There’s no shortage of articles, videos, books, blog posts, podcasts and other material that share the importance for building profits and gaining wealth. “It will take focus, stamina, courage and determination to build our financial and business skills,” we’re told, “so let’s get started now!”
That message isn’t wrong — we dive deep into this mindset in the business and finance chapter of The Theory of 5. But, before we put the next-level effort in and make the sacrifices necessary to reach our goals, we should consider for a moment why we’re doing it. What does success look like for you as an individual?
There will be times when our energy may run low, challenges loom before us and the temptation to give up or “take it easy” will be hard to ignore. “Making lots of money” doesn’t go deep enough, especially when we need to dig deep in our soul for extra endurance. There’s one question we must answer: Why do we want to make more money?
My Theory of 5 mentors and I have found that, when we know the specifics of why we’re aiming for success, it creates laser focus on what we’re trying to accomplish and generate the extreme effort that success demands.
But freedom and independence? Those are goals worth having because they dictate how you will live your life. That’s how you can truly measure success.
There are two terms we have found to be at the core of the desire to succeed financially:
• Freedom — “The power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.”
• Independence — “Thinking or acting for oneself; not subject to another’s authority or jurisdiction; autonomous; free.”
These are familiar terms, but when we stop and really consider what they mean — when we dig beneath the surface — they can shed light on what we’re really working to accomplish with our careers and our lives.
Making money for the sake of accumulating items is simply a way of keeping score. It’s like being graded in school. Psychologists call money an example of a secondary reinforcer. On its own, it has no inherent value — money is just paper or numbers when you really think about it. Simply having an arbitrary bunch of numbers in an account won’t make you truly happy and prosperous.
But freedom and independence? Those are goals worth having because they determine how you will live your life. That’s how you can truly measure success.
Picture for a moment what it would mean for you and your family to achieve freedom and independence. You would have freedom and independence:
• From financial stress
• To live where you want, to go on vacation when and where you want
• To send your children to schools that are best for them
• To help family members and friends and to share your financial and business knowledge with those who could benefit — people will listen to you when they observe your success
• To spend more time with your spouse, your children and other family and friends
• To say “no” when you want — and when you should
• To stop spending time with people you don’t want to be around
• To give back to society
A nicer car, a bigger house and everything else that money can bring are great to have, to be sure; they add a lot of enjoyment to life. But, when it comes down to it, we have found that the ideas of freedom and independence are much stronger motivators than anything else we can imagine. They bring a quality of life that cannot be matched by any other means.
By focusing on the real reasons we want to succeed, we give ourselves more fuel to burn when we meet inevitable resistance. Maintaining our motivations and vision when others lose sight of their goal is how we will live the lives they only dream of.
Click here to view more solutions from Chris Saraceno and the Kelly Automotive Group.
