What Would You Do
Recently, Steven Bartlett asked Ryan Holiday on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, “what would you do with your life if you didn’t have to work?”
So let’s talk about this. As adults, our lives revolve around work. To pay the bills. Support our dreams, goals and support our families. Because of these obligations and responsibilities, we see work as a means to an end. As a necessity and in many respects it is. Have you ever wondered what you would do with your life if you did not have to work?
The question is useful to ask and meditate on. One day you will retire. Or maybe, you will not be able to work as you can today.
Primarily, however, the question is to gauge how you will spend your time. To see what you find important. What you value. So I’ll go first:
Each day I will wake up early. 5am is a good start time. Take a cold shower or cold plunge, then make some coffee. I would read and talk with my partner while the kids woke up. We would go for a quick 15-20 minute walk and come back to have breakfast. Everyone will get ready for the day and the kids get dropped off at school. My partner would go to work and I would sit down to write. This blog, contributing towards a book or other articles I am working on. I’d go for a workout. Either rowing, swimming or cycling and have lunch. Then, I would spend the afternoon reading and other home tasks. Such as laundry or going to the grocery store. Then, pick up the kids. Go home and play, have a snack and help facilitate their homework. My partner and I would make/get dinner together while the kids played. We eat together and have thought provoking conversation. We get the kids ready for bed and read them to sleep. We would have a game night or movie night as a family, on a weekly basis. Once the kids are asleep my partner and I would have a slow evening. Catching up on the day and recounting moments of the day. We would have a quiet evening. Maybe we watch a movie or a series. Play a board game. We would read, journal, talk and have other intimate conversations and moments. Bed time would be between 10-11 pm.
You may think all of this is woo-woo. Unrealistic or not possible. I however, see this differently. Even if the ideal day is not as I described above, my intentions are there. And because my intent exists, I now it’s a matter of time and will for this to actually happen. It will not go perfectly each day. Yet, even if one day per week is how I described above, that is a win.
For me, not having to work would mean my time and focus are on the things that matter most to me. My family and my writing.
Now, it’s your turn.
Define what your ideal life would be if you did not have to work. So that you can see what you value. If you do not have an answer to fill the void without work, than this is a good thing. This is life telling you to discover who you are. What you love and why. This is only done through experimentation. Go do stuff. Try stuff. It’s quite simple.
Thought Provoking Questions : The point of this thought exercise is so that you discover what matters to you. What would you do if you did not have to work?
Daily I write and release a daily meditation. A quick read. Sharing wisdom and asking thought-provoking questions. Influenced by the obstacles, success and failures in my life and of others. Using history, books, current events, philosophy, and ancient wisdom. These writings are actionable, thought-provoking, designed to make your life better.
These writings are not to push a way of thinking on the reader or to force you into a certain philosophy or methodology. Rather to give you practical and real ways to handle life. This is an added tool. My writing is simply a discussion, a discourse, with all the material I read, watch, hear and consume.
What are your thoughts on this piece? Comment below…