Last week, I wrote about an idea I had about living my life like I already won the lottery.
You can read that HERE.
You can read that HERE.
I know there would be an initial shopping frenzy and a series of trips. There would be a slew of charitable donations and other causal support. And there would be lots of gift-buying. I’d eat in some of the most amazing restaurants in the country, possibly in the world. And I’d also go to regional places that I just love. You may not think of Bojangles as the kind of place a millionaire would frequent, but for me, the aroma of their spicy chicken and Cajun fries is more pleasing than Chanel No. 5. Or any of the other Chanels, for that matter.
What would day-to-day life be like? Sure, I’d pump money into my station and my label, and I’ve no doubt that I would write. And I’d probably insulate myself a bit, not burning bridges but just not being quite so accessible.
But how would I live? What would I do differently than what I’m doing right now?
I tried to imagine what a day in that kind of life would be like. And one of the first things that came to me was that if I was bestowed with sudden-wealth, I would sleep in almost every day. Seems a little too easy, but wouldn’t you? If you were only working for yourself, wouldn’t you ditch the alarm clock and treat yourself to a luxury that, let’s face it, most of us rarely get to engage in once we’re out in the Real World.
I don’t mean that I’d sleep my life away. Not at all. But I tend to work a lot these days. And I’ve been existing on 5-6 hours of sleep a night, making up a little of it when the weekend rolls around. If you’ve ever done that, you know that you really never make it up. Maybe a little, but you don’t have replenish the deficit.
What would day-to-day life be like? Sure, I’d pump money into my station and my label, and I’ve no doubt that I would write. And I’d probably insulate myself a bit, not burning bridges but just not being quite so accessible.
But how would I live? What would I do differently than what I’m doing right now?
I tried to imagine what a day in that kind of life would be like. And one of the first things that came to me was that if I was bestowed with sudden-wealth, I would sleep in almost every day. Seems a little too easy, but wouldn’t you? If you were only working for yourself, wouldn’t you ditch the alarm clock and treat yourself to a luxury that, let’s face it, most of us rarely get to engage in once we’re out in the Real World.
I don’t mean that I’d sleep my life away. Not at all. But I tend to work a lot these days. And I’ve been existing on 5-6 hours of sleep a night, making up a little of it when the weekend rolls around. If you’ve ever done that, you know that you really never make it up. Maybe a little, but you don’t have replenish the deficit.
How decadent would a seriously good night’s sleep be? I have thought that if sleeping ever became an Olympic sport, I could do my country proud. But I’m not suggesting a marathon. Just a series of stellar nights of 7-8 hours of restful sleep.
I still have kids, and other responsibilities, so I may not be able to do that every night after I win the lottery. But I’m pretty sure I could do it more often than not. And it would be one of the luxuries I could have that wouldn’t cost a cent.
So why not do it now?
Well, I can’t really ditch the alarm clock. But I can adjust my schedule a bit. Make myself more of a priority. There are all kinds of studies that come out, and keep coming out, tying lack of sleep to all kinds of health problems. And if I had millions in the bank, or in the vault behind the Rembrandt in my study, or piled on the floor so I can just roll around in it, I’d want to live long enough to enjoy it, right?
And it isn’t just about me. Getting more sleep is a way to take better care of myself, which might help me stay around a little longer for those who like having me around. On those rare occasions when I have had sufficient sleep, I feel better, think better, behave better. I’m better to be around, and I treat others better.
So I’ve started doing this, and it’s already paying off big dividends. I may work just a little less, but I’m more productive when I do work. I still have all the same daily responsibilities – work-stress, kid-stress and sometimes just regular old life-stress. But my attitude is different, which makes EVERYTHING different.
For the last week or week-and-a-half, I’ve gotten an average of seven-and-a-half hours of sleep a night. I can’t quite do this every time. I still overwork and get occasionally overwhelmed by the job, the bills and the other stuff that we all have to deal with. But overall, I feel better. None of the day-to-day stuff seems so drowning to me. I feel like I just might be able to handle it. In fact, I feel better than that.
I feel like a million bucks.
Ken
P.S. - Hi Marvin! It's all there, Stellar Nights, perfume (Chanel#5) and burning bridges!
I still have kids, and other responsibilities, so I may not be able to do that every night after I win the lottery. But I’m pretty sure I could do it more often than not. And it would be one of the luxuries I could have that wouldn’t cost a cent.
So why not do it now?
Well, I can’t really ditch the alarm clock. But I can adjust my schedule a bit. Make myself more of a priority. There are all kinds of studies that come out, and keep coming out, tying lack of sleep to all kinds of health problems. And if I had millions in the bank, or in the vault behind the Rembrandt in my study, or piled on the floor so I can just roll around in it, I’d want to live long enough to enjoy it, right?
And it isn’t just about me. Getting more sleep is a way to take better care of myself, which might help me stay around a little longer for those who like having me around. On those rare occasions when I have had sufficient sleep, I feel better, think better, behave better. I’m better to be around, and I treat others better.
So I’ve started doing this, and it’s already paying off big dividends. I may work just a little less, but I’m more productive when I do work. I still have all the same daily responsibilities – work-stress, kid-stress and sometimes just regular old life-stress. But my attitude is different, which makes EVERYTHING different.
For the last week or week-and-a-half, I’ve gotten an average of seven-and-a-half hours of sleep a night. I can’t quite do this every time. I still overwork and get occasionally overwhelmed by the job, the bills and the other stuff that we all have to deal with. But overall, I feel better. None of the day-to-day stuff seems so drowning to me. I feel like I just might be able to handle it. In fact, I feel better than that.
I feel like a million bucks.
Ken
P.S. - Hi Marvin! It's all there, Stellar Nights, perfume (Chanel#5) and burning bridges!
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