Don’t you hate time? Don’t you just hate it?
Do you hate time?
I do.
I hate time. I also hate mental limitations, oh and financial ones to.
I doubt very much that I am alone in this, but I wish I had unlimited time, mental head space and money in order to indulge my passions more.
They say money doesn’t buy you happiness but if I somehow found myself in possession of a small fortune, a large bucket of money (or many small buckets) per say, my life would change for the better. I’d have a level of freedom I just don’t have at the moment.
I’d travel, I’d write, I’d bury myself in stories and learning until I was dead.
That was the basis of a rant I had at my partner the one night on the sofa. I was in an energetically grumpy mood because there simply are not enough hours in the day or pennies in my bank account to do all the things I’d like to do and, you know, work for a living, keep the house clean and us fed etc.
Once I’d worn myself out, I slumped down, and we watched some pre-bed television. But I couldn’t stop thinking about my rant. Not because it was profound, it really wasn’t, it was barely articulate. But because the likelihood of me ever finding a bucket, or multiple small buckets, of money is minimal at best. I don’t even buy lottery tickets.
I couldn’t stand the idea of never being able to do the things I wanted to do simply because there’s not enough time and/or money.
So, I got to thinking how the hell can I make these things happen without winning the lottery that I don’t play.
I came up with a plan.
It’s not perfect, I can’t do all the things I want to do right now, (the toddler that lives in my brain always demands things now) but that doesn’t mean I can’t do them ever.
The basis of my plan has three steps.
Identify the stuff you want. – Be very specific, don’t just say ‘I want to travel’ say ‘I want to go to these specific places in Canada, Japan, America, Germany’ and say why. Limited resources means being brutal about what you can and cannot do. There’s got to be a reason behind the things you want to do, it’ll help you prioritize.
Identify the things you need to be able to do these things. – again, be specific. We’ve got clearly identified goals, break down how to get there and identify the things we need. Don’t just say money, say how much money, don’t just say time say how much time. Breaking things down makes them feel more manageable.
Identify how to get those things. – this was harder. Money is tight, time is limited, and we all have a lot of responsibilities. Some of the things needed might take years to get. But I’d rather take years than give up today without trying.
Letters from a Horror Writer 