Larry Freeborg
Larry Freeborg is a life transition coach and inspirational speaker focused on working with people in the “Bonus Years” of their lives. His unique experiences working with businesses in strategic planning, business development (marketing & sales), leadership and personal development are blended with his training in life coaching, equine guided coaching, and his personal experiences with loss to form the foundation of his coaching practice, Living The Good Life on Purpose. Larry is available for speaking engagements with his popular “Refire, Don’t Retire!” and “Life Purpose Primer” programs. Contact Larry at larry@steppingthroughthegate.com
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Jack of All Trades, Master of None
When I was 27 I received some excellent advice which I’ve been following throughout my career. One evening a fellow Toastmaster announced he had just been promoted to be the plant manager of a major manufacturing plant in the city I worked in. After the meeting I went up to congratulate him on his success and found the courage to ask him “What do you attribute your success to?” His response has stuck with me to this day. He said, “You know Larry, I’m not a very smart guy. In fact I didn’t finish high school. Oh, eventually I got my GED when I was in the service,…
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Facing Fear and Overwhelm – One Rapid At a Time
A couple of ways to manage fear is what this story is about. They came to me while I was on a white water rafting trip in Costa Rica with my son, Michael, and have been applicable on a number of occasions when I’ve been “stuck” because of fear. Here’s what happened. Michael had just graduated from college and it was an opportunity for a father and son bonding experience. One challenging thing about the experience for me was that when I was Michael’s age I had been tossed out of a canoe trying to shoot white-water rapids in Minnesota and had a life-threatening experience. Once I was…
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Live Every Day as if It’s Your Last. Learn as if You’re Going to Live Forever
Two weeks ago I watched a YouTube video that I’m sharing with you today. This video is of Steve Jobs, Chairman of Apple, giving a commencement speech to the graduates of Stanford University. On October 5th, Steve Jobs passed on at 56 years of age. His death reminds me “Life’s not a dress rehearsal”. This is it. We’re all walking on our own path through our life journey. Steve Jobs, at 56 years, contributed a lot during his brief walk. As I’m writing this article on my Mac Book Pro computer, and about to make a phone call on my iPhone 4, I realize how much he’s touched…
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Check For the Smile in Their Eyes
Taking Volunteerism to New Heights: Bonus Years Hero Joanne Miller When I think of my new friend Joanne Miller, aged 77 years, the three words that come to mind are service, energy and clarity. She is the walking, talking image of the ideas that I share at my “Refire Don’t Retire” talks, and I thought it would be a wonderful idea to feature Joanne in today’s blog post, the second in a series on Bonus Years Heroes. Joanne has been recognized as Volunteer of the Year in Eau Claire, Wisconsin by two organizations since she retired twenty two years ago at 55. The two organizations are Visit Eau Claire and…
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Selling 101: People Do Things for Their Reasons, Not Yours
Whether you recognize it or not, you are in sales. In our day-to-day lives, we are all selling in some way. If this notion conjures up negative feelings or discomfort for you, you might be confusing selling with manipulating. Selling does not mean getting someone to buy or do something that isn’t a good fit. Selling means being aware of what is important to the customer. Selling is helping people make the best choice based on what our service or offering will do for them and expressing these benefits in a way that resonates with the person we are helping. As a business consultant and coach, I have found that people new…
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My Life Is Like a Garden Hose
One day when putting on a Life Planning / Business Development workshop with horses I had an epiphany. That is… My life is like a garden hose… One season, when I was learning to be an Equine Guided Coach, I volunteered to water and feed horses on weekends to get over my fear of horses. I would have to take the garden hose to the stall and fill up the water bucket inside the stall. There were two places to turn on the water. One at the hydrant where the hose was attached. The second was at the end of the hose that you put into the bucket…
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Five Choices to Make Today to Live Your Life On Purpose
To live life “On Purpose” is to fully utilize your natural gifts and talents to earn necessary income, contribute to your community, and become an active player in the lives of your children and grandchildren. Anyone with a desire to live a more fulfilling, satisfying life at any age can start today by making 5 simple choices. 1. Choose to succeed in your naturally gifted and talented areas. Most of us were taught that the path to success is to learn a specific set of skills, get a good job using those skills, work in that job for thirty or more years, and then retire from the need for those…
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A New Kind of Hero to Guide Us
As kids, we are taught to look up to the heroes in our community such as the police officers and firefighters who keep us safe. Some of us also immersed ourselves in the world of comic book superheroes – characters with superhuman powers who always managed to do the right thing and come out on top. Today’s post is about a new kind of role model: the “Bonus Years” Hero. What’s a “Bonus Years” Hero? Over the years, I’ve met people in their 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s who are vibrant, alive, and doing interesting things. In spite of – or perhaps because of – the wisdom in their years, they…
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Do You Want to Work for More Than Just a Paycheck? Here’s How.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Excerpt from The Summer Day by Mary Oliver We are always at choice, including the decision we make about earning an income for ourselves and those who depend on us. When making a choice about how to create your livelihood, I encourage you to ask yourself: What are the possibilities for my one life given that there aren’t any “do overs”? Do I want to do work that will leave me feeling satisfied and fulfilled? Since I am always at choice, what do I want to create for my life beyond simply the…
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Five Steps to a Rock Solid Business Foundation for Solo Entrepreneurs
“An accurate plan poorly implemented is more successful and effective than a vague or generic plan implemented with brilliant precision.” — Author unknown Just about everyone in the business world agrees that planning is important and has some value. Before you can decide on an approach to planning, however, it’s important to think about who is asking you for your plan and what purpose it will serve. For Example: If a loan officer at the bank asks to see your plan, he is primarily interested in reviewing your financial projections to make sure you can repay your debt. If a venture capitalist asks to see your plan, she is…