I'd Buy That For A Dollar

And other thoughts on spending time for yourself

Everything is for sale and it’ll all make you feel better about yourself

I have been pushing it too far lately. We all are guilty of it these days. I hear it all the time from others.

I get into this mindset that if I'm sitting around doing nothing, I waste my time. I've noticed friends and family feel the same way. I don't think things were always like this. When I was younger, it felt like people went on vacation and did nothing. Now people take time off to work on their "projects". Those include things like making crafts to sell. Writing poetry to sell. Studying something to make more money. Working their second job to make more money.

There are days when I feel I’ve awoken to some strange dystopian future. There’s the scene in RoboCop when that guy screams out I’d buy that for a dollar and it’s as if you could encapsulate our current reality completely using it.

There are absurdities I never envisioned witnessing that appear to populate more frequently with each passing day. The addiction to work and the capitalist system aren’t the only ones, but they stick out the most. Years ago I found myself in the thick of my financial planning journey. Several of them suggested taking time off work to focus on other monetary projects if you felt worn down.

I’m guilty of squeezing my free time for money too. I mean, this newsletter accepts paid subscriptions and I do freelance work to supplement my income. Even posts like this one must be carved out of time focused on making money from writing. No one is escaping this anytime soon.

The truth is we are trying to gain ULTIMATE freedom, which is the ability to have enough money to be able to say NO. We spend every waking hour trying to get to that number and the majority of us may never get to it. Godspeed to those that do.

Here’s to those moments of momentary rest. You have earned it, no matter what your brain tells you.