How often do you ask yourself what should you do the rest of your life? When I was younger I wish I had asked myself this question. Instead I just meandered through life allowing my future to be decided by circumstance. Sure I made major decisions. They were not made in the context of the question what should I do the rest of my life. The goal is to help make hard decisions about the future.
What am I doing with my life right now?
This is the question that we should ask first. We all need a frame of reference that can be used to measure the gap between these two questions. You may find out that what you are doing right now is exactly what you had planned. If so then that is awesome. What if it is not? Or what if you decide you need to move on from were you are now?
Get a pen and paper, your computer or mobile device and start writing. Write in great detail exactly what you are currently doing to spend your time each day. Each week. Each month. And even each year!
Read this carefully. Then ask yourself, is this what you want to do for the rest of your life?
Now is the time to ask the question, what should I do the rest of my life?
A different way to look at this question
Instead of thinking what do you want to do for the rest of your life consider this instead. What would you like to achieve in the future? In what way would you like to impact not only your life but also the lives of your loved ones, friends and associates?
Is what you are doing or would like to do going to make your life better?
Is it going to make the lives of others better?
Rather than living for the moment have you thought about leaving a legacy when you pass on? I do not mean to be morbid. I only bring this up because I suggest you think about ways you can leave your world a better place compared to where you are now.
If money was not a factor what would you enjoy doing every day?
Here’s the problem. Most of us have jobs for the sole purpose of financing our daily lives. We need money to pay the bills. Save for emergencies. Maybe even to pay to do something for fun!
The term to live within our means has been used as good advice. Think about this. Is that really the case?
If your means happens to be paltry, will you be able to afford all the things you would like to do? What do most people do in this situation?
They borrow money through credit cards and loans to finance activities today that must be paid with future earnings. Our consumer based society helps us create a noose around our freedom. We like to think we are free. But our freedom is limited by our ability do pay for what we would really like to do.
The catch for high income earners
I said above that in order to be truly free we need to have the means to pay for the things we want. Do you think that high income earners like doctors or lawyers have it easy? Think again!
Individuals in high paying jobs only get paid when they work. No work, no pay. And boy do they put in the hours, 50 to 60 hours a week. They are trapped by their careers. All the luxuries in life they can buy will not give them the time they need to enjoy what they own.
Worse yet. They can’t take off in a trip whenever they want to. Their families can only enjoy being with them in small increments if at all.
The harsh reality of life
Visualize a Bell Curve distribution of the population. Approximately 10% falls under the left edge of the curve. Another 10% falls on the right edge. The remaining 80% lie in the middle.
Most of us fall in the middle. We have jobs and are often stuck. We are dependent on our livelihood upon the companies we work for. And have you tried getting a raise or a promotion? These are hard to come by. And when you do succeed, does your pay jump up by a lot? The irony is you are expected to work much harder and achieve greater results in gratitude for the modest increase in pay you will be getting.
Doesn’t seem fair does it? Here’s a cold hard fact. Nobody promised you that life would be fair. If you live in the US, the Constitution only guarantees us the freedom to pursue happiness. Not happiness itself.
What about the 10% on the left? Sadly they happen to be in a group that for various reasons got left behind. The poor and helpless fall into this 10%. In some areas this number may even be higher.
It is the 10% on the right edge who do not have jobs like the rest of us. Let’s look at this 10% in more detail.
Building an ASSET vs Working in a JOB
An Asset may take a while to create. Such as writing a book, acting in a movie, or investing in real estate or the financial markets. When you create or own an asset it keeps paying you whether you work at it or not.It may take some time to build that asset to a level where it can pay you. Often while you are building your asset you do not get paid until it is complete.
The wealthy fall into the asset owning category.
In a job, we trade hours for money. With an asset, you trade money for hours. Owning a money generating asset gives you free time all the time!
How do we build an asset and fire your boss?
The best way to do that today is by using the Internet through Affiliate Marketing.
You would think that major companies like Amazon, Walmart and Nike do not need our help to make sales. Sales and profits are KING. And they will do whatever it takes to grow these numbers.
That is why they allow anyone to sign up with them to market their products independently. The incentive they give is a percentage of the sale price. The customer pays the same price no matter if they purchased directly from the company’s website. Or through the website of an Affiliate Marketeer. Isn’t that cool?
Affiliate marketers are able to help customers find solutions to various problems through helpful reviews and tips using their own websites that are structured to showcase the products discussed.
By selecting a niche, it is possible for an affiliate marketeer to provide engaging articles within their niche. Hence it is helpful if you selected a niche that you were an expert in as well as passionate about.
For example, you could be passionate about fitness. In this niche you could market fitness equipment, exercise programs, healthy eating and many more. However, it works best by narrowing the niche to one of these areas and projecting yourself as the expert.
There are many elements in building a successful online business. I’ll mention just one as an example. You will need to get enough traffic to view your website in order to make sales.
How would you like to see how it is done for free? All you’ll need to do is to click the link below and enter your email address. You will be transported to an amazing world where you can get trained to make affiliate marketing a money making tool! Welcome to my world of passive income!
Learn all about affiliate marketing for free
I’ll see you on the other side!
I’ve scattered several vacation shots taken by me to show you places you can travel to when you have time freedom in your life!
Interesting post you have here. This has really changed mindset. While reading your post, I had to jot down things I’m doing now, where I really want to be and what I really need to do to get there. I think it all boils down to one thing – determination. Rome was not built in a day; so I believe we can get what really want if we put our minds to it and work hard at it and above all stay consistent. Thanks for an interesting and eyeopening post.
Hello Bea, thank you for your thoughtful comments. I am glad you found something of value in my post. If you have any questions later about my website, just ask and I will be happy to answer.
In the meantime, enjoy life. It is too short.
Cheers!
Edwin
I truly appreciate your post as I being a mother always told my children, “you have the instruments try using them as you may just shock yourself.” Children are our future and I agree that the youth need all the help they can recieve and it can only happen because of loving, passionate, and caring people who believe they can be all they can be and more.
This post is simply great, it is the harsh reality people don’t alwys want to face. Sadly, people spend most of their years on earth building other people’s dreams and not being fulfilled, the end up as retirees left to look up to stipend called pension. It is very important to know rhat happiness is a major factor to consider when trying to figure out the kind of occupation and engagement activities to partake in as one age…
There are lots more lessons i have learnt from this post. Thank you very much for this great article.
Hi Edwin
It’s funny. I’ve asked recently to have all affiliate marketing reviews to be removed from my interests. I’ve found them bored and repetitive.
You’ve taken a very unique approach…challenge people to think about their lives and how they want to live. If they want a career to build wealth with hours, or build wealth generators through assets. Then you suggest AM as that asset.
Very well played.
I’ve been slacking off on mine, focusing more on my ‘career’ (job), but this may have just kicked me in the arse.
Thanks 🙂
Cheers
Dave
My husband and I have chosen to primarily build our assets via real estate. I like the idea of something physical that I can see and touch. Our IRA is tied up in our real estate. We are continually growing our real estate portfolio year after year and plan to semi-retire soon. Also, important is to build multiple streams of income. So we have long-term rentals and Air BNB vacation rentals added to the mix. I’m also a real estate agent in my state. Last year I started to build two new sites, one for me as a Realtor and the other an affiliate marketing site.
Annette, you brought a smile to my face 🙂 You got it girl! You and your husband are on the right track. Thanks for sharing your wonderful and achievable plans with me. Much success to the both of you!
Interesting and thought-provoking post. We all wish we could start all over again. I’m in my forties, and sometimes I wished I could go back to my twenties and correct some mistakes I made then. I want to leave a legacy behind, contribute to make this world a better place compared to how it is. For some years now, I’ve been working for myself, managing my time and investing into my future. Building an asset is better compared to doing the 9-5 work. I’m presently taken lessons on affiliate marketing that can provide me passive income
Thanks for discussing about this question what should I do the rest of my life?many times I do ask myself this question when I was working 15hours a day and this goes on year in year out until I think about how I am not making an impact on my life but serving my boss all through. This is not what I want as a person. I need to be free, have time for my family, enjoy my life the way I want it and am grateful for the decision I took then by building a new career in affiliate marketing before I later quit the job 6 months later. There is nothing like been your own boss.
You have an amazing life story Afolabi! Such a brave move quitting your job. But now you have the opportunity to build assets that will give you true time freedom. Congratulations and much success in your future.
Thanks for discussing about this question what should I do the rest of my life?many times I do ask myself this question when I was working 15hours a day and this goes on year in year out until I think about how I am not making an impact on my life but serving my boss all through. This is not what I want as a person. I need to be free, have time for my family, enjoy my life the way I want it and am grateful for the decision I took then by building a new career in affiliate marketing before I later quit the job 6 months later. There is nothing like been your own boss.
We become a product of our environment. If we hang around people who are always down, we become people that stay down. Stay around folks that are inspired to take action in life to make good things happen. And you will naturally try to mimic these groups of people and move on your dreams
We become a product of our environment. If we hang around people who are always down, we become people that stay down. Stay around folks that are inspired to take action in life to make good things happen. And you will naturally try to mimic these groups of people and move on your dreams
Hi Edwin,
i’ve worked for a good part of 20years and I can tell you categorically that there are not a lot of luxury vacations that I can take without thinking about its impact on the overall financial state of the family. And I can tell you that I was not doing something I would love to do for the rest of my life, until I decided one day that I was tired and needed to change my life. I’m glad to have come across your blog, I am now more determined than ever to become financially independent and be able to live the life that I always wanted.
Vapz, it is comments like yours that give me such a good feeling to know that my Blog is giving good people like you a new perspective on how to make ones priorities. I wish you much success in your quest for financial independence.
You really have made an interesting post, who read it will change the mentality of his . Actually nothing is made in a day, it takes a lot of time. If we still want to work together in a group, then we can do whatever we want and will be able to accomplish this.Thanks for an interesting post.
Hello,
This is a very interesting and insightful post you wrote here. The beginning made me think and reconsiderate many things about my life, my goals and where I am heading.
I have recently started learning abou Affiliate Marketing and created my own website about my niche and it’s really exciting to be working and writing about something I’m passionate about. This is just the beginning for me, but I think eventually all the hard work will pay off.
Thank you so much for your article.
Best,
Mariana
This was the exact question that hit me several years back when I was in my career dilemma. Don’t get me wrong – I love my job, or at least, that was what I thought in the beginning. I studied very hard and sacrificed a lot of social time just to be better at the job, but after awhile, I realized I wasn’t happy.
Maybe it was the rigid structure of my workplace, maybe it was my domineering boss – either way, that question led me to a heart-to-heart conversation with myself. It was then that I realized I wasn’t focusing on something that’s more important than credentials and money – my time, my freedom and my creativity were at stake. Before asking that question, I didn’t know that I need to protect and utilize these assets of mine.
Instead, I’ve been using them to build other people’s dream. I think it’s time to channel those efforts into building a happier future for myself.
Hi Cathy, glad I was able to give you a fresh perspective on what to do with your life. It makes the effort worth while. You got to pay yourself first. And invest what you pay yourself so that it will grow over the long term. WA provides us with the tools to create wealth. That is one part of the equation. Once we earn that money, we need to invest that wisely. I will be sharing more about my investing experiences in future posts. Lots of things NOT to do! Plus a few things TO DO.
This article is very informative. Whilst i was reading i was actually thinking about my future and what i would like my future to be like. I guess we all have to start investing into our futures otherwise we would end up anywhere or in some place that we don’t want to be. Wealthy Affiliate is a great program as this will support us in producing an income that will help us have a great future!