Sunday, February 04, 2007

Structure

OH and I were discussing what we would do if we had so much money that we never needed to work again.

This conversation came about because his recent stay in Australia was with his former boss, for whom the above scenario is no longer a fantasy but a reality. But he doesn't seem to be sitting back and enjoying his wealth & leisure time and in particular is embarking on one business scheme that doesn't seem very viable and is causing him loads of stress. His former business partner on the otherhand seems very content, is building his dream home and doing lots of travelling. The OH said that with that amount of money, he would take the second route and do very little except committing to getting fit and going watch lots of cricket.

Now whilst I wouldn't take on ridiculous projects that would cause me nothing but stress, I don't think that I could do nothing. Since leaving my other job at the gallery, I'm finding it difficult enough to occupy myself on weekends - I really wouldn't be able to cope with a whole lifetime of not doing anything. The problem is that I don't have enough self-discipline to structure my time myself - I need an external force such as a job to give me a structure to build the rest of my time around. Left to my own devices, I just end up pottering about, hardly able to motivate myself to do anything other than noodling around on the internet, watching bits of television and drinking endless coffee.

So its probably as well that I didn't win the lottery last night and still have to go into work tomorrow!

6 comments:

Miss Forthright said...

I think you're right- if you do nothing your whole reason for living dissappears. Travelling the world and maybe doing charity work or part time volunteer work in a field you really enjoy would probably be more productive. Life is all about goals so if you have none there's nothing to live for. Hence why lots of rich/famous people turn to drink and drugs I think.

M said...

I am experiencing a bit of this myself right now. About a year ago, I left a corporate job I hated after having worked very successfully in the field for 20 years. People were shocked...but I needed some major downtime to detox and figure out what I would want to do if money was not the primary driver. (never had that luxury before)

Guess what! It's not easy! It's been a very difficult year. The loss of structure, loss of identity, loss of a daily mission has been daunting. It causes you to see yourself differently and lose your "labels", which may ultimately be a good thing.

I'll get it figured out, sooner or later. Until then....lots of internet, a bit of TV, lots of reading and gym visits. Maybe something productive will come out of all that.

SandDancer said...

M - good for you for giving up the job in the first place though. I agree about the 'labels' - people too often define themselves or others by what they do for a living rather than who they are as people.

M said...

Thanks sanddancer. I'm sure I will end up with new "labels" at some point. Hopefully more satisfying ones.

It seems that I've temporarily lost my "identity", and that's been hard, especially when people ask me "what do you do?" I always had a big corporate title to hide behind before. :)

I am also not a Mom (certainly a woman with no children and no job has little value in this world, or so it seems), and I'm having to search hard to find an identity that I like...not what someone else sees as "valuable".

I've resisted the knee-jerk temptation to return to my previous work (have had lots of offers from colleagues), because I really want to take this time for me. It's difficult, but therapeutic, and I'm certain that I will come out of it having a better understanding of it all. Ah, growing pains. They continue, no matter your age, if you're lucky. I am actually quite thankful for this life phase.

I will link to your blog, if you don't mind.

SandDancer said...

I know what you mean about people asking what you do - I was made redundant once about four years ago and in the few weeks I was between jobs, I was constantly asked what my job was.

I have a female friend who has recently given up work for a year or so has set herself the tasks of learning to speak Italian and to play the piano.

And another of my gripes is why women are always questioned about why they are aren't mothers, but men are never asked about fatherhood.

Please do link away - I will add you too.

M said...

Good point. No one queries a man about whether he has children. But I always get that question, and then people always assume because I don't that I "couldn't". Then when they find out it was my choice, I get that puzzled look, and they wonder what the F is wrong with me. Going against the flow can be a real uphill adventure. :)

Am also working on Italian and started writing a monthly column for a small magazine. Baby steps to new and better labels, perhaps. :)