Dare to Dream
Here is a reprint of an article that I wrote for RealLife magazine. If you haven’t got a copy, pick one up (it’s a beautiful publication) or you can read it online here.
If you woke up tomorrow with all the money you ever needed to do whatever you wanted, what would you do? How would your day look from the moment you woke up to the moment you went to sleep?
Maybe you know in a second. Maybe you have no idea. The reason I ask is that most people are looking for more of something in their life, but they haven’t given themselves time to figure out what the ‘more’ is. Maybe it’s more nature, or more walking, or more learning, or more reading, or more fun, or more time with friends.
What I have learned is that everyone is different. We all have different values, priorities and dreams. But there is a common thread. The ‘more’ is about autonomy. We all want more control over our own time. We want to be free. I once heard a wise man (Naval Ravikant) say “I don’t care how much money you make. If somebody has to tell you when to be at work, what to wear and how to behave, you’re not a free person.’’
The term 'financial freedom' is thrown around a lot and has become a cliché. But it means something important. If you are financially free you can wake up and do whatever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want, with whomever you want. In my experience, that’s what everyone is seeking. It’s not about doing nothing – that’s how retirement traditionally looked – it’s about deciding what it is you do.
The problem is that our fast-paced society, crazy work schedules and family commitments have left us with no time to think. Without time to think we can’t see past the day job that is absorbing all our attention and out into a world where our freedom is real. Most people tell me that they dream of ‘something else’ but they have no time to get clear in their minds what that ‘something else’ is. What happens then is that they end up with the money, but not the purpose. Another wise man (Mitch Anthony) said that you need, “...enough purpose to wake up in the morning and enough money to sleep at night. And don’t think that the money will bring you the purpose.”
The poet, Mary Oliver asked, ‘What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’ Think about that question. Think about your perfect day. Give yourself time, because in the end, that is the only currency that matters.
Georgie
georgie@libertywealth.ky