Make a Living? Design a Life.

Make a Living?

Design a Life.

by Faizun Kamal

What kind of life do you actually want?

It’s a question I ask every client who wants to buy a franchise. In fact, it’s one of the very first questions I ask. Their answers, I find, are telling. Most people draw a blank or stumble over their words. Others get very quiet, uncomfortable. Only a few answer thoughtfully, with intention and purpose.

Joshua Becker said, “The first step in crafting a life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” Most of us for over most of our careers have been running on the hamster wheel of the corporate world -- the bigger house, faster car, expen sive vacations. Living in a culture that extols the virtues of bigger, larger and more, our lives have become an endless, exhausting race to nowhere. Material aspirations are inherently not bad. Material aspirations, without a clear vision of what we want from our lives, however, turn us into hollow shells.

In 2015, I found myself laid off. After years of doing work that did not fulfill me, I vowed to never do that again. Not knowing what the next step of my life would look like, I asked myself the very question I now ask all my clients: “What kind of life do I actually want?” The answer that came back was stunning in its simplicity. I wanted to live a life where I used my skills to serve a purpose larger than myself, to earn a great income to support my family and to have time freedom to do what I wished with them. That’s it. Viscerally, my answer filled me with pure joy. Once I became ruthlessly clear on what I stood for, I proceeded to say “no” to everything that did not support the kind of life I wanted to design.

As I began designing my life, these three non-negotiables became the anchors that kept me grounded to my true north. In order for my life to be how I wanted it to be, it had to have the following.

1. Escape the 9-5

My husband and I have one daughter. The biggest regret of my life is that I almost completely missed the first year of her life. Other than pictures and home videos we took on our phones, I have almost no memory of that year. Working 80-hour weeks and always being on call, I was simply not there. Looking back on that time now, I can’t even remember what I was so busy doing.

Running on the corporate hamster wheel for years meant I missed out on a lot over the years. My time was never my own. In the next iteration of my life and career, I was determined to build whatever came next around her and my family. Not the other way around.

When our internal purpose aligns with the external world that we have created for ourselves, we are filled with a joy that is like nothing else! Interestingly, as I have now discovered, that joy then spreads and permeates to every other aspect of our lives as well!

“What kind of life do you actually want?

2. Generate wealth

What are you worth? What is your time worth?

As employees, we are involved in a daily transaction. In exchange for our time and talents, our employers give us a paycheck. Unfortunately, being an employee these days means our time is no longer ours. Even on weekends and nights, we are expected to be “online” and ready to respond to every email. Are you compensated enough not just for your physical time in the office but also when you’re at home, with your family, on vacations (if you can actually take the time off)? What is the cost of missing out on a baseball game or a recital or simply being with your family? Can you put a number on that?

Ultimately, true wealth for me wasn’t a specific dollar amount in the bank. True wealth meant time freedom. To spend my time doing work I love and spending time with my loved ones. There is a mysterious, magical alignment that happens when we finally spend our moments doing work that aligns with what we really want… which brings me to my last and final non-negotiable.

3. Live life on my terms

As a franchise coach, I now own my own business. I am finally doing work that is my calling. I utilize my strengths and gifts every day in the service of my clients. My work has allowed me to create the lifestyle I want. I set my hours and work around family responsibilities and obligations. As long as I have my laptop and phone, I can work from anywhere in the world – and I have! I only work with the people I want to work with. I wake up every morning excited and grateful for another day to provide value to others and do work that I love!

Only by being brutally honest and intentional was I able to create the life that I now live, on my own terms.

What is your why?

I don’t just help my clients find their “perfect fit” franchise; I help them move from career burnout to career love! I have worked with countless clients, who just like me, were seeking something for which they did not have a name. They were hungering for more purpose, more security, more time, more joy, more life. Every client is searching for a way to create a career that they love. This, in turn, helps create a life that they love.

Are there moments in your life when you feel unfulfilled?

Do you feel as though you are caught in a life that no longer fits who you are?

Do you look at where you are and wonder how you got there?

If you have answered “yes” to these questions, you are not alone. I was all too familiar with these feelings myself. Every one of my clients lived with these feelings until they decided they could no longer go on just making a living.

If you are ready to design your life, let’s begin. What kind of life do you actually want?

Faizun Kamal is a nationally-renowned public speaker and career strategist. As CEO of The Franchise Pros, Faizun coaches people nationwide on making the transition from employee to entrepreneur. She provides guidance to embrace chaos, fear, insecurity and uncertainty as doorways of opportunity to help individuals find their “perfect fit” business based on an assessment of their personal, lifestyle and income goals. She guides clients to move beyond career burnout to build a sustainable career that they love!

Email Faizun at faizun@thefranchiseconsultingcompany.com or call 443-604-6276.