What Do You Want to Do?

When I ask Steve what he wants to barbeque, he says, "Everything."  When people ask what are we going to do now that we've given up serious work, it's the same response, "Everything."  I want to do everything!  There are so many things to do and our list is so long, I wonder how we'll cram it all in, even if we had 50 years or more!

 

I didn't always feel that way.  For many years, I was well stuck on the 'consumption treadmill' and didn't even think of getting off.  Earn more money, get bigger stuff, earn more money, get bigger stuff...  And I enjoyed what I did, but I never looked at the alternatives and I never thought about what I would do when I reached a point were I got off the treadmill (retirement) or was pushed off the treadmill (loss of job, health, economic crisis).  I never even really considered not being on that treadmill until one day when Steve said, "I don't really want to work anymore, I'd like to 'retire' in 5 years."

 

I tried to think about what he said and drew an utter blank...but what would I DO?  All of my goals, targets and achievements had been centred around two things, (the most important) raising my daughter and making more money.  I defined myself and my success through work.  It's what I thought about, what we talked about (we ran a company together so that was dinner table conversation), and what I did for 10-14 hours a day, every day.  And I liked it!  We lived in London, had the high flying, work hard, play hard lifestyle.  It was exciting and all consuming.  We were having a great time and now we were going to do...what?

 

But it was also making us old, that lifestyle takes a big toll.  Living in separate countries during the week, eating at restaurants for three meals a day (not too terrible, but you constantly console yourself with food and get fat) and having our only moments of closeness over the mobile phone was taking a big toll.  Steve had the sense to see that there were alternatives, I hadn't even considered them.  Stepping off the treadmill...uh okay, but what would we DO? 

 

At first my list of what we would do was empty, a complete blank.  My view of retirement was what you did when you got too old to work and you then spent your time on the golf course and playing bridge (no offense to the golfers / bridge players in the audience, but oooohhhh nnnooooo!!) - really boring until you died (probably of the boredom!).  I had no idea what we would do (visions of rocking chairs dancing in my head!). 

 

Then a few things crept onto the list.  I've always wanted to learn to dance (ballroom, latin) really well, but never had the time for it, that could go on the list.  I looked longingly at my photo albums and stacks of pictures, stories just waiting to be written - that could go on the list.  We wanted to learn to sail and then go sailing.  The list of places to visit began to grow and ways in which we wanted to see them grew too (via motorbike, sailboat, RV, tandem bicycle).  The list of things to do grew longer too - learn Italian, walking tours in England and in Europe, learn to play music, go back to drawing, painting, writing.  All of sudden (actually it was more like two years), the trickle of ideas became a flood!  The list was full, overflowing and now it's at the point where I don't know how on earth we'll ever fit it all in!

 

The idea of not working moved from being a blank and scary unknown to intensely interesting, fascinating and something that will consume our attention for years.  We've defined what 'everything' is for us and we want to do it all - even if we have to start project managing to fit it all in!

 

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot.  Michael Althsuler

 

What are the things on your list?  If you got off the treadmill (for whatever reason), would you encounter a blank, empty place or would you be thrilled because you finally have the chance to do EVERYTHING on your list?