Define Your Vision: Achieve Lifestyle Freedom and Work-Life Balance

What does true success mean to you? On the Morning Mindset Podcast, we challenge the conventional markers of success by questioning what you genuinely want out of life and business. Join me, Craig Skelton, as we uncover the transformative power of having a clear, personal vision that aligns with your deepest desires. It's not just about the money or the material possessions; it's about achieving lifestyle freedom and work-life balance. I'll guide you through the importance of defining your own goals and explain how clarity can be your compass, steering you away from distractions and towards a life that resonates with your true aspirations.

You'll discover how knowing exactly what you want can revolutionize your decision-making and infuse purpose into your daily activities. Learn to harness focused energy to prioritize what truly matters, allowing you to say no to the noise and yes to your long-term goals. Whether your dream is spending more time with family, traveling, or simply working less to live more, this episode provides practical advice and insights to help you build the life you envision. Tune in for inspiration and actionable strategies to ensure every day is a step towards achieving your ideal life.

Watch the episode on YouTube youtube.com/@themorning-mindset

Looking for one to one mentoring, visit my website to see how it works craigskelton.co.uk

Transcript

Speaker 0: 0:00

Welcome to the Morning Mindset Podcast with me, craig Skelton. Each day, kick off your morning with positivity, actionable insights and the motivation you need to conquer the day ahead. Whether you're looking to develop a positive mindset, a habit of persistence or simply starting your day on the right foot, this podcast is your daily dose of inspirational and practical advice. Today, we're getting into something that is really fundamental when you're self-employed and when you're running your own business Knowing exactly what you want, both in life and in business. I'm not just talking about money, the cars, the big houses. I'm talking about something deeper than that. I'm talking about lifestyle freedom and work-life balance too. Why is it so important to know what you truly want? What does it mean to have a clear vision, not just for your business but for your entire life, and how does this clarity drive action, success and, ultimately, happiness? The first thing is knowing exactly what you want. When you're self-employed or running your own business, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, chasing the next lead, making more money, hitting the next target, but the thing is, these external markers of success are meaningless unless they're they align with your deeper, more personal goals. If you don't know exactly what you truly want, you'll end up working hard but feeling empty inside. You have to define exactly what you want, not what society wants or the community wants, or what you think you want. You have to define exactly what you want, not the world says you should want, or your community or anybody else, not what your competitors are aiming for, what you want. Only when you are clear about your own goals and the lifestyle you want you can then take intentional action in order to achieve them. Knowing what you want gives you that guide. It creates a sense of direction that keeps you aligned, focused, even on the hardest days and will be hard days. If your business grows but your work life suffers, or if you make more money but feel more than ever before, then you're not winning. Let's just break it down a bit further.

Speaker 0: 2:17

Why is it crucial to define exactly what you want? First of all, clarity drives action. It's like what you want. First of all, clarity drives action. It's like using a map. You wouldn't start going somewhere without knowing the destination where you want to get to. It's the same way in running your business, or your lifestyle, too. Without clear goals, it's like wandering around, drifting aimlessly. Without that clarity, you're vulnerable to distractions, you'll find yourself saying yes to opportunities that are not aligned with your vision, and then you'll end up burning yourself out in the process. Prioritise it gives you the power to say no to the things that don't serve your long-term goals.

Speaker 0: 2:55

Secondly, knowing what you want brings purpose. It's the why behind everything you do. When you define what success looks like for you whether it's spending more time with your family, having the freedom to travel or being able to work less and live more you'll find meaning in your day-to-day actions. Work will no longer feel like just that daily grind. It will feel like you're building. You're building towards something far bigger. And finally, clarity leads to peace of mind. When you know what you're working towards, you're not constantly second-guessing yourself. You have a sense of confidence and control, which reduces stress and anxiety.

Speaker 0: 3:33

What are the tangible benefits of knowing exactly what you want? The first thing is it will give you focused energy. When you know what you want, you stop wasting energy on other things that don't matter. When you know exactly what you want, you stop wasting time and energy on other things that don't matter. Imagine being able to channel all your time and resources into the goals that truly resonate with you. That's the power of focus. It allows you to work smarter, not harder, and that's where real success happens. And then that moves on to better decision-making.

Speaker 0: 4:05

With a clear vision of what you want in life and business, making decisions becomes far easier. Every choice that you make either takes you closer to your ideal life, whether it's about clients, business opportunities or deciding when to take time off. Knowing what you want helps you make decisions aligned with your long-term happiness and goals. The key to long-term success is sustainability. You can sprint for a short time, chasing goals that don't align with your deeper values and deeper desires, but eventually you'll burn out. When your goal reflects what you truly want, whether it's balanced or freedom or creative fulfilment, you'll find it much easier to keep going, even when things get tough. The biggest benefit of all is freedom. Knowing what you want allows you to build a business and a lifestyle that supports you, rather than being a slave to your work or constantly chasing that external validation. And this is where balance truly comes in when you know what your success is defined by, when you know that your success is defined by what happens if you just don't define what you want lack of direction.

Speaker 0: 5:18

Now let's look at the opposite of this. What happens if you don't define what you want. First thing is lack of direction. Without a clear goal, you'll find yourself drifting, your energy will be scattered, you'll be easily swayed by what others think you should be doing, and this will learn to be. It burnout because you're just you're working hard but not making any real progress towards what you truly want. Without clarity, you'll constantly be second guessing yourself am I on the right track? Should I be doing more? Why am I not happy, despite achieving success? This internal conflict can create immense stress and frustration, robbing you of that joy that comes from running your own business and living life on your terms, which will also lead to missed opportunities. When you're unclear about what you want, you're, like, more likely to miss opportunities that could help you achieve what you really want. You're also finding yourself saying yes to things that drain your energy, take you away from your true goals and, in essence, you just end up being busy but not productive, feeling like you're doing a lot doing a lot, you're working really hard, but you're not moving forward.

Speaker 0: 6:21

Now let's tie in the concept of a growth mindset. Having a growth mindset means believing your abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. It's the foundation for not just achieving your goals, but also defining them in the first place. Adopting a growth mindset is important when defining what you want, both in life and in business. You won't always have all the answers right away, but with the growth mindset, you're open to exploring and constantly evolving, and you'll recognise that your vision might change as you grow, and that's okay. The important thing is to remain committed to defining what you want and taking action towards it.

Speaker 0: 6:59

So what's today's takeaway from the podcast? Exactly what you want in your life and in your business. Define it with clarity, with purpose. Don't get with what people or what you think. You should be chasing what you want and then use that vision as your guide. And, as I said, this isn't just about the cars, the house. It's not just about the cars, the house. It's not just about that. It's about creating a lifestyle that gives you freedom, balance. Take time today, just have a think about it, to define your vision and let that drive your actions moving forward. It's not just the key to success in business. It's the key to a life well lived. So that's it. That's the morning mindset. I hope you found something out of today's episode. Please leave me your thoughts or comments, wherever you listen to or watch this podcast. As always, have an amazing day, stay motivated, stay focused, stay positive and run your own race.