Hey Friend, 

 

On Tuesday morning, I woke up early to go to the 6:30am gym class. 

 

The car said it was 7 degrees on the way there. Fresh. 

 

After a solid leg sesh, I hopped back in the car to drive home. The sun was now shining. It was turning into a beautiful Spring day here in Adelaide.

 

I got home. Kaci and the kids had only just gotten up (they had a little lay in). I made us our usual smoothie bowl for breakfast. Delicious. Then sat down for a quick read.

 

I walked out the house at 8:50am to head to the barber. Fresh cut, nice. 

 

Kaci and the kids met me out the front of the barber after I was finished. We walked down the Parade, and found a café to get a coffee and babycino. 

 

Then we walked back home together while Cliffy rode his balance bike. Soaking in the morning sun. 

 

When we got back, I sat down in my favourite chair at the front of the house to continue reading my new book. Bliss. 

 

After that, I put Florence down for a nap. Kaci made us some early lunch. 

 

And we sat together in the courtyard enjoying a fresh cheese & salad sandwich and the warmth of the Spring sun.

 

Kaci looked at me and said:

 

 

It was a simple, yet beautiful moment. 

 

The next day, I read a Substack article from my former mentor Tim Denning where he said: 

 

 

I screenshotted the paragraph and highlighted the last sentence yellow.

 

Because I realised what we experienced the day before was exactly what he was talking about. 

 

We’re not rich.

 

We don’t own an expensive home. We don’t have fancy cars. We don’t splash out on luxurious holidays. 

 

It’s fair to say we don’t live an Instagram-worthy life.

 

But the life we live is far from ordinary. 

 

We don’t commute to work each day. We’re not stuck in pointless meetings. We don’t send our kids to childcare so we can go work our asses off to pay for a massive mortgage that supposedly gives you “security”. 

 

But what we do have is freedom.

 

Not financial freedom (yet).

 

But time freedom. 

 

As another former mentor of mine Lloyd Ross would say, we’re time rich. 

 

I see too many people waiting until they hit financial freedom (where your passive income covers your living expenses) to start living their life.

 

I’m here to tell you.. Don’t f*cking wait! (Sorry for cursing Dad & Jean) 

 

Financial freedom was an idea I fell in love with when I was 24. 

 

I’m grateful for that. Because it lit a fire within me and helped me get to where I am. 

 

But financial freedom is mostly an illusion. It’s a destination that’s been sold to people who don’t like their work (that was me).  

 

I’m not saying financial freedom is a bad goal. Just don’t put off living your life until you get there. 

 

Try this instead:

 

 

Work is not the enemy.

 

Working 50+ hours a week in a job you don’t like is the enemy. Missing the early years with your kids because you’re always working is the enemy. Using all your hard earned income to buy liabilities that keep you trapped is the enemy.

 

These days, 

 

I “work” less than 20 hours a week. 

 

Some people would call me lazy. Some people would say I’ve lost my ambition. But I’m just playing a different game. 

 

We’re not optimising our life for how much money we can make. We’re prioritising how much time we have. 

 

Besides, the lines between “work” and “life” are now blurred. 

 

If you walked past our house and looked at me through our bay windows you’d most likely think I’m an unemployed bum. I’m in my dressing robe and slippers 80% of the time lol. 

 

For me, going for a walk is work. Spending time with my family is work. Going to the gym is work. Reading is work. Work and life are not separate activities. They are one. It’s all an expression of who I am. 

 

Living life gives me the creative fuel to do the “work” I do, like writing edition #250 of this weekly newsletter to you. 

 

This has been a bit of a rant. 

 

But I hope you can feel the essence of what I’m saying.

Until next week,