Dare to Dream Again

When is the last time you just sat down and wrote out a list of things you wanted to do? Dare to dream a little again. Where do you want to travel? Where would you stay? Make your dreams something grand. People talk about being passionate about their jobs or career, but not about activities not related to work.

Passion on Career or Activities?

It is fine that you are passionate about your career, but life is more than just your career. I think you would agree having grand experiences or adventures is something to be more passionate about than a career. Maybe you want to go to some foreign country and help people build a home or a water well to supply the village.

Your career can be a way to fund these experiences. Everyone’s career is that of a doctor who saves lives. Most people have regular careers and want to do something unique away from work.

I like the book by Tim Ferriss “The Four Hour Workweek.” Tim Ferriss explains how to have mini-retirements throughout your life. Do not wait until retirement to finally do the things you want to do is the message. Most of the items on my dream list are very doable with modest money. Another message in the Four Hour Workweek is not own grand things like a sports car or a McMansion, but to experience life.

Own a Second Home?

Use the money you would have spent on things and experience life and live like a millionaire. Here are a couple ideas. You can rent a million dollar home in St. Thomas for about $5,000 to $7,000 a month. For the same amount you can rent a beautiful log cabin home in Montana for a month. So for about less than 1% of the value of the house you can spend a month in luxury. You do not have to OWN a second home, but RENT a second every single year.

Why save all your money to buy the second home when your retire in some location when you can rent the same home today?

After all when you retire are you really going to live all year in your second home? No. Most people only spend a couple weeks out the year in the second home. The rest of the year the home sits empty or maybe you risk renting the home.

Seems to me that renting a second home now instead of waiting to own a second home makes better sense.

Time to Make a List

Now it is your turn to sit down and write out a list of your goals and dreams. Remember this a list of things you want to DO, not things you want to OWN or BUY. For most people a list of things to do will have more passion than buying something. How about taking the whole family on a cruise to the Caribbean? How about taking your spouse on a trip to Hawaii or France?

Make a dream list of experiences. For me personally for the first 20 to 30 items were easy, but then became difficult. You can always add items to the dreams or goals list after you make your initial list. Writing a goals list or dreams list will get your creative juices flowing and more ideas will come into your mind all the time.

Action Step: For 20 to 30 minutes make a dreams list of things you want to do. Do not cross any item off or think something is impossible just make out the list. Then pick one item to focus on for next week to see how you can accomplish that one goal.