If you worked a 30-hour week, what would you do with the extra 10 or 20 hours you just gave yourself?
- “Oh, I have a big list – can’t wait to be there. And I’m thinking about calling Matthew so I can be there sooner.”
- “Nothing comes to mind, so I’m thinking about not reading the rest of this post.”
Some people think that, the more successful they become, the less they can leave. And besides, they don’t have anything else to do.
Truthfully, it’s the opposite – that the more successful you become, the more options you have to enjoy a rich, textured, well-rounded, fun, and meaningful life.
Work ethic does not mean delayed gratification.
Successful People Don’t Delay Gratification
The biggest change in my practice in recent years?
More of my clients – successful owners of multi-unit independent restaurant companies – want to work less.
They don’t want to wait for retirement or an eventual exit before they enjoy the fruits of what they’ve built.
This applies whether you work hard, play hard, and want more time to play, or value travel, family, and charity and want to devote more of your time to those, and less to your business.
One of my clients leaves to enjoy a second home in Hawaii, disconnects from the business, watches the numbers on the smartphone, and otherwise disappears for a month or more at time.
Another client has a second home in New Orleans, heads there on Thursday, works from there Friday, stays for the weekend to have intense fun, and then gets back on Monday or Tuesday.
I have clients with relaxing second homes in California and others with young grandchildren in Colorado, and they visit both frequently.
They can do that because they know everything back home thrives without them being there.
Some of the most gratifying work I do with clients involves working to set up their organizations so owners can enjoy great flexibility and personal freedom.
Point Yourself in the Right Direction Now
So let’s say you belong to group 2, one of the “nothing comes to mind” people, and you’d look at me with a perplexed expression if we talked about this.
If your life equals your business, you have unintentionally eliminated great possibilities for how you live, learn, enjoy, and have time for people around you and things that excite you.
Who would want to live that way?
Whether you can do this now or you aspire to follow this path in a few years, design a life that adjusts to you – instead of constantly having to adjust to life.
When you intentionally plan the next 10, 20, or 40 years, you put a stake in the ground and start on your way.
Over to you. What can you do today to give yourself more freedom and flexibility?
