Can You Make More Money By Working Less?
July 27, 2021Listen to the audio or read through — whichever way you like to learn best!
2020 was a transformative year. For me, it was the year I got vulnerable with myself and learned to enjoy the quiet isolation quarantine brought with it.
You’re probably wondering how that’s possible. While many people filled the void of social interaction with work, I had a lot of practice being rather than doing.
2020 helped me realize that you don’t have to work all the time to make a lot of money. In other words, business can be easy.
Taking breaks sparks my creativity. I feel free when I step away and find what matters to me (besides work). Why? Freedom, balance, and finding inspiration is what fuels me as a designer, muralist, coach, and human.
So, can you make more money by working less? Here’s what I think.
Yes, because freedom is a measure of success
My partner, pups, and I have done a ton of hiking over the years. I find a sense of peace and freedom in the outdoors.
2020 taught me I don’t have to work as hard as I was to make a steady income.
I prioritized 6-figures and what that meant about my success so much that I was stifling my adventurous spirit. I didn’t want to do that anymore.
Now, I only take on clients who value and respect my craft. I have less clients and more free time to do whatever I want or nothing at all. I have the energy to hang out with my friends (socially distanced, of course). Plus, I still have the money to travel and take vacations. I’ve been on 3 this year already with a lot more planned!
Being a hard worker is great. But being adventurous is also great. And that balance? It’s crucial if you want to create a life that doesn’t lead to burnout.
Yes, because balance is necessary
I want to shift this idea that you have to stress yourself out to be worthy of free time or that a healthy work-life balance isn’t possible if you want to make 6-figures.
Because it is possible. Nature taught me.
Just look at a flower on the side of the road. That flower is going to evolve and change and grow and wilt and die. You don’t have to do anything. Nature shows you that life continues whether you want it to or not.
This is a powerful and mesmerizing idea. It made me realize we’re only here for a finite amount of time. We get to deserve it. We get to enjoy it. We get to focus on what really matters, which is going to be different for everyone.
That’s balance. That I can go on an adventure with my dogs, partner, or myself, see new things, and explore. It satisfies my need for wanderlust. And it’s available to me when I take a break.
I came to this conclusion after my first Human Design reading by Sarah Wren Carltonrencarlton.com/. We did an exercise to dive deep into a center I thought was blocked. I chose Gate 56 in the Throat Center. If you’re familiar with Human Design, it expresses itself as a need to collect experiences and weave them into stories to share with others.
During the reading, I picked images out of National Geographic magazines I’d collected from The Book Thing in Baltimore years prior, dissected what they meant together as a whole, and created a physical collage on a piece of paper. Striking images of birds soaring above the clouds, bears traveling through lush forests, and sparkling lakes adorned the page. The meaning was clear: Nature exudes a sense of depth and balance that only exploring could provide.
This experience invigorated my adventurous spirit in a way it hadn’t before. While my chaotic, constantly changing childhood was my beginning, this new, balanced way to explore and discover made me feel more at home.
Yes, because inspiration is everywhere
I found a new appreciation for exploration during a trip to Clearwater Wilderness in Washington State in 2014.
It was the first hike that ever truly challenged me and my perfectionism. It had high elevation and aggressive switchbacks, and my inexperience with tall mountains meant I got blisters from my hiking boots on the way down.
Hiking used to be stressful because I needed it to be perfect. The weather had to be good, the dogs couldn’t get muddy, we had to get to the location at the right time. But when I let go of that and let nature exist, I learned to just experience and appreciate it.
The view from the top of the hike in Clearwater Wilderness. It was absolutely breathtaking!
That hike opened my eyes. If I prioritized work for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t be able to experience the magic of nature... and of life. To find inspiration on a trip up to New Hampshire. To take beautiful pictures and share my thoughts with my community. To visit Zion National Park. To have an overnight camping experience. To drive to Shenandoah and have a long weekend. To do a powerful meditation in the middle of the wilderness.
Stepping away from work taught me this.
Like I said, work is important. I think it’s good to love what you do, make an impact in your community, and earn a lot of money doing it. But it’s also important to find things that matter more than work does to you. Because that balance is what life is really about.
This is your reminder that business can bring ease. You can live a life you love. You can find adventure in daily life. If you don’t feel that way but want to, send me a DM to chat (and see if I’m the coach for you)!
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