This is a response to @basilesamel’s post about his thought experiment: What if I’m given $1million now? How would that change your life (or not)?

I love collecting questions, and I love a good, simple question more than a great answer. Because answers get outdated, while good questions always opens up new possibilities, answers, solutions, paths. I talked at length about it here.

That question got me thinking if my life was aligned to my dreams and aspirations if money was not an issue. You kind of have to suspend reality a bit to ask this question honestly, because money does matter in many decisions we make in life. It might sound unrealistic for pragmatists out there, but the key part to this question is how it shows us signal over noise. Because let’s face it: a lot of what we do in our lives are noise that doesn’t ultimately bring us closer to our deepest dreams. Noise kind of creeps up on us in our lives, and like the proverbial frog in boiling water, we let it boil us alive. After seeing the signal from the noise, we can then start on acting on fulfilling our dreams, even if we didn’t have the $1 million.  

So what will I do? 

If I had $1 million, I would…

? Snowball it by re-investing to provide a sustainable income

? Pay off my housing debt

? Quit all client work (progressively)

?‍? Work solo and make products that I love making - whether for free, open-source or for profit is secondary

✈️ Travel and live a nomad life for the most part of each year, with my wife, family and parents

?️‍♂️ Get seriously fit and healthy and enjoy well-being

? Go for courses, conferences, and learning new stuff online, especially coding

? Go on spiritual practice retreats - meditation, Ayurveda, yoga

The thing that surprised me most was how my current life isn’t aligned, when it was just a year ago. Back then, most of that list would have been about work. I remember that fiery, passionate, prideful sense of mission and purpose then. And it was sooo recent. So much can change in a year. Even some of my most fundamental priorities I previously held on as perennial had since shifted.

But what’s great about this questioning is how it makes me feel optimistic about what I need to do next. I’ve already taken the first steps in doing some of it. Just need to re-focus efforts towards making those happen!

? Day 25 of the #200wad challenge.