One Year of Liberation: My Freedom Day Chronicles
That’s right, my friends. It’s been a whole year since I reached my Freedom Day. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions, learnings, and an oddly specific number of cups of tea (737, for your information).
So, I kicked off my work-optional life with a confetti cannon of possibilities. “No more chains!” I chanted. But here’s the first curveball – I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I grew up. Oh no! I had no clue. It was like being handed the keys to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory but having a sugar-free diet. What’s the plan, Stan?
The Ties that Bind
Remember those two businesses I was ready to offload quickly so that I could move on? Yeah, well, that took WAY too long. Seriously, I think glaciers moved faster than those transactions. Every signature felt like an autograph session for my own biography, “Freed But Not Detached: The Tale of Red Tape.” And oh boy, did that do a whammy with my focus and motivation!
For months I had planned to complete my book, launch a new financial practice, create some training programs, and share the concepts of Freedom Day on my podcast, Youtube channel, and blog. The problem, I kind of felt like a bit of a fraud talking about Freedom Day without actually experiencing it myself.
Sharing is Caring, But…
Here’s a nugget of wisdom I’ve acquired. You can’t flaunt the concept of Freedom Day to the masses without tasting the sweet nectar of a work-optional lifestyle yourself. It’s like trying to sell gym memberships while exclusively using the treadmill as a coat hanger.
I used the time that I had at the beginning of Freedom Day to clarify the concepts and reorganize the principles of the Freedom Day Method (™). Not to mention that the Freedom Day Method (™) didn’t even exist until Jul 1, 2023.
The Freedom Day Timeout
Here’s another enlightenment - taking a breather post-Freedom Day is fine. Like a bear coming out of hibernation, you don’t just sprint to the nearest picnic basket. Let your senses acclimate. You don’t have to quit your job in a blaze of glory. Ease into it. Let Freedom Day be a gentle sunrise rather than a lightning bolt.
Fortunately for me, the week after my partner approached me about buying out one business, I spent a week in California at a conference. My wife did not join me on this trip, so I had 4 days alone in a wonderful place (Ojai, California). It gave me time to process and make some decisions about my future. It also allowed me to think about what a new financial practice would look like and how I could reach a wider audience with my message.
That week helped me to clarify the Freedom Day Method (™), how I would communicate with clients, what our client management process would be, and most importantly, how we would integrate the concepts of Cash Management into what started as a traditional wealth management firm.
The most influential element of the week I spent in Ojai was the introduction to and completion of my first Bucket List.
Bucket List Bliss
Oh, and if you don’t have a bucket list, make one ASAP! I cannot stress this enough. It’s like having a GPS for happiness. My bucket list has been the guiding star, keeping me anchored. Do I want to learn to make sushi while wearing a pirate hat? It’s on the list!
For me, the process began with The Bucket List Journal by Ben Nemtin (https://amzn.to/3ps9bis). Ben spoke at my conference that week, and the company that sponsored the event gave us a copy of Ben’s journal. Being alone in a hotel room (which I do not sleep well in), being somewhat annoyed with my life, and having an empty bucket list led me to a crazy 4 days.
During that time, I became obsessed with my bucket list, working on it literally every hour that I was not in a conference. I binge-watched both seasons of Ben’s MTV show, The Buried Life. Built a list of 100 things I wanted to do before I die (the premise of Ben’s book). Finally, I decided to focus on 5 things I could do in the next 6 months to check off my bucket list. Now my list had some pretty hefty items on it. I want to meet the Dhalai Lhama, learn to play one of my favorite songs on guitar (Ventura Highway by America) even though I do not play guitar, Drive a Lamborghini at the COTA track in Austin, and #23 on my list, which I knew was a LONGSHOT.
#23 on my list was a private concert with the Eagles, my favorite band of all time. It is a funny thing about putting things out to the universe.
They had an event called “Sense” on the final night of the event. This included food from around the world at the Farmhouse (a beautiful conference and learning center at the resort). It was held outside in the garden, so we had sense of smell and taste. They also had 3D images projected in the sky that you could see through 3D glasses (sight). Finally, they had a band playing (sound).
As the evening was picking up and I was winding down to head back to my forced hermitage, I heard in my ear, “Ok, everyone, join us at the main stage and welcome Don Felder from the Eagles!”.
Are you fricking kidding me? COME ON! The one thing I had on my list that would be almost impossible became possible. Not only an Eagle but my favorite one of all time, who wrote Hotel California and several of the early Eagle’s songs. Not the whole group, but I will call this one a win! Checkmate, I am convinced of the power of a Bucket List.
The Great Purge
Freedom Day is like a massive spring cleaning for your soul. Out with the unhappy, in with the joy! It’s the chance to do some Spring Cleaning in your life. Does this 9-5 job spark joy? No? Thank it, and out it goes.
For me serving on several boards that were no longer making me happy…SEE YA!
I also looked at what truly made me happy, and as I freed up my time, I decided to spend more time with them.
My wife Crystal, who has suffered the long hours and absent husband for the last 8 years as I pursued my entrepreneurial journey, got her husband back.
We started cutting our work week down to 4 days per week, leaving work earlier, trusting our employees to make most of the decisions, having lunches and breakfasts together during the week, and for the first time in almost 9 years, we took a full week vacation and went overseas and explored London.
The Happy Quest
But the real cherry on top is finding what makes your heart sing. Freedom Day is not about lying in a hammock for the rest of your life (though that does sound too bad). It’s about seeking those gems of happiness and fulfillment. Maybe it’s the guitar. Perhaps it’s becoming a professional cat cuddler (is that a thing? It should be). Maybe it is writing book number 7 that you have been talking about for the last three years (more on that soon).
So, dear compadres, one year into Freedom Day, I raise my 738th cup of tea to finding purpose, embracing the rollercoaster, and continuously seeking joy. May your Freedom Day be everything you dream of, your heart be light, your purpose be mighty, and your happiness be endless.
Jeff Kikel is the President of Freedom Day Wealth Management. As the founder of the Freedom Day Method (tm), Jeff reached his Freedom Day, the first day that he had a work-optional lifestyle, on July 1, 2023. Jeff is an entrepreneur and owner of 3 businesses in the Financial, Coworking, and Media Industries. The author of 7 books in the Entrepreneurship, Finance, and Mindset. Jeff's mission now is to help as many people as possible reach their Freedom Day's.
