Broke and Scared
Money flows in and out of your life throughout your whole life. Sometimes you have lots of money, sometimes not so much. When you’re younger being broke is a bummer but there always seems to be a way forward and time to recover. But when you’re older it’s a lot more scary.
When you’re younger you can pivot a bit more easily. It’s easier to take any kind of job. It can be a more physically demanding job or not. There’s always McDonald’s right? But when you’re older, these choices are drastically reduced. McDonald’s is not an option. More physically demanding jobs are not really an option anymore. Sure you could probably do it – but the toll on your body is a lot heavier than it was 20 years ago.
So your choices when you’re older diminish significantly. It’s easier to use your brain rather than your braun. But getting a job is much, much harder when you’re over 50. It took me two and a half years. That is scary. So what did I do in the meantime?
I did some temporary work once I got my emotions and head space into some sort of order once I lost everything. I started to make some money where I could at least start to pay my rent again. It also gave me some cash to use to invest in other projects.
At 53 I don’t really have time to pivot – or do I?
I thought I didn’t. I thought I had to stay where I was and just live frugally and try to live as happily ever after as I could. But we live in amazing times where many things are possible.
Jeffrey Star is the largest beauty blogger on Youtube and he is a gabillionaire. He used the small amount of money that began to came in and invested it into businesses. I know you’re saying – yeah OK but he is only 31 and an absolute enigma – that’s not me.
It’s not most of us. But here is the really interesting thing. Jeffrey only started Youtbe four years ago and built a billion dollar business in that time – from nothing.
Now is it possible to emulate that success? Yes I believe so. Success leaves clues. I’ve heard that so much in my life but it really actually does. The thing is, it just doesn’t happen overnight and in our fifties that’s kind of what we need right?
But if we start to plan now and work steadily towards a goal, we can make it. We have more time than we think.
Accept, that for the moment, you are broke. Absolutely dead broke. No assets. No income. No way to pay rent. This is going to scare the shit out of you and I was frozen with fear as well. Then, take a breath.
Make a plan. When no-one is watching or listening to you. You might have people relying on you and feel that immense pressure to get this right – right now. Ignore that. Pretend it’s just you.
What is it that you know? What is it that you love? If everything was perfect what would you be doing day to day? How would you spend your spare time? It might be a few things. I have like 10 things I would do if the world was a perfect place. Write your list.
Pick the one that resonates the most and then go all in. Do what it takes to make it happen. It might be writing, reading, building, selling on ebay, learning how to sell on Amazon, learning Youtube – whatever it is. There are channels available to you like never before, that you can use to build yourself a business, or a side income, that will ensure that this doesn’t happen to you again.
Take a day job if that’s what you need. It’s what I did. My day job is enjoyable and I’m incredibly thankful for that. But it’s not where I’m heading in terms of my financial goals. It’s paying my rent and bills and allowing me to use the rest of my time to build the rest of my empire.
I’m calling it an empire because it is going to be multiple streams of income to make sure that I never have to feel this scared again.
It’s work. We’re used to that. But this time, you will be working for you – not someone else. Not some other company that you are making successful. It’s for you and your family.
It’s scary to take this responsibility for yourself. But once you do it will become freeing. It’s for you. Not them. It’s for your piece of mind and you won’t be reliant on anyone else.
You can do it if you really, really want it. You can find out how to do anything you want. You can figure it out. You just have to decide that this, this fear and lack of resources, is never going to happen to you again.
Stay In Touch
