Things aren’t really going according to “plan” this summer (head on back to my post from June 13th to find out about plans.) That’s not to say that I had a lot of things planned out…but it feels like I’m turning in circles a lot more than normal, spinning my wheels, not really sure what to do next. That’s an odd feeling for me – usually I’m quite organized and I have a fairly good idea what I intend to accomplish on any given day.
I think what’s shaken me up this summer is that I’ve been at home for so long. Like the majority of corporate employees, working entirely from home is an anomaly and it’s taking some getting used to. Not saying I don’t love it…I do! But it takes a concerted effort and much discipline to continue to concentrate on “work” when “home” is so close and there are so many tasks to do…
It’s even harder to concentrate when I throw retirement activities into the mix! Sure, retirement is still a little way off but that doesn’t mean it’s not on my mind. Oddly, whenever I conjure up images of “retirement” in my mind, I get images of our timeshare. Chances are very good that we will NOT be spending any substantial amount of time at a Vidanta resort in retirement…unless our retirement income turns out to be substantially higher than what I’m expecting it to be! But it’s nice to dream…that’s what got us into Vidanta in the first place. I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend time in a place that looks like this, especially when there’s someone else doing ALL the maintenance and cleaning (and most of the cooking!):
But, alas, it’s not without a hefty pricetag…and THAT, my friends, is the reason for all my activity in the online realm. There are SO MANY options for earning extra income…and NONE of them are limited to “certain people”! Unlike many jobs in the corporate world that we’re all accustomed to, where you might find yourself suddenly being downsized for any number of reasons, online income isn’t picky. You can be 20 years old 👱 👨 or 80 years old 👴 👵 and you’ll have the same opportunities. There are no biases when you’re working digitally/electronically – if you can produce the desired results, in the timeframe and budget required, you can get the work! No need to resort to being a Wal-Mart greeter! 🙋 🙋♂️ 🙋♀️
The important thing to keep in mind when you’re considering the type of gig you want to start is your lifestyle. When you are no longer working for someone else in a 9-5 job, what do you want to do? What will your day look like? I’ve talked about this before…it’s really important to have a clear picture in your mind of what you want your life to look like. Then when you’re making choices – and life is ALL about choices – there are always only two questions to answer:
- Is this activity going to lead me toward my ideal lifestyle?
- Is it something I actually want to do?
If the answer to either question is NO, then it’s not an activity to pursue. Of course, there will be times when the second question is overruled – sometimes you have to do things you simply don’t want to do! But generally speaking, when you’re done with the craziness of the 9-5 world, your time is your own. So make sure you’re using it wisely. If you’re just starting out and building a business, or if you’ve got a great business already running, you’re going to want to focus some of your time on it, for sure. But as the saying goes, work ON your business, not IN your business.
Not everyone is looking for “more” in retirement. Many people are happy with what they’ve got and have no desire to travel or go outside the comfortable sphere that they’ve made for themselves. That’s perfectly okay too! I’m certainly not trying to say that there is a requirement to earn money and travel and try new things. That’s the whole point of the Ideal Day exercise I wrote about earlier…take some time and figure out what your ideal day involves. Maybe it’s a leisurely breakfast with the morning newspaper, followed by a stroll up the street to greet your neighbours and get some fresh air. Or maybe it’s sleeping till noon every day because you’re a night owl and you’re up till 3AM watching Netflix! That’s okay too…the important part is RECOGNIZING what it is you desire, so you can move toward it now in preparation for the next stage of your life. If you’re already in that next stage, GREAT! Are you living the life you want to be living? If so, keep on as you are; if not, it’s time to look at how you can fix that.
If you’re wondering about what you can do online, or are unsure of how to get started, drop a comment here or email me – there’s a link at the top of the page. We can discuss various options that are open to you and figure out which road you want to start down. No matter where you are in life, having a GOAL makes sense.
