Your Men's Journey

Ask just about anyone what having money means to them and the answer invariably is freedom. This Financial Freedom allows people to do what they want with those that matter most to them. And if they could have freedom on their own terms, this would lead to happiness.

It’s not actually the money that makes people happy. Meaningful relationships, family, a purpose filled life, are truly what matter most to people.
We can look at two very different life stories that successfully demonstrate how seeking a healthy balance between money and a quality of life are possible, regardless of whether you have lots of it and aren’t happy or have none of it and are happy but not financially responsible.

Tom is a 43-year-old young man from the Midwest who relocated to the mountains of Santa Cruz California. He never worried about money. Tom always somehow managed to get along by doing odd jobs, occasionally doing landscaping jobs which he enjoyed .He even secured himself a place to stay in exchange for maintenance of the property.

Tom recognized that if he was ever to have a family (which was part of his dream) and get married, he would need to change his survivalist ways. He would need steady income, health insurance, and eventually a home he could call his own.  Tom knew his sanctuary was in the outdoors, working with his hands and creating beautiful surroundings (much like where he lived) for his clients. He began to take on more landscaping responsibilities, learning the many various facets of the trade. He went to school to get his landscaping contractors license. Before long, he was not only making money, he was saving money. He specialized in water structures and today, nearly 28 months later, he finds himself as an owner of a thriving business and the reality of buying a home not far off in the distance. Tom’s persistence to create for himself the life worth living and the balance that comes with it are now in full view….

Tim, once a high powered attorney for a large publicly traded company, by most people’s standards, had all the outward makings of a successful life. He earned a salary of $500,000 a year, owned several million dollars of stock options, and two beautiful homes. Yet something was missing.  His 10 year old son, Andy, was his pride and joy and with the realities of being a single dad colliding with the responsibilities of his high powered job, Tim increasingly found himself disillusioned  and unhappy with his life.

Tim ultimately decided that the time for him to live his life was right now. He gave notice and quit his job while negotiating his severance. He spent almost a year spending quality time with his son. Now, as he begins his search for  a new job, he will be far more cognizant of what is truly important to him in life .When it comes time to make a decision, the ability to have quality time with his son will play a big role in her decision making process.

Both Tom and Tim did what it took to seek and ultimately experience freedom. In both instances, it was more about balance and less about money.   By investing in our self worth first, we soon can come to realize that net worth plays only a partial role .Ultimately, making financial decisions that are in alignment with our self worth will make the “life worth living” a reality.