You likely chose to work online or work from home (or you're looking to) for a certain type of lifestyle with more freedom and less stress.

Right?

Originally I didn't have big lifestyle dreams. I started working from home out of necessity. The lifestyle and the freedom just ended up being a HUGE perk.

I truly love my work - and my life.

I just returned from the Exposure & Profit Conference in Toronto where I spoke to the audience there on exactly that. I shared how I'm "always playing, always working" and how the two go hand in hand to create the ideal lifestyle - or they can. Assuming you choose the right niche and the right business model for YOU, that is.

Anyway, I was meant to leave Toronto and fly to Vegas for another event - but I didn't. I changed my travel & work plans at the very last minute and decided to go to Niagara Falls instead, then head home...

Booking Toronto and Vegas events back to back like that wasn't intentional, by the way. I had a bit of a mix-up with the dates for the Collision Conference, thinking it was the 15th & 16th (not the 5-6th!) and that I had a couple weeks between events.

The last month or so has been rough for me though, so that's not the only point where I dropped the ball. It happens. I still had every intention of swinging the "rush to the opposite coast" trip, and could have MADE it happen, but given I haven't been well lately... I decided it was best to change plans and take care of ME.

The great thing is... that's MY CHOICE to make.

The Collision Conference is an amazing event and it was a HUGE opportunity for me. I had a press pass, full access to the media room, and a room in the speaker's suite for easy interviews. There are around 10,000 people at the event, with practically every name in the industry represented. HUGE!

When I made the decision not to attend, and to head home instead, I did it with absolutely no regrets. I was firm in my decision and did not allow myself any second thoughts about it. I did run it by two of my closest friends (who both knew just how big an opportunity it was) expecting them to tell me I was completely nuts, but they both confirmed that it was a smart choice.

I was completely exhausted by the time I got home to Tennessee. In hindsight, working two events back to back from Tennessee to Toronto to Vegas would have totally done me in. I highly doubt I would have been at my best for what I wanted and needed to accomplish at Collision. No sweat. I'm aiming to attend their next event.

Instead I had a leisurely, enjoyable trip home - and even stopped on the way to see Niagara Falls. That stop was exactly what I needed.

What a beautiful, inspiring and energizing experience!

My point, and my advice to you, is this: Live your life on your own terms. Make every decision about you, and for you & yours - only. I'm not suggesting you be "selfish" or self-absorbed, but that you make it a point to ENJOY LIFE vs always rushing and running and doing... for any other reason than because you WANT to.

Take care of yourself first, so you're in better shape to serve others.

I felt my time would be better spent resting, to follow the Collision Conference from home, do some virtual coverage - and to work on some of my other priorities.

That's the decision I made, and that's exactly what I did...

"Always working, Always playing."

The quick video clip of Niagara Falls above is from my low carb Facebook Page. I mentioned earlier that I'm "always working, always playing". My life is a nice (maybe quirky) combo of the two. I have a food & travel blog, where I basically travel & eat - and talk about those experiences. Because it's what I LOVE to do (travel and eat, lol) it makes my "work" EASY.

In my presentation in Toronto I talked about "monetizing your life", and how to create GOOD niche content quickly & easily. To give you a live example of that, er - besides the post you're reading right now (lol), I documented and/or shared my whole road trip and Toronto conference experience for blog & social media content.

The photo above was taken at a catered reception, sponsored by Perceptive Public Relations at the Exposure & Profit Conference. I was enjoying the event, having a great time with all the cool people there, eating great food of course - and also taking photos of those meals for blog posts & social content. You can see a live example here.

Likewise, while getting to see Niagara Falls for the first time, I decided I'd love to host a mastermind day in that area and also scouted the area for ideal low carb meetup locations. And of course I shared my entire road trip "live" all along the way.

Was I playing or working? Both. Always!

The "lifestyle" is POINTLESS if you're not ENJOYING life.

If you run yourself in circles trying to fit in every single opportunity or experience under the sun, you'll just exhaust yourself. You won't get to fully ENJOY anything if you're always busy planning or thinking about the next thing on your plate.

You can't possibly do it ALL, so pick and choose (carefully, wisely) what you WANT to do - on your own terms.

If that's not the point of life, I don't know what IS.

Well, that plus love and laughter.

You can chase the million dollars and mansions, the fancy cars and most exotic vacations - and that's all fine and dandy... as long as you don't miss out on the LIFE you're supposed to be living (and enjoying) in the process.

Spend some time thinking about what you WANT, about the things that make you feel HAPPY, about those things in life you ENJOY most - and do more of that.

I feel like I won the "time lottery" this week after rearranging my schedule. I'm getting some much needed rest and "me time", and also focusing on the things that matter most in my life. The things that matter the most TO ME, that is.

I love my life.

My wish for you... is that you find that same freedom. Because "freedom" is not just about having more or doing more. It's about having the choice to NOT do things if you can't or don't want to. It's about having a choice period. *cheers*

Best,

p.s. I'd love to hear how this blog post made you FEEL, or what thoughts came up while you were reading it. Leave a comment and let's chat!