Lifestyle Design

For many years now, Ive been experimenting with various aspects of lifestyle design. The more you learn about different places/cultures in the world, the more you uncover a vast array of different lifestyles, none "better" than the other. To my knowledge no one has found the only way or path to happiness.

The other day I came across a short story which summarizes why working 9-5 (wage slavery) for 40 years is overrated. This lifestyle places people into the category of deferred lifers, which we are unconsciously funneled into from our first day in organized education. Other categories consist of the working rich, the wealth seekers, dream jobbers, and finally lifestyle designers. The later category of people essentially ask, “why wait until you’re rich or retired to live the life you really want to live?” They start with the concept of an ideal lifestyle and work backwards to plan a career that will suit that lifestyle.

My wife & I are tossing around the idea of working 1/2 the year and more importantly not working 1/2 the year. This would enable us to pursue dreams not based upon money, stay tuned to see how this meshes with the modern wage system.

"Don't let your dreams be dreams." - Jack Johnson (Hawaiian singer/songwriter)


The Story of the Mexican Fisherman

by Henrik Edberg.

An American businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.

“How long it took you to catch them?” The American asked.

“Only a little while.” The Mexican replied.

“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The American then asked.

“I have enough to support my family’s immediate needs.” The Mexican said.

“But,” The American then asked, “What do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.”

“Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own can factory. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”

“But what then, senor?”

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”

“Millions, senor? Then what?”

The American said slowly, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos…”