Former KARE 11 meteorologist Jerrid Sebesta’s five keys to ‘livin’ the dream’
After 12 years of climbing up the TV ranks, meteorologist Jerrid Sebesta made the trade – family for fame. He was on the radio. He was encouraged to become a magazine writer as well. He was on the fast track to the big time having made it to the Twin Cities market in his mid-thirties. That success, however meant that he was the guy who wasn’t there for birthday parties, weddings and barbecues. Nearly every day, between the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, he would drive from the KARE station in Golden Valley to the family’s home in Maple Grove to spend time with his wife and two young children. He was trying hard to balance personal life and career.
But, Sebesta is really just a trailer park kid from Montevideo.
So, he and his wife decided to change lanes – from the fast track to one where they were “driving” their life at a slower pace.
A lot of folks dream about giving it all up to seek after their passion, but few actually follow through. There are bills to pay, people from kids to elderly parents to care for. It is the risk of failure and losing everything that stops that pursuit dead in its tracks.
The Sebestas, though, had been prepping for this move for years. They had simplified their lives and worked to eliminate $20,000 in debt – most of it from Jerrid’s student loans. By following the steps of financial author Dave Ramsey, Jerrid and Emily were debt-free within three months.
Today, the couple and their three children, ages 5, 3 and 1, live in Willmar, and Jerrid works as a life coach for Taatjees Financial Group, traveling throughout the Midwest, sharing his story of financial freedom. What Sebesta presents is about redefining success and having the financial power to follow this peace and serenity in life.
The 37-year-old motivational speaker brought his concepts to achieve financial freedom to Mountain Lake in a Thursday evening, April 14 free program at Mountain Lake Public Library (MLPL). In addition, Sebesta had recently spoken to Butterfield-Odin Public High School (B-OHS) and Comfrey Public High School seniors about goal setting and planning for the future. He will be returning to Butterfield on Friday, May 20 to be the featured speaker at Commencement Exercises for the B-OHS Class of 2016.
The Sebesta family’s complete 180-degree change was made because they wanted a different life than the one they had. They were willing to chase their dreams. Sebesta shares about the “magic wand” conversations he and his wife have. “You know, if you wave a magic wand to produce your perfect life,” he explains “what would that look like?”
“What do you want out of life?” Sebesta questions the audience at the library. “Usually when I ask people that answer, I get no answer. And that completely boggles my mind; that nobody knows what they want out of life. You have to have an answer.”
The second question Sebesta poses to those gathered is, “Are you getting closer, or farther away, from what you want?”
“Do you have the power to execute – to chase – your dream?” is his final query.
Sebesta emphasizes that there is a direct correlation between how people manage their money and how tenacious they can chase after their dreams.
His keys to achieving financial freedom number five:
+ Get out of debt.
+ Save money.
+ Budget. (Budget. Budget.) “When you budget, you immediately give yourself a 20%-30% raise” stresses Sebesta.
+ Live on less than you make.
His final key might seem surprising:
+ Give. “Giving makes it full circle. It is the coolest thing you can do with your money,” Sebesta explains. “And,” he continues, “when you have excess, become a prolific giver.”
Although Sebesta does not emphasize it during his presentations, his faith does play an important aspect to all this.
“It is interesting,” concludes Sebesta, “I traded a high-profile life for a low-profile one, and I feel that now I can make more of an impact that I could before.”
His story, from his years growing up in a trailer park in rural western Minnesota to reaching celebrity status in the Twin Cities metro area – and then walking away from it all to pursue his dreams – resonates with his audiences.
And yes, he indeed remains a “weather-nerd.”
