Picture – Jonathan Goldhill with Wooly Mammoth
Business freedom – What does it mean to you?
B.C. Forbes said, “Don't forget until too late that the business of life is not business, but living.”
So, enjoy the ride. Life is short. Right? If you don't enjoy it, who will enjoy it for you?
One of the things I love about life is doing fun things to keep fit. For me, I love being on the ski slopes. And, riding on the chairlift is one of those times where I get to ponder the simplest things in life, like how I will make this run downhill even more fantastic? And, if it's sunny and clear and the conditions are right and I'm going off the top of the mountain, I think, “Will I make this run epic?”
I love skiing and snowboarding. It's odd for me to say this because I live in sunny Los Angeles, but I love all winter sports in the snow. Few things make me feel more graceful, powerful, confident and capable than being on top of mountain with a snowboard or skis attached to my feet. I love skiing and snow sports so much that I thought about being a ski bum in my early 20's. I've given some thought to living in the mountains of a ski resort town to have more time doing what I love.
So what is it that you love to do? Do you set aside time to do it?
Recreation is exactly that re-creation. It's time to recharge your battery, get rejuvenated so when you get back to work you are bringing a whole new you to the business. Too many business owners don't take enough time to recreate. For me, I like to do physical activities like exercise. But, for others, they can recreate in any number of ways. The key is to find something that gives you pleasure and taking time to do that because life is short. And, the business freedom of life is about living.
To me, success in life is about the quality of the relationships you have. In the end, it's all about your relationships. I have been known to tell entrepreneurs that “your revenue is in your relationships.” But, now I believe in something much bigger. That is, the quality of your life is directly proportional to the quality of your relationship(s) … to yourself and with those around you whom you love. You only need to see the movie, “It's a Wonderful Life” one time (not every Christmas holiday season) to be reminded of this. But seeing the movie more often is an excellent way of being reminded of this truism. Remember George Bailey? He was broke financially, but not broken spiritually. And, all of his friends gathered around to support him in his darkest hour. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then go and watch this movie right away. Stop what you're doing because you've moved through life and either missed this lesson or missed the lessons taught by this movie.
Here are a few lessons from that movie:
1. Your life has a purpose 2. Keeping up with the Joneses is for saps 3. Bad guys don't always get punished 4. Don't hire someone just because they are family 5. Appreciate how blessed you already are.
Business ownership is one of several paths to gaining the business freedom in your life to do what you want. So don't squelch that opportunity. Your business should not own or control you. It should work for you, not you work for it. If you are working too hard or too long for too many months or years, then you are probably missing out on what life has to offer. Wake up and smell the roses! Life is a beautiful thing, if you experience it.
(Jonathan Goldhill lives in Los Angeles where it's been 90 degrees much of February. He loves the warm weather and lifestyle of Los Angeles, and he's thinking about when he's going to get back to the mountains for some more fun in the snow.)