This is a draft of Chapter 26 (the final chapter) of the book I’m writing, Building the Invincible You. In it, I share a framework and strategies for:
Amplifying your power in your work and life.
Regaining your freedom to spend more of your time the way you wish you could.
Building the future you want for yourself and your loved ones.
I started writing this book and sharing draft chapters with you about two years ago. Now, we’ve finally reached the final chapter! Of course, I still have a lot of editing work to finish on the book before it’s ready to publish. So, I’ll be looking for beta readers who would like to read the book as I work through that process.
I used my own Invincible Goals System to guide me through the writing process, stay on track, and finish it. If you’ve ever considered writing a book (or have another audacious goal), you might be interested in my upcoming workshop on Monday.
If you’re reading this and have put some of my book's advice to good use, you are well on your way to building an:
Invincible Career
Invincible Life
Invincible You
As you’ve learned, if any of those three is out of your control, you won’t feel very invincible. You will feel vulnerable, unsafe, and at risk in some way. So, keeping all three in balance is essential to living your best life.
I know this isn't easy. If it were, everyone would feel empowered and happy. But you know better than that. You know how many people are going through the motions at work and in their lives. They're frustrated and unhappy but won't do anything to change that.
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
— Henry David Thoreau
However, things get better when you step into your power and demand more out of life. I want to leave you with some final thoughts below.
A brighter future is ahead
Too many people live smaller lives than they should. They don’t push for what they want. They don’t get what they deserve.
Why?
Well, those people live with anxiety and fear. They’re afraid to rock the boat and upset other people. They don’t feel invincible, so they worry that they will lose what they have and won’t be able to find something as good or better.
For example:
A better place to live.
A better relationship.
A better job.
A better life.
However, when you succeed in making yourself feel invincible, you always know you are in control of your future, and you always have options. Life is better when you are confident! It simply is.
Your future is brighter when you become a more invincible version of yourself. You will attract more professional opportunities to advance your career. Better things will happen in your personal life, too.
I’m happier than I’ve ever been
My journey to becoming more invincible started a long time ago. I first realized how capable I was when I left a 9-5 job behind and started my first solopreneur business.
Another solopreneur friend shared so much valuable advice back then. He told me how empowering it would be to work for myself and see that I didn’t need an employer to make a living and support my family.
He was right. Once I discovered that I could find clients, land new contracts, and get paid on my own, I felt more invincible than ever before.
I grudgingly returned to the corporate world after the Dot Com crash and 9/11. The economy was bad, so many of my clients vanished almost overnight. Securing a 9-5 job was necessary to support my young family. But I was pretty sad about it. I would walk around the parking lot daily, talking with my old consulting friends because I missed that lifestyle so much.
So, eight years later, I finally left the corporate world for good. I launched another solopreneur business but was wiser about structuring it this time. I learned more about marketing, sales, and diversifying my income streams. So, I’ve been running my own business for the past 14 years and counting.
As my wife could tell you, there were many years that I was not a happy person. I was missing much of what I needed to enjoy my days and be fulfilled in my work. But now that I've taken control and changed all that through the strategies I've shared in this book, I'm happy! I truly am the happiest I've ever felt in my life.
It's hard to be happy when you're not getting what you need in your life. If people take advantage of you, you'll be frustrated and sad. If you're spending your days doing things you hate or working around people you don't like; it's unsurprising if you roll into the weekend feeling exhausted and stressed.
It won't happen overnight, but you will be happier as you become increasingly invincible. I've watched people grow their confidence, and you see it in their faces. They seem more relaxed. They smile more often. Issues roll off their back because they are in control of the situations around them.
That will be you one day, too.
Take time to enjoy life.
Life is shorter than you think. I'm surprised by how quickly the 50+ years of mine have flown by. It sometimes feels like I was just starting on this journey yesterday. Wasn't I in my 20s a moment ago?
Luckily, I saw what was happening and decided to do something about it. The techniques of day theming and time blocking have improved my days and weeks considerably. Standing firm on the time I need for my health, wellness, and family has also improved my life.
People will always try to chip away at the time you set aside for yourself. It constantly happens to me. I'm sure you'll experience it, as well.
Most people don't understand or respect the concept of taking personal time—time to enjoy your days. But then again, most people aren't happy, healthy, or fulfilled.
You are not like most people. Most people wouldn't have reached this final chapter. Don't let anyone convince you they deserve your time more than you do. Fill your calendar with protected appointments to ensure you spend your days how you want.
Don’t wait for some mythical retirement to do what you want.
I was in my 40s when it started happening. People who were close to my age were dying. Yes, I had already experienced death before and lost people I loved. But they weren’t close to my age.
It’s a mortality wake-up call when people your age die from heart disease, cancer, or even accidents. I also had a personal scare, which is why I take my health and fitness so seriously now.
You become acutely aware that there are no guarantees in life. You may not even make it to retirement. Who wants to die at work or during a miserable commute? Who wants to die before you have enjoyed everything you thought you would once you left your job?
I also became more aware of how quickly my children were growing up and how little time I got to spend with them every day. Sometimes I would leave for work before they were awake. Sometimes I would come home from work, and they were already asleep. I can recall days going by without actually seeing them face-to-face.
I don’t know what you have planned for your life that you’ve been putting off. But the rest of your life can start sooner than you think. It can begin sooner because it doesn’t have to be some mythical retirement where you anxiously watch your retirement savings dwindle as the years go by.
Live the life of your dreams now!
When you are invincible, you get to call the shots. You have more control over the jobs you take. You feel empowered to be treated well at work because you know you’re in demand! You can walk away and have a great new job in no time at all. Or maybe you leave that 9-5 world and do your own thing.
It’s time to stop dreaming of retirement as the time you finally stop working. Instead, you should focus on not putting up with a job you no longer enjoy. It can mean that work is doing what you want and how you want to do it, perhaps for the first time in your life.
The “invincible you” gets to decide how you want to spend the rest of your life, and you can choose to start doing that now.
Having enough
The “hedonic treadmill” — also called hedonic adaptation — refers to our tendency to quickly return to a stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events. That’s why someone is thrilled to receive a promotion, but can be depressed again at work a couple of weeks later.
"Whatever we have, we tend to get used to it. So no matter how awesome our lives might be, or what wonderful things come into our lives, we tend to get used to them over time, and the pleasure that they provide gradually diminishes." — Dr. Elizabeth Dunn, Psychologist
It’s also why more is never enough. The excitement of a big home and fancy car wears off. You look over the fence at your neighbor’s larger home and fancier car and feel envy.
In some fascinating research, psychologists compared major lottery winners with a control group to measure their happiness. You might expect the lottery winners to be happier than the average person. After all, money was no longer an issue!
However, they found that the winners no longer enjoyed the pleasures of ordinary life as much as they had before. Once the spike of joy from winning had faded, they drifted back to their previous level of happiness.
When you are stuck on this treadmill, you are always seeking your next high. You still want more. When you do experience success, the delight is fleeting.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
— Theodore Roosevelt
Can you escape the hedonic treadmill? Yes, it does seem possible. It requires gratitude for what you have in your life. Recognizing what “having enough” means for you and breaking free of external comparison. It also means redefining what success means.
Time freedom is the ultimate wealth
Jennifer Aaker is a professor at Stanford who studies the relationships between time, money, and happiness. She has discovered in her research that what people think makes them happy isn’t really what makes them happy. Lately, she has been examining the link between time and happiness.
“If we rethink how we spend time, and be more intentional on how we spend time (with whom and on what activities) – that may impact the happiness we feel.”
— Jennifer Aaker, Ph.D.
When I was earning the most during my career, my time freedom was at an all-time low. I felt financially wealthy, but I was miserable. What was the point of making a lot of money if I never had time to enjoy my life, see my family, or invest in my health?
When I finally escaped the golden cage I had created, I was surprised by how much free time I had. Initially, I didn’t know how to spend my days. It was quite strange after so many decades of living an extremely scheduled life.
Eventually, I figured out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, the kind of business I wanted to build, and the life I wanted to create with my wife and children. I have shared much of that journey and the lessons learned in this book.
I realized that I’m not motivated by money. Instead, I crave freedom. I want to control how I spend my days. I’ve always felt this way, but I never fully understood it. Sadly, I pushed that feeling down and did what I thought I was supposed to do for most of my life and career.
I follow several successful people on social media. Many have done quite well for themselves during their careers. In other words, they aren’t hurting for money. But, they woke up one day and realized that their lives were not their own. They had money and power, but no real freedom.
Some of them decided to step off their crazy career ladder and break free so they could enjoy their lives more. I’ve watched them recover their health, spend more time with their families, and do more of what makes them happy.
A few have noted this change and shared on social media that owning your time is true wealth. I agree. In Chapter 10, I talked about how important it is to protect your time. As you start living your new invincible life, remember that your time is your most valuable resource and you will be wealthier than most people on this planet if you maintain your control over how you spend it.
Give back
Once you are consistently living your invincible life, I think you’ll discover you want to share the beauty of that experience with others. I’m sure you have friends and loved ones who aren’t happy in their jobs. Some of them may be putting up with pretty unpleasant things in their personal lives, too (e.g., bad situations, toxic relationships).
If you can show other people how to empower themselves to become more invincible, you will help them improve their lives! The world needs more confident, happy, and fulfilled people.
“The happiest people are those who do the most for others. The most miserable are those who do the least.”
― Booker T. Washington
We talked about your purpose in Chapter 4. What did you decide it would be? Does it improve the world in some way? Does it help improve the lives of others?
I didn’t fully understand this until I became a full-time coach over seven years ago, but it is incredibly fulfilling to help other people. I truly believe that good people deserve the best things in life. So, if I can play a part in making that happen, I’m thrilled!
However, you do have to “put on your oxygen mask first.” It’s hard to help other people when you are unhappy, stressed, and struggling. But, once you’ve successfully put this book’s strategies to work and become your best, most invincible self, it’s time to look around and see who might need your help.
Share this book
I hope you’ll tell your close friends and loved ones about this book. As you might imagine, I often share my advice and strategies with my own children. I want them to learn from my mistakes and live more invincible lives much more quickly than I did. They shouldn’t have to wait until their 40s to be happier, healthier, and more fulfilled!
So, if there is someone you care deeply about who could use the advice in my book, please share it with them. It makes me happy to think that people out there are sharing my book with their friends and family!
Reach out to me
I love hearing from my readers! As a writer, it’s strange to put words into the world, hope that people are reading them, but never actually know if someone is.
So, if you enjoyed reading this book, please reach out and tell me. Heck, even if you have some issues with my book or didn’t enjoy it, I still want to hear from you! I would love to get your feedback so I can improve my next book.
Thank you! I wish you the best of luck in building the Invincible You and creating your Invincible Life.
I’m looking forward to sharing an early copy of my book with you! Become a subscriber today if you’re interested in being a beta reader.
I’m Larry Cornett, a Success Coach who can work with you to optimize your career, life, or business. My mission is to help you take complete control of your life so you can become a more “Invincible You.” I currently live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane.
📖 Book Chapter - Living Your New Life (Issue #68)