This morning, my husband James and I were talking about money (a common topic in many households these days, I’m sure). We agreed that it seems like many people feel that if they only had more money, all their problems would be solved. James asked, “so if you didn’t need to work and had all the money you needed, what would you do?”
That’s one of those show-stopping questions that makes you stop and think. If you didn’t have to work, what would you do with yourself all day, every day? We came up with a bunch of ideas of what we’d do, but what would you do? Would you volunteer for a cause you believe in? Travel around the world? Live somewhere else? Start a big garden? Stare at the walls? Write the book you’ve always dreamed of writing?
As we were hashing around ideas, that last dream caught my attention. As I’ve written before, almost every time I tell someone I’ve written another book, they say, “oh yes, I want to write a book too!” Various surveys have said 4 out of 5 of people want to write a book. Although some authors publish books, obviously a lot of people are putting off the dream of getting their name on a book cover.
So what’s stopping you from writing a book? Or living where you want to live and doing what you want to do?
I’m curious because every day I encounter a lot of unhappy people, including people who are supposedly living the “dream entrepreneurial lifestyle.” Many seem to me to be really stressed out and unhappy. It’s sad to see all that energy expenditure result in an unpleasant existence.
I may not be a bazillionaire with tons of “toys” like those people, but I am happy. I have a nice house, an incredibly amazing husband, and a bunch of dopey dogs and cats who make me laugh and are always glad to see me. It has taken a lot of years, but over time, I’ve managed to develop a business that incorporates two things that have been a recurring theme throughout my life: books and animals.
As a shy kid who spent more time reading and hanging out with my dog Bingo, than playing with other humans, it now seems inevitable that I’d end up running a publishing company and an association dedicated to helping people who rescue homeless pets. It means every day, I get to talk to people who love books and animals. How cool is that?
It took years to pull away from a typical stressed-out, unhappy existence to get where I am now. The first step is digging deep to figure out what is most important to you. I like to travel, for example, but it’s not an overriding passion. But I am passionate about nature. Although we don’t travel much, my husband and I live in the middle of a forest. It took a lot of planning to make that happen, but we realized our dream.
For many people, sometimes the most difficult part is simply letting yourself dream. Many people start a journal or meditate. For me, hiking amidst trees clears my mind. Whatever it takes to quiet your mental chatter, I encourage you to take that first step. You deserve to be happy and your dreams are just waiting to be realized. Onward!