Channel Mike

I had a thought the other day that struck me as containing a lot of depth and wisdom. I've had the same thought many times before, and I'm certain that many others have had it before I have, but perhaps it struck me in a different context this time around.

Imagine winning a billion dollar lottery today and retiring tomorrow. Where would you live? What would you do with your time? Can you live there now? Can you be doing that now?

We need to have a certain cash-flow to get by in life, at least in a civilized society. This idea of simply doing what we want is overly simplistic. We all must be responsible and take care of our commitments. But there are multitudes of schemes for making a living, and there are all sorts of things that people like to do. If you can move your thinking beyond the vacation you'd like to take and move on to longer-term thinking about what you really want to do every day of the rest of your life, even after your vacation is over, this insight can be a powerful key to living a rewarding life.

If you're in a job you don't like, it's a rut. It will have a paycheck and some comfort in familiarity. But where is it taking you? Do you want to do it until you retire? And then what? What will you be doing in your retirement? I guess this whole idea boils down to the advice our older relatives have been giving for generations: "Find a job you love." Find a way to do what you'd be doing for free and make a living at it.

As for myself, I like to solve problems and puzzles. I like to ask questions and seek real answers. So I'm trying to work my way into a career in medicine and research. If I can eventually get paid to do what I'd be doing anyway if I were a billionaire, the only difference will be who's funding my lab. Beautiful! I won't even want the money anymore. Everything I would have bought with it will be in front of me.