On Tuesday I got back from holiday.
Emma has a tan, Barney has a tan, and me, well… I look like I’ve stopped in Birmingham for ten days.
Now, this time, and because of everything that has been going on with Em’s dad, we’d booked a hotel that was meant to be ‘fancy’…
… But it was the school holidays, so the kids took the edge of that vibe.
Safe to say, this place was rammed to the nines with families.
Now I don’t know about you, but when I’m away, I like to watch people.
It’s my guilty pleasure.
And one Dad stood out like a sore thumb….
Every day was the same.
His wife would be with their twin boys and he would be on his laptop.
- They paddle-boarded – he typed.
- They went diving – he took calls.
- They swam in the pool – he read emails.
Now, one afternoon, the waiter appeared with cocktails and me and him got chatting.
Although stressed he had a dry sense of humour, so I asked him with a smile…
“Are you like me – do you secretly dislike your wife and kids?”
Turns out he doesn’t.
He runs his own business and…
“The thing can’t function without me.”
Ahhh…. The penny dropped.
My response?
“Bullshit.”
Now don’t get me wrong… I get it.
It’s the exact same lie I used to tell myself (and others) all the time.
So much so, when Barney was born, I was back in the business and back on the road in less than 48 hours.
Why?
Because my arsehole thinking said that the businesses ‘needed me’ and no one else.
The ugly truth was, even though the business was doing well on paper…
I had built a prison of my own making.
Sure there was money, B-U-T there was no freedom and lots of sacrifices.
Yes, I could move, but I was trapped like a dog at the end of my customer’s leash.
And here’s what I didn’t understand about that at the time.
There is only so much sacrifice and suffering that those around you can, and will take.
No matter the arsehole excuses or reasoning you tell them or you – at some point enough is always enough.
For me, and rightly so, that meant my bags got packed and I got kicked out on my ear.
… It’s why, and when, I made the choice to change my habits and change my tunnels.
(And let me be clear – it is a choice.)
Which brings me to the point of this email and your mantra for money this week.
When you play this game for yourself you get set the rules.
So I urge you to set them in your and your family’s favour – before it’s too late.
Your business can be a palace of freedom or a prison of peril.
The choice is yours my friend, so choose wisely.
Until next time.
Make More. Provide More. Be More.
Charlie Hutton
