I have been going through a mid-life assessment for the last year or so:
1. Do I want to travel and experience the world with my kids?
Yes, but I dont want the grunt and I will be poorer without the work it involves :|
I am free to make my own time, but seemingly, not free to do it on my own selfish terms.
2. Why do I work? Is it not for fun?
I guess I am emulating these investors who read for a living; and the question is: Do I enjoy reading? Or do I like the idea of being a reader? An inch wide and a mile deep my friend said; but I prefer 2 inches deep and a mile wide.
3. Isnt it time I prioritize health and happiness over mindless gluttony, sloth, greed, envy and ambition?
Yes, and my move to the new home has helped me immensely - surprising how life's events can surprise us.
4. Do I have any friends? Do I long for anyone?
Here too, I have felt the tug of life's pace.
Therapy made me realise that I was caught living between 2 ends of the spectrum; the person I didnt want to become and the person my wife wanted me to be. Non-blissfully ignorant of my strained situation.
The self knew it and did not know it at the same time.
5. Have I begun racing through life because of the need to optimise time and ROI?
Yes. There is an X amount I make per day, so how can I waste time going to a book store? I ought to buy it online right?
Rory Sutherland awakened me to this and so did the Good Life book, four thousand weeks book, Wait; Rick Guerin's obituary.
The joy of doing is slipping away because we can suddenly do so much.
Is there any merit in physically shopping for groceries? I am taking N to a market tomorrow
Shouldnt I pick what I want to watch, before I begin browsing? The cable TV allowed us to surf aimlessly, but that graduated to the OTT VOD platforms, where we are no longer watching anything intently? Hence, I aim to build a DVD collection of old movies
6. My old story of ' this TV works fine, and hence I dont need a new TV' , vs ' Why am I using an old broken kettle, when Louis XI would have killed to have a beautiful useful piece at home'
Shouldnt I upgrade my life to maximising joy from the leisurely things I love? A good manually ground coffee in a french press, a beautiful pair of shoes that can elevate my walking, a handsome kettle in which I can boil water for my tea? or should it be a stove top old school kettle that is energy inefficient and time consuming?
7. Is it important to read 40 books a year, or shouldnt I prioritise re-reading some great books? Why do I not have the time to read the Lord of the Rings again?
Our world of plenty is throwing at us options for what to do with our free time. It could be mindlessly scrolling through Insta, a leisurely walk, learning how to make a dosa, reading a book or reading a synopsis and believing that you have done it.
Slow down. Watch my children grow. Take charge of my health. Be mindful. Minimize regret.
