Your Second Act – Lifestyle Freedom, Financial Prosperity and Impact

For the past 15 years, Boomers (born between 1946-1964) have had a higher rate of entrepreneurial activity than any other demographic. Since 60 is the new 30, they have a lifetime of experience they want to share and they are not afraid of hard work. Many have worked “traditional” jobs and either have been let go or have left on their own accord. So now they are ready for their second act.

Now Boomers are looking for lifestyle freedom and work schedule freedom,  as time is seen as the most valuable resource at this point in their lives. For many, there is also a need for more financial prosperity as the pensions are not quite enough to live on.  They also want to make an impact.

Whether you are a boomer or not, you may need another paid part-time job at the same time as you start up what you are passionate about.  You’re living the dream but you’re paying the bills too.

With the internet now, you can run your business from your laptops from anywhere in the world. You just need a WordPress website, a Facebook presence – and it’s free. You can also have a presence on Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or Tumblr.

There are so many advantages to being self-employed as an entrepreneur. One of the main ones is the tax advantages. You can write off a variety of expenses and lower your taxable income allowing you to actually keep more of what you earn.  You have the option of working out of your home office which means no more rush hours and additional gas expenses.

Here are some of the benefits:

• Greater earning potential with no salary cap, no glass ceiling. You can earn what you are worth.
• You could become rich. If it takes off, the person who’s going to get all that profit is you.
• Your income directly relates to your productivity.
• You can create a built-in retirement income stream,  the potential for unlimited income.
• A sense of control over your future.
• Time flexibility. Setting your own hours, taking more vacation days. Enjoying the world in a way 9-5ers can’t.
• You get the freedom of being your own boss. No-one to tell you what to do. No need to ask permission.
• You control how your work is done. You choose your own customers/clients.
• Your work area is truly yours. You can buy new equipment when you want or need it.
• You chose what to wear each day.
•  You spend less money on expensive daily lunches.
•  You don’t have to go to nonproductive meetings. No more co-worker drama.
• You do work that makes sense, something that you are passionate about.
• Allows you to focus on providing a product or service you believe in and are good at.
• You enjoy the variety of continually adapting, learning, and updating your skills while developing way more confidence.
•  You can tap into your creativity and can be yourself, more fulfilled.
•  You can create a legacy and make a difference.

Whether you are a Boomer or not, these benefits may be appealing to you. Now’s your chance to explore the possibilities of your second act.  Book a complimentary strategy session at  http://charleneday.com/.

To your success,

Charlene

Frenetic Productivity versus Flow Productivity

As entrepreneurs, we all want to be productive and feel like we are doing the things that get us closer to our goals.

However, we live in a very fast-paced world and each day seems to be disappearing faster. What can happen is that we think we need to be keeping up with the frenetic energy. This is the worst thing we can do. If we keep going without stopping, we are bound to get sick, fatigued or at the very least stressed and in a negative head space. I call this frenetic productivity.

What if we could be productive and feel like we are in the flow? I know this sounds counter-intuitive in this nonstop culture of ours. Well, it is possible when we take the time to structure our day in a more humane way.

First, we want to be aware of our Big Goal and our WHY. Then we arrange our days around this aspiration. This is important to keep front and center, for when the time waster activities show up each day, we can look at our goal and remind ourselves to refocus.

Next, we have to consider the type of person we are. Some of us are night owls and others are the early birds, the larks. Even though there are many productivity books, etc. giving advice on how to structure your day, it is important to put into the equation your internal clock. It is very hard to fight natural impulses. Once you are in harmony with your rhythm, it will be easier to structure your day. So some will start very early and some will start later.

Then we need a plan. Plans can be yearly, monthly, weekly and daily. It is best to do your daily planning the night before. That way you are ready to go first thing.

Set up your planner so you can color code your appointments, then you can differentiate them easily. That way you can easily see your meditation time, your gratitude time, your exercise time and you could even mark in your planner to remind yourself to drink more water. These need to be written into your schedule to keep you in the flow of your day. Highly productive people put themselves into the equation and start their day doing something that makes them happy.

Your planner could include your current projects and what has to happen to move them forward. List your highest priority activities including the people you want to connect with. You could include people you are waiting on, people to see, items to send out, delegations, a monthly focus, and make sure you leave some space for your new ideas.

Studies have shown we work best in 90-minute segments as our brains need a break after 90 minutes of concentrated effort.  At the end of the ninety minutes then that is a good time to stretch and hydrate.

Remember we are living lives full of ingrained habits, emotional programming and cultural reinforcements that need to be challenged daily. So don’t let your old patterns of conditioning suck you back into the frenetic energy of our fast paced world.

Be consciously productive and be in the flow.

To your success,

Charlene