Everybody wants a lifestyle business – doing whatever you want to do, where ever you want to do it, whenever you want to do it, with whomever you want to do it with, all while getting paid. It’s life (and business) beyond the constraints of the cubicle and corporate structure, a shift toward freedom and the holy grail of “making it.” And yet – if you have been blessed to create this type of lifestyle for yourself, you know that the big secret to finding true success is that – there’s another step.
Once our fundamental need for food, clothing and shelter; secure, meaningful employment and a few piña coladas on the beaches of success is handled, something inside us starts to feel restless, unsatisfied. We want more. And not just more stuff, but more meaning. You look around and wonder: Now what?
As human beings, we come pre-programmed with an innate yearning for our lives to mean more than just the grand accumulation of physical assets. It was Abraham Maslow who developed the hierarchy of needs triangle, identifying self-actualization as the pinnacle and the point at which we finally stop seeking.
Psychologist Carl Jung developed a similar theory with his “Four Stages of Life” archetypes, describing man’s process of individuation as the lifelong work of “becoming what you are.” Each of these models has one thing in common: we won’t feel completely satisfied until we reach that final stage. Developing a lifestyle business up-levels us from merely surviving, and it’s bigger than just breaking free from the cog-in-the-wheel mentality. It’s about taking 100-percent responsibility for your life. When you give up blaming and complaining, you are taking a stand for your own personal betterment, and you are right to ask the question, now what?
William James once said, “The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” And, that’s the final step to creating a lifestyle business. You take your personal success and turn it into something bigger, more meaningful that will outlast not just your physical stuff but your physical self, too.
This is when your lifestyle business becomes a legacy business. You take your gifts and talents, your experience and wisdom, and use them in the service of others. This is your gift to the world. It’s what you MUST give away to make life better; and in the process, it also makes you better. Legacy isn’t just the financial wealth we leave behind; it’s anything that has a positive influence on others. When you think about it, we’re all the product of some sort of legacy – be it a grandmother who taught us respect or the teacher who first believed in us. We all have moments that shape us, habits or sayings that stay with us and contribute to who we are. This inheritance is what makes us better people. And, the best way to honor that legacy is to add a piece or two of your own.
Financial literacy is my legacy. It’s my goal to reach 1 million children through books and live presentations that I personally deliver at local schools. No matter how big my business grows or how many awards we receive, it’s giving financial literacy to kids that REALLY excites me because it can impact generations.
Imagine how much better the world would be if everyone was living to their full potential, working on their legacy business and the contribution it will make to future generations. Once your personal success is handled, it’s time to take what you know and pass it on. Helping others completes the loop to improve both yourself and the world.