So, I am currently reading this book called, The Black Girl's Guide to Financial Freedom, by Paris Woods (don't worry, the book review is to come very soon), and her chapter Dream, start's off the introduction by asking her readers a very important question: What would you didn't have to work for money? Now, I'm sure that we have all been asked this at least once in our life, and I'm sure that we all have an instinctual answer to what the response would be.
I've honestly never liked this question. It is a question that often has a positive/negative or success/fail connotation behind it because we (at least most of us) are not doing what we would prefer to be doing for ourselves if money was not an object for us. But the undeniable truth is that money is a factor in our modern life. So to compare ourselves to a reality where it isn't seems ridiculous for me.
In the chapter, Wood tells about how she went to a Black philanthropists program, where she met a woman who asked her a question very similar to this infamous question. However, this time, not only did she ask in a way that allowed you to consider this answer in a more depth perception, she also asked with the intention that would allow you to consider it in a way that allow you to work towards your long term goals. She simply asked, "How do you envision your life 20 years into the future?".
Are these two questions similar to you? Well, the former question seems to be more imaginative and can be deemed as unpromising. The latter question is supposed to be considered with a more realistic approach to you and your current state, and where you realistically see yourself in the future. Now, your response to the latter question can in fact, be more imaginative, if you haven't taken a realistic approach. At the end of he day, this life is what you truly make of it. I've reached a point in my life where I am ready to stop fighting my journey and start embracing what's truly for me: in love, in desire, in discipline, and in peace.
I believe that we cause so much chaos in our own lives because we are so afraid to embrace our truest selves and natures. Call me a transcendentalist, after all, I've always gravitated to the concept since I first came across it my freshman year of high school. As I've gotten older, I have learned that it was definitely for a reason. If you don't know what transcendentalism is, or you want a better approach to understanding it, no worries, I will do a blog post on it sometime in the future.
Now, as I have said, I'm at a point of my life where I am ready for a new perspective, for change. I have made some adjustments (even sacrifices) in my life in order to work towards my bigger picture of what I see for myself, 20 years from now. This can become a very overwhelming concept to consider, since life is also so unpredictable. So, the easiest way that I would advise to go about this is to think of an overall "theme" for what you see for your future.
Please know that there are no wrong answers. This is not about judgement. This is about ownership. This is about embracing who we truly are and how we truly feel, so that way we can become the best versions of ourselves that we truly want to be. For some, it may be fame or wealth. It may be become the greatest athlete for whatever sport is of your interest. Perhaps, not even the greatest. Perhaps you simply enjoy the sport and want to ensure that no matter what happens, you want to always purse the activity as a pastime. Perhaps this is because, despite your enthusiasm for the sport or job, you also have a family. And as you've developed as a person and a parent, you've come to realize that you want to be more involved in your home.
When I used to think of what will bring me peace in future, I used to imagine a moment in time, a snapshot if you will, of what that would like. I even wrote about it in my old blog. I had always imagined being in a different country, in an infinity pool with my life partner, sharing intimacy as we watched the sunset. We had kids, but they aren't present right now. But that's because they're off at Disney World with their grandparents. I would be in a place like Bora Bora, which means that I was in the financial position that would allow for the life that I imagine. There was so much more behind this snapshot that I created in my mind. This is how I envisioned my life, my life, my future.
When I envision my life 20 years from now, I picture wealth, but not just wealth for myself, but generational wealth. I imagine having cultural wealth. I imagine having spiritual wealth. I imagine wealth of the mind. As far as work, I would be an artist, and having my own space to paint, dance, write, whatever my creativity takes me. I envision myself having a loving partner, who works to understand me, I as work to understand him. Someone who is loving and supportive. Someone who isn't perfect, but pure. Someone who makes it an effort everyday to move with honor and respect, as I do the same. And for the days where we are at odds or on the days he "hates" me, he still loves me. And I the same.
So to be the specific, if someone were to ask me, "What would you didn't have to work for money?", my answer would be to become an artist. I would travel this world to witness the beauty of this world and express it as I artistically see fit. But, if you would ask me, "How do you envision your life 20 years into the future?" , it probes a much more thought-provoking response. But remember, as I said before, this life is what you make it. I now realize it's not just about envisioning your future. It's also about making necessary changes and actions that will allow you to reach that vision.
So I ask you: "How do you envision your life 20 years into the future?".
Get to it.
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