why do I keep doing all of this?
Every once in a while I think to my Self,
“Why do I keep doing all of this?”
Why do I keep writing Daily Notes?
Why do I keep recording episodes of the AlignedLife podcast?
Why do I write the AlignedLife blog? Why do I create videos?
Why do I keep talking about the AlignedLife?
Why do I evolve my business and seek to build Santiago?
Why do I think about building an ecosystem for the Authentic Life?
Why do I feel the need to help others discover what I have discovered?
Why do I keep doing all of this?
I always come back to the same answers.
Because I can’t not.
Because I love all of it.
Because I know the Authentic Life is my revolution to lead.
Because I know this is my Authentic Life.
I don’t NEED to do any of it.
I’ve worked hard over the first 22 years of my career to build an amazing business filled with relationships I consider my Self lucky to have. This business allows me to be present with my family, have time to take care of my Self, the flexibility to express my Self creatively, and to continue to evolve it and my Self with my Authentic Life. This business also allows me to provide for my family in a way that lets us avoid worrying about finances and live an abundant lifestyle (important to note that abundant does not mean having and doing everything).
On another timeline, I might just take on ten more traditional financial planning clients and never worry about being seen outside my clients' circle again. I’d just focus on taking care of them, quietly enjoying my life with And and the boys, and make sure those close to me understand what I know about the Authentic Life.
But I’m not on that timeline.
On this timeline, I can’t keep the Authentic Life a secret. And it’s not that I feel obligated to share what I’ve learned that can help more people live more fulfilled lives; it’s that I have a burning desire to share. I can’t keep quiet about it.
This is MY Authentic Life.
I don’t get asked very often why I do all the things I do, but I am asked how I do them.
While there are some tactical things I could share about how I find the time or the ideas, the truth is, the real answer to “how” is simply that I love doing it. When you love doing something, you just find a way, and it doesn’t feel difficult. The passion I have for the Authentic Life, everything that goes along with it, and the ease with which it flows through my life confirm that I am supposed to be doing it. If I didn’t love it, I’d stop doing it.
Listen to any expert, and they’ll tell you that you should be building and creating because you love it, not because you expect to get anything from it. Often, the reward comes after a long period of time—“the overnight success that takes ten years to build.”
I can honestly say that I create first because I want to and for me. I won’t lie and say I don’t hope it leads to my business and the Authentic Life ecosystem growing, but growth isn’t the primary motivation. Because if it were, I would have quit by now—and this is why so many podcasts stop after the first few episodes.
Over the last 11 years, I have created at least:
813 posts on my first blog All About Your Benjamins
167 episodes of the All About Your Benjamins podcast
484 videos on the All About Your Benjamins YouTube channel
39 episodes of the Advisor of Tomorrow podcast
1210 Daily Notes
106 Weekly Notes
341 episodes of the AlignedLife podcast
413 videos on my personal YouTube
29 posts on the AlignedLife blog
73 Omens
Currently working on a book
And a bunch of other content I’m sure I forgot
With that type of output, you’d think I’d be a YouTube sensation and have a massive audience.
Think again. If vanity metrics are your judge of success, then I’m failing.
All of the work hasn’t been for nothing. I can point to significant growth in my RLS Wealth business from the content I created under All About Your Benjamins. I am seeing Santiago begin to gain momentum because of the Daily Notes and AlignedLife initiatives. There has been growth, but not in the way you’d expect, with the volume of content I have created.
And I don’t care.
I wasn’t creating for growth.
I was and still am creating because I love it. I hope and trust that it is making a difference to someone in the world, and if it is meant to lead to growth down the road, it will.
If I were creating for growth, there are a lot of things I could be doing to serve that goal, but those efforts feel inauthentic to me, and I refuse to play that game because it would take the love I have for creating.
Again, this is MY Authentic Life.
And speaking of the Authentic Life…
Why the obsession with the idea?
I’ve had countless people tell me how hard it will be to build any business and make an impact centered on a term that means nothing to most people and, at best, is a vague concept.
Why be so obsessed with helping people find and live their Authentic Lives when I could just be content with knowing how to live mine—I could keep the secret to my Self and those close to me and save my Self a ton of time and energy.
Once again, this is MY Authentic Life.
According to my Gene Key, my purpose in life is to lead a revolution. I remember when I first read that thinking, “Whoa! A revolution. What revolution? And who do I think I am to actually believe that?”
But then I realized, the Authentic Life is a revolution. And it’s an important revolution, even if it remains small on the grand scale of the Universe. If I can help more people discover their Authentic Self, who they were created to be, and bring that version of their Self with their unique gifts and talents to the world, then the world becomes a better place, and the Collective Consciousness will elevate.
I honestly believe that if every human being could be the person they were created to be, we would live in a perfect world. The why behind this is a separate and lengthy post. But to keep it simple, imagine life is one big puzzle and we are all puzzle pieces. The puzzle isn’t complete or perfect because the pieces aren’t being put together properly—when wrong pieces are forced together, it creates conflict, discontent, and unhappiness. But if everyone were living their Authentic Lives, the puzzle pieces would come together as they were designed to, and all the negative emotions would subside because we were exactly where we were meant to be and in harmony with all the other pieces.
So like I said, I have a revolution to lead, and progress won’t be made if I keep quiet.
It’s my Authentic Life to bring the Authentic Life to more people.
So whenever I have a moment of second-guessing or doubt, which does happen every once in a while, I quickly return to my Authentic Life and to the fact that I am only doing things I love and feel called to do.
I do all of this because I want to.
I do all of this because I have to.
I do all of this because I love to.
I do all of this because it is my Authentic Life.
Keep pursuing,
JC
