This year has been one of immense growth for me. And this growth leads me to liberating myself towards an independent life. I had a fainting spell at the beginning of the year, caused by a voluntary medical procedure. The situation could easily have ended terribly. Instead, after a few weeks of recovery, I was back to normal. Except in one area.

I was sharply reminded we could go at any time for any reason.

I am grateful and fortunate to have a wife who loves and supports me, as well as three children who inspire me and light up my days. I’m surrounded by love. I am blessed, as they say.

And still, there is so much more I want to do. I want my family to experience life beyond the walls of our home. My wife and I want to see the world. We want our kids to see beautiful places and to experience humans that appear to be really different than them. Of course, with time, they will see that we are all flesh and bone and spirit and life force. And we are all one.

Autonomous Pursuit

I decided I wanted to push harder in my daily money-earning activities. I accepted opportunities, I understood paths forwards, I talked to friends who are more job-successful than I. The conclusion to which I arrived was two-fold.

1) Any big improvements to what I could earn, in my current profession, would take many years to achieve. People who are senior to me in the organization determine my progress. I would be subject to the whims and opinions of people I may not fully agree with and who have different motivations and needs for their dollars than I do.

2) My salary potential is capped. Between my age, the industries I can do good work in, etc., etc., the best I can expect to achieve is limited.

Oh, also? I can work longer and with more intensity for months and my income will not change. I can do almost nothing and provide no value and my income will not change. (That last sentence may sound lightly appealing to some people. I can assure you that it is a soul-sucking existence and you end up wondering why you are even alive. < shudder >). I knew I needed to look at building an independent life.

Options for Independence

There a number of ways to work for yourself. I looked at a bunch of them and the best way I have found to have greater control over results and financial income is to get into sales. Either through a service, product, or teaching/speaking. And for me, I need to believe in something if I am going to put my name and reputation (family, friends, and financial) into the work.

My wife and I have been big fans of essential oils for 6 years. We use dōTERRA oils, due to their purity and effectiveness. And we love them. Yay! And she was always the one talking about oils, carrying oils, telling others about oils, and letting us know what can help. Yay!

Something shook loose inside of me and I realized: “I’ve been looking for something that I believe in to put my force and my passions behind. To provide value to others, help people, and make money for my family. dōTERRA!” And with that, I had my vision for an independent life. A life where I can do work, and help others, and trust in the outcomes.

I can put my time and energies into helping others feel better and live life well. And I can earn money for my family that allows us freedom in areas we don’t experience today. I can work for me! I can serve others. It all fits.

So what’s up next? Well, it appears a healthy serving of fear and doubt. Weeee!