I’m scared.

I’m scared that one day I will be forced into a situation where I live a 9-5 existence, where an alarm clocks tells me to wake up and I live only for the weekends.

Its this fear of the arbitrary 9-5 system, that seems to be imposed on the zombie masses, which keeps me awake at 4am in the morning while I try and fix that little shite of a software bug that’s been causing me grief.    I could easily ignore the bug, pass it onto another developer in the hope that it may one day be fixed.   Yet, its this fear of mine has forced me to take action, get me off my tushy and achieve my goals, now.  Its a fear that has stopped me from just closing my eyes and hoping things will just happen.

Fear is a good thing for me.  It probably is for you too.  All the free thinking, spirit loving, do gooders would now take the opportunity to tell me I need to “conquer my fears” as they are holding me back.  What? Seriously? Fear is one of my biggest motivators.  The fear that your blog is going to fail miserably is probably what caused you to write that fear busting post in the first place.  (you can hate on me in the comments).

Sure, goals also are a big motivating factor.  I’m not going to lie to you, I want a private yacht, a modest island and fast cars.  Yet, they don’t motivate me as much as fear.

If you’re stuck in a 9-5 job and unhappy, maybe you should embrace your fears as well.  Think about this – for the next 20+ years of your life, you’re going to wake up to an alarm clock, dread going to work on a Monday and live only for the weekend.  The days will blend into weeks, which will merge into months and years and bang!  Suddenly you’re 50, retiring, and can finally “live”.  Unfortunately you now have a busted hip, are unable to party like you’re 20 and spend your days travelling on cheesy tours in a group of other like-minded folks.

That might sound alright to you – if it is, then lifestyle design isn’t for you.  Stop reading this blog and the countless others.  Ignore us.  However if that lifestyle scares you, then maybe you should be doing something about it.

I want to flip the arbitrary 9-5 lifestyle upside down, so that I can do the “living” bit, starting now, and continue it until there is no breath left in me.

Of course, there are going to be plenty of “doubters”.  They will tell you to “come back to the real world” and will try and convince you that the 9-5 lifestyle they live is “real” and what your doing is somehow “fake”.  Believe them if you will, argue with them if you’re game.  Or, do what I do and get so high on yourself, and what you believe in, that its simply impossible to comprehend any other possible lifestyle.

Its also important, when choosing to get high on yourself, to be brutally honest.  If you really want a fast car and a private island, don’t be afraid of that.  Don’t think you have to live a minimalist lifestyle or only work “4 hours” a week in order to be happy.  You sure as hell may find out that once you have that island and car, that itd not really “you”.  But don’t deny those thoughts from yourself.

Live a little.

P.S – So its a New Year, that means new travels.   This year I want to hold meetups with users of Task.fm and folk who are interested in lifestyle design, productivity or simply want a drink on me.  I’ll be in Seoul, London, Glasgow and Bangkok this year.  Let me know if you are, or plan to be in these locations so we can put together some meetups.

Photo By – illuminaut