The Membership Freedom Podcast

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Let me guess what you are thinking. You want to start a business to build that life of freedom but there is no way that you can replace your income to make it a reality. Trust me, I hear it all of this time. David attended one of our Total Life Freedom live events, and he was in that exact spot. Actually, the spot he was in was so similar to where so many of us are- or have been- that it was a little strange. David was talented in his world but stuck in the corporate grind. They paid him well- enough to live a comfortable life but not enough to feel comfortable in life. He despised the commute, could no longer tolerate the office politics and worst of all, realized that he wasn't doing work that he loved. So he came to our event looking for answers. But he kept putting up roadblocks. Each step of the way, each suggestion was met with a reason why it wasn't possible for him. I'm kind of a pain so I pushed. There's a reason why Tricia Prues gave me the title of 'Pushy Pugliese'. The more we pushed, the more the truth came out. It wasn't that he didn't believe that he could do it. He just didn't think he could replace his six figure income- and replace it quickly. So the desperation of needing to replace that income quickly is what kept stopping him. But he was missing the real question. What did he really need? And more importantly, what did he really need for his freedom? Did he truly have to replace his full salary to be happy? As we broke down what his goals were, making that amount of amount of money wasn't his top goal. Freedom, doing work he loved and being with his family more were the most important things. Is it funny how we give up everything for something that isn't as important? So we began pressing him on how much money he needed. He already had a side business earning decent income. So we did a fun little budget audit to determine what his family really needed for them to be free. We asked about every expense. How much are groceries each month? Insurance? Mortgage? Vehicles? Activities for the kids? Household items? Memberships and subscriptions? We went through everything and listed them all out. We even added in a few thousand dollars extra for things we might have forgotten. David added it all up and looked confused. I have gotten used to that look after this exercise. After he added it all up- twice- he saw that the total was about half of the salary that he was desperately hoping to replace. "Does it feel different- and not as difficult- knowing that you need to earn half of your salary to cover your expenses to start?," I asked. I then went in for the kill. "You are already making sixty percent of that number with your side business. And you are doing this on nights and weekends," I explained. "If you are already making sixty percent of what you need while only dedicating a fraction of your time to the business, what could you possibly do if you made this your full time focus?" The message, thankfully, got through. Although still hesitant, he set a date to leave his job, planned accordingly and left for his life of freedom with his family. So often, we believe that we need more than we really do. And that untrue belief alone has been an American dream killer. We accept that just because we make a certain salary, we must replace that number to do something else. But is money the goal, or is it freedom? If it's freedom, replacing your current salary might be irrelevant. What we really need to ask, is what do I need to begin to live the life that I want. Nothing more, nothing less. Because when you realize that that freedom will give you unlimited opportunity and possibility, there is no limit for that income once you have freedom. If you even desire that. But to get that set, you need your fruit in order? Fruit, you ask? What is that?

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How can I get my spouse on board with our money? It's a question I am asked so often. More than 65% of millennials stated that money issues were a big strain on their relationships and according to a survey by SunTrust Bank, money is the leading cause of stress in marriages. One of the issues is that we often have different habits when it comes to money. Opposites attract, and it's common to have one person in a relationship who is the spender, while the other is the saver. In multiple studies, it has been shows that nearly half of the marriages in the United States have very different opinions and habits on the concept of spending and saving. Today on the Total Life Freedom Podcast, I had the pleasure to chat with Joe Saul-Sehy, the host of the wildly successful Stacking Benjamins Podcast, one of the most popular and most downloaded financial podcasts in the world today. Today is a preview of the full episode, which will release on December 28th. In the short clip on todays show, Joe and I discuss tips and tactics on how we can get on the same page about money when it comes to our significant other. Joe shares his wisdom on the challenges that he and his with Cheryl dealt with in the early days of their marriage, including Joe blowing up their budget by purchasing video games while they were strapped with cash, having tough money conversations and struggling to make it. I know a lot of people will relate to their struggle. Joe walks us through the habits that he and Cheryl created and developed, and how it helped them not only dig out a hole but to set themselves up for financial prosperity and becoming 'stacked' with the Benjamins. I found the entire conversation fascinating but I really loved and appreciated how they managed to turn what could be boring, tense conversations into a fun experience that they both really enjoyed. Check out todays episode and if you want to learn how to stack your own Benjamins, go get Joe's new book, appropriately titled Stacked- Your Super Serious Guide To Modern Money Management here. And don't forget to tune in for the full conversation with Joe on December 28th. Have an amazing Christmas Eve and try not to make your spouse angry by blowing your budget on last minute gifts tonight!

Does the idea of self promotion make you cringe? Does it make you uncomfortable to even think about going on social media to promote your stuff? If given the option to either promote yourself or drive to the dentist for an invasive root canal , would you need some time to make that decision? If you said yes to any of these, trust me when I say that you are not alone. This is especially the case if you are a creative entrepreneur. I joke that whenever the word creative is used in a business title, I'm fairly certain that the business is anything but creative. But the creative entrepreneur is a unique breed. We love the work that we do. We are not interested in doing nothing and living off of passive income alone- although that cash would be a nice support of our passions. But we actually like doing the work. Creative entrepreneurs take pride in the work they produce. It matters to them. But the idea of self promotion or promoting their out work? Eeeeesh. Sit back and watch the insecurities and imposter syndrome come out. What's funny is, these people are often great at promoting others work. They love to share the work of the people who help them. They just struggle to do it for themselves. It feels tacky. They worry of judgement from old high school friends, snide comments from their traditionally employed brother-in-law at Christmas dinner, or- even worse- their promoting being met with silence. Why is it that so many of us love doing the work but cringe at the idea of promoting ourselves? Part of the reason, I believe, is because we have become jaded by the 'bro marketers', as my friend Greg Tosi labeled. Bro marketers are those dudes posing in front of the rented Lamborghini selling a course to make the quick cash. The ones that we know don't give a crap about their work, they are only in it for the money. And we wouldn't dare stoop to their level to be seen like that let alone act like them. At the same time, this creative entrepreneur is not only creating great work, but work that truly could help others. Yet, not enough people know about their work or how it can help them. Jonathan Miri said something that made me reconsider my own fear of self promotion. "If you developed the cure for cancer, would you promote it?" he asked during a mastermind call inside of the Total Life Freedom Community. There wasn't one person who wouldn't promote that. No amount of concern for promotion would come up if we had developed the cure for cancer and we wanted to get it to to the world. But that begs the question. If we know that the cure for cancer solves a specific problem, why would we not promote something else we created that solved a different problem? Do we think it's just not as important? Not as useful? Maybe that's the case. Maybe, not so much. What if someone doesn't have cancer but they really are in desperate need of getting their money together. What if they can't figure out how to build or grow a podcast? What if their only concern today was finding the best videographer for their daughters wedding? And what if you created the solution to that problem? And if you did- in any niche or field- why would you not want to solve their problem? Oh, and when you solve that problem, you also will be financially compensated for it. And the more important the problem is (for them), the more you will get paid. So it begs the question. Actually, two questions. 1) Are you creating something that actually solves someones problem? If you are- it's your obligation to let them know about it. and 2) If your service, product or creation is not solving a problem (whether through knowledge, entertainment, services needed or whatever), it's time to rethink what you are doing. If it's more about you and less about them, that may be the reason why you are so hesitant to promote your stuff. I discussed this topic on todays episode of The Total Life Freedom Podcast! Have a great day!

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