Day 29 Challenge: "What does your blueprint for living the dream look like to you?"
Day 30 Challenge: "Tell me how the 30 Day Blog Challenge has helped you to create freedom in business and adventure in life."
Have You Been Doing the Challenge?
If so, here are some additional questions Natalie asked on Day 29 that will probably be helpful for you to answer as well:
• So what does living the dream REALLY look like to you?
• What do you want in your life beyond all certainty?
• What’s a non-negotiable you are not prepared to give up for anything else?
• What don’t you mind forsaking in return for having more of something else?
• What do you want in your life beyond all certainty?
• What’s a non-negotiable you are not prepared to give up for anything else?
• What don’t you mind forsaking in return for having more of something else?
How Did It Help Me?
I've not had time to put together a proper, snazzy Painted Picture slide show to share with you because of Niko's surgery. Customers and clients need to come first in my limited time right now. But I do have it in my head, jotted down and sketched out on papers and documented in Evernote. I'm very excited about it and working on it every spare moment.
Doing this 30 Day Blog Challenge really did help me clarify it even more. And the fact that I've been doing a re-brand at the same time, though a bit overwhelming, actually proved to be quite helpful and synergistic - which was my hope when I signed on to take part in the challenge knowing what was already on my plate.
I made a commitment to really embrace this challenge because, having already read Natalie's book, I knew it would really help me stay focused and work things out. I'll admit that blogging every day (which I ultimately didn't do... I combined many into longer posts) wasn't easy. It's way more than I usually blog. But this journey has been enlightening, exciting and quite enjoyable.
I took advantage of the challenges to do some real soul-searching, dig deep, and be honest with myself. I looked at my "why" and the big picture for my business, worked through my re-brand, planned out my offerings and came up with amazing ideas for Awaken Dreams which have gone into planning mode and are well on their way.
I was able to envision and describe my Perfect Day in much more detail than ever before. It's so inspirational that I've printed it and put it on the magnetic white board in my office where I'll see it daily.
What's Your Take on This?
There's a TV commercial from Prudential airing in the US right now that's making me crazy! Here's why. Here are the 3 questions posed in this commercial (which you can watch below):• "If you could get paid to do something you really love, what would you do?"
• "What if I told you someone could pay you and what if that person were you?"
• "When you think about it, isn't that what retirement should be... pay ourselves to do what we love?"
First, let me ask you...
What are your answers to these questions?
And how do you feel about them... especially that last one?
What You Won't Catch Me Doing
I'm all for re-inventing yourself, even if it is only when you retire. But I say... why wait?!?
I'm NOT waiting.
I'm planning my retirement now. Let me re-phrase that... I'm planning on living my retirement now. While I can. While I'm young enough to enjoy it. While I'm still living.
I Will Not Be a Statistic
How many times have you heard of someone who retired then died shortly thereafter? Or just before they were due to retire?
I've heard it so many times! Again just the other day. Then I saw the above commercial. And it pissed me off.
There's no reason, especially with all the tools at our fingertips today, why we should have to wait until retirement to do something we love and enjoy ourselves.
So I don't care if you do want to be a writer, a baker or an architect... or a jewelry designer or a watercolor artist... or a suitcase entrepreneur like Natalie. Do it NOW. Harness the power of the internet, take control of the steering wheel and plot the course to your dream... whatever it may be.
That's what I'm doing.
I LOVE what I do... ok, correction all the things I do. I'm one of those multi-passionate entrepreneurs, ya know. (I bet deep down you are, too.) And the final pieces of the puzzle to be put in place are my relocation to Hawaii and the marked expansion of my business and charitable foundation that will happen once I'm there.
That IS my retirement.
I don't sit here dreading the "daily grind" and dreaming about the day I can finally quit working. I'll probably never quit working... because my work doesn't even feel like work! I can't wait to get out of bed and get started every day.
What Is A Lifestyle Business?
I've decided that the traditional, delayed gratification model of retirement doesn't work for me. I prefer the idea of a Lifestyle Business. My definition of Lifestyle Business and Success (as you'll see in my new header up top soon if it's not there already) is the same... having a business doing what you love give you the lifestyle that you want.
As I said earlier, I'll probably never fully retire. I love what I'm doing so I've decided the Lifestyle Business model works better for me. My business is location-independent enough for my needs. (It would be 100% if it wasn't for the inventory necessary for Designs by Debi.) I have a flexible schedule. I get to enjoy my environment 24/7 and can even work outdoors if I want. And, as I grow my business and my team, I'll be able to have even more free time and flexibility in my schedule if I want it. That will most likely translate to being available to do more volunteer work for my charitable foundation.
The more my plans come together, the more excited I get and the happier I am.
Does This Sound Interesting To You?
Are you a creative person with a new entrepreneurial creative career just waiting to burst out of you?
Does your heart sink when you think you might have to wait until you retire to really indulge your creative side?
Well, pick your heart up off the floor so the two of you can have a little dance because there's no reason for you to wait!
You can start right now. Right here. Today.
You see, all it takes is a choice. Yup, that's right. All you need to do is make a conscious decision to give it a shot.
You don't have to run out and quit your day job.
You don't have to spend every non-job-working, waking hour on it to make it happen.
And you don't have to commit to a life of poverty either. (FYI --> We're going to blow that "starving artist" myth straight to hell.)
You do have to want it... really want it.
You do have to carve out time to work on it. Even a couple hours each week of forward progress is forward progress!
You do have to work hard during those hours.
You do have to learn business stuff... and, yes, DO business stuff. At least for now.
But if you want it, you CAN do it.
Help Is On The Way
Very soon, I'll have some great tools to help you. There's a lot going on behind the scenes here and there will be an explosion of activity with amazing stuff for you this fall. So be on the lookout and get on my list, too so you'll be the first to know and take advantage of special deals!
I hope you enjoyed following this challenge, that I was able to give you some teachable a-ha moments and that it was helpful. I'd love to hear your thoughts about it AND what you came up with for yourself if you did the challenge. So let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email if you prefer to do it privately.
I hope you enjoyed following this challenge, that I was able to give you some teachable a-ha moments and that it was helpful. I'd love to hear your thoughts about it AND what you came up with for yourself if you did the challenge. So let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email if you prefer to do it privately.
I'm writing this post as part of Natalie Sisson's 30 Day Blog Challenge during which I'll follow the path she's laying with inspiration and challenges for daily blog posts. I hope you'll enjoy coming along on this journey and share your own in the comments every day. If you'd like to participate in the challenge on your own blog, just click one of the links here and you'll be taken to the page with all the details. 
