Do You Want What I Want? – Part 2

This post probably won’t make any sense to you unless you’ve first read Part 1.

At the end of that first post in this series I stated that …

I want to be creating and living life dynamically.

Now you’ll notice that I used “ing” words – “creating”, “living” – That’s because, after a lot of deep reflection, I figured out that life – at least the way I want to live it – is not a static thing. My lifestyle today is a whole lot different than it was when I was in my 20’s.

I want to be creating and living life dynamically. There is no “one size fits all”, nor is there a specific end game for me. What I have today in terms of my marriage, my kids, the “toys” I own, my friendships, my assets, these are all only things I dreamed about in my teens. Today I have them and now I want other things for my life and lifestyle.

I also realized that lifestyle is relative. You might look at my life today and decide that “I have it all”, that I’m rich. Someone else might look at my life think I’m merely comfortable but not wealthy, and then someone else might compare my lifestyle to a Wall Street CEO or movie star and think I’m poor.

I figured out two key points as it relates to this “relative” thing, (1) the only thing that really matters is how I feel about myself – if I feel rich for example (because of my assets, or my health or my relationships) then I am rich, and if I feel poor (because of those things) then I am poor! And (2) I figured out that as long as I have a vision of a lifestyle that I’m striving for, or moving toward, and a plan and/or system to get me there, I’m getting what I want!

In other words, and this is huge for me, I realize that I’m happiest when I am grateful for, and appreciate, what I already have and at the same time I’m striving for something even more outstanding.

That, for me, is it – creating and living a lifestyle of my choice and choosing.

Let me dive a little deeper and get a little more specific. Let me tell you a little more about the lifestyle I currently have and the vision of what I’m moving toward. Then I’ll tell you about the roadmap or system I decided to use to get me there. Because as I said before, I not only want the freedom to chose my lifestyle but I must have the where-with-all to actually live it.

Today, as I’m sharing this with you, I’m sitting in the office I have in my home just north of San Diego, CA. My wife and three children and I live in a wonderful neighborhood of nice sized homes with really big yards. Many of our neighbors have kids the same age as our kids, who by the way are 14, 12, and 10.

I own my own company, TriClare Business Holdings, which invests in and builds entrepreneurs. I’m what I call a venturepreneur. Essentially I partner with stable, growing companies run by entrepreneurs I like and trust. We combine our talents, and the talents of my team to grow their businesses.

On the personal side one of my greatest joys is coaching my kids and their friends in various sports. I love to develop the kid’s skill sets and teach them the great benefits of teamwork.

I sit on both for profit and non-profit boards. I love my board work (especially the non-profit boards) because it gives me the opportunity to give back and to share my talents. My wife, Jackie, and I contribute to several charities and causes throughout the year and we both volunteer at our kid’s schools as much as we can.

We love to travel to see other places and to spend time with friends and family.

Yes, in my opinion (and as far as MY life is concerned, my opinion is the only one that matters), I’m living a great life, and I have the where-with-all to live it.

In the next post I’ll tell you very specifically what I want.

I’ll be interested to see if it hits home with you.

Stay tuned…