For the last year or so, Clients, friends, family, my staff, most people who know me, have been saying things like, “you must take some time for yourself”
or… “live, love and loaf a little” as mum says,
or… “money isn’t everything”
and… “don’t wear yourself out”.
This kind of talk has never worked on me.
I like to charge, get stuff done, write and complete an ever-expanding action list. Make plans and plans and ideas and plans.
Blame the Wesley College schooling where the day started before 5am with rowing training, a full day of learning and finished with swimming training, dinner and homework…
But then last Sunday… I just bombed out.
Here’s me lying in bed hiding.
Beating myself up (again) for being lazy.
Criticising myself for being slack.
Admonishing myself for wasting a day.
The best I managed was a moping shuffle to the cafe around the corner in North Freo and then took the business section of the Australian that I stole from the cafe to the river and sipped the iced coffee and read and watched the boats cruise by.
Then I went back home and back to bed then didn’t really leave the house until Tuesday.
I called the office and told the Team I was knackered and was going to have a lazy week.
As Ted Turner said in his book Call Me Ted “I was working 18 hour days and I got tired”.
(quick note: Mr. Turner is the guy who invented 24hr news with CNN and is the second largest private landowner in the USA. Another university dropout turned Billionaire. An interesting cat.)
Anyway, I’ve been in the office managing deals and working with the Team for 5hrs a day and generally doing nothing else other than keeping fit.
It’s been bloody refreshing to have some time out of the office to recharge. I feel way better.
So what’s the point here, other than telling you too much about my personal life?
We, you, I, simply cannot work forever.
We get tired, worn out, old, over it, CBF’d, can’t, and don’t want to keep working.
Sure, a few hours a day “keeping your hand in it” is okay, but you can’t go full-speed forever.
And why the hell would you want to?
Here’s my little trick which keeps me on the right track: I have the questions “when and how can I stop working?” spinning in my head all day, every day.
You’ve gotta start thinking the same way or something similar.
How will you repay your debt?
How will you manage your other living costs?
How will you afford to travel and enjoy the world and your time?
Where and how will you live when you stop working?
What assets do you own that pump out income?
What annual income do you need to live like you want to live, etc, etc. etc.
How will you replace your income?
I like the idea of retiring at 55 and moving into investing full time. I reckon that would be a lot of fun.
I can’t make your plans for you, but I can help you take care of, and manage your mortgage, even if you don’t have one yet.
I’ve told you my no B.S. story, you can request a call with me here to tell me yours and how you’d like to move ahead financially.
Cheers,
Brodie Brown