Happy Canada Day! Today, it's your Independence Day, and this Thursday, America celebrates its day of Freedom.
I didn't really know about Canada Day, until I hired a Canadian to work with me, mostly for social media stuff. He'll be introducing himself soon, but just quickly, Dan Brown runs a fun YouTube channel called Car Therapy. Check out the great interviews he does in his car!
Speaking of YouTube channels...my interviews on my friend's channel, Candid as a Mother, has been blowing up! If you're here from their YouTube Channel, welcome! If you want to sign up to be an Insider, just enter your e-mail below! Part 1 of my interview has over 130,000 views, and Part 2, which just came out 3 days ago, has over 50,000 views! The channel just celebrated their 1 year anniversary and reached 10,000 views! Yay! Celebration!!! I believe in collaborations.
Speaking of collaborations, I spoke this Saturday at The Collaborative. It's a non-profit run by 100 actors who came together to ask this question:
What if we stop pursuing our careers in isolation and competition? What if we all work together to support each other as we learn and create?
This. Right here. This is how to create something huge! I wanted to speak to their group because it hits most of my core values: love, freedom, purpose/contribution, creativity, relationships/loyalty, empathy/compassion, community & change/growth.
What I'd like to share this week of Independence is that ... true freedom (whether financial or not) comes from asking for help, from knowing who you are, from making conscious choices, and from a feeling that you can do what you want, when you want.
The first three are self-explanatory. Now, the last one is a bit more challenging. How do you feel free?
First, some practical tips:
- Pay off your debts! Owing credit card debts is not freedom. It's actually a leash that prevents you from truly buying what you want!
- Start an emergency savings! Have at least 3 months' worth of necessary expenses saved up (rent, food, utilities & whatever else is absolutely necessary). Multiply that number by 3. If you're more risk-averse, then save up 6-8 months. If you truly want peace of mind, or if you're in an extremely volatile profession, such as the entertainment industry, then you may want to consider saving up 12 months' worth of expenses. (It's what my husband and I have.) This is true freedom, in my opinion...knowing that I have a year's worth of expenses saved up gives you choice. It also gives you peace of mind.
- Track your spending. Not just what you bought and how much. Try writing down WHY you spent that money. Keep it in a notes section of your phone or write it in a notebook. It will be illuminating to see if you're spending is coming from an emotional place or if it's sparking joy or a need! It's kinda like a food diet. The tracking, itself, doesn't lead to freedom. It's just knowing your habits and being able to make more conscious choices that leads to freedom.
Now, the #1 way to find freedom, in a spiritual way, is to Know Yourself! If you really knew yourself and your core values, you're able to make decisions about your purpose and about what to spend your money, on that will lead you to your purpose, more happiness, and less regret. As Mark Twain writes:
The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. - Mark Twain
Start with a question that Deepak Chopra once asked Oprah Winfrey, that she felt was one of the most profound questions. "Who am I?" Take a sheet of paper out and allow yourself to just write. See what comes up for you intuitively, which means don't think about what you're writing. Just write. Yes, it's journaling. However, you're also tapping into that part of your brain that see freedom in all possibilities!
Next, define freedom for yourself. For me, it's more of a feeling than an actual tangible goal. Know what I mean? Well, a goal would be...now that I have 12 months' worth of expenses saved up, I should feel more free. While, I do feel more free because of my savings, it's not what really makes me feel the freedom. Instead, what makes me feel the freedom is music. I'll play a song, dance in my office or get in my car, with the wind blowing in my hair and the windows down and sing at the top of my lungs! That to me, FEELS like FREEDOM.
Finally, freedom is also inner peace...one of my core values. Creating boundaries for yourself, while it may seem like the antithesis of freedom, is actually creating more freedom for YOU. The less you're trying to please others, be that "good" boy or girl, and saying yes to everyone out of obligation, then the more freedom you will be able to create the life you want and say yes to the things that give you joy, purpose and growth! Doesn't that sound good? Say no more often so that you can say YES to yourself.
Here's to FREEDOM & as always, Gratitude,
How do you feel more free? Sign up below and comment! Also, I'd love to hear what you've written on the question, "Who Am I?" So, again, sign up and comment below! Since one of the ways to feel more free is to ask for help, I'm extending my 1-hour free financial coaching session for this week of freedom! Sign up HERE to get it. I'm also starting group coaching! If you're here in the LA area, we might make this an in-person event! If interested, send me an e-mail HERE. Did you come to this blog from Candid as a Mother? Let me know what questions I can still answer for you! Sign up and comment below!