“If you see the world as beautiful, thrilling, and mysterious…then you feel quite alive.” -David Hockney
The goal is freedom. Not retire and go sit on a beach freedom. No, the freedom to pursue all of my potential, and internal freedom. The goal is to be at ease at all times, regardless of the external stimuli. In chaos or calm. Alone or with people. Happy or sad. Make a putt or miss a putt.
It’s about self, because that is all I can control. I don’t control the election. I don’t control the weather. I don’t control traffic. I don’t control any other person, except me. It’s a state of being. It’s a mindset. It’s an attitude. You will never hear me mention wealth, power, status, or notoriety. It’s freedom, the number one goal.
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I focus on self for three reasons. First, it’s all I can control, else the world trick me into thinking otherwise. Second, as I master self, I can give more fully and confidently to world. Third, it makes the world huge and the opportunities endless. I’ve been dialed in on self for 3.5 years now, and my world full of people and places keeps getting bigger and bigger.
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Financially, following a dream takes varying degrees of cash. If you want to retire and go sit on a beach, you need X. If you want to play golf, travel, learn, and enter a new world, you need Y. If you want to simply relocate or start a bakery or whatever, you need Z.
You need money to live, but the good news is you can make money doing pretty much anything. In the past 3.5 years, so that I can pursue my potential, I have made money from at least 10 different sources, possibly more. I have watched Christy run a growing organization from her pajamas in southern Mississippi. Need money? Go do something that makes money. Develop the skill of making money. As 2020 has taught us, a lot can be done from anywhere.
Almost nothing I write anymore is hypothesis. I’ve either done it personally, or I’ve met someone else who has done it. Remember that random Uber driver in Minneapolis …inspiration comes from the strangest places.
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The journey is conscious. Very conscious. Ridiculously conscious. Uber conscious. If I’m doing something, you best believe I’ve chosen to do it. Very little is left to unconsciousness. Why would I let sleepwalking dictate my roadmap?
The journey is focused on continuous improvement and constantly redefining myself. It’s one of the great luxuries we are afforded as Americans. Don’t like who you were when you were 20? Redefine. Don’t like who you were when you were 30? Redefine. Just want to continuously redefine or improve yourself for no apparent reason? I’m on board.
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I’m not a big fan of How To’s because one size does not fit all. However, as someone who is 3.5 years into the process of turning fantasy into reality, I would like to share the Big 4 that guide my journey. Maybe they will help you.
1. For every decision, there is a consequence. It could be good, it could be bad, or it could be imperceptible at the time. Own it. Equally as important, no decision can be a massive decision.
2. The journey is full of tradeoffs. If I decide to do X, often that means I’m not available to do Y. If I want to do A, I may have to give up doing B. It’s a simple concept that can often cause guilt. Own it.
3. Fear, negativity, and worry have no place along the journey. It’s not that they don’t exist, it’s that they can be journey killers, or worse yet, they can prevent the journey from ever starting. I’ve worked hard to develop mechanisms and processes to keep them at bay.
4. Last, and most important, if the grand journey fails, I have to be willing to eat dirt to put food on the table, and I am.
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As someone who is inept at or disinterested in so much, it’s encouraging to begin to find my place.
I’m fascinated by the Truth, energy, and potential. I see so many people who are unaware of their own potential, can’t get out of their own way, their energy is low, or they are just scared to pursue their own Truth because it is unique (as it should be). I can spot this stuff from a mile away because I’ve been there, done that.
As I told my buddy on the golf course this week when he asked me if I ever wanted to teach, It would be ridiculously selfish to have acquired all of these experiences over the past few years and keep them to myself. My hope is that through intense focus on self, you will reap the rewards. If you’ve already got something figured out, then you are likely the one that’s teaching me.
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Have a great week.-Benj
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