Plan is a Dirty Four-Letter Word

Since quarantine, I recently successfully transitioned from bartender to business owner. A ton of creatives like me think about doing this, but most fail, or worse never try because they ignore one simple and critical principle I want to share with you.

Although it only took the entire world to shut down for me to finally figure out a way to fund my financial obligations while I worked towards my dream — time seemed to just fly right by while I was studying everything under the sun. I couldn’t seem to turn the corner on taking action! Instead of actively trying to become a passive investor — I was just passively reading about how other people actively succeeded.

Sure the gurus sell the information for a premium price and the internet is filled with people like me mindlessly scrolling — not knowing in which program to invest their $1500, or which of their 28 open tabs to read and digest first. Ever been there before? I was completely overwhelming myself, until I began to piece it all together. I want to let you in on exactly how I did that.

Last year, I took a leap of faith and launched my LLC to help under-served communities discover basic money concepts, with the intention of creating a passive stream of income. I am now a President/Founder, a film producer, 1st AD, on-set acting coach and actor, entrepreneur, & real estate syndicator. I’m wearing so many hats these days — my head’s spinning! But I was able to completely change the trajectory of my life with one dirty little four-letter word…

Plan.

Step Two -

…for those of you who missed Step One refer to this article and then circle back.

There must be a ton of right-brain creatives like me out there. People struggling with the inability to focus on one endeavor — a jack of all trades who can’t seem to sit still long enough to master one. It’s okay — I’ve been there. Some days I’m still there. And it keeps me from finishing projects I’m passionate about because I’m not absolutely perfect the first time. The real problem we have is to just start — smartly!

How Sway?

Think of where you are right now, close your eyes (after reading this article of course) take three deep breaths and just sit with yourself and block everything else out. Sounds of cars honking are in the background, but they don’t bother you. Maybe the hum of the AC lulls you into a trance. Now, think about where you are in 25 years. Doing exactly what you always wanted to do, what you dreamed of doing and it’s what you are meant for in this lifetime. How did you get there?

The way a baby learns to walk, usually, is to crawl first until they take a chance and fail, and fail again. We have this natural instinct. It’s the animal in us and survival pushes us to take action and do it, until we learn the right way. Once we’re adults this notion becomes dangerous and even foolish to follow. But there is a way to mitigate that risk. There is a way to keep a balanced life and checkbook and still follow your dreams. You don’t need to spend a ton of money. You don’t need to keep bumping your head against the wall until you realize that’s not gonna work. Plan.

Plan correctly and you can run into walls without actually getting hurt, you can fail on paper, you can keep every cent in your bank account — until you find a way that works to your comfort level and still gets you closer to your goal.

Plan your walk while you’re starting to crawl so you can anticipate the pitfalls and avoid them.

So, whip out your laptop or paper and pen. (Phones work too but the act of being more stationary or old-fashioned will trigger your body differently in a good way — trust me it works!)

Now, think how do I get to being the ________ that I wanna be in 25 years. What do I need to have? Certifications? Schooling? What do I need to do and accomplish in order to get that house, car, promotion — or if you’re like me a level of financial freedom so I have my time back.

This also works for tasks you’ve been putting off for forever like if you’re wanting to lose weight or bulk up or any other form of getting in shape. If you want to change your body just the same as if you want to change your career, it takes daily baby steps and a really solid long term plan.

Let’s talk about boring details. For example, I added 10k to my net worth over the course of the last 12 months. My financial goals are different for 25 years from now, But I planned every month, every week, and every day what steps I needed to take to rack up 10 grand — and I hit my goal within 5 month’s time.

Of course, I’m not here to guarantee results — that’s silly and anyone who does that probably wants to sell you something ridiculously expensive or isn’t being 100% truthful. I’m only detailing what worked for me because I was just like a lot of people out there, wanting something really, really badly but not knowing what to DO to get it to happen.

Guys, just wanting it doesn’t make it happen.

But, planning for it, makes it more realistic to attain.

Everyday, I decided to eat what I cooked in my cabinet and fridge for a week straight. All those boxes of pasta, and cans of tuna, I made pb&j like nobody’s business. I made my food and ate whatever was already in my house for a week. Boring right?

By the end of the week, I looked over my budget and assessed what I didn’t spend on my usual Thai food Fridays, morning coffee and occasional… (okay fine, you got me) often after-work drink from one year ago, during this same time last year. It’s easy to download free apps/software to link your bank account and track expenses but I digress. That week I looked at what I didn’t spend and immediate relief poured over me: a high like I cannot describe. I had money in my pocket and I had a plan with what to do with it that was gonna help get me toward my goals 25 years into the future. Bugged me out!

Every month, I planned where the weekly money was gonna go in terms of my investment portfolio and I was really feeding every stream of passive income that I taught myself over the course of last year. It wasn’t easy. I had cravings for delivery or bad days and bought more ice coffee or rocky road ice cream than necessary, of course. We’re all just big babies with real feelings. But I know after 5 months I had only tended to those fleeting moments where I ‘failed’ or lost track and they were a lot less than when I had been spending money because it was habitual or thoughtless.

When I didn’t have a PLAN for my money it was much easier for money to slip right between my fingers.

Break this activity down: 25 years, 5 years, one year, next month and for tomorrow. Plan something great and stick to it. Fall down sometimes, then get up, forgive yourself and get right back to it. Spend this time and really get it out of your head and heart and onto something you can see. Hold yourself accountable. Make your time here worth your while doing what you love and leave something behind to pay it forward.

I’d love it if you let me know how it goes. Tell me here what Financial Freedom means to you.

It starts today! Go ahead. Plan it.