Stop Making Excuses

I was just talking to one of my clients on their last calls as they were graduating.

In the call he was asking me about some experiences from when I spent six to eight months living in my van or the back of my van.

What really stood out in this conversation was the discrepancy between the way that I was living at that moment and honestly… the way so many people live,

Which, to be clear, isn’t to say that it is better or worse.

It was just that in that moment I was living so presently.

Exactly as I wanted to.

I was going to sleep at 7:30-8:00 PM and I was waking up at 3:30-4:00AM every morning with a little red headlamp.

In the early hours I was reading Emerson, philosophy, science –

Things that really inspired me.

I was spending lots of time writing.

And I know not everyone has the privilege to leave their job and do something like this.

That’s not the point.

The point of this is to say that all of us do have free time and a way we would like to spend it that probably isn’t how we are currently using it.

More bluntly:

The vast majority of people spend the majority of their FREE time in a way they don’t like.

It’s crazy to me the amount of people who say

“Oh, I want to wake up earlier.”

Then… go wake up earlier?

You’re a grown adult.

No one is stopping you.

There are only a couple things that I can genuinely think of that would prevent you from spending the time that you want the way that you want.

One, you’re taking care of another human life.

Another heart relies on you to live.

Makes sense.

Your full time employment makes sense as well.

That’s a time barrier.

And then any sort of health, chronic health issues.

Those make sense as well.

I’m sure that there are others that I’m leaving out.

But stop telling people that you’re going to, or that you will, or that you want to live a certain way.

Just go fucking do it.

This isn’t about being hyper productive.

It isn’t about making tons of money.

It isn’t about spending time on yachts and private jets and drinking mojitos.

What are the small things in life that you genuinely want to do?

Do you want to read philosophy?

You’ve been saying you wanted to read philosophy for a long time.

Why don’t you pick up a damn philosophy book?

They’re free online.

You don’t need to spend any money.

The point of this whole rant is just go do the shit that you want.

If there are financial limitations, that’s fine.

I bet that there are other things that would make you more happy than the way that you’re spending your life right now.

Go find the things that are cost effective and free.

There are lots of them.

But stop using excuses