Can You Make Work Optional?
Posted by jtrigsby (standard)Mar 16
In my working life, I’ve been pretty fortunate. In most cases, I’ve really enjoyed, maybe even loved, the work. This always made the notion of retirement kind of difficult for me. Why would I choose to stop doing something I really enjoy? So I modified my definition of retirement. Now, I’m looking forward to making work optional.
In this week’s episode of the Life in the Internet podcast, we ( actually “I” since @VickieRigsby was off this week ) devoted some time to defining a Definite Major Purpose a la Napolean Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. Coming up with my Definite Major Purpose, DMP for short, has now given me the opportunity to solidify and commit to making work optional… because that is now my DMP!
So I can hear the chuckles and the questions now. What makes me think we can make work optional and how do I plan on accomplishing such a thing? Well… I’m glad you asked.
This is a pretty big (read: lengthy) plan, way too long for a single post. And frankly, its not all done yet. There are parts I’m stuck on. But maybe by sharing the plan with you over time and letting you watch as we roll it out, you can help work out some of the shortcomings and maybe, hopefully, see a plan developing for yourself as well. So here goes…
Part One – Why Am I Working Anyway?
Work, as we know it, is a relatively new concept. For thousands of years men and women worked to survive. If they didn’t hunt, gather, or harvest enough supplies… they died. Simple. Their needs were food, clothing and shelter. If the activity they were engaging in didn’t support one of those needs, they didn’t do it… at least not before they had the hunting, gathering and harvesting taken care of.
The idea of exchanging labor for money then using the money to meet needs didn’t really come of age until the advent of the Industrial Age… then it invaded with a vengeance! Now, the closest most of us come to hunting or gathering is hunting for a fresh tomato in the super market!
Before we can begin to get our arms around the idea of work being optional, we first must have a solid grasp on WHY we work. I did a quick and definitely unscientific survey this afternoon and here are some of the answers I got to the question, “Why do you work.”
It’s all about the Benjamins baby. Gotta pay off the debt from my 20′s, man!
[B]ecause I have bills and I need to eat, if I could get rid of them, work would follow.
I work a job to pay bills and take care of my needs. This frees me up to WORK my business vision. Work is necessary 4 success.
To make meaningful contributions. B/c I like the other people. B/c my student loans aren’t paid off.
Sounds like the reason most of us work is to put food on the table, pay our bills and repay debts… all important things. I’m sure somewhere in there are considerations for a few wants, maybe a quick vacation or a cool (albeit expensive) toy. Now needs, we have to cover, no doubt. And don’t get me wrong, wants are an important part of a happy and fulfilled life. But right now, take just a second and stop reading this post and think about this single question:
How many of my “needs” are really “wants”?
The first step toward making work optional is to understand that there is a pretty big difference between needs and wants… and its not the difference we’ve been trained to believe!
Changing the way you think about needs and wants is not the whole answer, its just the first step! There’s a ton more discussion about this topic coming in the next few days. In the mean time, think about what needs you might be willing to transfer to the wants column. It doesn’t have to be forever but it does have to make a difference!
I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic! What are some of the specifics we can do to transfer needs into wants? Radical things wanted! Here’s one to prime the pump… get down to a single car family, or if you live alone, get a bike and save some gas. If you can cut back from two cars to one you’ll save on a car payment, insurance, maintenance and gas… not to mention you’ll get to spend some quality time with your significant other!
Ok, that’s one… lets get more going. Leave a comment below with your ideas!
As always, thanks for reading and don’t hesitate to hit me up if I can ever help you!
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