What does freedom mean to you? How free do you feel right this minute?
Most of the business owners we serve tell us that they went into business for themselves because they wanted more freedom. Many times, they come to us because they are feeling trapped in the business instead of free.
In our years in business, we’ve learned that to be successful, you must start with the end in mind. Makes sense, right? How can you get where you’re going if you don’t know what the destination is?
One of the first things we do with new clients is ask them to describe their “why.” The end they have in mind. What their “freedom” looks like…in really specific detail.
Here’s an example of what we mean, courtesy of Martha Hanlon, our Co-Founder:
My lips were an unnatural shade of orange. Splash marks dotted my blouse. I had cocktail sauce in my hair. Seagulls were flocking overhead, ready to dive-bomb me if I so much as moved an inch from the picnic table.
I was a super mess…and I was also super happy.
Diving into Chesapeake Bay blue crabs on a gorgeous, sun-splashed day, watching the boats bob in the bay with a table littered with lemons, shells and piles of used napkins? I’m callin’ it. Heaven.
Who cared about polish and a perfect appearance? This was my time for a breeze in my hair, my dear family around the table, the distinctive waft of sea salt and a sublime margarita as my “bestie.”
And as I sat there on that picnic bench covered in cracked crab bits and Old Bay seasoning, I realized this is what freedom felt like to me (and maybe because Chris was tending the biz while I was away).
“This,” I said to myself, “is what Freedom looks, feels and tastes like.”
Freedom.
The truth is, we don’t talk often enough about “why” you do this work. Why you might have given up a good paying j-o-b to start something of your own.
Why you might be working many more hours than you originally calculated to make your business dream come true.
Why you get up early and go to bed late so you can be of service to those whose lives you can make better.
Why you fight through the times you get stuck, and things might not be as easy as you want them to be.
Your Why sustains you.
Your Why leads you to your Freedom.
Your version of Freedom might not include being dirtied by messy blue crabs while watching the sun set over the bay with your family and a margarita to keep you company.
You have your own version of Freedom.
Write it down. What does Freedom look like to you?
Knowing in detail will sustain and propel you on those wonderful days…and the ones that challenge you the most.
Can you see it, taste it, smell it, feel it?
If you can, you’re on the way to achieving it.
Here’s to your Freedom!
Blessings,
