I have no clue what that title means, but my aging Czech grandmother once used the phrase to describe my mother’s crazy Jack-Russell terrier, who also happens to be my arch nemeses.

Anyway, two months ago I up and left the Midwest and moved to California to spend time with my grandfather who has Alzheimer’s. I’m 28, and this may be my last opportunity to spend a significant chunk of time with him. Which sucks. (What doesn’t suck is that my income doubled while I was away and that I have the freedom to move wherever and whenever I want; especially during times like these).

But tomorrow I fly to Orlando to hang out with Ed Dale and his gang, hanging with sketchy Internet marketers , and get in a couple alligator fights.  I’m also thinking about visiting this funky ice bar while I’m there. And on the 29^th I move back to the very cold Madison, Wisconsin (which, believe it or not, will likely be cooler and more alcoholic than the ice bar .

At any rate, I wanted to leave you this message before I start zigzagging my way across this crazy country for the next 5 days.

Stay turned next week for alligator stories and a big upcoming announcement.

Your pal,
Clay

This is a video blog post. Click here if you can’t see the video.

This is a video post.  If you’re getting this from a reader click here to watch.
By the way… I’m back to being a people lover .

[A Note from Clay: This article -- by Kent Thune -- is one of the most remarkable articles I've read on the topic of work/life balance and lifestyle design for a long, long time.  It's well written, it speaks to the heart, and it's filled with uncommon wisdom.  And I'm not just writing this because Kent graciously allowed me to post his article (although I'm ridiculously thrilled about that).  At any rate, I highly recommend reading this post in its entirety and then visiting Kent's blog].

Clay’s idea of “Financing Your Freedom” is especially interesting to me – not only because I believe in it but because I have lived it; I am living it; and I point clients and blog readers in the same direction.

Since there is not one best path to follow, please allow me to humbly share my own, not that it should be yours, but with the hope that something here will shed light on your own path…

“I do nothing but go about persuading you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your persons or your properties, but and chiefly to care about the greatest improvement of the soul. I tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man, public as well as private. This is my teaching, and if this is the doctrine which corrupts the youth, I am a mischievous person.” ~ Socrates, as quoted by Plato, ‘The Death of Socrates’

To paraphrase a modern book author, Mitch Anthony, “life is not about making money – money is about making a life.” I learned this lesson recently, not from an ancient philosopher; not from a modern author; and certainly not from a blog…

I learned the lesson from a 4-year old boy…

When my first-born son was four years old, I was extremely busy “climbing the corporate ladder.” As any curious child might inquire, my young son asked me why I was away from home so much, and specifically, why I was missing important things like “trick-or-treating” on Halloween and Christmas plays. Just as any normal, dutiful father would do, I replied that I was “working hard for our family to earn money for all the things we have…”

Without a moment’s hesitation, my four-year old son said, “I’d rather have my Daddy than money.”

I was speechless as my heart hit the floor…

[Editors note #1: This is a guest post by Corey at The Simple Marriage Project.  Corey's blog is ridiculously good and one of my favorites (even though I'm not married).  I highly recommend that you check it out.]

[Editors note #2: I think a lot of people believe that lifestyle design is just for single white guys who sell nutritional supplements, travel the world, and write books called "The 4-Hour Work Week."  But lifestyle design isn't just for single people.  In fact, every single interview or guest post on this website features someone with matrimonial obligations: indeed, marriage is probably the one thing that Chris, Jane, Dan,  Lisa, and Corey (author of this post) have in common].

 
photo by Skydiver Mark Wilson

"So how’s the old ball and chain?"

"Are you sure you want to be tied down for the rest of your life?"

These are two of the many question you may have been asked before you chose to get married, or they may be questions you are asking yourself currently.

Marriage is choice. And I believe this choice is a tremendous blessing. I shall explain.

Every person has within them a desire to be with others. Hanging out with friends, talking about life with coworkers, sharing serious thoughts with close friends, and sharing intimate moments with a lover. Whatever it is, it’s often better when shared with another person.

But what about the other side of things? The side that each of us have that longs to be the designer of our own life. That doesn’t want to submit to the tyranny of others.

The truth is, we fluctuate back and forth between these two extremes. We move towards the togetherness side of things until those needs are met then we move to the separateness side. Take a look at your life the past few weeks. Can you see when you sought time alone? Or time with another person? Chances are you will be able to recognize this process in your own life when you look for it.

The key to lifestyle design for married people rests in the ability of each person learning to handle more time together as well as time apart. I shall further explain.

[A Note from Clay: I've talked with Lisa on two occasions, and both of those conversations forced me to re-examine my preconceived notions about family and the limits of "lifestyle design."  Lisa is an inspiration.  Some might say that she hasn't "made it" yet.  But I think she made it a long time ago.]

The Business That Supported Our Family Closed

18 months ago, when I was 9 months pregnant with our second child, the business that supported our family closed. In addition to the loss of our financial support, my husband suffered the painful loss of the business which he had fought so hard to save and which had belonged to his family for two generations.

Consumed with Fear And Struggle

At the time we were so consumed with fear and struggle that couldn’t see the gift beneath all that had happened, which was that my husband Mark was finally freed from an all-consuming career that was often poisoned with toxic family dynamics. After a while, Mark and I came to the conclusion that while this situation might mean difficulty for us in the short term, it likely added years to his life. So, while we were in the habit of cutting back and making drastic changes to our lifestyle, we decided to reevaluate everything and recreate our lives.

The Goal: More Time

Our goal was that we wanted more time. We have two small children, and while I was home raising them, Mark didn’t get much time to spend with them.

Today, Finance Your Freedom launches with the first of several liberation stories; there will be several more liberation stories coming in the upcoming days.

The Liberation Stories Project

The Liberation Stories Project started out as an informal attempt to get to know as many people as possible who had quit their day jobs to pursue alternative paths.  And it grew into much more.

Some of the upcoming liberation stories will come from internet millionaires.  But they will also come from stay-at-home moms, travelers, vagabonds, small business owners, lifestyle designers, and people from all walks of life.

And Just Like That, We’ve Launched

Finance Your Freedom has been in the works for a very long time.