what does freedom look like to you?

026. hard work speaks volumes but is that what you want to be remembered by.

"Mastery requires lots of practice. But the more you practice something, the more boring and routine it becomes. Thus, an essential component of mastery is the ability to maintain your enthusiasm. The master continues to find the fundamentals interesting." - James Clear

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I'm 12 days away from racing my first 100 miler (about 160 silly kilometers), and that's pretty bloody amazing! I'm beyond excited and, of course, nervous. Thats a given, I think even the best runners would agree that it's nerve-racking to cover 160 kilometers on foot. Sixteen weeks ago, I got a coach, and ever since then, I've been all in. I'll give myself credit where it's due: with a coach and a program to follow, I haven't missed a single session, and that makes me proud. The early mornings, the occasional double workouts, not one gym session skipped.
How you do anything is how you do everything.

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But that's not why I started today's Substack.
Before launching Freedom Fit Outs—my business building camper vans—I was warned it would be tough. Big responsibilities, high standards, and lots of competition. They weren't wrong. You hear from other entrepreneurs in podcasts and conversations that running a business takes up a lot of mental space. Mornings spent waking up thinking, "Did I order that?" "Will that design work?" "I definitely haven't charged enough."

Reflecting back, I started Freedom Fit Outs for the freedom. To be self-employed, to build my own empire. Family and friends often ask, "How's the money?" "Running your own show, you must be doing alright." My relationship with money has always been interesting. I try not to focus too much on it, but like most of us, it's occupied a lot of my thoughts. As long as I could save for my next trip or put fuel in the troopy, I was content.
Nowadays, it looks a little different. With my only trip on the horizon being to NYC in December, I remind myself that I didn’t start Freedom Fit Outs to get wealthy; I started it for time freedom. To me, that means training first thing in the morning without rushing to be on-site by 7 am. It means enjoying breakfast, chatting with my housemate, or calling my lover before heading out the door—whether that's at 8 am or midday. It’s about taking lunch breaks at the beach, enjoying my toasted falafel sandwich while the sun would hit my face.

Starting and growing Freedom Fit Outs is something I've envisioned for a long time. In my mind, I've already lived it, and now present Jonathan is catching up, doing the thing—keep going. The warnings were right; it’s not easy. There will be long days, late night finishing off a van, challenging days wondering everything, and days when the fire in your belly dims. But trust the process, because the flame will come back.

Hard work speaks volumes. Freedom Fit Outs will continue to grow and blossom in to this beautiful empire because of the late nights and tough challenges. However, when I can, I wont knock back a conversation with my housemates out on the deck. These moments go to fast. So when I can I will try my best to slow them down, just a touch more.

Some film highlights from the last few weeks;