January 02, 2012

Plotting the lines

Have you ever asked yourself the point of working 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, and almost a third of your lifetime just to earn money and spending it over countless things? Is that all life is, waking up , working, paying bills, sleeping and doing it all over again?  That is like saying we live to work.  Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t we be working to live?


I have been thinking a lot about this lately, especially that I am not getting any younger. And as far as I know, life is short, and we have to do what we love in order to live. So as a starter post for 2012, I am declaring the destination I want in life. I'm warning you, this could get a little bit mellow and self-absorbed. :3

In the river delta to the east of Camurong, Occidental Mindoro
Everyone of us will eventually settle down and plan for retirement. I personally think that every human has this affinity to the natural environment because the world was as raw and untouched before we set foot in it. That is why we feel physically, emotionally and spiritually stable when we are in touch with nature, and why most people who get old k just wanted to withdraw into the countryside. Most people only plan for their retirement and the place where they would like to settle down once their hectic work schedule ends. However, in my case, I have already decided to settle down and quit the corporate ladder by 30.

Start gaining experience by exploring places as much as my body permits.
For now I admit that it's too early to stand on my own feet (or so I thought). I have a lot of things to learn and a myriad of experiences to make. So, while I'm in a stable job, saving and grabbing opportunities that can contribute to my well being, and forming healthy relationships with families and friends will be my top priority.

Living simply.
I just recently realized that it's pointless to acquire extravagant material wealth. Honestly I don't find it comfortable to have wads of cash spilling from my pocket. Big houses don't appeal to me... even a Ferrari, or Porsche, or Rolex, or Lacoste, or Sebago. They just don't.


I'd rather use my hard earned money (or if I will win the sweepstakes) to go places and experience the different cultures and food the world has to offer. With that, as early as now I will practice budgeting my expenses for my life-work balance and also for spontaneous adventures.

Build an online business and start investing while enjoying freelance work.
This may seem contradicting to the last paragraph but money can't be disregarded. These are blessings in the form of paper and metal. It's how we use them that matters. So to live my dream of doing what I love while earning, I can take up freelance/part timework on what I do best and build an online business to catch up with the market demand. It can be a photography shop or landscape design consultancy. But, I will not forget my dream of designing RPG environments. This way, I can enjoy working on my own pace without worrying on being late in the morning or doing overtime work. (haha)

Build a decent house/log cabin in the countryside.
While going places, I already considered taking into account the livability of the place I have gone according to what I want. In short, as part of my trips, I will search for the place where I will settle. Definitely it won't be in the city. It will be a place in the outskirts of the urban area but still has telecommunication services like internet and electricity, to name a few.


I will build my family there and teach my children the value of reading books, playing outside and handcrafting. We will grow our own crops, take lots of photographs, make friends with the neighbors and sometimes, go into the city.

Travel the world.
Of course, the main goal is to constantly travel the world and experience new landscapes everyday, meet different kinds of people and satisfy our senses with the things these places has to offer. It doesn't always need to be extravagant because the whole point of traveling is the experience and lessons, and not how much money has been spent on it. :)

***
Some may ask "what's the point of living if you already plotted out your future ahead of you?, etc." "There's no excitement!" they said.  I say, that's the point. To dream the things you want to do in life means having a destination to go to, saving yourself from excess anxiety, doubt and lost time... but not necessarily those things will go your way because there will always be setbacks, and that's where excitement enters.

One thing I learned from a friend while catching up yesterday is that, No matter what choices you make along the road of life, they will always lead to what you are made to do, as long as you are guided by faith, and gratitude.


---
all photos are from my archives shot with the Fujifilm XTRA SUPERIA 400 and DNP Centuria
the cover photo was shot by a good friend Jay using a toy camera with Kodak Colorplus200

15 comments:

  1. Plotting your future will entail you to have a vision. There are a lot of those (me included) who still haven't found what we're looking for (lol - U2 kasi ang nakaplay na music ko ngayon).

    This is a great post, Byron. Pagpatuloy mo toh. These are the kinds of posts that make you smile when you look back after 5 years or when you'll be 30. It'll make you realize how far you've come.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It felt liberating when I decided not to study medicine. Aside from the fact that it will eat at least 10 years of my life, ambagal ng career growth, well in my own opinion. Dati ko lang pinangarap maging isang doctor pero I realized that it's not my field. So yeah, been doing the things I love (freelancing, blogging, business) and I've never been this happy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. kung di kita kakilala I would think this is a work of a 25+ young professional who's in a quarter life crisis. O hope as you venture on building your future you'll not lose that spark, these plans can change through the course of time, but hopefully for the better.

    cheers to life and the near future! and don't forget to be a kid...wag kalimutan si Little Prince!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tama ka..kids should be exposed to nature instead of shopping malls.

    I had the same career plan/s (when I was your age -- lol oldie), when I was making enough money to supposedly save-invest-build my dreams ... I lost control naman. Too much fun, I had wasted precious time. So advise ko sayo is never delay yung "investing" part nang goals mo. Start as early as you can.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bold decision dude. Goodluck to you! I am sensing the quarter life crisis is coming-up quite early for you hehe! But seriously having a vision can definitely help you achieve lots a things. Just be ready for the little bumps and hiccups that you will encounter along the way. Believe me there will be a lot of them but having known you for sometime, I think you'll be fine.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would have to agree with Ed, Jerom and Drew. These are the kind of ideas that people in their late 20s realize. So for you to do it this early is already a big deal in itself. I only wish that you don't burnout like the rest of us when the reality of independence and struggles of life starts pushing you against the wall.

    But from what Shinobu said to Yuta, I think you're gonna be fine. And should problems arise, go back to this post of yours. =)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow. This is such a brave post! Wala lang, I'm always hesitant to share my dreams (especially the really lofty ones) online because I'm scared they might change, or not come true at all. Pero ang ganda lang that you have such a clear picture of what you want for your life in the long run. Not many people our age are as lucky. I, for one, believe na kayang kaya mo itong i-achieve!

    Sana ako rin malinawan soon, and I hope I'll be able to do post like this as well.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Now I asked myself should I give up or just keep on chasing pavements even if it leads nowhere? I have so many plans but have not started anything yet. I wish I could find the right path. Life is short, and you never know when it will come to an end. I get lost sometimes but feels good when you get back into the swing of things.
    Good Luck Byron!
    Don't take life seriously or else seriousness will take your life.
    Ang dami ko tuloy contemplation at selfrealization ngayon .

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is so inspiring, I haven't really thought about my life goals just yet. And ang bata mo pa k, 20 ka pa lang!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Goodluck! And yes, do the things you enjoy! The things that make you excited to wake up in the morning. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. and how old are you again??? hahaha. reading those words from someone as young as you are just gave me the creeps. made me ashamed for not accomplishing anything or planning for my future back then. lol. but am glad i was able to read this post as it allowed me to realize that i should start envisioning and planning for my future too even if i'm 10 years late. as for you byron, don't forget to have fun. just make sure you continue doing what you love to do and in case you get lost along the way, you know where to reach us. we'll surely help you get back on track ;-) goodluck to you! =)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Amazing goal Byron, i wish you well and lots of luck. :)

    I feel sad that i took a small detour in my collegiate plans but no matter, i will get past it and like you i'm still young-- younger. LOL and this is the perfect time to map out our life and pave the path that we want to take. :)

    hopefully our paths will cross too as nomadic spirits bent on conquering the world! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. you somehow mentioned some of these lines last time sa CBTL. it feels good knowing what you want as early as now. i can sense another nomad in the making. ;) live your life the way you want it, dream big, think big! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. ehem. see christian, one liner comment! lol

    ReplyDelete

It would be nice to get a feedback from you :)