“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
– Mary Oliver
Welcome to 2025!
I hope you enjoyed the holidays and had a chance to unplug and relax.
As we enter a new year, I’m in reflection and planning mode.
Reflection …
I remember it like it was yesterday. It was July of 2013.
I was a software sales executive coming off of my best quarter in nearly four years.
I knew I didn’t want to be in corporate forever but I was at the height of my game.
And then …
I was laid off.
The details aren’t important other than to say, when you work for someone else, they hold most of the power.
Four years of hard work, dedication, constant travel, and sacrificing time with my friends and family.
None of that mattered.
I was a line item on a spreadsheet that no longer made sense given the politics at play.
A six-figure income, expense account, health insurance, matching 401k, all gone in an instant.
But this opened a new door, a new chapter to explore.
At the height of my earning years it didn’t make sense to jump ship on my career and launch into the unknown
But I had witnessed the lack of loyalty in the corporate world for too long.
It was time to try something new.
About every 10 years, a life shifting event seems to come along and offer me an opportunity to stay on the existing path or take a new one.
The allure of comfort and predictability is always there, whispering to us … “stay the course.”
We’ve been programmed since childhood to get as much schooling as possible, enter a respectable career, work hard and make sacrifices, and then retire once our best years are behind us.
We don’t question it. We take on debt. We become a cog in the wheel of society.
Until we decide otherwise.
To be clear, I am not suggesting that anyone turn their life upside down on a whim.
What I am suggesting is to plan for circumstances to change on a whim and to prepare yourself for a desired future state.
I tend to think of life as 50/50.
Roughly half the time, life hums along quite nicely with the occasional peaks of elation and euphoria.
The other half is dealing with the unexpected roadblocks and disappointments.
One thing I’ve learned for certain is we will experience loss, get surprised, and be knocked off course from time-to-time.
How you respond is what’s important.
And how you design your life in advance can determine the severity of impact when the unexpected happens.
I’ve got friends who make a healthy income but spend like they’ve got more. They drive a new car. Wear new clothes. Enroll their kids in private schools. Spend on fancy restaurants. Take vacations in Hawaii.
Between a mortgage they can barely afford and payments for a financed luxury car, they can’t last more than a couple of months without a paycheck..
They’ve trapped themselves.
If disaster strikes, they’re screwed.
These are the financial prisons we often create for ourselves.
I’ve been there myself. Maxing out my lifestyle on all levels, hoping to feel fulfilled by the obligations I’ve committed to.
Thinking that I needed to have it all, say “yes” to every opportunity, and look good on all fronts.
And here’s what I’ve learned:
It’s all a game. And we get to decide how to play it.
Stuff isn’t inherently bad. But thinking it will fill an empty hole is insanity.
Trying to please everyone, all the time, leads to misery.
Wanting to impress people by outspending them is foolish.
Wanting to impress people by outlearning them is smart.
The people who truly matter are those closest to me.
Time is finite, use it wisely.
Be intentional about how you truly want to live your life.
Be curious and question everything.
Don’t quit your job too soon. Leverage it to achieve more aligned work.
When change comes, answer boldly.
Surround yourself with others that are already where you want to be.
15 years ago I set out to build a coaching business.
I started small, by taking a job as a coach for Inside Track, getting certified and getting paid to coach others for one year.
Then I went back to what I knew (selling software), but with the intention of setting money aside to start my own business.
I began coaching people on the side to build my confidence so that I could do it full time.
I started learning new skills.
Skills like:
Writing
Communication
Persuasion
Content creation
Personal branding
Marketing and Sales
If you can learn these skills, you will always have opportunities.
Any business you start requires these skills. Like finances, skills compound. Acquiring one skill makes learning the next one easier.
The same for relationships. The good ones compound and build over time.
As an entrepreneur, your income level is only limited by your skillset and your relationships.
What’s most important
At this stage of my life, I’m clear and pretty unapologetic about what’s most important:
Family and friends
Health and exercise
Doing meaningful work
Writing
Being in nature daily
Learning about things I find interesting
Skiing
Travel
That might sound like a lot, but these priorities are simple and guide my actions every day.
These are the things that keep me high on life. I have made some big changes over the past year to ensure these priorities remain at the forefront.
Planning for Peace and Freedom in 2025 and beyond
As I step into the new year and embrace a new chapter of life, this is my definition of freedom:
Learning everyday.
Doing work that I love.
6-8 weeks of travel.
Control over my daily schedule.
Building a lean and flexible business that pays me $200k+ per year.
I get to read, write, and learn every day.
I can’t think of anything else that I would want. These are the things that give me peace and freedom.
Life is yours to define.
Anything can be undone.
Anything can be created.
With enough time and patience.
Step-by-step.
You can accomplish what brings you joy.
Define what excites you and gives you energy.
Now, go create it.
Live bravely,
Michael
