7 Practical Steps to Create a Life of Freedom and Fulfillment

If you could do anything and make a living from it, what would you do?

If money wasn’t a concern, what would you spend your time doing?

What would give you the greatest sense of deep satisfaction and fulfillment on a daily basis?

For some of you, after reading those questions, something may have immediately popped into your head. For others, you may have a vague sense of the thing that answers those questions, but aren’t exactly sure what it is. If you’re in the first group but you aren’t yet living the life you want doing what you love, then this will help. If you’re in the second group, then this will bring more clarity.

Here’s an important note to consider before we start. Doing what you love for a living and experiencing deep fulfillment in your life is not just a feel-good idea that is fun to entertain. It is completely possible and attainable.

So let’s dive in. Here are seven practical steps to start doing what you love for a living.

1. Let go of your need for security

Before you do anything else, you have to be real about the journey ahead of you. More often than not, when people go searching for their “calling”, or just ways to get out of the daily 9 to 5 grind and the feeling of being miserable in the work they do, they focus on trying to make money on the side. The hope is that they will eventually be able to replace their income and have “freedom”. There is nothing wrong with that, but that path often makes money the goal, and not true fulfillment.

Freedom, you see, is not so much about having all of your time to yourself and lots of money to do with it what you choose, but about having a deep satisfaction and sense of fulfillment in what you do. To get there, you have to let go of the ways you’ve found security in the past. A 9 to 5 job working for someone else may produce a consistent paycheck and with it a sense of assurance, but at what cost? You must stop ignoring that voice inside you that tells you there’s more to life so you can “not worry about money.”

You must also be willing to do things that aren’t in your normal “comfort zone.” The life you really want is almost always on the other side of what’s comfortable right now. Take on new challenges. Stop seeking “security” as you know it. Do something bold that agrees with that voice inside you.

2. Don’t worry about being an “expert” right away

You may find that what you love to do is something you aren’t so great at right now. That’s okay. Nobody started out great, at the top. Every person you admire who is in the spotlight went through a period of learning, where they’ll admit they weren’t that good yet. Expertise is something that can be acquired over time. Skills can be learned and improved upon. All that is required of you is a desire to learn (and never stop learning) and a boldness to apply what you learn, then put it out there.

Many people think they have to be the world’s leading expert at something to do it for a living – especially when it comes to doing something you love. The truth is, you really don’t. The next point explains why.

3. Offer something valuable

“What you love” is a unique desire that applies to you much more than others. You must understand that if you are passionate about something and spend your time learning about it, studying it and practicing it, chances are you already have a wealth of knowledge and experience that you can repurpose to help others. The problem most people run into is that they don’t believe what they have to offer is really that valuable. There is a truth, however, that you must firmly believe:

“What’s ordinary for you is extraordinary for someone else.”

Most people will never realize how valuable their knowledge and expertise are until they offer it in an accessible way. For instance, if you love fitness and find yourself always studying it and applying it to your life, you could easily get certified as a personal trainer and offer your knowledge to help others with their fitness. Or you could take your knowledge and organize it into an online course and offer it to help people.

You also need to understand what “value” really means. People are constantly looking for things and ideas that can add value to their lives – and they will gladly trade their money for it. We all do it nearly every day. Again, what may seem ordinary to you is extremely valuable and may be completely new to someone else. You have what they need, and they need you to provide it.

4. Change how you think about money

That’s an important thing to consider. We overthink about money all too often. We think it’s harder to get than it really is, and many people have limiting beliefs surrounding it. The truth is, money is simply something you exchange for something you consider valuable.

That’s it.

Yes, it is a powerful tool to persuade people, but what is it people are really after? Material things? Not really. People buy material things because they think it will improve their life in some way. That’s really what people are after – to be happy and more fulfilled – to have what they deem is an improved life in some way. We are sold things all the time under the pretense that our lives will be better with them.

When you start doing what you love and offering your unique advice, products, or services, remember that people are willing to exchange their money for it if they think it’s valuable. Offer something that is valuable (that means you have to be bold and put it out there as an offer) in a way that can be used by others, and if they think it’s valuable to them, they will gladly trade their money for it.

5. Redefine failure

As simple as all of this might sound right now, you must understand that when you are starting out, you will most likely experience failure. Maybe a lot of failure. That’s okay. In fact, it’s a good thing. Failure helps us learn. Failure doesn’t mean “this won’t work.” It simply means “this version won’t work the way it is right now – or the way it’s presented right now.” Failure gives you the opportunity to make changes – to improve – and then try again.

You also can’t let the fear of failure keep you from trying things. Just because you aren’t great at something right now, doesn’t mean you can’t get better. Be bold. Put your stuff out there anyway. Get better continually. Find out what really works. Improve. Then repeat

6. Simplify your life to focus on what really matters

Get rid of distractions. Stop chasing after all the ideas that aren’t really congruent with who you are. Choose one thing and stick to it. Go after mastery in that one area. Really commit to it and move from hobby to obsession.

Now, that may sound a bit intense, but if you really want to make a living doing what you love, you must decide to stop splitting your attention with things you sort of like, and focus on what really matters to you. Then you must dive in deep.

To do this, and to reach a level of mastery and high performance, you must also get rid of physical distractions. De-clutter your home and work space, delete all the apps on your phone that take up all of your time, clear out your email inbox, and free up your mental space to make room for deep work on your passion. Instead of spending hours in front of the TV, take time to learn and build your dream. Focus on what’s actually important, and get rid of the rest. Be present and spend more quality time with your family. Exercise consistently.

More often than not, if you think you don’t have time, you just need to re-prioritize your life and simplify.

7. Associate your identity with what you do

Many people give up on a dream because they don’t have enough skin in the game. They made it top easy to quit. They gave up too soon when things weren’t working out the way they envisioned. Why is that?

If you really want to do what you love for a living you have to commit. While this seems a bit too cliché, the level of commitment required is probably much more than you realize right now. You have to create necessity. Making your dream a reality must become not just a good idea someday, but an absolute must.

How do you do this?

You do it by associating your identity with your passion. You must do it because it’s who you are. Not because you want money, or “freedom”, or whatever else we’re told to chase. You do it because you cannot do anything else and be as fulfilled and satisfied. When you reach that level of commitment, you’ll reach a level of success you never imagined.