Last Updated on July 5, 2023 by Shane Corbitt
It can be easy to get carried away with creating your business plan when building a lifestyle-focused business. After all, sometimes it feels like making money is the main goal in life. However, remember when you design your business, you are trying to create a lifestyle. Yes, money helps you build the lifestyle, but the lifestyle is more about experiences than it is about money.
Your business needs to allow you the freedom to work when you want to around your life as well as generate the living you need for that lifestyle to be an actual lifestyle-oriented business. Because your business is not just about money. It’s about what you can do with your time while still providing for yourself and your family. After all, what is the point of life, to make money? I hope not.
But the fact is, money makes everything better, so of course you should design your business so that you earn enough money to live the lifestyle of your dreams. But income goals aren’t everything.
More Money is Not Equal to Happiness
Even though many people will be a lot happier with more money, if you’re not happy outside of your need for more money, having the money won’t suddenly make you happy. Yes, being able to go to the dentist without blinking is a great thing that makes many people happy. But if you’re in a miserable marriage and have other issues, no amount of money is going to help.
More Time Equals More Creativity
One problem sometimes with making money is the time it takes from your real life. Making money isn’t really your real life. Spending time with your family, friends, and loved ones in real life. Going on a hike in the mountains in real life. Taking your kids to the park for a beautiful afternoon and having a picnic without worrying that you won’t be able to pay for those things is real freedom.
More Balance Improves Productivity
Something amazing happens when you design your life to consider your time freedom. You will become more creative. When you can be the ideal person and then turn it over to your team, the type of business you can build is truly unlimited. The sky is the limit.
Life is Made to Enjoy What You Have
What’s the fun of having a huge house, several cars, and nice things if you have no time to enjoy them? If the only people getting to enjoy them are your kids and family, what’s the point? Sure, it’s nice to watch them enjoy it, no doubt. But your life is here for you to enjoy it – not to work for others 24/7.
Time Freedom Helps You Avoid Burnout
If you’ve ever worked a standard 40 hour a week job, you know that it’s entirely possible, even with a strict 40-hour workweek, to suffer burnout. It’s not even about the work. It’s really about the lack of balance in life. If you have nothing but work to look forward to, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and burn out.
Life is About More Than Making Money
Money is needed. But you probably don’t need as much as you think to enjoy the lifestyle you want to live. For example, one woman, Todra Payne from TravelLiveBreathe.com, admittedly doesn’t have a lot of money. Yet, she lives a lavish lifestyle of travel that most people would not believe is real as a worldwide house and pet sitter (cats only). She loves her life and lives the life of her dreams without tons of money.
Sure, money can really help you enjoy your life more because you’re not worried about how to get Jack a cast after he breaks his leg, or how to help Suzie get tutoring so she can master her college entrance exam, or that your house is in a safe neighborhood. So, don’t think money is evil. It’s not. Money is fabulous, but it’s not more important than your time once you can meet your necessities.
