Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to “live the dream”?
Me Too!!!
That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to sell everything I owned including my Colorado cottage, quit my 20+ year career and move onto a sailboat. The curiosity of living the dream got to me and without expecting it, I found myself heading down a path I never imagined for my life.
I never thought the moment I created a product and started my own company that it would lead to the life of my dreams. Heck, at the time I wasn’t even thinking about what the life of my dreams looked like.
The only thing I was focused on was getting out of the dead-end career I was in.
Have you ever felt burnt-out and at a standstill with your work? Then you can probably relate to the feeling of being trapped and wanting out…ASAP! It’s not enjoyable at all.
Anxiety and stress rule your days. Sometimes you feel completely helpless too if you have a job that pays well because nothing you think of doing somewhere else can replace that income.
Thankfully in today’s digital age, there are so many options. You can sell products that you use yourself as an affiliate to those businesses, you can sell products you’ve created on your own, you can get sponsored by others to provide entertaining and educational videos, and so much more.
Fast forward my life a few years after learning this and starting my own online business , I find myself on my sailboat docked here in Palm Beach FL with my heart overflowing with gratitude. I just ate a delicious meal that amazingly was cooked in our small oven and am reflecting on the last few years with such a feeling of satisfaction that I slip into the most magnificent state of pure joy and satisfaction.
I have arrived!
I’m in the place in my head I’ve been dreaming of for decades without even knowing it. In that state of utter peace with myself, my life, and my surroundings. At a place of complete acceptance and appreciation for everything and everyone. I am totally comfortable with who I am right now and how I’ve become this person.
Ahhhh, so this is what it’s like to “Live the Dream!”
The First Step
To get to this point wasn’t easy to be honest. It took hard work and dedication. You hear that’s what it takes time and time again because it’s the truth.
You don’t have to go through everything I did though. I’ve completely turned my life upside down, done things I never even imagined, and had the greatest adventures to date.
It hasn’t all been peaches and cream but as I found out, your perspective of events can make or break you. This perspective is one of the greatest changes that comes when you choose to go after living a life that fits more with your true, inner, authentic self.
The very first thing I did to start down this path was become an entrepreneur….
Wait a minute, WHAT???
I know, you’re saying to yourself that you can’t believe it wasn’t from a spiritual awakening. Or because of some traumatic event, some major catastrophe, or even some huge epiphany.
Nope. I simply had an idea for a product that I could start my own company around, and this led to an unbelievable journey that surprised and delighted me.
Now you’re wondering what the heck does becoming an entrepreneur have to do with living the dream life. Living the dream is supposed to be a time when you don’t work, isn’t it? When you get to wake up and do whatever you feel like in the moment, right?
Well…maybe that’s the case for some but I’m here to bring you another perspective.
You see, I came to realize that living the dream means so much more than just your circumstance. It’s a state of mind that comes with a sense of security and fulfillment.
It’s like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, where first you meet your most basic needs before you move onto self-actualization and fulfillment. Meaning making sure you can afford a roof over your head and food in your belly is priority number one before you can feel secure enough to work on the rest of your life!
This is why it makes sense to start with building a business that accommodates the lifestyle you’re dreaming of for yourself.
What it’s like becoming an Entrepreneur
The moment I became an entrepreneur sticks in my head very well.
I was sitting on my bench on my front patio getting more and more excited about all the ideas just pouring into my head. It was warm but not hot and there wasn’t any snow laying around, so it had to be close to fall in Colorado. But it was at that moment when I first started to feel myself come alive.
I didn’t know it then, but I had begun a journey that would forever change my life. A journey needing gut-wrenching courage and inner strength. One of self-discovery and never-ending growth. One that would lead me out of the box and into my authenticity!
I’d begun a journey that would stop the madness of the 9 to 5 hamster wheel of life and take me to living MY sane.
This was the moment I found focus. This was when I became an entrepreneur.
After 20+ years of a career in industrial business sales, it was finally time for me to start something new. “What the heck does she mean by industrial business?” you ask. Consider it just being a part of the manufacturing sector. I helped anyone making and shipping a widget with supplies that would improve their product’s performance, streamline manufacturing processes and protect their widget in transit.
It was a crazy career. It brought good money and benefits and taught me A LOT about people!
Unfortunately, it also brought a boatload of stress and demands on my time. You know, the typical corporate environment. One that when I started to take a step back from and notice, really made me wonder…is this it??? Is this really all there is to life???
I knew many people through the years that had suffered terrible illnesses related to this type of stress. Also, quite a few passed away before they could even retire to enjoy what came of all the long hours and difficult work they endured. And I knew in my heart of hearts, this was definitely NOT going to be me!
How I Stopped the 9-5 Madness
The thought of starting my own business occurred to me several times throughout the years. I mean there I was, advising other companies with ways to improve their own businesses so it wasn’t as if I was a stranger to how it worked, right?!?
There was only one issue. Every time I would mention starting my own company, the question of “doing what?” would inevitably come up and guess what…I had no answer.
I had no clue what to do, no tug toward anything in particular, NO IDEA!
Whoops!
But then all at once, without me even focusing on it or being in the realm of thinking about it, it fell into my lap. I guess that’s how things happen, huh? (Well, I later found out how it really happens but that’s for another time).
Anyway, there it was. MY OWN little widget.
And the ideas began to flow non-stop. The excitement was overwhelming. And the feeling of having something to contribute to this world that was created by little ole me was amazing!!
What was this magical thing? It’s a widget that makes walking in high heels and other fashionable shoes easier and safer to walk in!! A way for women and men to feel most confident because they’re looking good and feeling secure! You can find out more on my site: catwalkclawz.com. OK, enough of the shameless plug.
I do have to say this work was FUN, exhilarating, and intense. I couldn’t believe how happy it made me to find something that I wanted to get out of bed and do every day. Woo Hoo!
I was really becoming my own. This is gonna be great!!!! Watch out world, here I come 😊
What Happened Next
What I wasn’t aware of at the time was what else was in store for me. Becoming an entrepreneur really wasn’t just about creating and selling a product. It became so, so much more.
More of a life journey. A journey of creating my dream life that was much different than the one I was leading at the time.
An enormous amount of self-growth and adventure would follow, leading me to sell my home in Colorado and SAIL AWAY!
Wait, WHAT???? Did she say SAIL AWAY???
Yes indeed-y-oh! Believe me, I wasn’t really thinking along those lines either. But it happened!
And that’s what this blog is all about. It’s about that journey, which I feel could lead me through the next 25 years at least, and how it will shake out is anyone’s guess. But this is what we will discover together.
So, if you’re interested in becoming an entrepreneur or you already have and you’re after bigger dreams for yourself with a more joyous lifestyle, then be sure to sign up for my newsletter to get notified when new blogs arrive so you can come on this wild & crazy journey with me!
Start learning in-depth ways to stop the madness of your own hamster wheel of life and LIVE YOUR SANE!!
Many Blessings ~
Anne