About a year ago Ron Jackson of DNJournal told my story to the world, a rags to riches story, one you have heard many times by now of those who started with very little and achieved financial independence. What is financial independence then and is it the end of all means? I have a nice car although I hardly use it these days. I have a nice house although I spend most of my time in front of a 24 inch computer screen. I have a gym membership although I hardly ever use it. I have the option to jump on a private jet in a moment’s notice to have dinner in Vegas although I have yet to do it. Yes, it is well worth the effort to get to that level financially (don’t believe those who tell you it is not) however, there’s more to life than that, many times over!Domain Name News, The Domain Industry News, ICANN News, Registry News, Domainer News, Domain - Administration [Joomla!]
(image source: Flickr )
My health for once isn’t as good as it once used to be, pre-computer days. Carpal tunnel is a thing of the past for me, been there many years ago and cannot use the mouse with right hand anymore. The many hours on the computer also took their toll on my body, neck injury for last 2-3 years that I’m still trying my best to cope with. To tell you it was all worth it would be a complete lie!
This story starts here, my neck injury. Last 2-3 years I tried just about anything money can buy, from gym time to massage therapists 2-3 times a week, to few chiropractors, x-rays, you name it. Nothing really helped me for a long time. About a month ago I visited yet another massage therapist and while we were talking, she asked me what am I doing to get better. I told her about the many therapists I’ve seen before her, the chiropractors, and various exercises I do at home. She looked at me, saying in her look as if I said nothing so far, and just said “You need to generate your own energy”. Now it may mean nothing to you but I never really thought about this little sentence before. Few short words, an idea that is life changing for me, and could be for millions of others worldwide!
I took these words to heart, the day after I went to the local bike shop and bought me a brand new bicycle. I decided anything 10 miles radius from my house I would use the bicycle instead of the car. Now as expected, most of where I’m going on a daily basis is within the distance which means, now I hardly use the car at all!
I started really slow, just back and forth to the closest coffee shops around (1 mile round trip), without really pushing hard or trying to go faster. A week later I felt like I should go a little further so I went to a a further coffee shop, about 5 miles round trip from my house. Still, not much but again, this helped me build further momentum and endurance and I went up to 10 miles trips, 12 miles, 15 miles, and today I completed some 26 miles round trip from my house for the first time. About a month after the day that changed my life.
During that trip today, a beautiful and sunny Sunday morning, riding famous A1A (Ocean BLVD), I looked with envy at all the other cyclists on the road (yes, those who fly by you and scream “on your left!!” to a point you almost fall). In envy? Yes. Because what they have is something I cannot buy no matter how much money I have. Sounds obvious isn’t it? But this is the real secret, the one many wealthy individuals try so hard to relate to many and still most don’t understand. We all heard of those who made it just to find out they are not happy, neither content, with their lives. What is it then those who have made it envy? what is it they really want once they achieved the American dream, financial wise? It is what you can achieve today, without any of the money they have. It is the things money can’t buy. It is to find somebody to love, it is to be healthy, it is to be happy, it is to be content.
It took me many years and countless hours on the computer, often north of 20 hours per day, to realize it. Don’t let this happen to you. While getting your financials together is important, it is not the most important thing in life. You can take my word for it or you can find it all when you achieve the American dream yourself. What you will find out is this: Beyond the American dream is the real dream, that is, the one money can’t buy, the one you can achieve today.
Source: Posted on TheConceptualist by Sahar Sarid -- Reprinted with permission -- July 27, 2008