Discover a world where play, purpose, and prosperity collide. Connect with joy and freedom! Ready to redefine your life?
“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves,
Charles Schaefer
or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.”
Embarking On Adventure
In the spring of 1987, three friends of mine and I decided we were going to backpack through Europe after we graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill. We mapped out a very loose itinerary; purchased Eurail passes, airline tickets, and a copy of Let’s Go to Europe; and got our passports in order.
After a few calculations to determine how much money I’d need for the trip, I walked up the hill on 4th Street in Highlands to First Union. I approached one of the bank tellers and asked if I could speak with someone about a loan. A petite woman with her red hair in a bun peered over her glasses at me and smiled.
“Madge can help you,” she said, pointing to the desk on the other side of the railing. “Please have a seat.”
I swung open the heavy, mahogany gate to the area where Madge worked and carefully closed it behind me. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had just left one world and entered another.
Madge appeared from a room in the back, form in hand, and smiled. She sat across from me and placed the one-page form on the desk in front of her.
“I understand you are needing a loan?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“OK, Sweetie. Let’s see here now. How much do you need?”
“Two thousand dollars.”
Madge looked down at her form and filled in the amount and said, “OK, Darling. Let’s see now. Let’s talk about your assets. Do you have a car?”
“No, ma’am. I am moving to Boston this fall, so we sold my car and paid off the loan.”
“OK, Sweetie. Do you own anything we could use as collateral?”
I thought for a moment and said, “I can’t think of anything.”
Madge studied her form. “OK. Hmmmmm. Do you have a job?”
“Yes, ma’am. I am working for my Dad later this summer and then will get a job when I move to Boston.”
Madge loved this answer. “OH!!! So you are needing some funds to tie you over while you find a new job.”
“Um, no, ma’am,” I said. “I need the money for a trip to Europe.”
Madge stared at the form in silence and tapped her pen on the upper right corner of the page. I waited as she tapped. Finally, she looked up at me and said, “Well, now, that seems a little frivolous, don’t it?”
From someplace within me that I didn’t know existed, I said, “Madge, this may be the most important trip of my entire life. I am going to learn more about myself over the next two months than most people learn in a lifetime.”
Madge studied my face. I could see I had won her over. She asked, “Sugar, when are you wanting these funds?”
I smiled and said, “This afternoon, in traveler’s checks, please.”
A little over an hour later, I left First Union with a blue, plastic wallet filled with traveler’s checks, folded over and snapped shut. Little did I know how much this would teach me about how to help connect with joy, wealth and freedom.
Connect with Joy and Wealth
My friends and I went on to have an adventure of epic proportions. We traveled through Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Crete, and London. No one thought our money would last more than a few weeks. We were gone the entire summer.
My prediction was accurate: the trip forever shaped and changed me. The taste of freedom had been imprinted upon my DNA. I would call upon that genetic coding over and over each time my soul begged me to stand up for myself, to connect with joy.
Throughout our lives, we are socialized/trained/hypnotized for duty/work/discipline. Well-meaning Madges tap their pens and look at us with horror when we voice our big dreams that seem too wild, too frivolous.
We are taught that obligations rule over play. That punishing ourselves is a winning formula (learn more about how to Stop Punishing Yourself) . That delayed gratification and waiting for “someday” show that we are people of character.
We are taught that pleasure and play are to be shelved as we become young adults. The way to get ahead is to work without ceasing, denying ourselves fun until a magical moment way in the future. A time we might designate as retirement, a time we’ll assign as when we’ll do all the things we want to do. We are not taught how to connect with joy.
Not only is this a surefire way to waste one’s life, but this is also a gruesome formula for staying stuck, miserable, and broke.
What if I told you that fun and play, without any apparent ROI whatsoever, not only helps you connect with joy, but also vast wealth?
I know, I know. You want to scream at your screen, “I live in the REAL WORLD. No one gets ahead without hard work, dammit!”
Our training runs deep.
I’m not saying that we won’t ever have to work hard. I work hard every week. I also play every single day. I plan and enjoy months-long adventures. I immerse myself in Beauty. I dream something up and create it. I had to teach myself how to connect with joy and freedom.
I ensure that each month is filled with things that are “too wild, too frivolous.”
What is your soul asking for right now? Take a moment and write down what you are truly craving. Is it rest? More time with loved ones? More time alone? A desire to hear yourself think? The opportunity to learn a new language? Travel to an exotic locale? A weekend with your friends? A health retreat? Building something?
What feels like unfettered joy? How do you feel drawn to connect with joy? What pushes all of your “but I need to be responsible” buttons when you let it cross your mind?
What would raise Madge’s eyebrows?
What feels like bad timing?
What cracks off a chunk of concrete from your soul that lets light in, maybe for the first time in years?
You’re getting warmer.
Finding Freedom
Would you be open to learning how doing the things you think you cannot do can change your life?
Are you tired of the relentless cycle of burnout, the constant feeling of scarcity, and the nagging self-doubt that holds you back from experiencing financial freedom?
Imagine a life where you’re not just surviving, but thriving, tapping into your body’s wisdom and innate creativity to pave your way to true wealth and connect with joy.
What You’ll Learn:
Tap into Your Body’s Wisdom: Explore the profound connection between your body and your financial well-being. Discover how deeply listening to your body’s signals can lead you out of survival and into freedom and choice.
Unlock Creativity: Tap into your innate creativity, the wellspring of ideas and prosperity. Learn techniques to unleash your creativity, turning your intuition into actions and dreams into tangible wealth and connect with joy.
Develop a Purposeful Money Mindset: Understand that money wants a purpose. When you align your financial goals with your life’s purpose, money arrives to support that intention. Gain clarity on what you want and why, and transform anxiety into calm and fear into courage.
Date: Tuesday, October 31st
Time: 11:00 am – Noon Eastern
Ready to embark on your journey from survival to wealth? Want to learn how to connect with joy and freedom? Secure your spot now and embrace the prosperous life you are meant to live.
Register for (FREE) Wealth, Freedom, and Joy: The Easy Way!
Decide upon the kind of life you want to live. The road to what you want most is paved with enjoying what feels impractical, childish, and foolish.
