How Will I Make It on My Own??? That is the most frequently asked question over the past few weeks. It’s not that people think I can’t be successful; they just want to know how I will do it? How will I handle not having the security of a steady paycheck. What will I do for health care insurance?
Don’t get me wrong, every single person I’ve talked to since announcing my departure from full-time employment to start Forged by Life has reinforced my decision. I keep hearing “this is your ‘wheelhouse’ and if anyone is going to succeed doing this, it will be you!” So if they believe in me so much, why were they asking me those questions around ‘how will I make it on my own’?
I’ve started to realize that me making it on my own isn’t the issue. It’s a mindset issue and technically a projection of what they are feeling. People weren’t voicing there concerns for me — for many, it was truly about them. They wanted to figure out how they would make it if they left their job without another safety net known as a steady paycheck and healthcare insurance / benefits.
The most common messaging was around retiring early (before meager social security benefits can even start) or around starting their own gigs. It was wild to learn how many are truly ‘done’ with the 9-5 grind. When I would ask them what is holding them back each one of them said: steady paycheck and health insurance benefits. Well, here’s my secret – it starts with my mindset around who I am, what I am meant to do, and how I see the options available to me.
First of all, mindset – I made the absolute commitment to myself that whatever I do, it would bring about unlimited possibilities. I’ll be honest, I had to hold that space as the alternative was hopelessness and despair.
I believed deep down there would be enough purposeful work for me — and for anyone else who wanted to join me in shifting the world out of crisis. Many friends and former colleagues were struggling and it was clear they were meant to do something more, so we have been creating it together – I committed to nurturing a co-creative and supportive space for anyone who wanted to ‘join the team’ at any capacity. I have been able to help create financial flow for them too, as I truly believe momentum is key especially when shifting mindsets.
I also had to trust myself. I truly had to believe in my dreams. I started living them out in my mind at first, then I started to play and create. As the ideas started to flow, I would journal or blog and start organizing my ideas. I looped in Jeff and Emma so that they were now helping me focus on my dreams. Emma drafted logos for Forged by Life and we all brainstormed out what this dream would look like.
I began telling others outside of the little family about what Forged by LIfe looked like and the dream became more and more real. Most importantly, I put it back to the Universe and asked for actual tangible proof that this was going to be the right thing. And, it was clear that as long as I chose to do this for all the right reasons, with pure intent, it was going to flow – and it so has! I’m not even scared anymore, I just know it’s right. (and this is all since late December 2021!)
This is truly the hardest part when you are sitting in a space of despair or hopelessness. Building momentum to support the mindset shift was key – and I’ve been replicating that process for the virtual incubator partners who have stellar ideas and passions and want help making it so. It’s amazing to watch what we’ve accomplished in the matter of weeks as we grow their dreams too!
Ok, so on to the things that tethers us to the corporate world and our full-time gigs – steady paycheck — As far as the steady paycheck, I had a full-time job with my former employer and I still received a pay cut when COVID hit. For many of those who didn’t get a pay cut they got cut — quite a few losing their jobs temporarily or permanently.
We aren’t new to the ebb and flow of work, and even in the past two years Jeff has been experiencing challenges with his work. He’s been working for a company for almost 25 years and they had to pause business as kicking off live-conference events and doing in-person training events came to a standstill. Now Omicron is wreaking having on the training / travel industry so his work has slowed down again considerably, and for a contractor, that’s not a good thing.
The one thing I can share with you – the steady paycheck is not something that should keep you from living your dreams. Nothing is life is guaranteed, especially a steady paycheck, even more so now.
When I explain the paycheck concept from my view, most people agree and share their similar experiences. So they ‘get’ that even with a full-time job, there are no ‘promises’ anymore about steady income. In fact, many have been doing side-hustles to save for a ‘unsteady pay’ period.
I can share that I am projected to make more in February than I did in January working less hours, with a flexible schedule, AND, that is with hiring friends and former colleagues to support my dreams while building theirs… pretty cool! (Check out our Virtual Incubator Businesses page to learn more!)
Next is the healthcare benefits thing, Ok, so first of all, we need a major overhaul of this system to bring about healthcare equity. I may take that on one day, but for now, I think we all need to know, the traditional system of monthly premiums, deductibles, and co-pays isn’t truly supportive of your well-being, nor does it save you money for your healthcare needs. I’m going to trigger some people on this one I am sure, as I’m not walking in their shoes right now, however, I do get it at some level.
I have been in a situation that was catastrophic to my health and became so in-debited literally and figuratively to a healthcare benefits plan and system that wasn’t looking to heal me. It sucked me in – and then spit me out when I ‘maxed out’ my benefits – as my injuries outweighed their coverage. That’s when I woke up to what was happening.
I saw that I was paying into a bloated and manipulative blob that had vague and unethical practices and because of my choice to be part of it, I actually made things worse for others who couldn’t afford to be part of the healthcare benefits ‘club’ by supporting this system. That is what ultimately influenced my choice to vote with my feet and I exited us from ‘healthcare benefits programs’ in 2014.
Prices for care, for providers, for treatments, for prescriptions were absurdly inflated. Our finances became doomed and we had to look elsewhere for help. It wound up being the right thing for us as I found a holistic healer who accomplished more with me in one day than the best specialists in two states couldn’t do in almost a year. We continued to private pay holistic providers who got to the heart of the issues I was having and, when needed we would private pay for conventional services. It was significantly cheaper to pay for my own x-rays at the local hospital than it was to have health insurance.
Here’s what we figured out on paper and I encourage you to do the same:
The cost of healthcare benefits per year (multiply monthly premiums x number of people in your family participating) – for us we were talking about $8K per year eight years ago. I have no idea what our costs would be now, as we haven’t had health insurance since. That is an estimated $64K in premiums for us.
The deductible, meaning what would you have to pay out-of-pocket before the full benefits kick in is what we calculated next. I did a quick internet search and saw the average deductible is almost $2000 for an individual. For the three of us, that could be another $6K per year. Which works out to an estimated $48K for eight years.
So, let’s stop there before we even think about co-pays and co-insurance. This isn’t supposed to be complicated, but just part of that mindset shift we were talking about earlier. Jeff and I identified for our little family of three that the cost of healthcare for us would be about $14K per year! This doesn’t include co-pay/co-insurance. And in our case, didn’t cover any of the holistic services and products we use.
$14K per year!?! We decided right then and there that we would put that money aside and use it for the services and treatments we wanted, not the ones that were shoved down our throat. We didn’t want to ride the referral train or have one ‘fix’ lead to another diagnosis anymore. We wanted to be in the front-seat and choose the care that made the best sense for all of us. So where are we now? Well, that was in 2014. ObamaCare/ACA came along and hit us with $2000 a year penalties for three years, so I’ll cut $6K off the top.
–> $8K per year for 8 years = $64k for premiums
–> $6K per year for 8 years = $48k for deductibles
TOTAL FOR US: $112K we would have had to pay (instead we paid $6K for ObamaCare/ACA penalties. That works out to a potential $112K out of pocket ($14K per year) for healthcare which we didn’t need.
$112K for health insurance we didn’t think we needed!?!
Don’t get me wrong, we needed healthcare, but not the type that didn’t align with our lifestyle. We choose chiropractic, energy work, acupuncture, massage, and other holistic practices. We invest our ‘savings’ into real foods, raise our own hens for eggs, and bees for honey. We grow our own food when possible using organic sustainable practices. We use herbs and supplements to support our wellness.
We have had health issues from broken bones to black widow spider bites and Lyme – but nothing that we couldn’t work through with our holistic community for a LOT less than $14K per year – and to be honest, we were already paying for the holistic services out-of-pocket since 2003.
Just to be clear, Emma got a horrific spider bite years ago and I took her to an emergency clinic where they proceeded to tell me she needed surgery and they would have to cut into muscles and tendons and destroy her arm. I paid the $150 which was the cash price for the visit and took her immediately to a naturopath who helped us work through Emma’s healing with homeopathy and other modalities. No surgeries, no scars, no damage — it was scary but in my heart I knew it was the right thing to do. Not from a financial cost savings standpoint, but from a I’m not putting Emma through the nightmare and trauma that the alternative presented. I have hundreds of stories of how holistic care has supported all of our needs – even when it came to cancers and strokes.
The wisdom I am hoping to share is that maybe having a healthcare benefits plan isn’t something you need. Maybe there are other ways to cover for catastrophic events while you pay out of pocket for routine care. I’ve been researching other options too like co-op/health-share and ‘insurance disruptor’ type programs that are bringing affordable and ethical solutions to those who want more than just the ‘savings’ that comes from not having coverage through a traditional plan.
And, don’t forget if you do get injured, there are other coverages you may have in place with an auto or homeowners policy – and if it happens at work, you should be covered there too. Keep in mind, if you are injured -for example – in a car accident, even if you have health insurance, auto policy coverage will likely handle quite a bit before your healthcare policy kicks in.
Here are a few alternatives to traditional healthcare plans:
Sidecar (calls itself a health-insurance disruptor) is currently available in 16 states. I love their model! See what you think and if you are using a similar type approach, please comment and let us know how it works for you:
Also, there are many health-share / co-op programs available through different faith-based and secular groups. I recently found a well-reviewed company called Zion Healthshare. Here’s one of the reviews that provides useful information. Might be worth checking out as an option.
Here is a review of six of the top Health Shares in 2022 from Well Kept Wallet.
At minimum, before you stay somewhere that is toxic to you, in a situation that impacts your well-being (and you may want to examine the effect stress is having on your health), consider the possibility that you aren’t stuck. Know there are options. Whether you explore the financial costs or the game-changing programs that are out there – don’t stifle your dreams because of ‘practical’ issues. Do your own math and research. The rules are changing and you have an opportunity to vote with your feet (and dollars)! You may even find a creative way to expand healthcare options for your community.
Anyone have other suggestions or thoughts around this information? Would love to hear your insights! Feel free to reach out to me if you want to talk through possibilities.
Take care y’all! Here’s to positive mindset shifts and a new normal where we all can thrive!
Struggling with life, with work, with being? 