Living the Dream. To a Degree, Anyway.
I have had this long-standing dream on how I would like to live. Some people dream about a home on the beach, or having certain possessions, and that's all good, but for me, I have long imagined myself living in a cabin on a mountainside somewhere, where I am surrounded by nature. My days are spent writing my best-selling novels.. Often this scene includes a winter storm (that I don't have to go out into), a fireplace, and a dog at my feet.
That vision is old... It predates meeting my wife and having kids, and from what I can recall, it formed even before I had any familiarity with the internet (in this dream I am using an old typewriter...).
I may not be a best-selling author, and I may not be in a cabin surrounded by nature (although there is a deer trail at the end of the street and the first year in this house, I was surprised to wake one morning to find a dozen wild turkeys on my lawn), but I did have to smile a bit the other day when i realised that it had snowed and I didn't have to go out and clean the car and shovel in order to go to work. I just had to sit down at the computer.
So, I'd say that I'm about... maybe... 40% of the way there. I am doing something that I have always wanted to do, and making money doing it. I am working at home (though admittedly, until my sites pick up, I am going to need to supplement things with an outside job), and I am setting my own schedule. All in all, it's pretty darn cool.
What kind of dream do you have? Do you want to sit under a tree somewhere working on your site? Do you want to lay on the sand at the beach relaxing because your site is earning without your constant attention? Where would you like to be in 5 years (or less)?
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In five years my husband will be very close to retiring and my youngest child will be moving out into the world, though in all honesty, he may still be living with us...he has special needs.
I want to be out of debt, including the house, and to be starting to make enough money so that my husband and I can travel whenever we please, which has been a dream we have share even before we first married.
I don't need a massive income and I don't need a lot of "things" in my life. I just want to be able to live comfortably and to be able to see and share the world with my husband.
Thanks for sharing your dream!
For most people, real happiness is tied to experiences, not things. so I think travel and seeing the world would be great!
To me happiness is about experiences as well as being grateful for what you have at any given moment...being happy with who you are. Its about being greatful.
Congratulations Craig, I think most of us would take 40% of our dream life. My dream is similar to yours, except it would be somewhere warm, with a beach close by. Where I would like to be in five years is basically where I am now but more time somewhere warm and writing children’s books. Additional income coming in so I can travel more frequently. Working on it.
Well, as long as you are continually moving forward, you will eventually reach your destination!
Hi Craig,
Thanks a lot, this post is great. 5 years from now hopefully lesser :) I can see myself already reaping the benefits of my hard work today. It is not easy and sometimes discouraging (just a bit) because you thought that you put something out there and expect somehow it'll show some results (even a bit) but then there is none. Sometimes too it's also hard to come up with topics to write about but I know with persistence and keeping a vision that it will pay off in the long run, is something that really motivates me to keep going. I don't want to be like my better half traditionally working hard until now and when I look at him while lying in the sofa watching TV in the evening, my heart is being ripped like I pity him and I will go and hug him. He's suppose to be enjoying his life at this stage but..... And that's why I want to be successful in this and WA has given me the opportunity to be one day become someone who will have more time and freedom to enjoy the beautiful things in life.
Cheers,
Arline :)
Yes, keep at it and the rewards are sure to follow!
I know what you mean about your better half having to work so hard... I went through the same, working two full-time jobs and not really enjoying life. Presently, my wife is working pretty hard, taking all the overtime she can get to supplement what I am earning. I'm hoping that my earnings can grow quickly so that I can take some pressure off of her and start giving back.
Likewise, I hope so too. Let's all keep that fire burning inside us and our beautiful dreams alive, not to forget to work hard and of course have some fun on the side. I am grateful to be in this community with amazing people like you and everyone. (2 thumbs up and a smile :)
I typically do my web work sitting outside in Garden City or Surfside Beach, so once it's warmer again that's where I'll be. For now I work inside with the same kind of view. My dream is to continue pressing forward where the sites are making money and I can be out in the surf as often as possible. Typical beach rat! lol
I would like to make enough money to not have to constantly turn over the pennies, pay off all debt and spoil my family, just a little. Mostly, I would like to offer my services for free, in counseling or writing and not need to charge, just help. That feeds my soul!
That's wonderful.
I agree, I would like to be able to do things for the enjoyment of it, and not because I need to be paid.
Good Morning Craig,
In 1981 I bought a ruin which at that time was 150 years old. I spent all my money, hard physical work, and sweat on this project over more than 35 years. I would love to build one more house with all the modern gadgets available now because I will be an old lady in a few years and I don't like the 2 staircases this big house has. I love creating and the idea for this new house is on mm paper already.
In 1972 my grandfather suddenly died in the south of France.
I inhereted an old, flat little Colibri typewriter and till I got my computer in 2013 I ruined my nails on it. By the way, did you see my monthly WA post?
Greetings from the south of Spain, Taetske
That sounds really nice! It must be immensely satisfying to have built something like that.
While i have always had this vision of a log cabin, I also like older, rustic homes (but with modern conveniences). I think rebuilding/ renovating an older home would probably be very rewarding.
I dreamed of a site that will supply my needs on my retirement. So far this time I am seeing a dollar or dollars weekly from AdSense and I know that is only the start.
By the time I gain the trust of affiliate programs maybe I can earn enough for me to sit and enjoy vacations to other areas but most of all where the roots of our family is, the place where I was born,
Nice. Yeah, I think for many people, getting to a point where we can stop worrying about bills and start enjoying life is the goal.
If you are earning regularly-- even if it's only a few dollars-- that's great. You just need to grow that a bit.
Wow! That brought me to another place and time! I imagined all sorts of things! Thanks for that very descriptive imagery! I, too, am an author, and can imagine the serenity of a place like that where writing becomes a whole other world.
Thank you for taking me away for the moment! I am even more motivated now to make this work!
Well, that's good to hear!
I have had this image in my head for a long time and it only dawned on me recently how it has semi-manifested. No wonder I have been feeling strangely content lately. I still have a ways to go, but I have had a sensation of being rather satisfied recently and I suspect that it's all related.
Great article, Craig. I can see your talent as a writer. I enjoy writing as well. Started writing a novel when I was in junior high. Never finished it, though.
I already live in a mountain cabin in the woods with a noisy creek right outside my kitchen door. And currently have a fire in the woodstove warming the house and throwing cozy firelight into my living room. And a dog on the couch beside my desk. So I guess I'm living part of your dream!
My dream as a kid was to live on about 80 acres of Iowa farmland in a big, white, square two story farmhouse. And of course, I had a dog and a horse or two!
I love where I live, so my dream is different than my childhood one. Nowadays, my dream is to have a second home in an exotic location somewhere near the beach. I've been reading International Living magazine, and that dream is still in the developmental stages. But it does include having a business to support the lifestyle of a "part timer", as we refer to the snowbirds who fly south to get out of our winter weather. And I see myself sitting at my desk overlooking the ocean, with balmy breezes playing with the curtains on my open window. My wire haired fox terrier and my black lab bask in the sun in the doorway while I contentedly type away at the first chapter of my third best seller. Life is good!
That sounds awesome. Yeah, I should maybe start dreaming about a second home someplace exotic,,,,
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My dream is take awesome road trips across the US on the some of the most scenic highways as well as visiting unique antique shops and museums in towns along the way. That is my biggest dream and not have to worry about having the money or finding the time in order to do it.
Sounds great!
I'd love to go RVing cross-country.
That would be so much fun! One of these days, it will happen.