{"id":68232,"date":"2011-02-21T04:00:48","date_gmt":"2011-02-21T11:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/getrichslowly.org\/blog\/?p=68232"},"modified":"2018-11-21T09:07:40","modified_gmt":"2018-11-21T17:07:40","slug":"calling-the-shots-how-to-be-the-ceo-of-your-own-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/calling-the-shots-how-to-be-the-ceo-of-your-own-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Calling the Shots: How to Be the CEO of Your Own Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the 1990s, my financial life was like a Caribbean cruise ship during hurricane season: I was in a cabin at the center of the ship, unaware of the storms approaching from the horizon. By 2001, I’d wandered onto the deck in the midst of Hurricane Debt and Failure; <\/a>I found myself in financial and personal trouble. It took a few years, but eventually I discovered that I had more control over that cruise ship than I thought.<\/p>\n

In 2006, I shared with Get Rich Slowly readers the circumstances that allowed me to start moving in the right direction<\/a>. In short, I realized that I could no longer sit by and let external forces \u2014 the hurricanes: my bosses, a difficult situation at work, my increasing debt, a deteriorating personal relationship \u2014 control my life. I learned how to manage my own money, using the basic approaches of earning more<\/a> and spending smarter<\/a>. I removed the negative forces in my life \u2014 anything that worked against my long-term goals to improve my finances, my life, and my identity \u2014 and replaced them with positives.<\/p>\n

In my old life, I put the blame for failure or the credit for success on outside forces, such as luck or the economy. But this just made me feel helpless about my situation. In my new life, I shifted my philosophy from an external locus of control to an internal<\/em> one: the belief that the circumstances in my life were due to choices I made.<\/strong> (Or worse, the choices I didn’t<\/em> make.) This made all the difference.<\/p>\n

Taking the Red Pill<\/strong><\/em>
\nWhile working for a company in the finance industry, I learned how large public corporations operate. I began to apply some of these lessons at home; I started looking at myself as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of my own life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Like a public company, I published regular reports of my financial progress online. I didn’t do this to brag; in fact, at first there was more embarrassment than anything else. Holding myself accountable to Consumerism Commentary readers was a good move for me, and almost eight years later after my first post in 2003, I still publish these monthly reports and field questions and suggestions from readers. (Here’s the first monthly report of 2011.)<\/p>\n

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In December, after building a business on the side that could more than sustain me, I quit my corporate job and shifted exclusively to writing and developing my own online projects. I’ve been tracking my discoveries working for no boss other than myself in a series called “Life After Salary”.<\/p>\n

The path I chose may not be for you. But the concept of being the CFO of your own life applies to everyone<\/em>. You have to make choices if you want to live your life a certain way rather than let life happen to you.<\/strong> The best way to describe this feeling of awakening is to compare it with the moment in the film The Matrix<\/a><\/em> where Neo, the “One,” can at last see the Matrix for what it is, and realizes he can control his environment.<\/p>\n

You<\/em> are in control of your life, even if you work for someone else.<\/strong> You<\/em> choose whether to get out of bed in the morning, understanding the consequences if you don’t. You<\/em> decide whether to take on the assignment your boss gives you. You<\/em> either choose to be happy or not \u2014 every second of every day.<\/p>\n

With my recent shift to self-employment, I discovered yet another level of control necessary to better reach my long-term goals, both financial and non-financial.<\/p>\n

How to Be the CEO of Your Own Life<\/strong><\/em>
\nIn business, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is responsible for guiding a company towards its mission, vision, and goals. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) ensures the company manages its finances properly in order to reach those goals. In the business world, the CFO answers to the CEO. But in your own life, you need to play both roles.<\/p>\n

Here’s how to operate as the CEO of your own life:<\/p>\n