I've had this discussion with people before and I've given my own opinions on them, yet I lately haven't been following my own advice. Within adult life, there's an endless stream of responsibilities through career, relationship, and personal matters. A functioning adult needs to handle all these tasks since we are the doers and fixers that sustains our society. The bare minimum to be a functioning adult is independence; the ability to maintain an income source to financially support your basic needs (rent, food, utilities). This perpetuates itself for the rest of an adult's life. We work to earn money, which we spend on food and shelter, so we can work more and earn more money. Obviously that's an oversimplification and excludes all personal time for recreational hobbies or passions.
On the weekdays, I devote about 11 hours to work: I leave around 7:30am and return around 6:30pm. Followed by around 2 hours of chores, such as housekeeping, cooking, etc., my "free" time is between 8:00 pm to 12:00 am. This chunk of four hours accounts to 20 hours every week, which is enough to devote to another part-time job. Ideally, I'd harness my inner-entrepreneur and use that time to focus on my passion projects. Depending on the workday, I'd be mentally drained and feel deserving of a break. Without any external pressure pushing me, it's very easy for me to procrastinate and just say "I'll work on it tomorrow". There's some many things that I still want to do and become, but it'll never happen unless I make it happen. I'm never going to get more time, especially if I expect my own family or career advancement.
It's very easy to use all my free time to just relax and do the minimum of a functioning adult (work, rest, work, rest, etc.). However, I feel that it's a real waste of potential. All the hours spent playing games or watching shows are lost in the ether; it has no purpose or value other than temporary distraction. I think every person has a desire to create and leave their impact on their world. With the technology available to us, we're able to create videos, music, art, products, etc. We hear about success stories about self-made millionaires that created something special from their own initiative, talent, and hard work. I think many of us think "Well, that's nice but that seems like a lot of work", and we settle on mediocrity. Based on my aspirations, I draw inspiration from indie game developers, like those that created Minecraft or DOTA, which had become international smash hits. They started these projects on their little home PCs, and they likely never dreamed they would have the economic and cultural influences they have today. This shows the power of one. With enough ambition, any one person can create a difference. I'm starting small with a little game, but I do want to expand and make something impactful.
I rested a bit too long. I've got to go now.
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