If Money wasn't an obstacle

by Brad Hoffer, www.xlyourfinances.com

What would you do with your life if money was not an obstacle?  

After you bought your dream house, car and upgraded everything you own, what would you do with your time?  

Would your go on an endless vacation?  If so, where would you go?  To the beach or to the mountains?  Who would you take with you?  Would you be on the water, in hotels, or VRBO?  Which countries would you visit?  How long would you stay?  What restaurants would you eat at?  What would you do for fun?  If you stayed in one place for an extended time would you get involved with local activities?  If so, what types of groups would you join?  What would you do for entertainment?

If endless travel doesn't work for you, maybe you would start a new company?  If so, what would it be?  A technology company? A car company? A service or hospitality business?  Would you want to run it day to day?  Would you just want to be the owner/investor? 

What would you do?  Would you become lazy?  Would you get in shape?  Would you read?  Get involved with politics?  Church?  Philosophy?  Social media?

Would you do none of the above?

So many times we perceive that we are held back by financial resources.  The reality is, if you have an interest, you can pursue it.  You can find a way through the obstacles that are holding you back.  If you don't know what interests you, take a look at how you answered the above questions.  What you would do when there are no obstacles gives you some ideas of what to focus on in your free-time.

If you knew it was impossible to fail, what would you do?  Once you have your answer, picture yourself in that role, successful and busy.  Now think about your new life, what things do you do each day?  What types of ideas and solutions do you need to figure out each day?  Now consider what actions you need to take now to get there.

Honestly, my answers to these questions have changed over the years.  In some ways I am glad that some of my thoughts never came to fruition.  You can think you want something but later realize it would have been more of a curse than a blessing.  There is wisdom in accepting your current situation completely and trusting it is what's best at this time.  At the same time, use your interests and talents to guide where you spend your free time.  You never know what may come of it.

It is encouraging to know that it is never too late!  Actually, it can be better to start later in life.

"In fact, the average age of business founders hovers around 40, according to research conducted by MIT professor Pierre Azoulay, who analyzed 2.7 million people who founded companies between 2007 and 2014. Azoulay found a founder at age 50 is approximately twice as likely to experience a "successful exit," meaning they get acquired or go public, compared to a founder at age 30, the research found.
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Sam Walton had a fairly successful retail-management career in his 20s and 30s, but his path to astronomical success began at age 44, when he founded the first Wal-Mart in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962.
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Henry Ford was 45 when he created the revolutionary Model T car in 1908.
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Jack Weil was 45 when he founded what became the most popular cowboy-wear brand, Rockmount Ranch Wear. He remained its CEO until he died at the ripe old age of 107 in 2008.
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Rodney Dangerfield is remembered as a legendary comedian, but he didn't catch a break until he made a hit appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" at age 46.
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Momofuku Ando cemented his spot in junk-food history when he invented instant ramen at age 48 in 1958.
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Julia Child worked in advertising and media before writing her first cookbook when she was 50, launching her career as a celebrity chef in 1961.
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Jack Cover worked as a scientist for institutions including NASA and IBM before he became a successful entrepreneur at 50 for inventing the Taser stun gun in 1970.
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Betty White is one of the most award-winning comedic actresses in history, but she didn't become an icon until she joined the cast of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in 1973 at age 51.
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Tim and Nina Zagat were both 51-year-old lawyers when they published their first collection of restaurant reviews under the Zagat name in 1979. It eventually became a mark of culinary authority.
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Taikichiro Mori was an academic who became a real-estate investor at age 51 when he founded Mori Building Company. His brilliant investments made him the richest man in the world in 1992, when he had a net worth of $13 billion.
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Ray Kroc spent his career as a milkshake-device salesman before buying McDonald's at age 52 in 1954. He grew it into the world's biggest fast-food franchise.
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Wally Blume had a long career in the dairy business before starting his own ice cream company, Denali Flavors, at age 57 in 1995. The company reported revenue of $80 million in 2009.
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Laura Ingalls Wilder spent her later years writing semi-autobiographical stories using her educated daughter, Rose, as an editor. She published the first in the "Little House" books at age 65 in 1932. They soon became children's literary classics and the basis for the TV show "Little House on the Prairie."
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Harland Sanders, better known as Colonel Sanders, was 62 when he franchised Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1952. He sold the franchise business for $2 million 12 years later.
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Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as Grandma Moses, began her prolific painting career at 78. In 2006, one of her paintings sold for $1.2 million.
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Harry Bernstein spent a long life writing in obscurity but finally achieved fame at age 96 for his 2007 memoir, "The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers." https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/24-people-who-became-highly-successful-after-age-40-2015-6%3famp

At the end of the day, this is your life.  You are writing your story.  Don't let fear, money, other people or yourself keep you from pursuing your dreams.  You never know what you might accomplish, go for it!