Photo from GregHartle.com
Freedom, time, energy, motivation, money, dreams…I think the real trick is to do more with what you have, the rest will fall into place. It’s quite possible that it won’t come gracefully, often times it’s more like a crashing roar.
The web provides Freedom to search for whatever-the-hell-it-is-you-like. You are free to choose your friends, free to choose how you spend your time, free to imagine, free to dream. If you don’t have any of those, don’t worry, you’re dead already and probably can’t read this.
So, what do you want that you already have? Start with the fundamental elements: Your needs, then back track and prioritize your wants. What should come first? But wait, we’re talking about thingamabobs, worldly goods, or activities that you already have or are doing. The better question I think is:
What do you want MORE of…that you already have?
Time: if you’re reading a blog, surfing the web or browsing forums the good news is you have time. You might now have much of it, but you’ve got a little. Narrow down what is most important to you, what is most useful and take action. Any action contains a long stream of moveable parts, make sure you keep moving. No idling allowed.
Imagination & Dreams:
‘Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever.’
-Walt Disney
This pretty much sums it up. You’ve got all three, you’re reading this post, now go use them. Design your life, create your empire, fabricate your own world. The life you want depends on how much you’re willing to give it.
Motivation & Money: These two are areas that I have been steadily training myself to be better at. I’m still not great at the Money part, but my Motivation has been helping me out tremendously. They play very well together and feed off each other. Need a quick check to see where you stand? Ask yourself these couple of questions:
What can I do with what I already have? Have a little bit of money? Use your Freedom and Time to research the best way to use it.
Are you Motivated? When you really want something, you’ll make the necessary sacrifices to obtain it. Cut back on the non-essentials. You don’t need them.
A portion of each one of my paychecks over the last 7 months have been used to buy, build and create a necessary part in my cross-country adventure. I’m accounting for almost every dollar I receive and how I spend it. Yeah, it would be great to have everything I want to making the trek, but the closer I get to the launch date I’m just focused on what I absolutely need. I’m going with the bare minimum.
There are two huge motivators here:
1. I’m on a bicycle, it’s self-powered. I don’t want to lug anything I don’t need across Canada on a 3500 mile journey. Literally, it’s a time and energy suck.
2. It’s money wasted. Money wasted on things I don’t need. More items in tow = more weight. More weight= more energy needed to haul, which means I have to eat more- more fruit, more nuts, more water, more rest, more…you get the picture. All of that costs me money I don’t have or dollars I don’t want to spend.
In the end, I think all we’re really trying to do is tell a story. For many, assuredly, their story revolves around their success, which is measured by the objects they own, where they eat and the vacations they take. If that’s the case, I have another question for you:
Are you just doing something or telling (creating) a story? Doing something requires you to just up and do it. Go fishing, go to the mall, hang out with friends, etc. Stories on the other hand convey a message that involves action, struggle, strife, conflict that is carried out by a protagonist. When the story is really good it becomes an adventure, an odyssey, an epic quest. That’s when the story gets passed, and if it’s good enough, it’ll leave a notch in the minds for generations to come.
We really don’t remember all the things we’ve done, but we always remember the stories- yours, mine, theirs…
“What do you want that you already have? What’s your story? What do you want MORE of that you already have?”
It’s time to make that change, starting with the Man in the Mirror.
