I sat down with a pen a paper yesterday and really did some brainstorming. Yeah, I know it sounds kind of strange, but I have always been a “list” kind of person. This is my way of organizing my thoughts. And let me tell you, my thoughts have been all over the place in the last week or so. Once I wrote everything down, it seemed more organized and less daunting. Lately, I’ve experienced a lot of anxiety with feeling the need to be doing something…anything.
I feel like I’m wasting precious time, but going off in dozens of directions at once is not going to solve anything. Once I was able to list everything, I felt more relaxed and in control. I looked at where I am now and where I want to be.
Here are the highlights:
• I don’t want to drop out of society and live life on the fringe. I think that takes a certain amount of determination and courage.
• I know I will never return to the life of the wage slave. Although a lifestyle change might be necessary to avoid that trap, I am willing to adapt as much as needed to avoid working a traditional job. I feel very strongly about this.
• I need to find a way to generate a little income. As one who has escaped the clutches of traditional wage-slavery, I am more aware, now, of the fact that I do not need the corporate teat in order to survive. There are many self-earners out there that do just fine and have created their own means. Of course, the definition of “livable income” is different for everyone. I feel I could live on very little and still be happy. It’s all about income vs. expenses. By the way, I’m talking about real, sustainable income, not some fly-by-night, “earn millions sitting on your ass all day” scam.
• I am going to adopt a minimalist lifestyle. I have seen both sides of the fence on this and the hyper-consumer, high-debt, workaholic lifestyle is an ugly, empty existence. I will never be a part of that again. I have never been happier than I have been in the last 8 months. I have had nothing, but so much at the same time. From here on out, I will only take what I really need. Anything more than that, I will give away to those who are in real need.
As I mentioned, I have enough to live frugally for a few years. Very frugally, mind you. But I don’t intend to waste this “head start” I am so fortunate to have. I want to start working on something while I still have choices.
Good to see you’re back, Phil! I admit, I stopped checking your blog a while back, thinking perhaps you’d either given up on your dream, or just lost the urge to write about it. Never removed it from my bookmarks, though, and I’m glad I didn’t. I’m happy to see you’ve given the corporate world the boot, and are doing the requisite soul-searching that having so much time to yourself requires. I had to laugh at (and comment upon) this post, though, because of the list-making content. That is SO my style as well…any time a decision needs to be made, or a problem needs to be sorted through, that is the channel to which I instinctively turn.
In any event, thanks for coming back to the blogging scene, and I really look forward to reading about your continuing “adventures.”
Comment by Michelle — October 29, 2006 @ 6:52 am