I have quite an entourage these days.
It surprises me, but people are actually interested in how I resource my life. When I‘m asked anything enough times, I start to realise I should blog about it.
The way I structure my life is somewhat unconventional, but it allows me to do what I do in the world. I’m sharing this to provoke and inspire people to build their own lives in a different way.
For over two years now, I have been building a personal platform that allows me to have impact. It will also allow me to keep going for decades, rather than burning out in 5 of 10 years’ time. It values my happiness, my health, my family, my time, my experiences and my learning, above everything else. It is a work in progress and evolves over time, but it is built on the one question that I ask myself every day:
What do I need, to have a great day every day?
That single question ignites my thinking and drives the innovation and planning for how I structure my life today.
What’s a great day for me? I am in my element in one-on-one conversations or talking in small groups. Making a difference to people’s lives. Learning and experiencing new things. Having fun and making mischief. I am in my element spending time with my wife and son. So I resource my life to ensure that I spend as much time doing these things as I can.
I maximise the small number of things I’m good at, that boost my energy. I minimise the great number of things I’m bad at, that sap my energy. I steer clear of those things. I get other people to do them, if they need to be done.
Therefore I’ve created a team that allows me to live a great day every day. Other people take on the tasks that don’t fit my idea of a great day, but help me to achieve the great day I want; other people are the experts I’m not. Everyone I work with works for themselves, and for other people. I structure all of my relationships on a flexible, hourly-paid basis, so I can increase and decrease their assistance based on my needs at any particular time.
My Operations Team
Virtual Assistant doesn’t cover it. Jayne runs my life! We have been working together for over two years and I would seriously not be able to do any of the things I do without her. I am not the easiest person to communicate with, because I don’t like email and I only want to speak via Google Hangout once a week. But I really don’t make many decisions these days! Jayne understands the plan and gets on with making it happen. I just turn up to meetings and have coffee.
Sasha – My Organiser of Travel, Fun & Learning
I so wish I’d worked with Sasha and had someone to organise my fun years ago. She is the queen of my bucket list and the organiser of all my adventures. My fun level has gone through the roof since I started working with her!
I used to gaze out of the window during my English classes. Linda supports my learning to write in my mid thirties. The gap between what I start with and what you read is closing every week! Linda is instrumental in that, helping me to produce something more meaningful for the world at large.
If you think my writing is a problem… you should see my drawing! Amanda is the wizard responsible for the cartoons that appear on this blog. One of my favourite parts of the week is discovering what she’s come up with to match each post I write.
Not only does he do great work, he is also a great mentor for improving my blog. He understands the basic principles beneath the rules – and knows when we can break them. My blog is performing so much better since we started working together. Look out for new developments in the future! This is just the beginning…
Anyone who can put up with my obsession to create the world’s greatest performing business card needs a medal, in my book. Whenever I need design work, Mark gets it done for me.
My Health Team
Part of my mission is to establish methods that really work, and keep entrepreneurs going for decades. I never used to take my health seriously. These days, my motivation to do bigger and better things is greater – and my body and health have to keep pace to deliver that. My philosophy is to employ very short-time ways to have a long-term, highly positive impact on my health.
I am 70 lbs (5 stone) lighter than I was a few years ago. Rik only ever gets two 30 minute sessions of my time in any week (and that’s only when I’m home!). We look at the best practices from elite sport and apply them to my training. I am lighter, stronger and fitter than ever – in such a short time. All I can say is – it hurts! The results speak for themselves, though.
Speaking of pain, the lovely Anna is rebuilding me after years of bad posture. Rolfing is a high impact bodywork that delivers great results in a very short space of time. Since this gets my body back into the shape it’s supposed to be, its benefits last far into the future.
Steve – My Functional Medicine Practitioner
Steve is a super-smart, innovative practitioner. This is what healthcare should be! Functional medicine is a proactive evidence-based form of alternative healthcare that focuses on preventing problems in the future. Testing so far has identified several potential long-term problems that can easily be rectified with the right food, which will have a real and positive impact on my long-term health.
My Support Group
Any entrepreneur will tell you that working for yourself can be lonely at times. I face the same challenges as anyone else. To help me through them, I have my wonderful tribe at The Good Life Project: wisdom, insight, knowledge, accountability, friendship and cheerleading, all in one group!
And then, there are all the wonderful people I spend time with. Every conversation adds fuel to my fire and inspires me to keep going.
And of course, my long-suffering wife and family will attest to the fact that they end up meeting any gaps or shortfalls that might occur.
So suffice to say, I don’t fly alone. I stand on the shoulders of some incredible people. I have many more future plans and ideas, but it is important to build my platform brick by brick, making sure the foundation is sound and every level works really well.
I choose to spend my money on resources that give me time-freedom and the experiences that come with it. I spend very little on ‘stuff’ these days.
The irony is that it all pays for itself. My productivity shoots through the roof when I feel great! As a result, I need to do very little high energy, high value work to replace that cost.
I don’t believe in compromise. You can have it all, if you wake up deciding how to make it happen. You can have it all if you are smart about things. You can have it all if you build your life upon what really matters to you. It takes time, but brick by brick, you can build a remarkable life for yourself.
This life structure allows me to be happy. And when I am happy, I do my very best work. When I am happy, I am a better husband and father. When I am happy, I make a bigger difference in the world.
We are all different. I don’t profess that how I structure my existence will suit everyone. It won’t.
There is a lesson for you, though, and it is quite simple – you do not have to follow the rules. We live in times when you can pretty much design your life any way you want it. So my first question is – if you can, why aren’t you doing it?
And more to the point: How can you do it?
I would love to hear from anyone resourcing their life in interesting ways. Please share your approaches and ideas in the comments section below.
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