Yup, it’s a bold statement. Just watch it.
Powerful, eh? Immediate reactions?
Since the majority of the world operates in the “Who do you work for?” mindset, there’s understandably confusion amongst my friends and family about what I do as a (crazy, THEY’RE ALL CRAZY) self-employed entrepreneur. And I guess I don’t blame them, I mean, how do I quickly explain what I do when it doesn’t ever fit into a neat, tidy category? When it changes weekly? Daily, hourly?
Answering the question confuses me, too, to be frank. Responding with, “Hmm, well, I work for myself, I’m growing my website and blog, and launching a podcast soon, oh! and I consult small businesses and individuals on marketing and branding online, and I also distribute a nutritional supplement and am writing a social media book for the members of that company, and then I have a few one-off projects like my recent partnership with a healthcare marketing consulting company to launch a social media webinar series this spring, oh geez, uhh, well I also read and review books pretty regularly, umm, and a bunch of other stuff!” doesn’t really roll off the tongue as easily as, say, “I’m an accountant.” or “I wait tables.”
Typically, the questioner’s response is something like, “Oh, umm, so, you can work on any of those projects you want? Whenever you want? So you must sleep in everyday!” To which I naturally respond, “Ha, yes, I TOTALLY sleep in, right after I spend three hours a day networking online to build my brand, connecting with my audience, two hours reading something new, and ten hours developing content and relationships and making phone calls and appointments. And then don’t forget the research. Or the coaching calls! OR THE LAUNDRY.”
At this point the questioner is confused or annoyed or confused OR CONFUSED and either walks away not believing me or dares to ask the next question in the series, “How do you, umm, make money doing any of that?”
I’ll spare you the rest of it, as you know how it goes. I try to explain, don’t do a very good job, the poor questioner leaves and, when asked the next day by another curious soul, still says “Uhh, I don’t know, she does online stuff or something.”
*sigh*
After a few months of this, it hit me pretty hard when I read Tim Ferriss mention in the recent edition of his book* that one of the (many) reasons he wrote a book in the first place was to finally be able to answer the frustrating “What do you do?” question with his dream response – I’m a writer.
Ahh, how wonderful that would be!
One of my dream responses would be similar – to be able to say I’m a published author – but I think I’d also love to say that I’m a volunteer.
After all, I’d so much rather answer the question with what I love to do, rather than what makes me money and supports my lifestyle. You see?
“What do you do, Annie?”
“Well, I’m an author, and I volunteer full-time.”
Ahhhh. It sounds nice, yeah?
So, what would your dream answer be? Share ’em in the comments. Let’s go after it, ok?
P.S. In the mean time, let’s just say that we do this!
*Amazon affiliate link
I’ve recently caught-up with all of the back episodes of The Ren Men Show, and that, coupled with my having just read the updated and expanded edition of Tim Ferriss‘s 4-Hour Workweek, has really got me thinking a lot more about lifestyle design.
I started my journey towards time and financial freedom when I was 18, but until recently I never really considered calling it lifestyle design. But that’s what it is, right? I mean, when you develop businesses that, once established, provide residual, passive income, you then have the time and financial freedom to do as you please. Once you have that freedom, you can design your life in whatever ways you choose.
Two questions have been bothering me the most: one, why aren’t I focusing on designing and achieving my ideal lifestyle directly, instead of focusing on achieving the dream-like and generic “time freedom?” and two, what am I doing to ensure that all of my business ventures are set-up from the beginning to provide passive income?
Big questions.
Additionally, how does lifestyle design mesh with the work-your-tail-off mantra of online media celebrities like Gary Vaynerchuk? Maybe this is what Brian Clark and Chris Brogan and Darren Rowse really had in mind when they said, you know what, we’re no more part of one tribe than the other. We sit somewhere in the middle, so consider us part of the Third Tribe.
Hmm.
I’ve thought so much about this the past couple days that I’m pretty sure it will result in not only a meticulous review of all of our ventures, but a discussion about the overarching goals and intentions of our business. Why – truly, really why – are we doing all of this? Where is it leading us? Where do we WANT it to lead us? What do we need to change in order to ensure we are, in fact, moving in that direction?
And when it’s all said and done, what does our ideal lifestyle look like? I know many of the individual pieces of that picture, but could definitely work on clarifying what the painting looks like in its entirety. Exciting – and scary – stuff.
Updates to come! In the mean time, what say you? Thoughts on lifestyle design?
Note: Originally written Saturday, March 20th.
I was burning holes in my esophagus, tasting hot sauces in my husband’s honor at a cute little shop that sold nothing but the spicy stuff. And that’s when it hit me – this is exactly what I’ve always wanted.
Ok ok, not the hot sauces specifically, as frankly it was a rather uncomfortable experience, but simply the ability to taste hot sauces…if I chose to…because I could…in the middle of a Friday afternoon…in a city of my choosing.
I’m currently sitting in my room in a tall hotel on Canal Street in New Orleans, just steps from the famed French Quarter. Yesterday, bright and early, I dragged my laptop down to the Starbucks in the lobby and sat there for 8 hours working. By mid-afternoon I had accomplished quite a bit, so I closed up shop and took off on foot to wander the Quarter.
I’m here in nawwwlens because a girlfriend wanted to attend a conference this weekend related to her business and thought it’d be more fun if I came along. With her paying my way, it was a quick and easy decision. I can work from anywhere, after all, so why not!
But the point of all of this is that it was, in fact, a quick and easy decision. I work for myself now. I can work from anywhere, at anytime. It’s all up to me and me only. I finally – finally, FINALLY – after years of effort, have 100% time freedom.
And there are moments – like when I’m walking the smelly, loud, beautiful New Orleans French Quarter on a cool afternoon – when I wonder, how did this happen?
And, more importantly, how can I get others – read: YOU – to the point where we can share in this together?
I swam with sea turtles, watched whales, experienced a full-fledged tsunami evacuation, snorkeled, boogie-boarded, hiked, and ate an ocean’s worth of fresh fish. But I didn’t send a single tweet, status update, or email.
I returned last week from a stunning 10-day vacation to Hawaii with my family and, after catching up on a week-plus worth of backlogged tweets and blog posts and emails, started thinking about unplugging. Or, more accurately, how unplugging affects your work when you finally plug back in.
I didn’t really plan to completely unplug. I actually didn’t give it any thought before I left. After all, especially this past year, thinking in terms of tweets and blog posts ideas and status updates was something my brain has grown quite accustomed to. Those brain cells were always ON.
Once arriving and really considering the importance and meaning of the trip (to celebrate my parents 30th anniversary, vacationing in a place they hadn’t been since my mother was pregnant with me, and finally experiencing one of my and my husband’s top wish-list destinations), it just seemed like the right thing to do. After all, if I WERE to unplug, what better situation would there be to do it? So anyway, without much thought, I left my laptop in the closet and (once I located the never-used POWER button) shut down my phone. (And let’s not confuse making a specific choice like this with laziness, like using vacations or holidays as an excuse. Do you agree?)
It was quick work to turn off the electronics, but a good 24 hours before I convinced my brain to stop thinking in tweet-speak.
Awaiting our flights back east I turned everything back on, electronics AND brain cells, and boy oh boy, the ideas and inspirations came flooding in. It was as if turning everything off was only a conscious thing. Perhaps behind the scenes the entire time there was much blog-thought and tweet-speak going on without my knowledge. I was clear-headed, relaxed, and ready to get to work.
So, I think it was a good thing, unplugging. It didn’t seem to harm any of my efforts networking. In fact, it was fun to see many I connect with on a regular basis reach out in return while I was away. It was an awesome break, an even more meaningful (and beautiful) trip, and now that I’m home, a great motivator. I’m clear-headed, full of ideas, and reassured to know that, if you have to temporarily unplug, the world will go on. Your business, too, will go on.
So, what say you? Do you think it’s important to unplug once in a while? Do you think it’s a laziness thing or a conscious choice? If you have unplugged before, has it set you back, or have you been able to pick back up with things?
P.S. I did send a couple tweets on tsunami day, to notify everyone that we had evacuated and were out of harms way. However, I argue that that doesn’t count. :) Thank you so much if you were one of the kind, thoughtful dozens that contacted me to make sure we were ok!
Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to receive a pre-release copy of Chris Brogan’s new book, Social Media 101, to play around with, and have recorded a quick review as a guest post on The Ren Men Show. Grant Peelle and Alan Ledford have a fantastic show about lifestyle design, real estate, self-education, and all sorts of other inspiring entrepreneurial topics. They’re professional, always-learning, and a little goofy – perfect.
I was honored to submit the review for their audience to watch. Go check it out! And while you’re there, say hello to Grant and Alan and stick around for a little bit. You won’t regret it.
Also, if you’ve recently landed here, on AnnieSorensen.com, from Grant and Alan’s site, welcome! Thanks for visiting. Please, take a look around, and feel free to leave a comment and let me know what I can do to help you to live your very best life, every day.
Finally, guest posts; let’s chat about those for a second. I LOVE submitting to the blogs of those who have a similar mission, are dedicated to providing great content to the world, and care about building professional, fun, and purposeful relationships. What do they always say, you only become a success yourself once you’ve helped many others find success first? I often don’t know where the posts will be, or what new folks I’ll meet, but several of my goals consistently surround giving and submitting content to the sites of others. I think it’s that important.
So, what do you think of guest posts? Do them often? Worry about giving away too much? Do you enjoy giving away content for free, the “go-giver” mentality?
It occurred to me a couple days ago that I hadn’t reviewed my life list in several months. I *love* these realizations. It’s a known fact that simply writing down your goals and dreams is a massive step towards actually making them come true. Don’t ask me how, but writing them down clicks something in your brain. You can consciously “forget” about the item, yet your brain never does. Long story short, reviewing the list after a period of time often leads to wonderful surprises of accomplishment that, at the time, you didn’t even realize were happening.
Aren’t our minds weird?
Anyway, I love when I “remember” that I haven’t reviewed my list in a while, because every time that happens it’s usually a notification from that crazy, hidden part of my brain that, “Hey! You’ve accomplished something! GO SEE WHAT IT WAS.”
Upon reviewing my list, I realized that I just accomplished an enormous item:
My last day at The Corp was January 22, 2010. I’m 28, turning 29 this coming April. Which means I accomplished that item from the list exactly as I had said I wanted to – before I turned 29.
Awesome.
What’s interesting about this item, specifically, is that I absolutely couldn’t have “fired” all bosses besides myself it those bosses hadn’t been so amazing. Seriously. My former employer offered me so many opportunities to grow as a person, as an employee, and indirectly, as an entrepreneur. They were flexible, trusting, and encouraging. Both the company as a whole and the individuals I was able to call team members and managers.
They know who they are, and I sincerely hope someday that they land on this post. When they do, I’d love to say thanks. I couldn’t have done it without you.
I know I know, you have all seen this video a bajillion times…
…or have you?
I was having a conversation during a networking lunch today about social media that got me thinking. It’s widely known that your lifestyle closely mirrors that of your closest peers. This typically applies to the amount of money you make, the opinions you hold, and the knowledge and experience you have. Because most in the social media world are surrounded by others in the social media world, I often hear some of the “social media mavens” mention how a corporate position of Social Media Manager is already outdated, or how everyone already knows about the power of networking and branding online, or how they find it funny that some people still don’t know how to spell Twitter.
I think that’s ridiculous.
I mean, have they been to a real-life networking event lately? Not a tech-related conference, not a tweet-up, but something like a chamber of commerce meeting? Or a PTA event? Or a physician’s group luncheon? Have they chatted with a successful business in a small, Missouri town that’s willing to do anything to increase sales but doesn’t even own a computer? Are they aware of the thousands of 1-doc office practice managers who are still paying for postcard-and-magnet marketing in attempts to attract new patients and keep their doors open?
Now, I realize that I am in NO WAY a social media expert. I don’t have a marketing background. I’ve never operated any type of marketing-related business. And I have definitely not been around the whole social media world for as long as many of the passionate marketers currently sharing their impressive work on Twitter and Facebook. There’s a GREAT possibility that I’m interpreting their messages incorrectly.
But if my interpretation is correct, and if there are some (emphasis on some, meaning, NOT ALL) in the social media world that think the social media revolution has already passed, that worries me. And, frankly, fascinates me!
What I do know is that, with only 12 months of self-education under my belt, I have been able to connect with a half-dozen businesses and entrepreneurs in the past month and sell them on my services. And by sell I mean I said, “Hey, I can help you with that.” and before I hit the third word they were waving their arms and jumping up and down.
And I’m not doing much. I only promise to teach them the basics of the available networking platforms and the high-level concepts of branding and listening and conversing and caring, then point them in the direction of a few good books and a couple resident experts.
Do you realize the need for this? The need for the ultra-basics? The just-get-me-started advice? It’s MASSIVE. And I think that anyone who discounts that and says that there isn’t any more room for social media managers or branding consultants or whatever might consider stepping outside of their peer-group and taking a look around.
There’s still opportunity here. Even for the only-comfy-with-consulting-on-the-basics people like me. The stats presented by the Social Media Revolution video are almost 7, 8, 9 months old (many of them even older), but I think they can still be used to help educate many, many folks.
So, what say you? Think I’m way off base? Think there’s still opportunity there?
I'm an author, marketer, and mommy who loves to read, write, and drink coffee. My husband and I live in suburban Kansas City with our two little girls. This site chronicles my world. Thanks for stopping by!
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