19 Aug 466: OPTIONALITY – How to Create More Freedom, Income & Impact…Without Blowing Up Your Life
Things are good.
You’ve worked hard. You’ve built a career. You’ve developed expertise. People trust you. You’re getting things done.
So… why do some of the options in front of you feel a little underwhelming?
Maybe you’re not burned out.
Maybe you’re not ready to quit.
Maybe nothing is actually wrong.
But somewhere along the way, the possibilities started to feel smaller.
If you’ve ever felt that, THIS episode is for you.
In episode 466 of DREAM THINK DO, we’re diving into one of my new favorite words and a concept that’s been a game changer for me and my coaching clients:
OPTIONALITY.
Optionality is the intentional creation of more options.
Not waiting to get picked.
Not waiting for permission.
Not blowing up a perfectly good life just because you’re ready for something new.
It’s intentionally creating more possibilities so you have greater freedom to choose what comes next.
And here’s the really important part:
You don’t create optionality because you’re expecting something to go wrong.
You create optionality because you want more ways for things to go RIGHT.
So if you’ve been successful but you’re starting to wonder, “What’s next?”…
Or maybe you’re simply ready to feel a little more FIRE about your future…
Let’s get after it…
MASTERCLASS: OPTIONALITY IS THE NEW JOB SECURITY
If the IMPACT, INCOME, or IDENTITY pieces of this conversation got your wheels turning, I’ve got a specific experiment for you.
Maybe you’ve spent the last 15, 20, or 25 years getting really good at what you do.
Maybe people have told you:
- “You should teach that.”
- “You’d be a great coach.”
- “You should write a book.”
- “Have you ever thought about speaking?”
Maybe you’ve wondered the same thing.
Not necessarily because you want to leave what you’re doing…
but because you’d love to explore what ELSE might be possible with everything you’ve learned.
That’s exactly why I created the masterclass:
OPTIONALITY IS THE NEW JOB SECURITY
It’s designed for accomplished leaders who want to explore how their experience, wisdom, perspective, and reputation can become assets for creating greater impact, income, and optionality through things like coaching, speaking, consulting, and online training.
Normally the masterclass is $27.
But since you’re a DREAM THINK DOer, I want you to have it for FREE.
Go to: mitchmatthews.com/options
And use the code: DTDGIFT
IN THIS EPISODE
We’re talking about:
- Why success can surprisingly make your options feel smaller
- The three “Success Paradoxes” that can quietly keep high achievers stuck
- Why you may have stopped exploring possibilities and started evaluating vacancies
- How the gravity of success can make trying something new feel increasingly expensive
- Why you don’t need to leave what’s working to start creating something new
- The difference between having more choices and having greater freedom to choose
- Five areas where creating ONE new option could change your future
- Simple 30-day experiments that can help you start creating optionality immediately
- Why your title is something you do, but doesn’t contain everything you are
- The mysterious “X Factor” that starts showing up when you intentionally create new possibilities
And most importantly…
We’ll help you identify ONE small but significant experiment you can start this week that future you might thank you for.
THE 5X ELEMENTS OF OPTIONALITY
So where could a little more optionality change things for you?
In this episode, we explore five areas.
TIME
- What would change if you had more control over just 5 to 10% of your week?
- Not necessarily working less.
- Just having more say over where your best time, energy, and focus go.
MONEY
- What would an additional source of income make possible?
- More margin?
- More generosity?
- More travel?
- The ability to take a calculated risk?
- The ability to say “no” to something you no longer want to do?
- Money isn’t just valuable because of what it allows you to buy.
- Sometimes its greatest value is what it allows you to choose.
IMPACT
- Is there a group of people you would LOVE to help?
- Maybe you’ve learned something through leadership, business, parenting, adversity, relationships, or faith that could help someone else.
- What if you didn’t have to wait for “someday” to start making that impact?
IDENTITY
- This one might mess with you a little bit.
- If your job title disappeared tomorrow…
- What would still be true about YOU?
- Your wisdom.
- Your character.
- Your relationships.
- Your experiences.
- Your curiosity.
- Your ability to solve problems, lead, encourage, and contribute.
- Your role is something you do. It doesn’t contain everything you are.
LOCATION
- What if you had more choice about where you worked, lived, or spent portions of your year?
- Maybe you don’t want to become a digital nomad.
- That’s okay.
- But what possibilities might open up if you simply gave yourself permission to experiment?
AND THEN THERE’S THE X FACTOR
- This might be my favorite.
- Because when you start intentionally creating options, unexpected things can happen.
- People notice.
- Doors open.
- Relationships form.
- Opportunities emerge that weren’t even on your radar.
- You can’t plan the X Factor.
- But you can put yourself in a position where it has a chance to happen.
THE QUESTION I WANT YOU TO ASK
Don’t ask: “What do I need to change?”
Instead ask: “What could I begin creating?”
That’s a VERY different question.
Because we’re not talking about blowing up your life.
We’re talking about planting some seeds.
So pick ONE area.
- Time.
- Money.
- Impact.
- Identity.
- Location.
Then ask yourself:
What’s one small but significant move I could make in the next seven days that might create more options for future me?
Maybe it’s a conversation.
Maybe it’s protecting one hour.
Maybe it’s researching something you’ve always been curious about.
Maybe it’s learning something completely unrelated to your career.
Maybe it’s writing something.
Teaching something.
Trying something.
Saying yes.
Or finally saying no.
You don’t have to know where it will lead.
Just start planting seeds.
LET’S DREAM THINK DO THIS…
DREAM about where a little more freedom would make your life better.
THINK about one meaningful option you could start creating.
Then DO something this week to plant the seed.
Because you don’t have to wait to get picked.
You don’t have to wait for permission.
And you don’t need to have the whole thing figured out.
Start experimenting.
Start creating.
Start opening some doors.
Because the goal isn’t simply to have more choices.
The goal is to have greater freedom to choose.
Now I want to hear from YOU.
Where would you love to create more optionality?
And what’s one experiment you’re going to try?
Leave a comment at:
And if someone came to mind while you were listening, send them this episode and invite them to create some optionality with you.
Sometimes it’s a whole lot more fun to explore what’s possible together.
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