by Shae Bynes, Founder of ChasingYourFreedom.com
A number of recent conversations I’ve had served as fuel for today’s post which may come off a little bit as a rant (and I’m ok with that).
If you want to make a job an option rather than a necessity, you’re going to have to make some sacrifices. In fact, you may even have to sacrifice at a level that is not comfortable for you at all.
Dave Ramsey always says “If you will live like no one else, then later you get to LIVE like no one else!” I’ve also heard someone say that sacrifice is the currency you pay to get what you want. There are other types of currency too, but sacrifice is definitely one of them. The excuses of “not enough money, not enough time, not enough information” are just that….excuses. If you don’t really want it, that’s fine, but don’t fool yourself for months or even years making excuses for why you’re not making progress.
One of the sacrifices I made while growing my businesses while working full time is to stop watching television. I didn’t miss it either! I didn’t have time to watch television, work, be an attentive wife and mother, work in ministry, AND be in business. Something had to give….and the first thing to go was TV. In fact, many people are surprised when I tell them that I still barely watch TV now even after leaving my job (although now I never miss an episode of Shark Tank or Undercover Boss)!
You also may have to make a financial sacrifice to grow your business. Often times I hear people say they don’t have any money to spend to start or grow a business or income stream and my response is…Do you have cable TV? How often do you eat out? How large is that car payment and gas bill on that huge guzzler you have? There are often small things you can do that will help you move that much closer to your goals. You have to have a “no excuses” policy!
Here’s a few things to keep in mind when it comes it sacrifice:
Determine what your non-negotiables are. Many people make the mistake of not drawing a line in the sand and that can lead into problems with those you love the most. I have a small handful of non-negotiables, for example weekly dates with my husband and worshipping on Sunday mornings at my church home (as long as I’m in town). I’m not going to allow things to get in the way of that.
Delegate, delegate, delegate. I’m still working on this one and I’m getting better with each passing year. I’m not just referring to delegating business tasks, but even other personal or domestic tasks that take time away from your non-negotiables 
and your business. I used to think I was less of a wife and mother if I didn’t try to do everything myself. How dare I get help with cleaning the house, cooking meals, doing my girls’ hair (it takes me ALL day!), or whatever else I needed help with? It took awhile to get over it (read: WAY too long) and I urge you not to take as long as I did to get over it yourself! Don’t say you don’t have the money either. No excuses, remember? Sacrifice something else to make the funds available to help you uncover more time to spend on profit generating activities.
In January I signed up for a reasonably priced personal assistant service and so far it’s been super helpful. I’ve been able to knock things off my to-do list that were sitting there for months! In fact, the service even helped my family find our new beagle, Maddie Bynes! Isn’t she cute?
Make time for yourself. Commit to having some “me time” and make THAT a non-negotiable! I remember what it was like before I left my job, and “me time” was precious and very difficult to uncover. Even still, I managed to do it because it is important for maintaining sanity. All work and no play, is a sure fire way to experience burn out.
This rant is simply a call to action if you find yourself making excuses. This can be your year! Those sacrifices won’t feel much like sacrifice when you have momentum and making progress.
Act like a tennis shoe, and just do it.
(Old school rap fans will remember that one)
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That four letter word is our most valuable resource. Time. TV is a big time killer. Social media can be as well if you’re not careful. I like to comment to people’s posts but I can use my time better so I refrain from writing a comment unless I really have to. I still need to work on this a little.
Yep, the thing to sacrifice may be different for each person. I took my biggest time suck and focused on getting rid of that one….and for me, that was tv for sure! I recovered a good 8-10 hours per week with that alone. At least I can use Facebook from my mobile phone while I’m away from my computer and just killing time in line or out and about. LOL!
LOVE this “rant” Shae… Timely, and a good reminder
Especially like the idea of “non-negotiables.” How crucial that is!! Oh, and I <3 Maddie 
Thanks Bill! We love her too (and glad you enjoyed my rant)!
Great post!! When we left our jobs we didn’t have enough income to sustain the lifestyle we lived when I had my big salary. We had to make a big change to where we were living. We turned our home into a furnished rental – tenants used our stuff, slept in our bed, and ate off the dishes we got for our wedding. Totally not something most people want to do but we had to not only reduce our expenses but bring in more cash so we had money to invest in the business! It worked but it was not fun.
And I have to tell you – I love that your a proud dog Mom posting pictures in your blog posts now too!
Hey Jules! What a pleasure to see your face around here
I bet you don’t feel any of that “pain” anymore now that you guys are rockin’ in your real estate business and showing folks all over US and Canada how to do the same!
LOL @ “proud dog Mom” — now that is a phrase I never thought would apply to me!
HAHA well we certainly aren’t living with my parents but you know there are always choices to be made at every junction in life. Sacrifice might not be the right word but at the end of the day every choice has a price to pay … it’s just a matter of making sure the choice is worth the price. Right?! It’s like little Maddie … it’s a choice with a price but it’s one I think you’re pretty happy you guys made, right?
Not sure if that makes sense … I know what I mean.
Actually it does make sense. It’s a matter of trade offs…which in essence are sacrifices, but for whatever reason the word “sacrifice” gets a bad rep. LOL! And just for clarity’s sake, I wasn’t meaning to say that you never have to sacrifice now, but rather I was referring to the past sacrifices you made…you don’t feel the “pain” of those past sacrifices and they paid off for you.
Thanks Shae,
This was an eye opener, and insight for my life. Love the delegate part . That’s something I need to.work on I’m always trying to do everything myself in my business and personal life.
Thanks for the great motivation!
My pleasure, Sheena! Yes, delegate, delegate, delegate! You’ll thank yourself for it