In our brand new interview series, we are interviewing various individuals from across the web. This interview series focuses on how they are living a better life. They can be living a better life by pursuing financial independence, minimalism, simplicity, and many more aspects. Are you interested in being interviewed? Continue reading!
Want to be interviewed?
If you want to be interviewed about how you are living a better life. Contact us at TimLifeForTheBetter@gmail.com and tell us why you’d be a great candidate!
Give us your best elevator speech!
The profession of teaching has been attacked, devalued, and dissrespected. I am tired of seeing, hearing and feeling this way. I wanted to create something to help educate, enlighten, and empower all educators by building up their spirits through their health and wealth. They need to feel more in control of their futures, but more importantly I wanted to help them realize that they are worth more than they know to themselves, their communities, and to their students. It is more than just a site about finance, but a site that they can relate to, believe in, and trust. Can I keep the elevator doors shut and keep going? Lol.
How are you living a better life than you were last year? 5 years ago? 10?
Over the years, I can’t help but think how much wiser I have become in all aspects of my life. I also can’t help but think about how many opportunities I missed and some mistakes I have made. These have driven me more than my successes and to this day I am thankful and sometimes cursed that my DNA is wired to hold myself to the highest standard with almost everything in my life.
From health/fitness, side hustles, relationships, and even achieving financial freedom. Trying to be my best version often times comes a lot of pressure, sacrifice, and beating myself up. I feel like each year, I gain new tools, new perspectives, and new challenges that mold me into a better me. I have gained life experience through trials and tribulations in all areas of my life and continue to live, learn and grow as best I can.
Ten years ago, my wife and I were married in Jamaica with not a worry in the world living as high school sweethearts. We were both very smart with our money and we have cleaned up a lot of small mistakes we have made with money earlier in our lives. Through self-education and experience, we have really accelerated our pace to financial freedom, but more importantly to live a life we designed. Each year is a blessing with our health and even more wealth!
What would you tell your younger self?
It would definitely be to be more patient and easier on myself. Being a Type-A person I expect things to be a certain way and sometimes I get fired up when they don’t pan out how I would like them, however, I have learned that I can’t control everything or the majority of things for that matter.
I would tell myself to relax and trust the process of things and as long as I put the time and work in good things are going to happen. Even when I run in the mornings, I have learned to appreciate the actual journey instead of fixating on the finish. I would tell my younger self to do the same with life.
I would definitely show myself some love for taking care of my health/fitness, my relationships, and our personal finances in my life at an early age.
I would also tell make sure to whisper to myself all the opportunities that I might have missed in the stock market, real estate and even with the volatile bitcoin in the hopes I could somehow seize them!
What made you want to change the way you were living?
I don’t think I ever wanted to change the way I was living, but rather enhance it with more travel and more financial security while making the most of my money and time. I always made my health and fitness a top priority and I understood from an early age that your true wealth is your health.
I also had a strong understanding of the profession I entered and what came with it because I knew I wanted a family and I knew it would provide us with time and memories. I subconsciously made small route changes on my journey and I was very lucky to obtain my masters for free, create some solid side hustles, and learn to empower myself in all areas of life.
It is never about changing, but more about continuing on the path of enhancing, empowering, and enlightening myself and others.
Does financial independence play a role? If so, how?
Financial independence plays a huge role in what drives me. My wife and I have built something special together and we understand that we have been the best investment either of us has ever made. We have made our health, vitality, and family our top priorities. By doing this, we also have naturally strengthened our finances and because of that, we have more options, more power, and more respect for our time.
I’ve heard a few quotes about money over the years, however, I love the quote, “Make money your servant and not your master.” I try to remember that when I think about financial independence. I want to be in control of my money and I want to have a strong relationship and respect for it because it ultimately gives me power with my time and life energy. Money needs to be respected and held in a delicate balance because it has the potential to bring out the best and worst in people.
What advice do you have for others in living a better life?
Know yourself! The more you know yourself the more you know what drives you on your own path of living your best life. You can read all the books, websites, and blogs in the world, but those are someone else’s journey through their eyes. Learn, understand and begin to create your own adventure. Challenge yourself to learn and grow as often as you can.
Really work on not comparing yourself to others, but rather compare yourself to what your best self looks like. We all start in different places of this board game called life. The fact that we get to be on the board game is a win within itself that is easily forgotten.
Living a great life is oftentimes about having less and not more. It is about slowing things down instead of speeding them up. It is about appreciating the small things like your health, relationships, and your impact on others. Make yourself a top priority and pay yourself first when it comes to your life, just like we should with money. Also, remember that the best time to do all this is yesterday, just like investing!
What books/podcasts/blogs have you consumed that lead you to this point?
These books have educated, motivated, and empowered me to realize that everything I ever needed is within me. I just need to have the desire, courage, and most importantly the belief in myself to pull them out. They have been a strong factor in helping me shape and build the pillars in my life from my mindset, my approach, and my perspectives on my health, wealth, and relationships. There is nothing better in life than a good workout, a good book that betters your life, and a good night’s sleep. That is what I hope to fill even more of my time doing!
What’s one area in your life you still struggle with?
Being a parent is hard. Having a career, side hustles, and drive while being a parent is even harder. Add in responsibilities, priorities, and expectations and now things get extremely challenging. Toss in maintaining and growing relationships, achieving your own personal goals and dreams, and raising other human beings to do the same is mind-boggling.
My expectations and the reality of my life sometimes clash and sometimes I have a hard time realizing this is a natural part of life and of parenting. I just need to keep appreciating, breathing, and enjoying and embracing the fact that this is my story and my journey.
If you had to give just 1 tip that you’ve learned along your journey, what would it be and why?
Financial freedom is so much more than money. It is about learning to leverage your money with the most important resource on the planet….time! We all know we are going to die, but we live our lives thinking it’ll never happen.
Learn to respect your health, your money, and your time at an early age and your life will forever change. Make the most of each area every single day and you will begin to foster strong habits, create traditions, and most importantly make the most of your life.
Where can readers get in touch with you?
You can read more at Financially Free Teacher and you can connect with me via email- financiallyfreeteacher@gmail.com Also, if you are a Health and Physical Education teacher you can also check out Mr. Clark’s PE and reach me at mrclarkspe@gmail.com
Thank you very much for this opportunity and this platform for me to share my voice and message. I’d also like to thank Educator FI for creating this connection, and to everyone that takes their precious time to read and engage with what I have to say.
Check out other interviews here!
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