If I didn’t “get it”, I was never going to be free.

It’s crazy to remember how I felt back in the day, when I used to think that working harder was the key.

My Dad always told me, “you gotta work HARD”, and I tried it for many painful years, living that  month-to-month struggle.

Even back then, it was the same story :

The dollar was depreciating, but nobody was getting significant raises. There were other people like me that had jobs, but were always broke, living paycheck-to-paycheck.

And still today, everyone is looking for supplemental income and many are going out and getting 2 and even 3 jobs, thinking that it’s going to change something.

Sadly, they have no idea they are actually working backward, by doubling and tripling their tax burden.

You’ve Heard The Same B.S.

Your parents told you, “If you just put your head down and work harder than others, you’ll win!”, but this isn’t the most accurate information.

The catch phrase “Financial Freedom” is thrown around a lot today, but pretty d*mn elusive for employees and the self-employed. I know, because I used to be there…

So, in this post, I’m going to reveal “5 Don’ts” that I have discovered, that keep most people struggling. This information has helped me get free from the every day stress and grind of doing “normal” daily things.

Now, if you’re ready to live outside of “the box”, I have a warning:

You’ll have to unlearn almost everything you’ve ever been taught about money and time. (Unless that is, you were raised by parents who are free, financially, with tons of quality time freedom.)

So here are 5 initial “NO NOs”, coming straight from the mouth of the mentors I’ve learned from, who are outside of the box and who are totally financially free.

Ready? GO!

1. DO NOT: Make un-educated decisions:

The majority of hard working month-to-month struggling employees have one thing in common:
They say “no” before they even know what they are saying “no” to.

Sometimes, business owners, (and even Home Business owners) also do the same thing, which keeps them struggling for time freedom.

The word “opportunity” in the United States is taken way too lightly, because there is so much of it flowing everywhere.

People in the U.S. take it for granted, but the foreigners know more about the ‘American Dream” than the we do!

It is absolutely insane that Americans think the American Dream is to “go to school and get a safe secure job, working for someone else, 40-50 hours/week for 40 years, and retire when you’re 65-70 years old! Haha!!

“And THEN you can travel the world and have time with your loved ones!” LOL!
Are you freaking kidding me?

On the other side, many people self-employed or have their own small business. It is a bit better than a job, but basically we only bought ourselves a job, and we are basically owned by our own business.

Now, I have had several traditional businesses, but it felt like I was married to them but couldn’t say I was in love with them.

I used to pass up great opportunities every day, because I thought I was “too busy”, and I stayed busy for way too many years until it became painful to be way from my kids and I had to open my mind to better ideas and possibilities.

Have you ever seen the poor horses downtown, pulling the carriage, with those “blinders” over their eyes, so they don’t get spooked? This is great metaphor for closed minds. —–>

We all would love to think we are open-minded, but then we walk around saying “no no, I’m not interested” to everything and anyone who approaches, (even if many of those offers could greatly benefit our lives or businesses, we wouldn’t know it, because we already said “not interested”!

This is actually not our fault, but, (because of the TV, radio, newspaper trying to sell us everything), we have been PROGRAMMED to say “not interested” to everybody and everything, making extremely uneducated decisions, without at least looking at the information to weigh the value of it and make an educated decision.. .

The challenge for most people is, this fast-paced world of new technology and innovation changes every day, and the only way to catch the wave is to be in front of it.

If you’re not open to the new information – (walking around like a zombie saying “not interested” thinking you already know what it is), you may always be in the dark, making un-educated decisions, missing growth windows and waves, causing you to struggle, month-to-month.

DO: Make educated decisions:
When opportunity knocks, or people approach, invest the time to discover any new information that may just benefit you.

2. DO NOT: Tell yourself stories:

When listening to people’s language patterns, mentors believe they can immediately tell if the person speaking will be successful or not.

You can either have doubt and excuses, (stories you tell yourself for why you’re not where you want to be), or you can be successful, but you can’t have both. Is your cup half empty or half full?

All day long, we talk out loud, and in our head, making up stories about why we are not where we would like to be in life, and giving meanings to things that happen to us. Most of us have no idea that we even do this.

Here’s the deal: It’s not what happens to you that matters. It’s the meaning you give to what happens to you.

You can either use is as a learning tool, (a stepping stone to grow stronger), or you can use it as an excuse and play victim. Are you going to continue to blame outside events for where you are, or are you going to own your life and take responsibility to change the outcome?

It’s called response-ability! You have the ability to respond, and create a different outcome the next time. I believe everything happens for a reason, and it is to build you into the person you needed to be, in order to help others break through the same barriers and patterns.

Break your bad patterns and limiting beliefs, and you will change your life. No more stories! You want to be successful, but life doesn’t give you what you want – it gives you what your deserve.

DO: Invest in yourself and do whatever it takes to change your situation, so you will be in the position – (a knowing space) – to be able to help others break the barriers that used to hold you back. The amount of money you make in this world is directly proportionate to how valuable you become to others in the market place.

3. DO NOT: “Stare in the rear view mirror”:

Have you failed before? Have you seen others fail? Are you scared of even taking the risk again, for fear you might fail again?

So, what if you looked in the rear-view mirror the whole time you tried to drive forward down the freeway? You wouldn’t get very far.

If you’ve ever had a very bad experience at a restaurant, did it keep you from ever eating again or trying other restaurants? It’s a good thing that didn’t stop you from eating, right?

So why would you do that with business ideas – paralyzed with fear just because of your past experience, (or worse), the experience of someone else?

Why would you insist wasting thought energy on re-living your bad experience and basing your future success on past experience of others?

Yes, it is fine to be skeptical, but do you consider yourself educated? Intelligent forward thinking entrepreneurs know that you must keep your mind open, always looking forward to new opportunity, and look to make educated decisions.

If you know someone who has failed in the past, don’t let it keep you from keeping your eyes open, looking forward.

DO:  Look FORWARD toward your big dreams. Look for future, ideas, and opportunity. Assume it will work and visualize the best outcome! Do whatever it takes, and NEVER QUIT. Remember: 95% of people quit on their dreams, but 100% of people that don’t quit, make it!

4.DO NOT: Be a “Laggard”:

Take a look at the percentages of different categories of adopters. Now think about all of the new technology and innovation that comes out every day. Which type of person are you?

a. Are you the “crazy” innovator that has all the ideas? Do you ACT on those ideas? The innovators are a many times a bit “too early” and everyone thinks they’re “crazy”… at first!
This makes it more difficult. Many times the market “wasn’t ready”. If they don’t quit on a great idea, it ends up moving forward. This is a very hard category to be in but pays off huge with persistence, fine tuning, and massive action. OR,

b. Are you an early adopter that stays open-minded to be in front of the wave? These ones are the ones who make a lot of the money in shorter amounts of time and energy. Hesitate, and you miss the wave. OR,

c. Are you an Early Majority type of person that hesitates until “it’s more safe”? Sometimes this means making less money because the window of opportunity has almost passed. OR,

d. What about a Late Majority type of person, following the heard, that only does it when it’s “completely safe”, never taking risks, jumping in after “everyone else” does. Would there be much opportunity there? OR,

e. Finally, are you a Laggard that finally breaks down, the last one to buy the VCR player, even though the DVD player is already for sale…

DO: Be an Innovator and/or an Early Adopter:

When there’s an opportunity and it makes sense, JUMP ON IT, and take massive and immediate action to be in front of the wave! If you have a fear, run straight toward it. Timing is EVERYTHING in business, especially if you want to catch and ride the waves. If you don’t do it, there’s always someone else who will. I’ve witnessed it over and over and over in my life.

5. DO NOT: Put your hand out:

But don’t get the wrong idea! Instead, put your hand UP, and reach up for help!

Personally I looked for mentorship from people who have been through it all.

The “employee mindset” is where you put their hand out, taking no risk but asking for money.

Their relationship with money makes them think they need the money “now”, which is why they look for a paycheck every two weeks.

This is why as an employee, I always felt like I was at the bottom, working hard to build the dream of someone else and complaining that I never get paid what I’m worth! 

On the other hand, the entrepreneurs invest their money and time and learn the delayed gratification. They know you have to take the risk to get the reward.

I heard someone say the other day, “I just want to find something where I don’t have to spend any money, where I can have financial security”. I said, “you’ll be looking for a loooooong time!”

There’s no security in a J.O.B.

In fact, it’s risky – you’re not in control of your income and can be laid off any time someone else chooses. 

The only way to have any real freedom and security, is to start your own business.

The ones who seek “safe secure” jobs are the ones who are in DANGEROUS situations, one check away from bankruptcy and the whole family being out on the street.

I personally believe that the only safe secure thing you can have is multiple streams of income and solid business assets, run by proven systems – economy proof!

So…

DO:
Invest time and money into yourself.

Take the risk to get the reward.

Take action NOW! If you’re too scared to let go of your money, you’ll always play defense.

Instead of playing “not to lose”, play to WIN. Play offense, and let’s get you WINNING the money game…

Hope this was helpful.  If you’d like to learn more about future innovation and opportunities, you can always connect with us here.

Can’t wait to hear your story..

Talk soon, much love,
The World Is Yours, M!