Don’t Wish Your Life Away

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How many times have you wished the day, week, or month away? How often do you find yourself so focused on the end goal that you forget to let yourself take everything in?
I’m guilty of doing exactly this. Everything from back in my school days (Hello, senoritis!), to my not-so-distant FIRE goals. I still find myself so focused on the end goal, that I lose track of myself and this journey that Mr. RRR and I are on. There have been countless times that I think to myself, “when I retire or when I get through with this project, I’ll have time to do this or that.” Or “if only I could jump to next year and be further along the journey and ready to pull the trigger on retiring.” I struggle every day just trying to find time to cook and clean, much less spend time with loved ones. I constantly think about how freeing it will be to take back the 8 hours of every day that I’m currently losing to work.
On a related note, I’m guilty of not spending as much time with family as I would like to. Every time I see a family member, it’s always a rushed visit, a fly-by hug or a short trip, with not enough days, every couple of years. Relationships with friends is also another area that can become hard to foster with limited time available. How often do you become friends with someone, and then you find yourselves drifting apart because you have a job, your family, your life, etc. that take so much of your time.
As Mr. RRR mentioned in the last article (Money is Not the Goal), when it comes down to it, we really don’t have that much time that we get to spend with family, namely our parents or grandparents, in our lifetime. I find myself taking for granted the fact that most of my family live so close to me. I know they’re right down the road, but I always find myself thinking I don’t have time, and I can always visit with them more when I retire…
Another area that I think has fallen by the wayside is exercise. I used to take for granted the time I had for exercise. I love exercising and running, but with work and properties and housework, I feel like it’s become more of a chore or something that is forced, rather than an enjoyment. I feel that I either have to sacrifice sleep or exercise, and we all know this gal needs her sleep, so exercise is the one on the chopping block. I find myself thinking that if only I had more time, I’d be able to enjoy it again, instead of feeling like it is rushed or forced.
That takes me to self care and health. They are both so important and something that tends to get overlooked until it is too late. What’s the point of retiring early, if you’re not in a healthy state, physically or mentally, to be able to do what you love and what you want to do? There is a quote that says: “So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.” I’m doing the best I can with exercising, and eating a mostly clean and healthy diet so that I can maintain both health and wealth without sacrificing either.
I’m here to remind you to take care of yourself and your body, first and foremost, because it’s the only one you’ve got. But also, to nurture and nourish your relationships with family and friends. Take a little bit of time to visit them every once and a while, because our days are limited. The life you’re living is a journey to be cherished. No matter where you are in the grand spectrum of life and your goals, remember to take care of yourself, give your loved one a visit or a phone call, because what’s the point of FIRE if we don’t have our health or relationships?
Don’t wish your life away because you’ll miss the other lives you’ve wished away in the process.