I’ve changed.
I’ve gone from someone who was muddled by money to someone who is clear and focused.
I’ve completely forgiven myself for any bad financial decisions I made in the past. I went from being secretive and weird about money to being open and relaxed about it all (even a little proud of myself for what I make, and what I’ve put together).
I’ve actually become someone completely different. So, how did this all happen?
Well, let’s start with a confession:
I am not motivated by numbers.
It almost feels embarrassing to say that. I’m a business owner and entrepreneur, and I’ve identified with that image of myself for years. I’ve bought and sold businesses, real estate, investments, have created and owned several multi-six figure businesses over the years. I should be motivated by numbers, right? I should have it all together, right?
Turns out trying to motivate me to work for ‘money’ and a number on a spreadsheet isn’t going to work. I’m not intrinsically motivated by it.
I know Dr. Tony and Makaylah tell people not to shoot for the ‘millionaire lifestyle’ of fast cars, diamond necklaces and yachts. But he didn’t have to worry about that with me, because I couldn’t care less about fashion, fancy jewellery or lavish lifestyles.
You know what motivates me?
Exactly what Dr. Tony and Makaylah are teaching about: Freedom.
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Freedom Is What Motivates Me
When I started watching the educational videos from MindShift.money’s programs, Dr. Tony asked the simple question, ‘What does freedom look like for you’? Well, that was when it all started to change for me.
Because prior to that, it was hard to motivate myself to earn more, save more and spend smarter, because I had a house to live in, I had a decent wardrobe, the occasional vacation, a functional car, and to me, working harder just to get a fancier car or something just didn’t seem worth it. I was working hard enough just to keep up with paying for the lifestyle I already had.
But, when Dr. Tony started explaining that the Game of Money, the game the 4% of the population were playing, had nothing to do with working harder so you can have a more expensive and glamorous lifestyle, well, I perked up and started listening.
Listening hard.
The game, he explained, was buying your time back. Disconnecting money from time.
This was music to my ears. This was a turning point for me. Not ‘making more’, not ‘being rich’, not just some number on a spreadsheet, but a Freedom Number. Freedom itself was the motivation.
Once I got that concept, the next question Dr. Tony asks is, “How much money do you need to bring in to cover all your monthly expenses so you don’t have to trade time for money?” He called it my Freedom Number.
What’s My Freedom Number?
That was it. That was my motivation. My Freedom Number.
Now, it wasn’t just a number, it was time with my children. It was being the mom that gets to go on the field trip. It was writing that book I’ve always wanted to write.
It was about letting go of the everyday stress I’d been under for years. ‘Having’ to land a certain number of clients every month, meeting deadlines, obsessively checking my bank account, making sure I made all the payments on time, worrying I’d miss something or I’d go into overdraft because a client payment didn’t clear, working hard for every dime. I was so tired of it.
What if I could have a Freedom Generator? What if I could set stuff up, create systems so I could just get all of that off my back once and for all? Money in, money out, money saved, money invested—automated and easy.
So I did. I methodically went through all the videos, read the materials, did the exercises, had a few heart-to-heart conversations with my husband and made significant changes. We re-worked everything. Together.
Getting My Time Back
I could write a dozen more essays about the emotional growth and changes I’ve gone through. Changing how you look at money, how you handle it, how you communicate about it isn’t easy. It’s a hero’s journey.
But, as of this month, we are there. My Freedom Generator is setup and working.
I’m still learning, I’m still making mistakes. I have a ways to go yet.
But I am a different person.
A few weeks ago, I signed up to go on a skating field trip with my son’s class. As I laced up my skates, grabbed his hand and glided onto the ice with him, I had a moment of pure joy.
I was doing exactly what I wanted to do with my time, with no regrets, no worries that I wasn’t going to earn enough that month, that I was somehow ‘playing hooky’ from work. It was ok. I had bought my time back.
I was free.
For more information about the Cash Flow Cure Program and Business Owners Only community that Diane is a member of – click here.
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