It Isn’t Just About the Money – Why Income Goals Aren’t Enough 

It can be easy to get carried away with creating your business plan when building a lifestyle-focused business. Sometimes it can feel like making money is the main goal in life, especially if you have goals to travel or to own a second home on the beach in Mexico where you'll write your books.

And as a business owner, money can become the center of our world. But let's remember, as we're building our businesses, we're also creating a lifestyle and setting boundaries around our personal needs. 

Certainly money can help you build the lifestyle you desire, but we want to shift our focus so money is not the only tangible goal we're working towards. We want to create goals around the experiences and relationships we want to have in life.

We have the opportunity to shift our business intentions and increase the awareness of our needs by creating quantifying goals related to our:

Write down some goals in each of the areas above.

As an example: What would be a tangible manifestation if you achieved your ultimate desire in the area of your experiences? Do you want to travel? Where do you want to go? What sites do you want to see? What food do you want to try? 

❤️Go ahead and take some time to create tangible intention goals in the areas above that matter to you.

PROSPERITY GOALS SHOULD NOT BE IGNORED

Your business can allow you the freedom to work when you want to around your life as well as generate the financial resources you need to be a lifestyle-oriented business.  Because your business is not about money. 

But we will keep this conversation grounded in reality because we need money to live and we need BIG income to make BIG impact. 

So of course we are keeping that in mind, and setting income and prosperity goals are important. We are not going to skim over the surface of this topic. Many women who desire to create great impact and transformational programs often feel extreme discomfort in and around the topic of money. 

If that's you, it's time to start dismantling your money story and rebuild your relationship with money.

That's the inner work you get to do for yourself and those you serve. The sooner you can release your stories about money, the sooner you can fully show up and step into your future self. 

Income goals aren’t everything, but they cannot be ignored either. Your personal power and growth comes from turning towards your shadows, towards your old stories, towards your uncomfortable edges and deciding to face them and disrupt the old patterns.

❤️What's the new money story you want to step into?

More Money DOES Not Equal Happiness

 . . . but money can fuel a movement! Let's break it down like this:

• Consistent income funds your lifestyle.
• Building a business with BIG income helps you create the change you want to see in the world.
• There's nothing wrong with wanting more money.  
• And let's face it, having money makes everything easier. 

Oh the things we could create if money wasn't an issue!

❤️What possibilities could you manifest inside your new relationship with money?  

More Time Equals More Creativity

I used to work all day, every day. If I was awake I was on my computer ... doing the hustle (and I don't mean the dance). I would find myself frustrated, a lot! Or sitting for hours trying to troubleshoot a problem because my brain kept telling me I had to figure it out before I could go to bed, or before I could move on to something else.

I don't do that any more (well,  most of the time). I still catch myself from time to time trying to force a result or force a solution. I'm a work in progress.

But now, I'm much more aware of what I call 'force or flow.' In a situation where I'm not getting anywhere, I ask myself, "Am I in force (masculine) or in flow (feminine)?

When I start to feel like I'm forcing something and I'm not in flow, I get up and do something else. Preferably, something physical and something where I don't feel like I need to be perfect--or figure something out. Taking my mind off of the task and giving myself that time feeds my creativity and problem-solving skills.  

• going out in nature
• walking my dog
• dancing (or other forms of movement) This is NOT the time for "groundedness" or "stilling the mind," like in yoga or meditation. Pick something that gets blood and more importantly energy moving through you.
• singing with abandon
• cooking / baking
• walking at the lake and dipping my toes in the water
• having mid-morning coffee with a lil' chocolate treat
• enjoying afternoon tea on the patio (when it's not 105 degrees, or 110, or 115)

You could also choose things that connect you to real life and give you real experiences. 

• Spending time with your family, friends, and loved ones is real life.
• Going on a hike in the mountains is real life.
• Taking your kids to the park for a beautiful afternoon and having a picnic, in the middle of the week, that's real freedom.
• Going to the movies in the middle of the day.
• Go to a restaurant you've always wanted to try.

Create a list of things you can do when things feel stuck. When you need an injection of energy flow, what can you do in a short amount of time and an extended amount of time? Have both options at the ready. And next time you're trying to force an answer, solution, idea, or content - take a creativity break!

The next time you're not sure what the lifestyle business model is or why you're doing it -- look at your list and do one of those things. Start incorporating outings, naps, tea time, or coffee with a friend in your regular working day. Learn how to integrate your two worlds together.

More Balance Improves Productivity

Balance is an interesting concept to me. There's a lot of chatter out there about work/life balance. as if that's the goal.

Is there such a thing as balance? Or is it another unattainable myth, like multi-tasking?

Is work and life really two separate things? Maybe for some.

Not for me. My life is my business and business is my life because business is an extension of me. It is an expression of my life, experiences, knowledge, triumphs and challenges. It is a living, breathing organism that needs nurturing and attention all the time. I am birthing my life's work and that doesn't shut off for me at 5 PM.

Having said all that, it can take over and pour into every other area of my life. And that's were the boundary statements come in, to help keep in focus some of those blurred lines. 

I find business inspiration in some of the most interesting places, and if I "shut-off at 5 PM" I wouldn't be open to receiving that inspiration or creativity boost.

Thus, my lifestyle business concept was born. It's not about denying your personal needs when it's work time and it's not about shutting off your business needs when you're living your life. 

❤️Have you written your boundary statements? It not, do so now. You're going to need them soon when we put all these pieces together.

Life is Made to Enjoy What You Have

Your life is here for you to enjoy it - enough said!

Life is More About Being Than Doing

Be in the moments of your life.

Be present.

Be adventurous.

Be creative.

Be expressive.

Be compassionate.

And above all, be curious.

Please share in the Facebook group what you've learned about yourself and your business. I will be in the Facebook group every day to answer your questions and support your growth.

Till tomorrow,

Be brilliant.

Be imperfect.

And always, be you.

Melissa