simple practice has resulted in more growth and momentum than anything else I can think of.

Until then, what one thing will you do today to own your purpose and commitment to it? By sharing in the comments, you’ll make a public gesture that will strengthen and deepen your commitment.

Our community never ceases to amaze me.

It’s made up of brilliant minds and beautiful souls committed to turning their dreams into a reality.

Forging your way to getting paid to be who you are is a journey of a lifetime.

Our Trailblazer members have begun that journey, and are kicking ass and taking names along the way.

They are freedom-warriors. They are risk-takers. They are world-changers.

They possess the courage it takes to create a business of their own in pursuit of their No End Path. So let’s honor some of the recent milestones of our Trailblazers. They deserve it.

Vincent Jousse 

Vincent recently made in one day the traffic he made during the entire month of February thanks to his recent post on Life Challenger: How to miss your life: the 8 worst excuses you’ll regret.

“Thanks to Trailblazer, I have a better understanding of my offer to the world and I’m better and better at finding good post titles. It made the difference for this post for sure.”

Keep kicking ass, Vincent!

Bruno Coelho

Bruno of The Rabbit Way started his day big with the launch of his new course, Leading Life Beyond Goals.

“Most of my audience was in GMT-5, so this means that these brave men and women were awake at 7AM in the morning to BE ON THE LAUNCH! Incredible. I’m grateful for being surrounded by so many wise and talented people! It was a one hour session with a lot of interaction between me and an amazing audience!”

You’re destined for greatness, Bruno.

Michaela Cristallo

Michaela has good reason to be excited. The For The Creators founder recently got her first guest post published. And even better, this was her first submission ever, and to get it promptly accepted is no easy feat. She shared her story about her journey to living a more creative life on The Change Blog.

“I’ve already had 19 new sign ups to my mailing list from the guest post so far, and lots of really lovely comments on the post itself, so I’m really happy! Seeing how a bit of effort over the last few weeks has made such a big difference, I am excited to think that if I keep this up I will soon have a big list! I’m now working on writing more guest posts and getting my free e-book ready so I have a more enticing reason for people to sign up.”

Your success is imminent, Michaela.

A note to those featured today:

We’re truly overflowing with pride at every one of your recent accomplishments. No milestone of yours is small, because taking any action towards reclaiming your freedom is a massive feat. And for that you have our undying love, respect, and admiration.

Be honest with yourself. Is there something greater you want to give to the world than what you’re offering now?

I have no doubt that you have dreams, guts and glorious plans. You’re not okay with average.

No, you want to leave a mark on the universe.

And no matter how you try, you just can’t silence the call of your heart. It’s borderline deafening.

Now there’s only one thing holding you back from taking the leap to giving your gifts full time:

Money.

More specifically, predictable income you can bet on.

Your day job lets you rest easy at night. It will be there the next day, week, month if you just show up (and don’t do anything to screw it up, of course).

It’s a steady paycheck. And the lure of that monthly direct deposit lulls you to choosing the comfort of security over the daring excitement of your dreams.

Well, what if you didn’t have to choose?

What if you didn’t have to…

• Choose paying the bills over following your dreams?
• Settle for predictability over excitement?
• Succumb to the status quo while silencing your inner adventurer?

You don’t have to.

You also don’t have to be constantly hustling, burning yourself out every month working for yourself.

Creating predictable income doing what you love doesn’t have to be a mystery.

There’s a better, smarter way. And in this webinar tomorrow at 12pm Pacific, 3pm Eastern I’m going to show you how.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• How to create predictable streams of income that you can practically set your watch to, and why the twin desires of freedom and security must be in balance.
• The three transformations that ALL successful quitters make long before they ever hand in their resignation letter.
• Simple ways to make quitting and getting paid to do what you love inevitable, not just a nice daydream when you’re stuck in boring meetings.
• How to fund your freedom so you say goodbye to money worries for good.
• The one shift necessary to make sure success with your freedom business is guaranteed before you slave away with sweat and soul to find that you were headed in the absolute wrong direction.
• How to use your day job to help you fund your freedom business (yes, it’s really possible, no matter how much you loathe it).

And yes, this will help you even if you’ve already left your job. 

Don’t let money be an excuse any longer. You can have security and freedom.

See you there,

Holy shit, I’m so excited!

Wait, have I even introduced myself yet?

It’s Jarani here, the newest member of the Paid to Exist team, and I have some news that may blow your mind:

For the first time ever, we’re giving away an official Paid to Exist Backpack!

Since launching the digital Backpack last July, we’ve been inundated with emails from you telling us that you wish you had an actual real backpack. We thought that was a fantastic idea, so now we’re giving one away!

We’ve loaded this Backpack full of some of our favorite things, and trust me – you’re going to want this in your arsenal.

To be honest, if I could keep it I would throw this backpack over my shoulder and conquer the world.

But then all the time we spent compiling these tools as our way of saying we love you would have been a complete waste!

Head over to our Facebook page to view the rules and enter »

All you have to do is submit a picture of what personal freedom looks like to you, and this bag and all of its glorious contents could be yours.

You’re a part of the community that makes our world go ’round. This is for you. So don’t hesitate, start brainstorming and get your camera ready!

Oh — one more thing. If you haven’t already, you should download the backpack. It’s the inspiration behind this contest.

Good luck! :)

ETA: We’ve chosen our winner!

First off — Wow. We were absolutely blown away by the incredible response to the contest as well as the amazing entries we received!

To be honest, it was damn near impossible for us to decide on a winner. So many of you shared honest and compelling pieces of your journey. But it is a contest, so after carefully reviewing and discussing all the entries we all agreed on one.

And the winner is…

Diane of Greenville!

Here’s what freedom means to her:

“Freedom for me is following your truth, which feels very much like jumping into the unknown with the faith that the net will, in fact, appear. This is me tumbling through the air in my first skydive. I jumped right after walking away from a life that I had known for well over a decade — it represented me following my truth, shedding the old, and stepping into the new even though I didn’t know what the new would bring. This past year my life has been a testament to things falling apart are really things falling into place. It’s honest and it feels a lot like FREEDOM!!!”

Diane’s incredible picture of her first skydive, contrasted with her story of walking away from her old life to live her truth, resonated with deeply with all of us. And in a way, hers is a story of all of us in our journey to build a life we’re passionate about.

Congratulations, Diane! We’ll be contacting you so we can send you the Backpack!

We Want to Give Everyone Who Entered a Gift

Every entry we received was so incredible that we’ve put together a special something for everyone who entered. We’ll be sending all contest participants an email shortly containing a surprise gift — or two. ;]

Before I sign off, I’d like to take a moment to thank Diane, and all those who participated in our contest. The Paid to Exist team was so moved by every one of the entries we received. Some gave us the chills, made us burst into laughter, or simply stare in awe. Thank you for sharing a breath-taking glimpse into your personal freedom.

We’ve fallen in love with you even more.

– The PTE Team

If you’re a misfit like me, the typical productivity advice just hasn’t worked for you.

You know what I’m talking about, the standard narrative of:

• Create one inbox for processing everything.
• Batch all like tasks together.
• Use a system to manage yourself.

All of this advice is great, but it doesn’t work for the ADD stricken, creative misfit, right-brained tribe.

Don’t get me wrong, this stuff is awesome for certain people. I have many friends that absolutely thrive on GTD and the standard productivity hacks and tricks. But what if those don’t work for you? Are you hopeless? Are you a lost soul forever doomed to end each day with the same thoughts… “WTF did I actually do?” and “Will I ever be able to follow through?”

Absolutely not. Albeit a bit counterintuitive, there is another way.

But first, let’s get something out of the way:

You are not broken. These tips will make you insanely productive, even if all the standard advice hasn’t worked for you so far.

If the typical productivity hacks, strategies and methods haven’t worked for you, then perhaps it’s not your fault. Perhaps it’s the approach you’ve been taking that hasn’t been working for you.

One of the dumbest things I’ve tried (and maybe you can relate) is reframing my “To Do List” as a “Get To Do List.” In other words, trying to reframe all shoulds as wants.

The only problem is, I, like 90% of people, didn’t actually change what’s on the list in the first place. I just tried slapping the label of “want” on top of it.

Now, not only was I not doing stuff I wanted to do, but I felt like a fraud for trying to act like I was excited about it. I can’t think of a better recipe for massive resistance.

This article isn’t about trying on another productivity system (that clearly doesn’t fit), or attempting to put a square peg into a round hole. This is about counterintuitive approaches to getting shit done like a boss while not trying to make yourself into a robot.

Counterintuitive Tip #2: Flow Before Patterns

If you start your day writing down the stuff you think you should do based on patterns of what you normally do or what’s just a good business move, you’re immediately screwed.

Resistance creeps in. You feel trapped. You feel an immediate urge to put it off in favor of something more fun and interesting.

Realize this: People don’t procrastinate because they’re lazy. People procrastinate as a self-defense mechanism against doing stuff they despise or doing things too mechanically.

Instead, ask yourself What would I absolutely love to do and feel immensely proud of doing today?

Most productivity systems are built like crutches meant to prop you up.

They’re pushing you to do something that might be unnatural.

So what if instead of needing to be pushed, you simply focused on activities that pulled you and were hard not to do?

A good rule of thumb: The more productivity tricks you need to get it done, the less likely it is that it’s meaningful to you. Share

Counterintuitive Tip #4: Forget Everything You Know

We humans abhor the predictable.

Have you ever noticed that if you feel like you can predict what a speaker or teacher is saying, you immediately start ignoring them and doze off?

That’s because we can’t stand anything we think we already know. It’s boring. It’s done. It’s old hat.

So whenever you begin a task, even if you’ve done it before, focus on changing your approach.

Ask yourself:

• What new lessons can storytelling teach me today?
• How can I make writing this blog post incredibly ridiculous and off-the-wall?
• Where are the limits to this project, how can I take this to the extreme?

When you completely change your approach, you renew your excitement.

Counterintuitive Tip #6: Give Yourself Less Time

It’s ridiculous how often we think that more = better. More time means more productivity, right? Wrong.

More time often means more time spent screwing around. Face time is not important. Ass-in-chair is not important. What is important is getting things accomplished that really matter to you.

Stop measuring your self-worth (how much you get done) based on how much time you put in.

First, divorce your self-worth from your productivity. You are worthy no matter what.

Secondly, give yourself less time. Try getting everything on your list done by noon. You’ll be amazed at what you can do.

The final tip: Acknowledging your complexity

I’ll repeat the obvious: you are human.

The industrial and agricultural revolutions shifted human focus away from community and flow to production and measurement.

But our complexities and needs haven’t changed.

Just because you’re doing something that “isn’t productive” doesn’t mean that it doesn’t matter.

• Is taking care of your sick grandmother productive?
• Is walking aimlessly in the woods productive?
• Is sleeping in with your lover on a random Tuesday productive?

Just because something does not produce a measurable result, it doesn’t mean that it’s not productive. Share

When we’re able to change how we view value and what’s important, only then can we truly live fully.

We can honor both our gifts that create transformation, and the those that are beautifully unmeasurable.

Over to you: Have you ever felt like the typical productivity advice doesn’t work for you? Share in the comments.

Every so often, so many cool things are happening with my friends that I feel compelled to share with you.

Today is one of those days.

Here’s four projects that are worth your attention:

Fizzle - Honest Video Training for Online Business Builders

If you haven’t checked out Fizzle, you’re missing out. It’s like leveling up your business by going to a party. Who said business training had to be boring anyway?

Corbett, Chase and Caleb (they call themselves the “Three C’s”) drop the knowledge you need to move your dreams forward and have fun while doing it.

Unpop - Build Your Email List Without Being Evil

If you’re anything like me, you don’t want to annoy your visitors with ugly popups asking them to subscribe when they’ve barely spent five seconds on your website.

But you also want to make sure they know about whatever’s important and relevant to you.

Thankfully my buddy Jon Morrow is creating a solution that gets you more subscribers and makes your visitors happy too. Win/win is always a good thing, right?

How to Find and Do Work You Love

I’ve been following the work of my friend Scott Dinsmore for a few years now, and it’s been inspiring to watch him grow to the level he’s at today.

This TEDx talk was Scott’s “breakout moment” last year and it’s clear why. Check out the talk and get inspired.

Brew Pony – Amazing Coffee Delivered to Your Doorstep

Have you ever wished the mailman would bring you something other than junk?

How about amazing, artisan coffee from Portland, Oregon? Granted, it won’t be delivered in the same style as actually living in Portland (they tend to do it by bike, in typical PDX fashion), but it will be just as delicious.

My friend Tyler just launched this venture and is opening up to a few more orders this April. Take a look.

Over to you: What project are you working on right now you’d like to share? Share a link in the comments below.

Did you know that buying a new book can release the same endorphins as if you were having sex?

A recent study showed that purchases of material things give momentary highs, while purchases of experiences give more lasting highs.¹  But whether they fizzle out quickly or linger longer, both give you the sensation of fleeting bliss.

A similar experience happens any time you’re attempting to make a personal change.

I’ve known people who are addicted to buying books yet they’ve read less than 20% of what’s on their shelves. That’s because buying a new book on happiness, productivity or money gives you the illusion of having a solution (releasing a momentary rush of endorphins).

However, nothing has actually changed.

The same phenomenon occurs when you read a self-help article on a blog, an inspiring quote on Twitter or see a motivational video on Facebook. You get a quick high. Your life feels better. Something is different. Now you’re going to go and take action!

That’s great, IF you use that to fuel action. That is where real change occurs — doing the work every single day to create positive habits and beliefs.

It’s not sexy, it’s not a constant high or peak state of awestricken excitement. But it’s what destinies are made of.

Books, articles and blogs can actually get in the way of you transforming if you kid yourself into thinking that they’re creating real change. You can end up chasing the next epiphany or the immaculate blueprint for success.

Can knowledge inspire you to change? Yes, absolutely. But remember, the real change happens when you get busy doing the work.

I love hearing your experiences. Have you ever got caught up in chasing the next solution, when you really just needed to get working? (God knows I have.)

Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

1: Source: The Journal of Positive Psychology

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Janelle Allen of The Grand Life.

When I was 22, I took a free entrepreneurship seminar offered at my university. Everything was going well until we started talking about money.

As we turned our eyes and ears to the forty-something instructor, he said something that I’ll never forget: “If you want to start a business and need money, just ask your parents.”

Yeah, sure. Asking my parents for money to start a business wasn’t an option.

Eight years later, I moved to Chicago to start a new job, but I still dreamed of being an entrepreneur. By now, I had more student loan debt ($50k) and only a modest savings ($5k). But I wasn’t getting any younger, so I set a goal to fix my finances in 3 years or less.

It’s All About Priorities

I have a friend who is a well-paid manager at a Fortune 500 company. She has no kids and a husband who makes more money than her. Still, she complains about the same things every time we talk: not having enough money and not being able to quit her job.

This same friend also takes extravagant vacations every three months, goes out to eat two or three times a week and plans to buy a new car, though her old one is fine.

My point? Your financial well-being comes down to priorities.

I decided that I would do whatever it took to achieve financial freedom. No whining and no excuses, just temporary sacrifice for the long-term gain.

Before you even start looking at numbers, be honest with yourself. Are you willing to change your lifestyle to fund your freedom? If not, stop reading this article and go read some fluff.

Step 1: Learn a Skill

Having a marketable skill greatly improves your chances of making more money. It’s what helps you shift from someone else determining your worth to you setting your own price.

My first skill was to teach myself how to build websites. Every night, from 12 – 4 AM, I studied web design after working two jobs. My middle name is Hustle.

On top of that, I went to grad school to learn about a new field called Instructional Design. Turns out it was a good move. While companies were firing training departments, they were hiring Instructional Designers left and right. By the time I moved to Chicago, I had so many design skills that I was turning down high paying contract offers.

But you don’t have to go to grad school to learn a skill. In fact, there are so many resources out there that I wouldn’t bother. Take free tutorials online, go to skill-related Meetups, take a class at your local community college or even check books out from the library to learn something that you can make money from.

Step 2: Decide and Calculate

Decide

The next thing you need to do is decide how much money you want to save in your freedom fund. Is it three months of expenses? Six months? Twelve? Decide what you’re comfortable with.

Now, whatever number of months you come up with, add one extra because something will inadvertently come up causing you to spend a month of your hard earned savings.

Tip: Take into consideration your family structure. Are you young and single and comfortable with more risk? Do you have a family? Do you have a partner who will support you? Do you have a partner who won’t support you? All of these questions affect the decision.

Calculate

Now it’s time to set the numbers. You can do this.

1. Pull up your bank accounts online and identify your regular monthly expenses.
2. Take a pen and pad and make a list of all of your monthly expenses.
3. Add up the amounts. This is the maximum amount you need each month.
4. Double-check your accounts (credit cards too!) to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

Step 3: Downsize

Think you’re ready to start saving now? Not so fast. Remember what I said about priorities and sacrifice earlier? This step is where those come to play. When you tell people to cut back on spending, you quickly separate the walkers from the talkers.

Notice how I said “the maximum amount” in the Calculate section above? That’s because you haven’t downsized yet. Now that you have a moneymaking skill and you know how much you spend, it’s time to cut back on expenses. Follow these steps:

1. Review your expenses and identify any items that you can eliminate or reduce.
2. Change your spending habits to get rid of what you don’t need.
3. Make a new list of your expenses.
4. Total the amount (this will be the amount that you’re going to save each month).

Saving will be much harder if you skip this step. Downsizing will free up cash that you can snowball into savings. These are the sacrifices I made to add cash to my pocket:

• Gave my car away before moving to Chicago (Money saved – approx. $4000/yr)
• Downsized from a 2-bedroom to a 1-bedroom apartment (Money saved – approx. $2400/yr)
• Moved out of a trendy neighborhood where I was shopping and eating out too much to a quieter, more residential one (Money saved – approx. $2500/ yr)

Tip: We spend most of our money on housing, food and transportation. So move into a smaller home, get a roommate, learn to cook, carpool or take public transit. Do whatever it takes to reduce your biggest expenses.

Step 4: Don’t Budget. Spend.

Budgeting is a huge time waster. Ignore anyone who tells you otherwise.

Instead, what you need to do is put together a spending plan. If you’re in freak out mode by now, don’t worry. Here’s why you’re already ahead of the game:

• You know how much you need to save every month
• You have more money in your account now because you got rid of unnecessary expenses. (Right?)
• You have a marketable skill that you can use to make extra money.

Okay, let’s say your monthly expenses are $2000 and you want to have 6 months saved up when you quit your job. That’s $12k. Now, let’s say you can only afford to save $500 a month towards that goal, so your timeline is 24 months.

Next, it’s time to automate your spending. We’re going to focus on your emergency fund and your retirement account.

Your Emergency (Freedom) Fund

1. Make sure you have a checking and savings account. (If not, go set one up. I recommend Ally Bank.)
2. Set up automatic transfers from your checking into your savings account. This amount should be the monthly expense number that you defined earlier.
3. Never think about saving again because you won’t even miss this money.

Your Retirement Account

If you work for a corporation and have a 401k:

1. Find out what percentage your company matches.
2. Log onto the provider’s website and set up an automatic deduction of that percentage to come out of your check.
3. Increase this percentage over time. Most providers allow you to set up an auto-increase every X number of months.

If you don’t work for a corporation or one that doesn’t provide a 401k:

1. Set up a Roth IRA with a discount broker like Fidelity, T. Rowe Price or TradeKing.
2. Set up automatic transfers of a specific percentage of your salary whenever you get paid.

Tip: This is your money. You can adjust the amount you save automatically at any time based on interest rates or life events. Just make sure you adjust your timeline too.

Step 5: Tackle Those Student Loans

With your savings set on autopilot and your retirement set to cruise control, freedom is near! Whatever you have left goes to living expenses and entertainment (yes, you can treat yourself). Of course, if you’re smart, you’ll reallocate some of that money where you need it the most: those damn student loans.

My Strategy for Student Loans

Here’s the thing: It doesn’t make sense for you to save money in a low-interest savings account for 3 years if you’ve got $50K in student loan debt at 6 percent interest or more.

If you can pay even $100 more a month to your student loans, you’ll significantly reduce the amount you pay in the long run.

Here’s what I did:

1. Adjust – I used a free student loan calculator to see the effect and timeline of different payment amounts.
2. Call Your Servicer – Once I found an amount and timeline I was comfortable with, I called my student loan servicer and told them I wanted to change my amount so that my loan would be paid in 10 years, not 25.
3. Automate – I set up my student loan payment to automatically withdraw from my account each month. Plus, you get a .25% interest rate deduction for doing this!

These steps helped me pay off $25,000 in student loan debt in two years. Some people might disagree with this move, but I didn’t want $50k staring me in the face when I quit my job.

Step 6: Work the Plan

None of the hard work you’ve done up to this point matters if you decide to throw in the towel mid-stream.

My Escape Plan took 3 years. The hardest part wasn’t year one or two; it was the last three months. In fact, I almost quit my job early because of it. In the end, I made an extra $6k in retirement interest by staying put for only 3 months.

But what if you’re working the plan and it still isn’t working?

What if you still need more income?

That brings me to my special gift.

My Gift For Paid to Exist Readers

By now, you’ve read about the steps I took, but let’s take it a step further.

As a special gift to Paid to Exist readers, I’ve put together a resource kit to help you create more income and get one step closer to your dreams.

Check out this TGL page. Drop in your email address, and I’ll send you some fantastic stuff I’m preparing specially for you.

You’ll get:

• 5 Ways to Fund Your Freedom: Exclusive and simple income tactics that will net you at least $50
• Couples and Cash: A Worksheet for Discussing Finances with Your Partner
• Not Your Parent’s Money: A bonus manifesto to help you get over your parent’s money mistakes

Make this the year you invest in your freedom! If you have any questions about any of the strategies mentioned, don’t hesitate to ask. I’m happy to help you in any way I can.

About the author: Janelle Allen is the author and founder of The Grand Life, where she interviews creative entrepreneurs and helps people discover their why so they can live their best life.